STERLING, Pa. — If you are a pancake or waffle connoisseur then you know pure maple syrup topping is a must. If you know anything about the process, you know early spring is maple syrup time! Home and Backyard visited Journey's End Farm in Sterling, PA to learn how pure maple syrup gets from "tree to table."
Paul Epsom had the opportunity to walk the farm with family members Andy and Kristen to check the trees and work in the sugar shack where the syrup comes together.
The Curtis family has been producing maple syrup since 1934. Their season begins in February by drilling upwards of 1,500 tap holes. "As the days warm, the trees begin to break their winter dormancy. Alternating temperatures between freezing at night and thawing during the day cause the sap to flow from the roots up to the crown. It is in this short window, the sweet spot between winter and spring, that they collect sap. Fresh sap is as clear and thin as water, and only slightly sweeter. To achieve the rich, amber treat that you recognize as maple syrup, they boil the sap for hours in a wood-fired evaporator. It takes about 40 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of syrup. That’s a lot of firewood! After the sap is reduced to syrup, they filter any naturally occurring sediment, and can it up into bottles large and small." It's pure Pennsylvania maple syrup.
Journey's End Farm is part of the Northeastern Pa Maple Producers Association's Maple Tour the 3rd weekend in March. There are 12 producers on the tour, and several are offering breakfast!