|
Maple sugaring on our farm in Massachusetts
Cranston's Christmas Tree Farm Maple Syrup Delicate, smooth and tantalizing -- try some!
We ship world-wide. Read our testimonials!
Maple Season 2011 Each sugaring year brings new
challenges. The pipelines and buckets were difficult to set with such a snowpack and none knew when he would break through the crust and drop to the knees so the snowshoes were used. Once we were
tapped in, we eagerly awaited the 1st run because we now have a reverse osmosis (RO) machine which when calibrated extracts water from the sap, thereby increasing the sugar content of the sap.
This process significantly reduces the amount of fuel used to boil the sap and the amount of time it takes to boil it into maple syrup. Wow! What a saving in time and fuel. The quality of this
year's syrup is excellent. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As Seth and Jon gathered the sap from the holding tanks and buckets, Tom boiled it down in a wood-fired evaporator situated in
the quaint and rustic sugarhouse Tom built when he was 15. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The wood used to boil the sap to the consistency of maple syrup is harvested from the farm. The fragrant aromas of the burning
wood, combined with the maple smell and the clouds of bellowing steam, enables one to experience the heart and soul of maple sugaring.
Boiling sap in a snow squall |
|
|
|
|
|
When the boiling sap has reached syrup stage, it is filtered, tested with a hydrometer, and packaged for the consumer to
purchase. By gathering the sap immediately after a run and boiling it down at its optimum, our syrup has a delicate, smooth, and tantalizing taste. Try some! Prices: 1 gallon $49 ½ gallon $29 1 quart $18 Shipping: USPS flat rate - 2 ½ gallons or 2 quarts = $10.95 |
|
|
|
|
|
Photo credits: Betsy Cranston, Carrie Cranston, Cynthia Cranston & Maryellen Cranston
© Copyright 2005-2012 Cranston's Christmas Tree Farm. All rights reserved. 372 Baptist Corner Road • Ashfield, MA 01330 • (413) 628-0090 "This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer."
|
|