Syrup Q & A

How do I get your products when the farmers markets are closed?
We offer curbside pickup in Greenfield at 87 Thayer Rd. or right at the farm!
We do ship as well. Please call for more information about shipping rates.

How long is the maple season?
The maple sugaring season follows mother nature. Some years it's very short, only a few weeks. Other years it's long. Traditionally the season goes from January to April.

What are the different Grades of Maple Syrup?
Maple Syrup is graded by tase and by color. There are four different Grades of Maple Syrup.

1. Grade A Golden - This Grade is made in the early part of the Sugaring Season. Lightest in color, this is the grade we use to make out Maple Cream, Candy and Sugar. Excellent for sugar on snow!
2. Grade A Amber - This Grade is the most popular. Rich amber color and full-bodied maple flavor. Excellent table syrup! Perfect for Pancakes and waffles.
3. Grade A Dark - This Grade is becoming more popular. Darker in color and more robust in flavor makes this grade great for Oatmeal, Cereal, Yogurt. This Grade can still be used for table syrup and also a little for cooking as well!!
4. Grade A Very Dark - This is the darkest grade of syrup. It is made during the last parts of the sugaring season. A Bold and strong Maple Flavor, this is ideal for cooking and baking.

Does Maple Cream have dairy in it?
Our maple cream is made with only Pure Organic Maple Syrup. No additives or preservatives. This is the same for all our maple Products. Maple Cream does need to be refrigerated when not in use.

How long will maple syrup last?
Unopened, maple syrup should last many years. Because it is an all natural product with no preservatives, once opened, a container of maple syrup must be kept refrigerated.

What is a Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) machine and what does it do?
A R.O. helps concentrate the sugar content in the sap before boiling extracting water out of the raw sap. Raw Sap is around 2% sugar. Syrup is 66.9% sugar. We run our RO to 16%. This concentrated sap improves boil time and thus making the boiling process more efficient. With the R.O. It only takes six gallons of sap to make one gallon of Syrup, a 85% reduction in boiling.

What is an ECO-Vap?
The ECO-Vap we use is a fully electric evaporator. It is a sealed unit that captures the steam created and that steam is compressed and pumped into coils that run in the sap to boil the sap into Maple Syrup.

What is a vacuum pump?
The vacuum pump helps us in the collection of sap. Traditionally sap is collected by buckets. With the tubing and the addition of a vacuum pump the yield of sap if increased. This vacuum of the tree does not harm it.

Does tapping the trees harm them?
We take every precaution necessary to make sure our maple trees are happy and healthy. Some trees on the farm that we tap today, our great ancestors tapped as well. We follow strict protocols on tapping trees and follow Baystate Organics guidelines. We use health check spouts that improve yield and help the spread of sap from one tree to another. Tapping the tree is very similar to someone giving blood.

How much sap does it take to make maple syrup?
Traditional rule of thumb is a 40-1 ratio, this means it takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of Syrup. This is a sliding scale tho, because it all depends on the sugar percentage of the raw sap. If the raw sap has a higher sugar concentration the ratio will be lower. And if the raw sap has a lower sugar concentration, the ratio will be higher.