Maple Syrup the Modern Way

Twenty years ago, I watched a Connecticut Farmer make maple syrup. There was a great deal more waiting and boiling to produce a quart of syrup than today.

We checked out the Sugar Shack of Wayne Richmond on Canonchet Driftway in Hope Valley on Sunday. He has a much more modern set-up which includes: A large fiberglas storage tank and reverse osmosis machine, along with the traditional buckets hung from the trees and the smell of wood mixed with sap vapors steaming from the shack. We learned about the different grades of syrup, the process, how weather and barometric pressure effect harvesting and the cooking temperatures.

Thanks, Wayne for sharing your expertise. We are learning all about reverse osmosis thanks to you!