Every January or February, our family and friends gather to tap maple trees across nearly 60 acres of woods. The process includes putting spouts on the tubing, drilling a hole in the tree, and tapping the spout with a hammer into the hole securely. For sap to flow from these spouts, temperatures must drop below freezing at night and well above freezing during the day.

Sap flows to storage tanks using a vacuum system. If a tree falls on a line or was tapped incorrectly it can impact the efficiency of the vacuum. Once storage tanks are full, the sap is processed through reverse osmosis which helps cut down boiling time and energy consumption. Sap contains water and sometimes other debris. Reverse osmosis concentrates sap and it’s sugar content, while pulling out water and other debris. The sap is then pumped into pans of a wood-fired evaporator. Boilng sap up to 291 degrees brings out flavor and aroma and changes the consistency to syrup. Once it has reached proper concentraton, it is “drawn off” the evaporator for grading and canning.

In 2014, the state of Vermont changed the guidelines for maple syrup grading. The different grades refer to the color and flavor of the syrup. Lighter grades have a more mild, delicate flavor, whereas the darker grades tend to have a stronger maple flavor. The official grades listed lightest to darkest are Golden Delicate, Amber Rich, Dark Robust, and Very Dark. The grade of the syrup is determined by taste-testing and visual color comparison.

Once the syrup has been tested and graded, it is filtered one last time before being canned or barrelled. Bulk syrup is pumped into 50lb barrels and retail syrup is canned into a variety of sized glass and plastic containers. Each container is dated, stickered with grade and farm information. Templeton Farm maple syrup can be purchased year round at the on-site farm store. Online purchases are also available, now with the option to ship directly to your home!