Maple Syrup

Almost as soon as we moved into our little cottage, in addition to having our organic garden, I knew I wanted to have a produce stand. The last couple of months have seen this dream become a reality. I am making connections with farmers, getting the stand built and planning the garden calendar.

But this morning was really something special. Judy Jessup (an old farmer herself) and I went out to see farmers about their wares. First on our list were the Maple Syrup farmers, Rich and Barb.

Rich and Barb Keller's farm is about 45 miles from where I live, located in Lennox, Michigan. After driving for sometime on a two lane highway, you turn off onto a dirt road, muddy from the rain with potholes the size of manhole covers. But that is usually part of the drill and since Judy was driving and because she is an old hand at maneuvering around those babies, I had nothing to fear. Almost instantly, Judy and I knew we were in "Farmers Heaven" as we passed signs hanging in front of one small farm after another; Sheep's Herd, Whole Chickens, Fresh Eggs, Hay, Firewood and finally Maple Syrup.

Rich and Barb were just how you think they should be. Dressed in their warm coats - with the dirt of the farm worn into the fabric, faces burned from being outdoors, proud with the results of their hard work. Though they were sturdy, you could see their bodies had taken a toll. Rich told us when he gets up in the morning his knees are stiff from the day before, but is grateful he has something to do that he cares about. Barb plump and round, I'm sure from eating too much of their product, smiles nodding her head. The Kellers make their syrup the old fashioned way - by burning wood, in a 14 foot high, 20 foot long still, housed in an old barn. In the back of their property are 1, 400 trees tapped for syrup. Already this year, they have gotten a fair bit of syrup, but have to wait for a freeze for more since the weather is too warm - who knew? He told us that most people get making syrup wrong (including the Agricultural Department at Michigan State) when it comes to knowing the perfect time to stop cooking this amber goo. You see, you judge it by the gravity (weight) of the syrup, not the stickiness - he said "Syrup is always sticky, so how the hell is that supposed to tell you anything?" I cannot tell you how good that fricking syrup is. Every last drop has love, passion, sweat, experience and well, the proper gravity.

Barb wobbles over, grabs the boxes and loads them into Judy's car. As we begin to leave, Barb tells me to give out samples - "You will sell lots of our syrup if you let them taste it". Still licking our lips from our sample, Judy and I smile, "Yep", I say, I believe you".