True story: I grew up on Log Cabin and Mrs. Butterworth’s pancake syrup. Sad, I know! These unnaturally thick, overly sweet concoctions are a far cry from the real deal. But growing up with an imitation, I was none the wiser.
Until, of course, I met (and tasted) the genuine article.
My husband recalls that his mother would make “depression syrup” to top their waffles and French toast—a thin, watery mixture of brown sugar and water. A tiny bottle of real maple syrup sat tucked away in the cupboard, reserved for the rare special occasion or a light drizzle over his dad’s ice cream.
Of course, my husband and I grew up in the Midwest, far from New York and Vermont, the epicenter of US maple production. But here, in Central New York and the Mohawk Valley, we are blessed with far greater access to the nectar of the gods: REAL maple syrup.
Real maple syrup, of course, starts as sap from sugar maples (and sometimes black and red maples) tapped in late winter. As the days imperceptibly start to lengthen and daytime temperatures inch above freezing, hardy folk head out into the snowy woods to prepare for a harvest like no other.
The gathered sap is boiled down until it is a dark, golden hue, concentrating the sugars and the flavor. Again, it takes hardy folk to tend the fires for days on end to achieve the desired result.
Carol and Maggie Shaw of Shaw’s Maple Products are two such wonderful, hardy folk. I have known Carol for over 10 years, having been vendors at many farmer’s markets and festivals together. I’ve watched her daughter, Maggie, grow up alongside my own girls, and love that they, too, are a small family business. And their maple syrup is served not only at our breakfast table but also used to flavor our farm’s gelato.
Carol recently shared with me how her family started the business 16 years ago:
“When Maggie was nine and in Girl Scouts, the troop took a tour of the maple sugarhouse at VVS High School in Vernon, NY. We learned so much that day about making maple syrup, we decided to try it ourselves as a fun, educational experience with the kids.
“That first year, we tapped eight trees. We used plastic milk jugs hung from each tap to collect the sap. It was the kids’ job to empty the jugs every day when they got off the school bus. Some days, the jugs would be overflowing by the time they got home.
“We built a small fire inside a ring of stones and watched the gathered sap boil as the kids played. We quickly learned how time-consuming the process really was. That first year, we may have made a single quart of syrup after all that work!
“Over the next few years, we grew slowly with the realization that our “hobby” could become a small business. In 2010, we moved into a large sugarbush located on my brother’s dairy farm in Madison and installed blue tubing that connects the trees together like a spider web. The sap flows downhill and collects in one central tank, which we truck back to our sugarhouse in Clinton.
“We have since attended many maple school conferences to learn about equipment, tools, and processes used by other sugar makers. Networking with others has proven to be invaluable to our success. The entire family is involved in the business: Curt, Carol, Owen, Maggie, and Tyler, along with many other family and friends when help is needed.
“This venture has taken us on an amazing journey and has taught us so much. It has taught us what hard work truly is. As a family, we have enjoyed learning and sharing our expertise with customers. Being able to share what we do and to see the appreciation by others makes us both humble and proud.”
You can find Carol and Maggie and Shaw’s Maple Products at the New Hartford, Clinton, and Old Forge farmer’s markets during the summer months, weekend festivals, and a number of small retail shops in the area. Their retail store is located at 7945 Maxwell Road in Clinton and is open year-round. For more information, visit shawsmapleproducts.com.