Maple Valley Farms hosts sweet Chamber gathering

This success was shared with members of the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce in a business after hours gathering last Thursday.

Tony Couture grew up on the farm, and his father started maple syrup production back in 1974 in a rustic shack with a wood-fired evaporator. The operation waned after a time, but in 2002 the Coutures built their new building and installed state-of-the art equipment. They have been producing quality maple syrup, candy and taffy for 12 years now.

“Spring, when there is not a lot to do otherwise, we are boiling sap,” he noted. Usually, he has produced 100 gallons in March, but said temperatures mean the large production month this year will be April.

His father tapped 1,100 trees and Couture now has 2,230 trees tapped, with vacuum tubing attached since March 6.

Each winter is different. Four years ago, Couture boiled sap for 30 days straight. As of March 20, it had only been about seven days. Two years ago, the season was very fast because it got too warm too soon. The ideal temperatures are 20 degrees overnight, followed by a 40-degree day, Couture said.

It takes about 40 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of maple syrup, he noted. A major collection breakthrough, Couture said, was the check valve tap, which has boosted his production by more than 30 percent by preventing back flow in the vacuum tubing. Couture has strung 45,000 feet of line under vacuum.

Sometimes deer or red squirrels will chew on lines to get to the sweet sap, and he is always busy with repairs, as well as going around to listen for air leaks. Some of the trees are still buried in five feet of snow right now, Couture said.

The farm also participated in the 31st annual Maine Maple Sunday on March 23. Maine Maple Producers have a web site with an interactive map that shows all of the sap houses, and Couture’s tasty maple bacon wrapped scallops recipe is among the recipes in the association’s cookbook.

The farm served its traditional meal to Chamber visitors last Thursday, including crepes, bacon, bacon wrapped scallops, baked beans, cole slaw, taffy on snow and maple syrup on vanilla ice cream. In the past, they also served a full meal on Maine Maple Sunday, which last attracted 500 people in three hours and overwhelmed the kitchen crew.

Couture explained the grades of syrup, which include Golden (early season syrup that is a light golden color with a delicate maple flavor); Amber (early to mid-season syrup that is darker with a more pronounced maple flavor); Dark (a mid to late season dark syrup with a heavy or robust maple flavor); and Very Dark (late season syrup that is highest in mineral content and used in recipes where strong maple flavor is preferred). All Maine maple syrup is Grade “A.” Anyone who produces more than 15 gallons for public consumption has to be licensed by the state.

A lot of their syrup sales come through word of mouth and products are also provided to other retailers. “This is a hobby business,” Couture stressed. “For what it took to set it up, it would take 110 years to pay it off. But I do what my father did and enjoy it, at what would be a slow time of year for the farm.”

Maple Valley Farms hosts family gatherings as well as functions for other organizations, and its production building is ideally organized to conduct tours to explain the maple syrup process.