Community watches sugar shack staff shift sap into sweet syrup

*Smoke flows out of Land’s Sake’s sugar shack near Weston Middle School on March 28. (Brendan Cassidy/Weston Observer)*

For Land’s Sake Farm Manager Brendan Murtha, the seasonal process of collecting tree sap and making it into maple syrup signifies that warmer days are ahead.

“At least for me, it’s a very hopeful time of year,” said Murtha. “It kind of brings you out of that deep winter cold, hanging out in here by the big, big fire.”

Every February, Land’s Sake staff start tapping into local trees, carrying heavy buckets of thick sap and bottling up maple syrup to be sold.

On Saturday, March 28, the farm hosted a sugaring event at its sugar shack beside Weston Middle School, allowing the community to get a close look at the process of making fresh maple syrup.

Going inside the shack provided an opportunity for attendees to learn, but also gave them a chance to escape the freezing temperatures outside.

“Like everything we do, one of our primary goals as an organization is to educate people about land access and what it takes to produce food,” said Murtha.

Unlike many large-scale commercial operations, Land’s Sake takes the traditional route, hauling buckets of sap and boiling it down over a wood-fired evaporator.

After sap is collected, it is transported to a holding tank nearby. When it’s time to make syrup, the sap is pumped into a second tank in the shack. Murtha and other employees split the wood themselves before throwing it into the furnace that heats the sap. Once the sap heats up to over 219 degrees Fahrenheit and a sugar density of 66.9 Brix, it is officially syrup. Brix is a measurement that quantifies a liquid’s sugar content.

*Wood is loaded into the boiler at Land’s Sake’s sugar shack on March 28. (Brendan Cassidy/Weston Observer)*

A filter sifts out any impurities, and the finished product should look as clear as can be.

This year, from mid-February through the end of March, Land’s Sake produced about 60 gallons of maple syrup. That figure changes each year, based on the temperature outside and the number of trees available for tapping. Days in the 40s and 50s and nights below freezing are preferred.

Murtha said the traditional process of syrup-making is as New England as it gets.

“It is kind of cool, in that sugar maples are native to this area,” said Murtha. “It is a truly American product from a continental context. It’s something that has been made by Indigenous people in the region for centuries if not longer.”

*Brendan Murtha tends to the maple syrup production process at Land’s Sake’s sugar shack on March 28. (Brendan Cassidy/Weston Observer)*

Weston’s shack has stood strong since the 1970s. The structure has been modified and expanded over the years, though much of its original frame remains. Inside, it serves as both workspace and gathering place, storing wood and syrup while housing the evaporator that transforms sap into syrup.

Attendees enjoyed pancake breakfasts and children partook in arts and crafts between trips inside the sugar shack. Thick smoke funneled out of the shack, and the sweet smell of fresh syrup filled the area.

“I think it’s a great way to bring people out and engage them with the food-making process,” said Murtha. “Almost everybody loves maple syrup, it’s delicious and it just feels very relevant to our geographical location.”