Path of progress leads dairy farmers to maple sugaring
BY DONNA TRUESDELL percent open land compared to the
Staff Correspondent current 8 percent. Some old
ACWORTH, NH - From dairy sugarbushes still remain in the
farming to second largest area, but most have not been
producer of maple syrup in the maintained or replaced.
United States this is the path of In the late 1800’s nearly every
progress that has been followed at farmer made maple syrup,
Ken and Bruce Bascom’s family perhaps because there really
farm. wasn’t a market for milk. Maple
Ken is the fifth or sixth was also the main source of sugar,
generation to sugar and his son It was found in every general store
Bruce will soon be taking over the from New England to the Midwest,
business. However, sugaring was Maple sugar was stored in large
only a side-line during their blocks which were scraped or
dairying years. The Bascom’s herd broken to obtain the amount of
of 50 Holsteins was sold in 1964. sugar to be sold. With the
This was a very difficult decision production of cane sugar, the
for the Bascoms because Ken had market for maple has changed to
raised nearly all of the herd syrup primarily. Since that time
himself. the maple business has declined
Currently the farm operation considerably in terms of amount of
includes sugaring and related product produced. Bruce Bascom
maple equipment business as well believes that maple sugaring could
as some production and sale of be rediscovered as the farm
hay. The farm consists of 600 acres economy changes,
with approximately 500 of that At Bascom’s being on the
being woodland. Two neighboring forefront of new developments in
farms were recently purchased to sugaring has been a philosophy. In
prevent development by con- 1939 with 600 buckets and
tractors. Ken believes that “once production of 100 to 150 gallons of
the land is paved over, you won’t syrup, they began using tractors
get it back. ” instead of horses to collect the sap.
His son Bruce sees sugaring as a Over the years as neighbors
possible way for troubled farmers stopped sugaring, the Bascoms
to increase the income from their added more taps and buckets,
land and thus possibly save more In 1950 tubing was used for the
farms. Many New England and first time. “Tubing” involves
Mid-Atlantic farms include sugar attaching plastic pipe to the taps
maples along the road (known as rather than handing a bucket on
road trees) or in the woodlands, the spout. Tubing was still in the
“There is the potential to increase experimental stage and was laid
gross income by $5,000 to $lO,OOO a on the ground then. After six or
year through sugaring,” predicts seven years of research, tubing
Bruce. was suspended in the air between
Sugar maples are an “un- the trees and a better method of
tapped” resource on many farms, sealing it around the taps was
Another advantage is that the developed. Following this, vacuum
sugaring season usually runs from pumps were used to pull on the
mid-February to mid-April. This is tubing, bringing more sap out of
often a slow time in terms of work the tree.
on the farm. Tubing has been a great labor
Sugaring at Bascom’s began in saving advance. In 1955 Ken
the 1800’s on the original Bascom had 5,500 buckets set;
homestead which is one mile away today they have 32,000 taps. One
from the current Bascom’s man can collect as much sap in two
Sugarhouse. Bruce is very hours from tubing using a pump
knowledgeable in local history and and tank mounted on a truck as
notes there were 180 active five men could collect in one day
sugarbushes (orchards of sugar from buckets. Bruce Bascom took
maples) in the late 1880’s in Ac- tubing one step farther when he
worth. Now there are only eight. At and three others formed the U.S.
that time New Hampshire was 85 Maple company, which produces
with maple syrup.
Bascom's Sugarhouse is a family operation which includes:
(front) Cindy, Ruth, Keith; (back) Liz, Bruce and Ken Bascom.
Bascoms also uses the reverse
osmosis process in sugaring. This
is a machine which exerts 500
pounds of pressure on the sap,
forcing the water in the sap
through a membrane and resulting
in a solution of 6 to 8 percent sugar.
If sap is left overnight to circulate
through this machine it may reach
a sugar content of 20 percent.
There are several advantages to
this system including; less boiling
equipment is needed yet
production of syrup is increased,
less fuel is used to heat the sap, and
the grade of syrup will be better
because it is not over the heat as
long.
Sugaring itself begins at
Bascoms around Feb. 14 when they
begin to tap. The total process of
“setting” trees takes ten days and
the first “run” of sap usually oc
curs at the end of February.
Sugaring depends a great deal on
the weather with nights in the 20’s
and days in the 40 to 50 degree
range being the best. The vacuum
pumps used on the tubing at
Bascom’s are controlled by
thermostats which start the pump
when the temperature is above
freezing.
One 5,000-tap section of tubing at
Bascom’s is located below the
sugarhouse. In this case the sap is
sucked down to the valley and is
then pumped back up to the
sugarhouse by a deep well pump
operating on a float system in the
collection tank.
After going through reverse
osmosis the sap enters a heat
exchanger system which brings
the temperature of the sap to
200°F. by circulating it through
copper pipes surrounded by steam.
Following this preheating it enters
the evaporator pan where the
water is boiled off to make syrup.
The Bascom’s evaporator pan
was custom made in St. Louis two
years ago. The boiler under the
pan uses oil for fuel and produces
steam which is piped in to result in
a “steam-jacketed pan.’’ The
bottom of the evaporator pan
reaches a temperature of 300°F.
yet does not burn the syrup due to
the new steam system. A suction
fan over the evaporator pulls the
steam out of the sugarhouse.
It takes approximately 40
gallons of sap to make one gallon of
maple syrup. This may vary
slightly depending on the sweet
ness of the sap. Approximately 20
minutes after the sap enters the
pan it is boiled down to syrup. The
evaporator at Bascoms typically
produces around 40 gallons of
syrup an hour.
From the evaporator the syrup is
pumped through a filter press
which uses pressure to filter out
sugar sand. This is a granular
substance like sand which is in the
syrup. Liz Bascom explained that
ic jugs for filling
Ken Bascom waits on a customer at the small retail display in their sugarhouse.
and sells tubing and fittings.
In a free moment Ken Bascom quenches his thirst with sap
collected in an antique wooden sap bucket.
sugar sand is pulled by the sap
from the rocky soils which the
sugar or “rock” maples grow well
After filtering, the syrup is kill any bacteria. Bascoms sells
graded by comparing the color to their syrup on both a retail and
that of a standard for each grade, wholesale basis. They have
Maple syrup is graded primarily established much business in
by color, although flavor is a selling to corporations. In this case
consideration and must match the they can syrup in the corporation’s
color produced. container, add a gift card, and ship
The grades of syrup include as requested. They have even
Grade A light amber, medium secured a contract to sell syrup
amber, and dark amber. All of into England. t
these are table grades of syrup in The buying and selling of bulk
which the color and richness of the syrup has become almost a second
flavor vary. Light amber typically business for the Bascom family,
has a delicate flavor while dark Currently under construction is a
amber has a more robust taste. 50 x 120-foot two-story warehouse
Pure maple syrup is all maple as for storage of maple equipment
compared to the typical pancake and bulk syrup,
syrup purchased in the grocery Although Bascom’s Sugarhouse
store which is made of com syrup, and maple business has expanded
sugar, water, and only 2 percent greatly over the past years, it
maple syrup. continues to be a family business.
Maple syrup is also used in Currently Ken and Bruce share the
commercial food production and in business equally. In five years Ken
commercial baking. Grade B ' looks forward to fulfillment of their
Cooking Syrup is used for this plans for his retirement when he
purpose and is a darker, more will decrease his workload
strong flavored syrup. Liz, Bruce’s wife, works in the
At Bascom’s Sugarhouse the sugarhouse and conducts tours of
syrup is stored in 30-gallon drums the sugarhouse for visitors. Ruth,
or in 2,000-gallon storage tanks in Ken’s wife, bakes her special
their warehouse. Inside the - Maple Pecan Pie during the maple
storage tanks is an ultraviolet light season which she sells at their
which kills any bacteria that may retail display.
enter the tank as it is vented while Despite an extremely poor year
the syrup is pumped in. In order to for sugaring in 1986, the Bascom
use the storage tanks Bascoms family has found sugaring to be a
must have large quantities of the “sweet” enterprise for their New
Hampshire family farm.
same grade of syrup,
The syrup is recanned in retail
containers as needed. It must be
heated to 200°F. before canning to
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