Article from the Morning Sentinel ~ March 28, 2011
http://www.onlinesentinel.com/news/waves-of-syrup-reported-statewide_2011-03-27.html
MADISON -- Stephanie Haulk stood behind a table covered with sweet
treats as people milled about, eating syrup-covered ice cream, baked
beans, hot dogs and other goodies.
Behind Haulk was an old, decrepit shack. It was originally her childhood playhouse and later became her parents' first sap house. This year, Diane and Bob Haulk were making more sap than ever before in a larger building with a new evaporator.
Haulk, who lives in New Hampshire and was spending her first Maine Maple Sunday helping out her parents, was impressed as a steady stream of visitors parked on the shoulder of U.S. Route 201 in Madison.
"My dad's little hobby has turned into a great big hobby," she said.
Isabelle Peters, 4, of Stockton Springs, liked the results. Munching on a maple treat, she said, "I think it's great; my favorite thing is the machines."
Her mom, Rachel Peters, thought it was "interesting to learn how it's made."
"I liked their syrup," she said. "It's been the darkest, with a more rich flavor."
All across Maine, people flocked to area sap houses as part of Maine Maple Sunday -- the fourth Sunday in March when maple syrup producers open up their operations to the public and offer just about everything flavored with maple. It was cold and windy Sunday -- temperatures stuck around in the low 30s -- but there was plenty of sunshine all day.
The small operation of Haulk's Maple, at 882 Lakewood Road, has been in business for the last 11 years.
Owner Bob Haulk said that with his new wood-fired evaporator, which they're using for the first full season, he can produce eight to 12 gallons of syrup an hour, or 55 to 75 gallons a day. About half of the syrup product is sold locally, he said, and the rest is sold in Vermont and New Hampshire.
"I started sugaring when I was six and I'm 58 now," said Haulk, who plans to continue maple-sugaring full-time after he retires from the parts business. "To me, it's a comfort zone. I enjoy meeting people. They come from all different countries, too."
His wife, Diane, also enjoys the annual event because "you get to see people you only see maybe once a year."
"And it's something my husband and I can do together," she said. "It's work, but it's wonderful. Bob likes this -- it's like his relaxation."
Inside the sap house, Bruce Rich loaded firewood into the evaporator as Bob Haulk explained the process of boiling sap into maple syrup to Darrel and Jean Furbush, of Oakland, and their grandson, 9-year-old Nathan Kinney.
"We've been doing this (Maine Maple Sunday) since he was a baby," Darrel said of Nathan. "We travel all over -- probably to six or seven. We know which ones are good."
"We love the homemade doughnuts and beans," Jean Furbush said. "And everybody's friendly. It's a Maine thing."
By Scott Monroe
[email protected]
Staff Writer
Behind Haulk was an old, decrepit shack. It was originally her childhood playhouse and later became her parents' first sap house. This year, Diane and Bob Haulk were making more sap than ever before in a larger building with a new evaporator.
Haulk, who lives in New Hampshire and was spending her first Maine Maple Sunday helping out her parents, was impressed as a steady stream of visitors parked on the shoulder of U.S. Route 201 in Madison.
"My dad's little hobby has turned into a great big hobby," she said.
Isabelle Peters, 4, of Stockton Springs, liked the results. Munching on a maple treat, she said, "I think it's great; my favorite thing is the machines."
Her mom, Rachel Peters, thought it was "interesting to learn how it's made."
"I liked their syrup," she said. "It's been the darkest, with a more rich flavor."
All across Maine, people flocked to area sap houses as part of Maine Maple Sunday -- the fourth Sunday in March when maple syrup producers open up their operations to the public and offer just about everything flavored with maple. It was cold and windy Sunday -- temperatures stuck around in the low 30s -- but there was plenty of sunshine all day.
The small operation of Haulk's Maple, at 882 Lakewood Road, has been in business for the last 11 years.
Owner Bob Haulk said that with his new wood-fired evaporator, which they're using for the first full season, he can produce eight to 12 gallons of syrup an hour, or 55 to 75 gallons a day. About half of the syrup product is sold locally, he said, and the rest is sold in Vermont and New Hampshire.
"I started sugaring when I was six and I'm 58 now," said Haulk, who plans to continue maple-sugaring full-time after he retires from the parts business. "To me, it's a comfort zone. I enjoy meeting people. They come from all different countries, too."
His wife, Diane, also enjoys the annual event because "you get to see people you only see maybe once a year."
"And it's something my husband and I can do together," she said. "It's work, but it's wonderful. Bob likes this -- it's like his relaxation."
Inside the sap house, Bruce Rich loaded firewood into the evaporator as Bob Haulk explained the process of boiling sap into maple syrup to Darrel and Jean Furbush, of Oakland, and their grandson, 9-year-old Nathan Kinney.
"We've been doing this (Maine Maple Sunday) since he was a baby," Darrel said of Nathan. "We travel all over -- probably to six or seven. We know which ones are good."
"We love the homemade doughnuts and beans," Jean Furbush said. "And everybody's friendly. It's a Maine thing."
By Scott Monroe
[email protected]
Staff Writer
HOT AND SWEET: Bruce Rich loads firewood into an evaporator as Haulk's
Maple owner Bob Haulk, right, explains the process of boiling sap into
maple syrup to Darrel and Jean Furbush of Oakland and their grandson
Nathan during a Maine Maple Sunday event yesterday.
Staff photo by David Leaming
Staff photo by David Leaming
