Is It Too Classy for Pancakes?

Crown Maple News — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 03:40:20 +0000

The New York Times - April 2, 2013

Promote to Latest News

In Robb Turner’s telling, it all sounds so inevitable, as if maybe the same thing could happen to you. You would buy some land, discover it dense with maple trees and decide to tap them for syrup. Your product would so intrigue the sommelier at Per Se that he would leave his job to sell it for you. One of New York’s most celebrated chefs would design the kitchen for an all-maple cafe at your new sugarhouse.

And less than two years after tapping your first tree (though you are more banker than food guy), your syrup would have an indie chocolate bar named after it, appear in dishes at the nation’s best restaurants and be served to the president at the inaugural lunch.

If only.

By Kate Zernike

Travel: Head to Madava Farms for maple syrup season

Crown Maple News — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:28:10 +0000

amNewYork - March 18, 2013

Promote to Latest News

The month of March is the height of maple sugar season. And just 75 miles north of Manhattan, in the heart of the Hudson River Valley, lies the nation's most buzzed-about artisan sugar house. Madava Farms, with its 800 expansive acres of sustainable maple forest, is the home of Crown Maple syrup.

Sap Happy! It’s Tapping Time for New York’s Maple Syrup Makers

Crown Maple News — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 00:53:47 +0000

New York Post - March 8, 2013

Promote to Latest News

Take a tasty tour of two — a centuries-old farm & a newfangled high-tech biz

Mention maple syrup, and New York probably isn’t the first state to jump to mind. That would be a northern neighbor that begins with a V.

But graced with an abundance of maple trees, the Empire State is home to many syrup makers. And during the upcoming New York State Maple Weekends, March 16-17 and 23-24, more than 130 of them will welcome the public with tours, tastings, pancake breakfasts and other offerings.

Although maple producers are concentrated in the northern part of the state, a smattering of them are within a few hours of New York City, including syrup makers in Dutchess, Putnam, Ulster, Sullivan and Delaware counties.

To get a taste of maple flavor in advance of the visitors’ weekends, The Post visited two very different producers: the long-running, family-operated Niese’s Maple Farm in Putnam Valley, and Crown Maple in Dover Plains, a 3-year-old enterprise that’s taking maple sap into new territory.

Let the Tapping Begin! Madava Farms Prepares for Sap Season

Colin Christie — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 18:06:41 +0000

Promote to Latest News

Things are really getting hectic at Madava Farms right now as we prepare for our favorite time of year - tapping season. Everything from equipment to plans are being checked over twice to ensure things will run smoothly when the sap really begins to flow. Right now we’re experiencing a short warm spell that is actually helping to prime the trees. This is always a stressful time for sugar makers – do we tap now or wait?

Our production goals each year depend upon the sugar content of the sap we will receive. Good, hard freezes help raise the sugar content, while menial ones do not produce as much. An average to great year will yield us between a quart and a ½ gallon of finished product per taphole. With the increase in our sales this year thanks to our visitors and customers, we will need every drop. If things go as planned, we will completely be tapped out in a quick 2 ½ weeks.

Thanks to the extra sunshine, we have decided to wait until this week to begin our tapping, and make sure we let this warm spell slide by. The forecast is for cooler temperatures coming in – finally!