Our syrup making season has concluded, and we made a lot of syrup!
Every year we hope for a “normal” season. As we talked it over during a long boil this year, it finally dawned on us that we’ve never had a normal season… and that there’s no such thing! Every late winter and early spring (also known by us as “sugar season”) is simply different and unique. The forecast will always be somewhat unpredictable, and it is important for us to remember that this uncertainty is, in part, what makes the whole process so exciting. Our salient farm notes for the year are that we made a good bit of syrup in less time than any other year. On the days that the sap ran, it ran BIG, and we had very large amounts of sap to process. The three weeks of deep freeze in late January and early February led to a long, slow thaw and a subsequent sap run that lasted nearly two weeks. This single event yielded more than half of this year’s syrup total. A few more sap runs followed, and we rounded out the season with a total of about 99 gallons of syrup. Our benchmark for a great year is 100 gallons, so that’ll do!
An up close look at a red maple flower.
Each year, different factors dictate what ends our season, but it all generally has to do with warm weather. This year we pulled our taps despite the fact that sap was still flowing. We noticed Friday morning that the extended warm weather had enticed the red maple buds to bloom. If you’re in the mountains right now, look out your window: the red maple trees are the only thing blooming in the forest, and you can see their bright red blooms shining. These are always the first to pop in the woods every spring. When the trees bloom, the chemistry of the sap changes to support the flowering, and syrup made from this sap no longer tastes good. The syrup flavor might be described as maple syrup… with a hint of gym socks (so we are told). When we see that first red maple bud open, we know that it is either time to pull those taps on the blooming trees, or shut it all down. Since the sap run had slowed to just a trickle with no freeze in sight for the extended forecast, we decided that our season was officially over.
As we button things up on the farm (pulling taps and rinsing lines, and putting the sugar house to bed), we are now turning our attention to our upcoming syrup release event at Molley Chomper. We will have lots of syrup for sale this year. Previously, in a concerted effort to make sure that everyone who comes to the event to purchase syrup has the chance to do just that, we have had to set some limits on how many bottles of syrup each customer can purchase. Many of you are driving a great distance to be there, and we don’t want anyone to go home empty handed. So, we will only ration sales if we must (depending on turnout). We made 20-25% more syrup this year than we have in the past couple of seasons, so we expect that there will be plenty of bottles to go around.
Michael, Wheeler and Doug mark the end of sap season with a team pic.
Syrup Release Event at Molley Chomper
Waterfall Farm will hold its 2026 once-annual maple syrup release on Saturday, March 21 at Molley Chomper. We will begin promptly at noon. This is the one day each year when our entire season’s maple syrup inventory becomes available for purchase. We will have samples available for tasting so that you can explore the differences in flavor and choose from our early, mid, and late season syrup.
Our syrup comes in 8 oz bottles and are $20 each. Cash preferred.
We hope to see you there!!
F.A.N. Club’s Menu of Maple Delights
During the syrup release our friends from F.A.N.Club (Friends Assisting Neighbors) will be in attendance hosting a fundraiser featuring maple-inspired treats. We’ll be donating Waterfall Farm maple syrup for their confections, and all proceeds will support F.A.N.’s work helping Ashe County residents with heating and fuel needs.
Friends Assisting Neighbors is a local nonprofit that provides critical assistance to members of our community facing heating and fuel challenges, and hosts community events throughout the year to support that mission. We’re grateful to partner with them and hope you’ll consider supporting their work while you’re here.
Spring Dinner
Visitors who’d like to make a weekend of it are invited to arrive Friday evening for the Cider House Supper Club Spring Dinner on March 20 at 6:30 pm, also at Molley Chomper. The dinner will feature a Korean-inspired meal served family-style by Kim Hunter. Reservations are required in advance.
