Turner Farms Maple Syrup

We opened our doors in the Spring of 1988, in the southern most corner of the Berkshires of Massachusetts. We produced 25 gallons of syrup that year on a "Back Yard " rig and and sold the syrup by placing a sign in a 5 gallon bucket at the end of the road. All the syrup was sold by May and the term "syrup fever" had officially hit. At this point there was no going back. The next year with the arrival of our first child, we purchased our first shiny new evaporator. A 16"x66" Waterloo evaporator. The quality of the syrup improved, the excitement of the production increased and again the syrup was gone by May. It became obvious that we were in need of a bigger rig and more Sugaring taps. We bought a used 2.5' x 6' rig and added another 500 taps. Totaling 800 taps.The burning of wood on two evaporators proved a challenge, and the inefficiency drove us to trade in both rigs for a 4'x 10' Grimm Evaporator. (I forgot to mention we sold out that year by May, too). With the addition of the new evaporator our total amount of taps increased to 2000. Our sales continued to grow, but as "sugar makers" know now is when the real toys come into the picture. The days of burning slab wood ended, we dabbled around with a wood chip burner for awhile, and eventually we purchased a Piggy Back unit, a Reverse Osmosis machine and switched to burning oil instead of wood. We now have 4300 taps but more important we've created a wonderful livelihood. Our second child was born and customers became cherished friends. Sugaring gets into your blood, and the thrill of producing a better product each season, all the while increasing your efficiency is the heart of "sugar fever". "Sugar Fever" aside, teaching a alternate way of life to our children, and meeting new peoples on our own turf is the most exciting aspect of our job. We thank you for all we have met along the way, and for giving us an outlet for our entrepreneurial spirit.