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The sugarhouse

Bourdon Maple Farm Sugarhouse

Making maple syrup

Innovations in maple technology over the years have refined the sugaring process, increasing efficiency. Instead of collecting from 10,000 buckets, sap flows into the sugarhouse through a pipeline and collects in tanks with help from a vacuum pump. We still collect from a few buckets near the sugarhouse.

From there it passes through a reverse osmosis machine (R.O.) to filter out most of the water before the boiling process. It takes about 40 gallons of raw sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup, so concentrating the sap reduces boiling time significantly.

From the R.O., concentrated sap is pumped to the evaporator for boiling. The boiling process requires an expert hand with constant attention and adjustment to keep maple syrup flowing off the evaporator at the perfect consistency. Our experienced sugar makers triple test the quality of our maple syrup as it's produced and hand select the best tasting syrup for bottling.

Vermont maple syrup
Maple Syrup Grading Kit

Maple Syrup Grades

GRADE A GOLDEN DELICATE

Golden color with delicate flavor, previously called "fancy". Great for pouring on pancakes, waffles, ice cream, or fruit.

 

GRADE A AMBER RICH

Amber color with rich taste. A stronger maple flavor and a favorite of ours on breakfast or in a strong cup of coffee.

GRADE A DARK ROBUST

Dark color with robust flavor, previously called Grade B. Great for use in cooking or cocktails.

GRADE A VERY DARK STRONG

Very dark color with strong flavor. The strongest maple flavor, used often in cooking and baking.

Steam rising from a sugarhouse
Boiling maple syrup
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