Maple syrup is among the oldest natural food products produced in North America. Folklore credits the Native Americans with the discovery of this flavorful natural sweetener.
So, it was just a matter of time before Huntsburg Township resident historian Ty Pilarczyk, whose ancestor Ebenezer Clark settled in the township in 1818, began making maple syrup in the sugarbush of his parents’ Princeton Road farm.
“I have always wanted to try making syrup,” Pilarczyk said. “Sugarmaking is something my ancestors did into the 1940s and I thought it would be cool to start it back up.”
The idea gained steam when Pilarczyk participated in the construction of the sugarhouse at the Geauga County Fairgrounds in 2004.
“I met a group of producers who were so welcoming and willing to share their information and enthusiasm,” he said. “After visiting a few of their operations, I decided I was going to give it a try.”
Then life took Pilarczyk, now 42 and a trustee of the Huntsburg Historical Society, in a different direction.
“It wasn’t until 12 years later that, with the encouragement of family, the dream of making syrup finally came to life,” he said.
Besides picking the brains of local sugarmakers whenever he could, Pilarczyk did a lot of research, both in books and online. Then this year, right before the season began, he attended the Maple 101 workshop hosted by the Geauga Park District, The Ohio State University Extension Service, and the Maple Producers of Northeast Ohio.
“This course is a great primer for those just starting out in sugarmaking,” Pilarczyk said.
Last July, Pilarczyk began construction on his sugarhouse, also known as a sugar shack, the place where countless hours are spent boiling maple sap to make maple syrup and maple sugar.
“The wet weather in the fall and winter made working on it difficult, but we were able to bring it to near completion,” said Pilarczyk, who works for the family landscaping and construction business — Pathways Landscape & Construction — by trade. “I designed it from scratch as a traditional sugarhouse and most of the materials used were reclaimed, repurposed or surplus donated by family.”
For his inaugural season, Pilarczyk tapped 75 maple trees, mainly sugar maples but some red, with the first trees tapped on Feb. 28.
“Our first run of 22 gallons was gathered on March 1,” he said, but because of frigid weather that hit shortly after setting out taps, his first boil was not until March 11.
Although he started the season keeping track of how much sap he collected, as the season heated up the record keeping was put on the backburner. Pilarczyk estimates he collected around 575-600 gallons of sap.
“We made almost 14 gallons of syrup in all grades,” he added. “The later in the season, the darker the syrup got and the more robust the maple flavor.”
And because the operation was planned to be manageable the first year, the hours were not too bad.
“Our longest boil lasted around 10 hours,” Pilarczyk said.
Overall, Pilarczyk called his inaugural season sugarmaking a blast.
“There were some tense moments, especially in the first couple of boils, but once we got the hang of the process it went fairly smooth,” he said.
And despite all the preparation and planning, he explained there were some facets of sugarmaking he had to learn on the fly.
“For example, the technique of drawing off finished syrup from the evaporator requires some careful monitoring, timing and testing to produce the desired result, and this can vary between evaporators and even day to day,” Pilarczyk said.
“It can all be a little nerve-wracking at first, especially as there is a risk of warping or scorching the expensive stainless steel pan if not done correctly,” he added. “Thank goodness for friends who are experienced producers. Tom Salo, Robert Freeman, Jen and Fred from Richards Maple Products, and others were there to answer questions and walk me through. The biggest thing I learned is not to panic but remain steady and alert.”
For those looking to follow in his footsteps, Pilarczyk has some simple advice: Make sure to do your homework first.
“There are so many resources here in Northeast Ohio. Join the Maple Producers of Northeast Ohio and get to know experienced sugarmakers,” he said. “There are also some online forums, which are great to learn from, but make sure to take online advice with a ‘grain of salt’ — everyone participating has different techniques and opinions, and most all swear their way is the right one.”
As for next year, besides being a lot less panicked, Pilarczyk said most of the changes will involve improvements to the sugarhouse and equipment.
“A tower for our sap tank to allow for gravity feed into the evaporator, an overhang to keep firewood dry and a brick paver floor are all in the works,” he said. “We plan to purchase a bottler to speed up the packing process and we even might have stumbled upon a larger evaporator.”
But for now, Pilarczyk intends to enjoy the results of his labor: sweet, delicious maple syrup.
