Friday was a bit of an event in my house that included dropping my Kindle on my left foot and breaking a toe. This incident makes not once, but twice that a book of some sort has broken one of my toes. But, we persevered with our weekend plans that included a road trip to Temple, NH to visit Ben’s Sugar Shack.
It is March in New England, and that means the sap is flowing in our maple trees. For me, the start of maple season means spring is around the corner. Birds are chirping, the sun stays out longer, and we can finally see the ground again in places. Sunday was a perfect day to visit a maple farm and get a sweet treat or two.
Ben’s Sugar Shack offers free tours that begin every 15 minutes. It was pretty darn cold on Sunday, so Kevin and I were the only ones on our particular tour. The first half of the tour involves a wagon with a few steps and a very short, easy walk to some trees. Joe, our informative and super nice guide, told us about the history of the tours and how they change a little each year, how Ben got started, and answered a lot of our questions on the wagon ride out to one of their stands of trees.
At the trees, we disembarked and enjoyed a really educational chat with another of the tour guides. We learned about modern ways of tapping the trees, got to see first hand the incredible engineering involved with tapping thousands of trees, and learned what they do to keep the trees healthy and productive.
The wagon returned to pick us up and take us back to the market. The second half of the tour is absolutely accessible to everyone, as it is inside the market. Here, we met Ben himself and learned how the evaporator works and how they finish the syrup and make it ready for the consumer. We also learned about all the delicious ways they use maple.
Then, we got to taste their products! We sampled sugar on snow, maple cotton candy, maple candy bars, maple cream, maple peanut butter, maple cookies, and, of course, the three grades of syrup that they make. A fun and yummy ending to the tour.
Inside the market itself, you can find all sorts of maple products as well as produce, bread, cheese, drinks, and a counter for hot foods. It is a huge market with lots of unique, local food items.
The atmosphere was so cozy, and everyone on the tour and inside the shop was friendly and knowledgeable. If you cannot do the wagon portion of the tour, you can definitely simply go to the final section of the tour and ask questions, try some samples, and enjoy the market. If you’re in the area, go check out Ben’s operation and try the tour. Supporting a local business is a great way to spend a weekend!