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Geauga County Maple Leaf
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Geauga County Maple Leaf
ROSE NEMUNAITIS/KMG
Sixth-generation maple producers David and Pam Patterson are the 2019 inductees to the Geauga County Maple Syrup Hall of Fame. Each year, the award, dating back to 1984, is given to someone, or a husband and wife, for considerable contributions to the maple syrup industry.
Pattersons Named Newest Hall of Fame Inductees By Rose Nemunaitis editor@geaugamapleleaf.com
David and Pam Patterson dedicated years to the sweet success of maple sugaring in Geauga County and it is now their time to take top honors for their illustrious contributions. “It is a great honor for us to be inducted into the Maple Hall of Fame,” said David Patterson, a sixth-generation maple producer. “We have been involved with the Producers Hall of Fame Luncheon since 1993 and have seen a lot of our mentors and friends be inducted. They have been a great inspiration to us, so for us to join them is a great honor.” Co-owner of Patterson Fruit Farm, David and Pam Patterson, of Chester Township, are the newest inductees into the Geauga County Maple Syrup Hall of Fame and will be formally honored April 20 during the annual brunch event in Middlefield. The Pattersons hail from a distinguished agricultural family in Geauga County. With a celebrated legacy of maple producing in the Patterson family, the couple will join David’s great grandparents, grandparents and parents in the hall of fame. David’s dad, Jim Patterson, is a founder of the Geauga County Maple Syrup Hall of Fame, located downstairs in the Patterson Center on the Geauga County fairgrounds in Burton. The Pattersons have been producing maple syrup and maple products for more than a century in their picturesque rolling hills farm dotted with maple and fruit trees on the northwestern corner of the county. “It has been a great experience growing up in the Geauga County agricultural community,” David said. “Through (the) farm bureau and the OSU extension, the farmers in Geauga County have been a great family and to be part of that through Patterson Fruit Farm has been great.” David and Pam are passing their love of maple sugaring to the next Patterson generation, their son, Johnny, 15, and daughter, Heather, 14. Pam said everyone enjoys family time on the farm.
“We are blessed to be able to raise our kids on the farm in the country,” Pam said. “They have grown up with it every day of their lives and that’s a special feeling. Now that they are getting older and have taken an interest in things on the farm, it’s been great to share that family experience.” David shared some of his earliest memories of tapping maple trees with his family. “My earliest memories of sugaring is the mud,” David said. “Getting our Ford 4000 tractor through the woods and gathering all the buckets was a great challenge some days and I loved it.” He added, “My other earliest memory is my grandmother canning syrup and sucking the foam off the top of the cans as they filled.” Their current sugarhouse was built in 1988. See Pattersons • Page 6
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Geauga County Maple Leaf
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Huntsburg Historian Taps into The Fun of Making Maple Syrup By John Karlovec editor@geaugamapleleaf.com 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 See History • Page 5
JOHN KARLOVEC/KMG
Huntsburg Township resident Ty Pilarczyk, who built his own sugarhouse last July, had his first maple syrup run this year, tapping a total of 75 maple trees and collecting an estimated 575-600 gallons of sap.
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Geauga County Maple Leaf
History from page 4
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.
JOHN KARLOVEC/KMG
Huntsburg Township resident Ty Pilarczyk held his first maple syrup boil March 11 and has made almost 14 gallons of syrup in all grades this season.
“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. See Pilarczyk • Page 6
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Pattersons from page 3
Pam helps in the sugarhouse, in the woods and wherever needed. “I get lunch to keep the crew moving, can syrup, and lately, check tubing lines for leaks and downed lines,” Pam said. “We live right on the farm and get to walk to work.” She said it’s a great place to raise their two kids and pass on the Patterson family tradition. “Pam and I entered the maple candy contest for many years and learned all about making candy, sugar, cream and novelties,” David said. “We don’t just eat syrup for breakfast, we use it in baked beans, creamed corn and many other dishes.” Pam and David have been in charge of judging the maple syrup and maple candy contests at the Geauga County Maple Festival for about 20 years and helped for nearly 30 years setting up the annual inductee brunches for the hall of fame. It’s a close-knit maple producing community in Geauga County. “Many of our mentors in maple judging are in the hall of fame,” Pam said. “Nancy Kothera, Jan Haskins and Debbie Richards helped us so much learn about judging, running a fair contest and what prize-winning syrup tastes like. They were such role models to
Pilarczyk from page 5
“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
us. We are excited to carry on the traditions.” Jen Freeman, of Richards Maple Products in Chardon, said she is thrilled David and Pam Patterson are being inducted into hall of fame this year. “They gave their time to the Ohio maple industry for years and give countless hours to the Geauga County Maple Festival syrup contest. Without this couple’s hard work, we would be lost,” Freeman said. “Thank you for all you do.” David and Pam enjoy being part of the maple festival and seeing the hard work by all of the volunteers. Pam said the great attitude everyone has really puts in perspective how much people in Geauga County love their maple syrup. “We work with so many dedicated people, such as Jen Freeman, Bob Rogish, Bob Freeman, JR Blanchard and so many more,” Pam said. “The maple festival committee is such a great group of people.” Rogish has worked for the Patterson family for more than 24 years. “Maple syrup producers strive to make the best syrup they can,” Rogish said. “The best way to see how your syrup stacks up is to enter the Geauga County Maple Festival Syrup Contest. You hope to be judged best of the best in Geauga County, and with Pam and Dave’s hard work coordinating up the syrup contest, it remains a successful tradition.” 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.
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Geauga County Maple Leaf
2019: A Sweeter Year For Maple Producers By Les Ober Geauga County OSU Extension In many ways maple syrup seasons are a lot like snowflakes — no two seasons are ever the same. The 2019 maple season in Ohio was completely different from the 2018 season. It was a traditional, almost old fashion type of season. There was little talk of climate change, no abnormal spikes in temperature followed by predictions of an early end to the season. The early tappers were out right after the first of the year, but a couple of late January, early February, Polar Vortex’s tempered their enthusiasm. The majority of the local trees were tapped the second week of February. Unlike 2018, when producers struggled to get sap sugar contents of 1.5 percent, 2019 was a sweeter year with sap sugar content returning to 2.0-2.4 percent. This is the sugar percentage you need if you want to make large volumes of syrup. Records were set on many farms and, for the most part, no one was calling this a poor season. Many producers produced one-half gallon of syrup per tap. To put that in perspective, an average year would be one quart of syrup per tap. The extended cold weather and snow kept the season going into the first week of April. The cold weather also was responsible for better than normal sap quality. On April 3, many producers were still getting clear sap. Good sap translates into good quality syrup. A large
percentage of the syrup was grading Golden Delicate and Amber Rich — the top two grades on the new International grading scale. This was the story across Ohio, not much different south to north. Southern Ohio, producers tapped in late January and early February. Their season extending into the third week of March. In 2018, the United States produced 4,159,000 gallons of syrup. Of that amount, 3,285,000 gallons came from Vermont, New York and Maine. Although significant, this amount is small when you compare it to the production of Quebec, Canada, which produces 12 million to 14 million gallons of maple syrup annually. This means that three states in the northeastern United States and one Canadian province largely determine what will happen when it comes to production stocks and prices of pure maple syrup. It is too early to get any kind of precise data on production. At this writing, it was a mixed bag of production for Vermont. Southern Vermont was once again having a record year while the North Country was just thawing out, with many areas still locked in with cold temperatures and deep snow. New York producers had a slow start, but they are rapidly moving toward an above average year. It is not over in New York and Vermont because in the North Country they often make syrup into the third week of April. In Maine, the third largest maple producing state, deep snow and cold temperatures See Syrup • Page 11
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Geauga County Maple Leaf
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Jim Kellogg Carries on Sweet Family Tradition By Rose Nemunaitis editor@geaugamapleleaf.com Maple syrup production is a time-honored tradition for hobbyist Jim Kellogg. “We are simply a small hobby producer of syrup,” said Jim, a fourth-generation maple syrup producer. “I have never sold a drop. We keep it small, simply to continue the tradition.” Jim is owner of The Kellogg Agency on Chardon Square, and when not helping with insurance matters, he can be found carrying on his strong family farming history in Chardon Township. The transmission of customs began to take root more than a century ago in Claridon Township, but continues today at his farm in northwest Geauga County as Kellogg’s maple syrup is passed on to family and friends. “The original Kellogg farm was the four corners of Taylor Wells Road and Mayfield Road in Claridon Township,” Jim said. “On old county maps and many living old timers, it is still referred to as Kellogg’s Corners. So, the heritage of the syrup making is with our bloodline and not of the property itself.” Jim and his wife, Barb, moved in 1988 to the farm where Barb’s great-grandfather lived, off of Clark Road near the border of Lake County’s Concord Township. In 2000, they began to tap maple trees. On a recent spring day, Jim and his dog, Ginger, pulled into his property, which was once home to beef cattle. See Kellogg • Page 9
ROSE NEMUNAITIS/KMG
Jim Kellogg and his dog, Ginger, visit the family sugarhouse on his farm in Chardon Township.
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Geauga County Maple Leaf
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www.GeaugaMapleLeaf.com
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Pictured, left to right, are Barb Kellogg; Ty Kellogg; Lisa Kellogg, Ty’s wife; Caitlyn Kellogg, Luke Kellogg’s wife; and Luke. Ty and Luke are the fifth generation of the Kellogg family to participate in maple syrup production.
Kellogg from page 8
His pick-up truck came to a hault near the Kellogg sugarhouse, once a chicken coop. “This is where the first rite of spring happens,” Jim said. The Kelloggs’ fifth-generation, sons Ty and Luke, help out with annual maple sugaring production. “To be the fifth generation involved with the creation of maple syrup is really quite humbling,” Ty said. “So much happens within five generations — land changes ownership, the type of farming or land use changes, development, family moves away … it is truly incredible to make it this far and have the chance to pass it on my daughter and son.” This year, the Kelloggs tapped 75 buckets. Jim’s cousin, Pat Kipp, of Concord Township, cherishes memories dating back when family produced maple syrup in Claridon Township. “It’s wonderful Jim is carrying on this tradition and he makes a wonderful product,” Kipp said. She appreciates the labor of love going into a bottle of maple syrup and is still savoring the bottle given to her from Jim last year. “I love it,” Kipp said. “I call it liquid gold.” Jim walked into the sugarhouse and paged through the worn, but readable pages of the more than century-old maple sugaring log book. “The first written family records of such production date back to 1896, although it started prior to that,” Jim said. “I’ll show you the Kellogg farm log, where entries were
written by my great-grandmother Elsie and continued into 1939.” Keeping detailed records helped with budgeting and planning on the farm. Sap brought income to buy crops in the spring. “Considering the change in the county over my lifetime, it is of great importance that I pass on any and all farming activities to future generations,” Jim said. “Too many people have no idea of the history and importance of agriculture in our lives. Our support and involvement in the (Geauga County) Farm Bureau of the northeast district is evidence of that.” Jim said, even on a small scale, maple sugaring is quite a year-round activity. “We heat with wood, so the summer involves cutting, splitting and stacking wood,” Jim said. “Maintaining the trees’ health can’t be overlooked.” See Tradition • Page 10
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You can count on your local team from Jack Stankus Inc. for your heating and cooling needs. Call 440-543-5000 for more information.
Tradition from page 9
Upkeep on the sugarhouse is also important. Jim said annual chores include checking that tap holes heal up, cutting grape vines that can damage trees, assuring young maple trees can mature and the planting more of them. “It’s a great way to get exercise and enjoy the outdoors year round,” Jim said. Of the many friends and family that come to the Kellogg farm for a visit, it’s become a great spring social event for the family. “We cook food, play music, talk politics and sports,” Jim added. Jim and Barb have three very young grandchildren and a fourth on the way.
He said they look forward to this sixth generation and their involvement with this tradition. Ty said he thinks the thing he and his father talk about the most is how important it is to share their family history with the Kelloggs’ future generations. “If they don’t appreciate the past and what it took to get here, then how can we reasonably expect them to be willing to take it into the sixth or seventh generation?” Ty said. “It is hard to quantify how much this means to my dad, my mom and our family — being a multi-generational farming family is tough. “I think the happiness can only be measured by the smile on their faces, when they see their grandkids taking the first taste of maple syrup, or picking a blueberry off the bush, a raspberry off the vine or splashing in the creek behind the house.”
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Geauga County Maple Leaf
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Spring Arrives with a Grand Opening in Parkman Township By Darrin J. Cook A Spring grand opening is a great opportunity to check out a new business, take advantage of a sale, and if nothing else, break loose from the cabin fever we often succumb to in Northeast Ohio. Throw a little country drive and sunshine in the mix and you are destined for a wonderful day. The Stoltzfus family, owners of The Barn in Parkman Township, has just announced a May 4 grand opening that just might be what the doctored ordered, so get your calendars open. A 10-percent storewide sale, coffee and donuts from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., lunch that includes pulled pork sandwiches, hamburgers, soft drinks and ice cream from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and a raffle for a chance to win an outdoor poly table and bench set should help make this an easy event to attend. What can you expect when visiting The Barn? Not only will you experience all the charm of a converted barn and newly added retail space that totals nearly 10,000 square feet inside, you will also have an opportunity to navigate through a great selection of poly furniture outside. Enjoy a locally made line up of tables, benches, chairs, swings and more. Save an enticing 10 percent on any fur-
Syrup
from page 7 are also hampering their production. Michigan and Pennsylvania are having a similar season to Ohio. The one state that had a big turnaround was West Virginia, where after three years of poor production they finally had a near record crop. Often not thought of as a maple syrup producing state, West Virginia has one of the largest populations of sugar maples in the U.S. At higher elevations, their climate is similar to Northeast Ohio. Quebec producers tapped in deep snow and they are expecting to pull taps with snow
niture purchased or pre-ordered during the grand opening. By design, The Barn has an open floor plan, allowing customers to easily navigate the isles as they shop. Plenty of lighting, access to product and eye level shelving are all important features that Steven Stoltzfus felt were vital to the shopper’s experience. Take in the preserved country barn look as you walk through the horse and harness section towards footwear. Horse owners should note The Barn carries harnesses, halters, bits, blankets, dac minerals, wormers and more. Continuing toward the back, you will find yourself looking at one of the largest inventories of shoes and boots in the county and the brands are recognizable — Reebok, Muck, Carolina, Lowa, Skechers, Wolverine, LaCrosse and Rocky are just some of the selections available. Leaving footwear and waiting for you at the north end of the building is Stoltzfus Variety, home of housewares, wall décor, clocks, signs, toys, games, LED lights and so much more. The Barn, located at 18125 Madison Road, is less than a half-hour drive from Chardon and about 10 minutes from Middlefield. They are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you have any questions, call 440-548-2545. on the ground. What gives these areas an advantage is that they can produce maple syrup into May. It is too early to predict the production in Quebec. We typically do not know those numbers until July or August. If you put it all together this will be an average to slightly above or slightly below average season depending on where your sugarhouse is located. Ober is the extension program assistant and maple syrup program coordinator for The Ohio State University Extension in Northeast Ohio. Based in Geauga County, he also maintains the Ohio Maple Blog, which is dedicated to providing research-based information for Ohio maple syrup producers in the production and marketing of maple products.
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Geauga County Maple Leaf
Thursday, April 18, 2019