Geauga County Maple Leaf Special Section
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Thursday, April 26, 2018
A Challenging, Unpredictable Maple Syrup Season By Les Ober, CCA If you were to use two words to sum up the 2018 maple syrup season, they would have to be: unpredictable and challenging. This season started early and finished late. Along the way, local maple producers experienced extremely warm weather in February and extremely cold weather in March, extending into April. When you look at the entire state of Ohio, maple syrup production was on a par with last year, but in some locations, the season reset enough to deliver an average year. All of this made for one of most remarkable seasons in recent memory. What made 2018 unique was the extreme weather conditions, which once again have Ober become normal. After talking with producers across the state and locally, this year will go into the books statistically as average or below average. Maple production in Ohio has two regions — north and south — with the state capital of Columbus and Interstate 70 being the dividing line. In the south, producers normally tap soon after the first of the year and hope to make syrup into March. The sight of Red Maples reaching full bloom, the first week of March, is not uncommon. The 70-degree temperatures in February pushed the season to an early end in regions south of Columbus, very similar to the 2017 season. In Northeast Ohio, the season typically runs from mid-February to the end of March. Based on their experiences over the last two years, many producers are starting to tap in January. In this area, an early start to the season can prove to be either a blessing or a handicap depending on the year. The last two
BILL FUGATE/KMG
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seasons ended early in March. This year, the temperatures at the end of February once again went above 70 degrees and it looked like a replay of the 2017 season. However, unlike last year, the warm weather did not hang around. This left many of the early tappers wondering if their trees would continue producing sap at the end of March. The first three weeks of March saw some very cold weather move across the area resulting in another strange turn of events.
With the cold came frozen tap holes that yielded very little sap for 10 days. This left local maple producers that depend heavily on favorable weather conditions from March 1 through St. Patrick’s Day wondering what would happen next. Not being able to make syrup for 10 days in the middle of March definitely hurts production. Once the cold weather subsided, the season continued into early April. It is now April
11 and there is still syrup being made, making this one of the longest maple seasons in recent memory. Even if the cold weather hurt overall production, it proved to be very beneficial for syrup quality. In a normal year, the majority of the lighter grade of syrup is made early in the season. As the season advances, the syrup color turns darker. This year, the warm February weather See Season • Page 5
Geauga County Maple Leaf Special Section
Thursday, April 26, 2018
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James Miller Makes 2018 Maple Syrup Hall of Fame By Rose Nemunaitis editor@geaugamapleleaf.com James Miller is a distinguished producer, promoter and educator of the maple syrup industry. He is also the soon-to-be recipient of a very important part and place of Geauga County history. Miller and his wife, Linda, are the 2018 inductees into the Maple Syrup Hall of Fame. “Words cannot express … (it is) very exciting and (I am) very grateful to be awarded with this,” said Miller, owner of Sugar Valley Maple in Middlefield. Producing maple syrup of the highest quality has become Miller’s trademark and his syrup has won top honors at the Geauga County Maple Festival four times along with his candy. He is one of the county’s largest maple producers and one of the few certified organic — since 2008 — maple farms in northeastern Ohio, with 83 acres of maple trees on Chipmunk Lane. “There is an old saying that maple syrup producers have maple syrup running through their veins. It is also said that they often contract a mysterious affliction called ‘maple fever,’ for which there is no known cure,’” Miller said, adding if that is true, at age 12, Miller contracted “maple fever” while working on the family dairy farm with his parents, Jim and Amanda. He would rather gather sap than milk cows. “Maple was always a part of my life, a family affair, handed down by my maternal grandparents,” Miller said. “Grandma made maple candy with those unique tin molds. Farm chores were a priority, maple sugaring provided sweetener and maple confectionary.” In 1992, Miller expanded his operation to the neighboring property and purchased a new 4-foot-by-4-foot Leader evaporator, and in 1994 — which he called a lucky year — he won his first top producer award at the Geauga County Maple Festival and married Linda. They soon had their son, Toby, who works hard to continue the family tradition. Miller said he is always looking for ways to continue to improve his operation and is willing to travel to gain that knowledge, touring some of the largest and best maple sugaring operations in the East. His current 3-foot-by-12-foot Leader evaporator, fired with Eco Brik, is state-of-the-art. “Couple that with two RO’s (reverse osmosis systems) and you can watch over 1,000 gallons of sap disappear in an hour,” Miller said. Toby, now 21, is a fourth-generation Miller, “It’s very, very cool,” Toby said of his parents’ induction into the hall of fame. “They both work very hard and deserve it.” The passion for producing the highest quality maple syrup is really a family affair. Miller and his wife, Linda, are well known syrup and candy producers not only in Northeast Ohio, but other parts of the country. “James knows his stuff when it comes to maple,” said Bob Rogish, fellow syrup judge and award-winning maple producer. “James is a consistent high-quality producer in syrup and candy.” Miller has been the head syrup judge for the Geauga County Maple Festival for many years. In 2005, he attended the New England
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Maple grading school in New Hampshire. He also judges maple entries at The Great Geauga County Fair. “It is common to find him as a judge in other fairs and festivals in Ohio and neighboring states,” said Rogish, Patterson Fruit Farms farm manager. The Patterson family has been very involved with the contest, Geauga County Maple Syrup Hall of Fame, and the induction luncheon held annually at Mary Yoder’s in Middlefield, where Rogish will be emcee April 21. The Geauga County Maple Syrup Hall of Fame is located in the lower level of the Patterson Center on the fairgrounds. “A visit to Sugar Valley Maple shows that the Millers keep up with the latest technology in the maple industry and are willing to share their knowledge with others,” Rogish said. “One unique thing they do is fire their evaporator with blocks of compressed wood shavings. More traditional methods are firewood, oil and natural gas. James and Linda are teaching all of the tricks of the trade to their son, Toby, who is a big help in the sugar bush.” The Millers are members of several maple organizations and open their sugar bush to the public for tours. Sugar Valley Maple was one of the stops in the Maple Producers Association’s March Maple Madness Tour. In addition, the family owns and runs J.M.J. Enterprises, a stove and fireplace shop on Nauvoo Road in Middlefield. Miller has worked with The Ohio State University Extension and Lake Erie Maple Expo Committee to present classes on grading and confections, and volunteers his time on local and regional maple committees. “It’s one thing to be a maple producer for a long time, but if you share your talents ad knowledge with others, and go above and beyond to promote the maple industry, you will someday see yourself in the hall of fame,” Rogish said. “If you look at the group of individuals who have been inducted, you will surely see names that are known for doing just that. You become recognized as a part of history that is very important to Geauga County.” Also part of that history is Les Ober, Geauga County Ohio State University Extension agent and educator, and considered by many as the leading authority on maple production. See Miller • Page 6
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Geauga County Maple Leaf Special Section
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Thursday, April 26, 2018
Familial Bond Flows Through Generations By Rose Nemunaitis editor@geaugamapleleaf.com Justin Geiss and his cousin, Bill Dysert, tapped into the spirit and heart of their Geauga County family roots back in grade school. Fast forward to eve of the 89th annual Geauga County Maple Festival and these fathers, and fourth-generation maple producers, want to carry on their tradition and love for maple sugaring to their next generation. “We’ve been exposed to (maple sugaring) at a very young age and have fond memories and want to continue this tradition for our children,” said Justin, who has three daughters. Bill has a son and a daughter. “We take a lot of pride in our family and can’t seem to get the sugaring bug out of us,” Justin added. A 1991 news clipping from “The Geauga Times Leader” featured the cousins working together as first- and second-graders in their early maple sugaring days. “That article is a representation of a family heritage in its fifth generation that will hopefully live on forever. To be a small part of that is very special to reflect about,” Bill said. Another cousin, Jen Freeman, owns Richards Maple Products in Chardon. Justin is her first cousin and Bill is her third cousin. Jen recalled fond memories of them playing together as kids and hanging out at school. “We all live within three minutes of each other now,” Jen said. “We have great memories of playing in the woods together.” Justin’s great-great grandfather, Austin Richards, moved to Auburn Township in 1816 and built a farm, selling it and moving to Chardon in 1850 where his son, William Richards, founded Richards Maple Products in 1910. William operated the business until Justin’s grandfather took it over. All of the children and grandchildren have
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worked for the business at one time or another. Justin’s aunt, Debbie Richards, then took the business over and ran it until 2017, when Jen took it over. “As far as my sugaring experience with the help of my dad, Hans Geiss, and cousin, Billy Dysert, we began making syrup in a homemade evaporator located in a playhouse in our backyard,” Justin said. “We did that for a couple years and then moved to a (2-foot-by-
6-foot) evaporator located in a our garage. We then build a sugarhouse and eventually were operating a (4-foot-by-12-foot) evaporator with nearly 2,000 taps all on bucket.” They operated until 2000, when, due to time restraints, they could no longer manage to keep the operation going. “After not making syrup for 17 years, I was beginning to get the urge to start again,” Justin said. “I have three daughters that have all been around it, but not able to
produce any themselves.” He now runs his own family sugar bush with his wife and kids in Claridon Township. “With the help and knowledge of Jen Freeman and friends, I was able to get enough equipment together to set up a small operation in our backyard,” Justin said. “I did not have many maples on my property, so I partnered with my neighbor, Erick Hart, owner of Buckeye Chocolates, to tap some of the See Generations • Page 7
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Geauga County Maple Leaf Special Section
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Lou Mueller, center, climbs the final hill of the Maple Festival Sap Run on N. Hambden Street in Chardon. The 5-mile course has moved to the southern part of Chardon, finishing on the steep hill now of S. Hambden Street.
Sap Run Still Uphill But Route Has Changed By Jamie Ward jamie@geaugamapleleaf.com For the first time in recent memory, the Geauga County Maple Festival Sap Run will change its 5-mile course through the city of Chardon. The race details will be the same, the last day of the festival, Sunday, April 29 at 8:30 a.m. A 1-mile race which starts before it, at 8 a.m., will also not change. Known for its hills, the 5-mile course will now go around Chardon Square and then stick to the south side of town, adding a park trail and more residential roads. The change will hopefully eliminate some traffic concerns police had with road closures last year. “Last year we had some issues with our course,” said the race’s coordinator, Marnie Malise. “The police didn’t have some of the streets covered, and there ended up being some cars on the course. They decided to keep it on one side of town to make sure we didn’t have those issues.” Most significant among the changes is that the new course will use a large portion of The Maple Highlands Trail, entering from the trailhead on South Street. Starting from the Square and heading down South Street, the course will take the trail all the way to Mountain Run Station, then take South Hambden into the Chardon Park Estates neighborhood. The course always finishes on the Square, but rather than taking hilly North Hambden back up, it will take the even steeper South Hambden to the finish. John Horton of Chardon runs the race every year since he started running and sees positives and negatives in the changes.
Season from page 2
had everyone making dark syrup shortly after the first run. What happened then was very unusual — and definitely not normal. In the first week of March, the cold weather set in and the cloudy sap became clear and the color of the syrup went from dark to light, and it remained that way for the rest of the month. The cold weather had actually reset the 2018 season. It was as if we had two maple seasons in one. Combine all of the above into one season and you have one remarkable challenging year that was definitely unpredictable. It also underscores how dependent maple syrup production is on the weather. Maple syrup is not your ordinary sweetener. The contents of that jug you purchase in the store represent a product that requires a lot of work to produce during a very short and unpredictable time of the year. This year, for example, it took between 50 and 80 gal-
“The first four miles of the new course should be much easier,” Horton said. “It’s pretty much downhill and flat … that final mile, though, is savage. “That stretch is steep and long and an absolute attack on your legs and spirit. As a runner, you can’t ask for a tougher test.” Lou Mueller of Chardon was excited about the route change. “They pretty much took all of the incline elevation from the previous route and crammed it into the last mile of the new route,” Mueller said. “Overall, I am fine with the change.” Malise is also a runner, and she wanted to make sure the course had loops and not down-and-backs. Although she lives in Lakewood, her mother, Sarah Brougher, has been on the Maple Festival committee “forever.” And Malise’s grandfather was former Chardon mayor Robert Eldridge. Being involved in the community has been a way of life for the 2008 Chardon High graduate. “I’ve been going to the festival every year since I was born,” she said. Malise will be running around that morning, but not running in the race. Online registration for the Sap Run ends April 26 and costs $25. There will be a pre-race packet pick-up this year on April 27 from 4 to 8 p.m. at Achilles Running Shop in Mentor. Same-day registration ($30) and check-in will be from 7 to 8 a.m. the day of the race in the parking lot of Park Elementary School. Great Lakes Timing will handle the start and finish. The races starts and finishes in front of Chardon Public Library. lons of sap to make one gallon of syrup due to low sugar in the tree sap. If Mother Nature does not cooperate, the rewards for the season will be minimal, but the investment in time and money will remain the same. The men and women that make this all-natural product do it because they love what they are doing and they look forward to the spring harvest every year. Les Ober is the Agriculture and Natural Resources Program Coordinator for the Geauga County OSU Extension in Burton. As the coordinator for ample syrup programming in Northeast Ohio, he not only presents maple program but also writes a column for the International Maple Industry trade publication, The Maple News, and is editor of the Ohio Maple Producers Association newsletter. In addition, Ober has created a maple syrup social media blog — the Ohio Maple Blog — that keeps Ohio maple producers and others informed on the latest news and developments in the maple syrup industry.
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Geauga County Maple Leaf Special Section
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Drive-it-Yourself Tour is May 12 Submitted Spring is in the air, and the 16th Annual Spring Drive-it-Yourself Tour will be Saturday, May 12. For all of you eager to end your winter hibernation, you will find some new offerings along your route. There are 6 brand new stops, and all 25 are offering something special. If it is your first time, here’s how it works. In celebration of National Tourism Week every Spring Destination Geauga invites you to be a ‘tourist in your own back yard,’ with the Annual Spring Drive-it-Yourself Tour. A great way to explore area businesses and support the local economy, the tour offers 25 participating locations and you choose a minimum of ten stops that appeal to you. Each stop will be featuring special activities, give-a-ways, sales, food samples or demonstrations to tour participants. You can choose locations you have never visited, or your favorites for sales and unique activities. So for people that do the tour every year (and there are a lot of you!) there is always something new. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with a finale celebration at Middlefield Market Pavilion (indoors) where three Grand Prize baskets worth hundreds of dollars will be given away. The building will open at 2:45 p.m. with vendors, entertainment, snacks, a silent/ Chinese auction, and prize drawings begin at
Miller
from page 3 “James is a very deserving recipient,” Ober said. “I have worked with him on maple committees and programs over the years. He is always willing to volunteer his time on projects that benefit the local and state maple industry. The way the Miller family produces syrup and maple products has become an example that others can follow and build on.”
4 p.m. To be eligible for the prize drawings you must visit at least 10 stops, have your map stamped at each location, and turn it in at the finale by 3:45 p.m. Prizes and auction items will be baskets and gift certificates from area businesses; you must be present to win. Destination Geauga gives thanks to our Sponsors, Shetler’s Printing and Sirna’s Pizza, for their support and making this day possible. You can get a list of all of the stops, their activities and a map, by stopping the Destination Geauga Office 14907 North State Ave-Middlefield or online at www.DestinationGeauga.com or at any of the participating member locations. Tour stops: Antiques on the Square, Artisans’ Corner Gallery, Auburn Pointe Greenhouse, Between 2 Rivers Trading Co., Countryside Gazebos & Outdoor Furniture, *Craft & Antique Co-Op, DS Cakes & Sweets, *Experimental Aircraft Association, Geauga Parks District’s Observatory Park, *Grand River Valley KOA, His Daughter(new location), John’s Country Nursery, *Joy’s Place, Kalle Naturals, Lake/Geauga Habitat Restore, *Meadow Creek Meats, Middlefield Original Cheese Co-Op, Morning Glories, Nature’s Lovers Next , *Perennial Post (The), Richards Maple Products, Sage’s Apples, Sirna’s Pizza, Warren’s Spirited Kitchen, Yoder’s Furniture. (*Designates new stop) Miller said this year’s maple production was unusually warm in February and below normal temperatures in March, making it a challenge. However, productions are almost equal to last year, “not a bumper crop, but phenomenal quality and flavor.” “To be selected as an inductee in the Geauga County Maple Hall of Fame is a true honor,” Ober said. “For someone like James, it has to be special because it is recognition by his peers for all of the time and dedication he has given back to the maple industry in Geauga County.”
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Geauga County Maple Leaf Special Section
It’s Sweet to be Maple Festival Royalty
BILL FUGATE/KMG
Generations from page 4
trees on his property and provide him local syrup for many of their products.” Justin is a full-time lieutenant with the Chardon Fire Department and Bill said his entrepreneurial spirit, since a young kid, was too much for him to ignore. “So I blazed my own path in 2004 to starting Excsape Designs LLC, now an award-winning landscape design, installation and maintenance company in Novelty,” Bill said. Bill and Justin recalled always being “adventurous outdoorsy kids,” building things and looking for the next adventure. “With the maple syrup industry being so close to both of our lives, it was natural for us to want to develop something special of our own,” Bill said. He and his family enjoy visiting Jen’s sugarhouse. “My father is a cousin of the Richards family. He moved in with them at age 16. They became his extended immediate family,” Bill said. “He met my mother at Chardon High School. Both of them worked at Richards for several years and my mother, Dorothy Dysert, still does to this day.” The Geauga County Maple Festival Board of Directors was a big part of Bill’s parents’ lives. His father ran the maple stir booth for many years, as his uncle, Hans Geiss, and Mike Tvergyak ran the maple syrup production end. “Our Sundays in my youth were filled with many hours serving maple stirs, learning how to make the stirs, serve customers and count change,” Bill said. “My mother went on to co-chair the parade committee for several years and father to the presidency of the board. These were great times filled with excitement around the maple industry, the festival and their passion for the heart of Geauga County. Not to mention I was able to get out of the house starting in February and ride my bicycle through Chardon and play with my cousin, Justin, at the sugar house,
making ‘sap dogs’ and eating way too much sugar on a regular basis.” Bill still visits the stir booth on Chardon Square each Sunday now with his children. “This has become a Sunday favorite in our household,” Bill said. “One day, I’d love to have a small sugar house — joining my cousin, Justin — to make syrup with our kids again. Those are cherished memories that will last forever.” He added, “I remember Aunt Paula picking us up and taking us to gather the sap, cooking us dinner and facilitating homework at the table in the garage while she helped finish the syrup on an old stove she had sourced for the operation for us. She was a great example of a mother who would do anything for anyone. I guess in a lot of ways, it wasn’t about maple syrup at all, but possibly more about life lessons we could carry with us for the rest of our lives.” Maple sugaring is something that just “gets in your blood,” Jen said “It’s just something that you want to do and brings a strong bond with others that make maple syrup,” she said. “It’s very cool that the tradition continues, Justin started his own sugar bush with his family.” Justin’s daughter, Piper, is the 2018 Maple Festival Princess. “Justin’s kids, Bill’s kids and my other nieces and nephews all make maple candy to participate in the Maple Festival Candy Contest,” Jen said. “And whenever any of them stop by Richards Maple Products, they are always willing to taste test whatever we are making that day.” Bill said he’s really proud of what Jen has done taking over the family business. “Retail is very difficult these days, but she has found her true purpose in life and I highly respect the path she’s chosen and her carrying on the family traditions,” Bill said. “Justin recreating the family operations and teaching his daughters the heritage is something then they can carry forward and have similar memories and life lessons Justin and I learned along the way. I’m thankful and proud to be a part of this extended family and the history behind the Geauga maple heritage.”
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Geauga County Maple Leaf Special Section
Thursday, April 26, 2018