PRODUCER REUBEN BROWNING HAS THE
STORY.
♪
>> THE SALEM AREA, IT'S VERY
SCENIC.
WE HAVE A LOT OF FARMLAND AND
ROLLING HILLS.
L.M. SUGARBUSH IS ONE OF
INDIANA'S LARGEST PRODUCERS AND
DISTRIBUTORS OF PURE MAPLE
SYRUP.
WE HAVE OUR FARM HERE IN SALEM,
INDIANA, AND THEN WE ALSO HELP
TO DISTRIBUTE FOR OUR LOCAL
AMISH COMMUNITIES.
ALL IN ALL, WE DISTRIBUTE ABOUT
3,000 GALLONS OF PURE MAPLE
SYRUP A YEAR.
♪
THE FARM WAS STARTED IN THE
'70s.
SO MY DAD MOVED HERE, AND HE
NOTICED THAT THERE WERE A LOT OF
MAPLE TREES IN THIS AREA.
AND SO THEY TAPPED A FEW TREES
AND MADE A COUPLE OF GALLONS OF
REALLY DARK SYRUP ONE YEAR.
IT'S BEEN A PRODUCING FARM FOR
MAPLE SYRUP EVER SINCE THEN.
AND MY SISTER AND I AND OUR
HUSBANDS BOUGHT IT IN 2013.
WE CHANGED FROM LeANN AND
MICHAEL SUGARBUSH TO L.M.
SUGARBUSH.
IT'S IN OUR BLOOD NOW.
IT'S VERY ADDICTIVE.
IT'S A CHALLENGE.
AND THERE'S SO MUCH THAT YOU
CAN'T CONTROL.
SO IT'S ALMOST LIKE EVERY YEAR
IS JUST SO UNIQUE.
THE MAIN THING THAT'S UNIQUE
HERE IS THAT OUR MAPLE TREES ARE
CONDENSED ON ABOUT 40 ACRES OF
PROPERTY, AND THAT ALLOWS US TO
USE OUR TUBING SYSTEM.
THERE'S SOME TECHNOLOGY THAT
CHANGES WITH MAPLE SYRUP MAKING,
BUT MOST OF THE EQUIPMENT WE USE
HERE ON THE FARM IS FROM AROUND
THE TIME PERIOD THAT THE FARM
WAS STARTED.
SO IT'S STAYED PRETTY RUSTIC AND
UNIQUE.
♪
THE BIG THING FOR US IS A WOOD
BURNING EVAPORATOR.
SO WE STILL HAVE ONE OF THE
OLDER STYLE WOOD BURNING
EVAPORATORS.
WE HAVEN'T SWITCHED OVER TO THE
GAS OR THE DIESEL LIKE SO MANY
OTHER OUTFITS USE NOW.
TO MAKE MAPLE SYRUP, THE FIRST
THING YOU NEED IS A GROVE OF
MAPLE TREES.
YOU WANT THE HARD SUGAR MAPLES
BECAUSE THEY PRODUCE THE HIGHEST
SUGAR CONTENT.
AFTER YOU HAVE YOUR MAPLE TREES
SORTED, YOU PRAY FOR WEATHER.
YOU THINK YOU HAVE IT FIGURED
OUT, WHAT WILL MAKE THE TREES
RUN, AND THEN THE OPPOSITE
HAPPENS.
YOU START GENERALLY GETTING THE
RIGHT WEATHER CONDITIONS DOWN
HERE AROUND SUPER BOWL.
AND THEN YOU WANT A PROLONGED
PERIOD OF TIME WHERE SPRING IS
TRYING TO COME, BUT NOT QUITE
MAKING IT.
AND ONCE IT GETS OVER
55 DEGREES, THE TREES START TO
SHUT DOWN BECAUSE IT'S TOO HOT.
SO THEY ARE VERY FINICKY.
AFTER WE COLLECTED THE SAP, WE
WILL HAUL IT BACK INTO THE SUGAR
HOUSE, WHERE WE PROCESS IT.
WE USE A REVERSE OSMOSIS MACHINE
TO TAKE OUT ABOUT TWO-THIRDS OF
THE WATER.
IT DOES TAKE 45 TO 60 GALLONS OF
SAP TO MAKE ONE GALLON OF SYRUP.
IF YOU SEE THE SAP COMING OUT OF
A TREE, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE
SHOCKED BECAUSE IT LOOKS AND
TASTES LIKE VERY MILDLY SWEET
WATER.
SO WE'RE JUST HAVING TO BOIL A
TON OF WATER OUT OF THE SAP IN
ORDER TO MAKE THE FINISHED
PRODUCT.
SO ON A DAY WHEN WE COLLECT
5,000 GALLONS OF SAP, WE THINK
WE ARE DOING GREAT, AND THEN WE
BRING IT BACK AND PROCESS IT AND
WE ONLY END UP WITH A FEW
GALLONS OF SYRUP AT THE END.
IT'S A FUN TIME.
IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS OF
IT IS BOILING.
IT SMELLS GREAT.
YOU ARE WARM.
AND IT'S KIND OF LIKE THE REWARD
FOR ALL THE WORK TO ACTUALLY SEE
THE FINISHED PRODUCT.
SO SYRUP ACTUALLY HAS THE WIDEST
SPECTRUM OF FLAVORS, BUT IT IS
GRADED ON COLOR AND NOT TASTE.
SO THE LIGHTER THE SYRUP IS THE
AMBER RICH.
WHAT WE CALL THE MIDDLE OF THE
ROAD, IT'S A LITTLE BIT DARKER
AND MORE FLAVORFUL IS DARK
ROBUST, AND THEN THE VERY
DARKEST IS VERY DARK STRONG
TASTE.
IN 2019, WE MADE OUR FIRST
BOURBON BARREL MAPLE SYRUP.
THIS PAST YEAR, ANGEL'S ENVY WAS
ABLE TO GIVE US FOUR PORT
BARRELS THAT THEY HAD BOURBON IN
LESS THAN 24 HOURS BEFORE WE
PICKED IT UP.
AND WE FILLED THEM.G THEM UP TO
BOTTLE THEM FOR THE FESTIVALS.
THE MAPLE SYRUP FESTIVAL IS ONE
OF THE MORE UNIQUE FESTIVALS YOU
WILL GO TO.
THIS IS OUR 30th YEAR OF DOING
IT.
ON GOOD YEARS, WITH GOOD
WEATHER, WE WILL HAVE BETWEEN
10,000 AND 15,000 PEOPLE SHOW
UP.
WE HAVE FOOD.
WE HAVE MUSIC.
WE HAVE VENDORS.
WE HAVE MAPLE SYRUP.
WE HAVE EDUCATIONAL
OPPORTUNITIES.
I ALWAYS SAY IT'S LIKE PLANNING
FOUR WEDDINGS ON THE SAME
LOCATION ON THE SAME WEEKEND IN
THE MIDDLE OF THE WINTER.
WE ALSO HAVE A COWBOY SHOOT-OUT.
THEY SET UP IN OUR FRONT YARD
AND DO TWO SHOWS A DAY WITH A
LOT OF GUNFIRE.
SO IT'S JUST -- IT'S AN
INTERESTING COMBINATION OF
THINGS.
WE TRIED TO MAKE IT SUPER OPEN
AND WELCOMING TO EVERYBODY.
♪
AND FOR US, IT'S NOT ABOUT
MONEY.
YOU KNOW, WE WORK OUR DAY JOBS.
WE TRY TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THOSE
CAREERS, AND WE LIKE TO MAKE A
LITTLE BIT OUT HERE, BUT IT'S
MORE THE PROCESS AND THE HAVING
THE WHOLE FAMILY TOGETHER AND
HAVING THE COMMUNITY COME OUT TO
SEE IT AT THE FESTIVAL AND BEING
PROUD OF THE PRODUCT WE PRODUCE.
I CAN'T EVER SEE US DOING
ANYTHING ELSE.