Highland Meadows owner Jack Krider checks the sap density with a hydrometer. Mirror photos by Patrick Waksmunski
FREDERICKSBURG — With a stately brick home surrounded by rolling pastures, Highland Meadows is picturesque — no matter the season.
Add in a quaint “sugar shack” on a brisk March morning and sweetly scented steam wafting through the air and it becomes the idyllic backdrop for the maple syrup harvest.
Renee Krider, 65, grew up here on this 1840s former ironmaster estate and, with her husband, Jack, raised four children.
Her grandfather, a prominent physician, planted a grove of maple trees on the 100-acre property, but never dabbled in tree tapping or sap boiling.
“He came to the farm to relax and get away from the stress of his job,” Jack Krider said. “We are glad he had the foresight to plant the trees. Generations later, our family continues to benefit from the decisions he made.”
Jeff Johnson of Martinsburg takes a reading on the reverse osmosis machine prior to the boiling process. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski
Those red maples — along with acres of others that surround the farm on the western slope of Tussey Mountain — served as inspiration for the Kriders’ now-thriving maple syrup business.
What began with a turkey fryer and flat pan in their garage 25 years ago has grown to become one of the largest commercial producers of maple syrup in Blair County. It is also one of 400 such businesses registered with the state.
“It really took off during the pandemic, because people were making their food at home and they wanted real maple syrup,” Jack Krider explained. “The demand is still up … and we don’t waste a drop.”
Krider, a 67-year-old former teacher and Central High School football coach, is retired, but his passion for maple syrup keeps him busy from dawn to dusk during the maple sugar season.
Harvesting the sap involves vacuum pumping it downhill from nearly 700 tapped trees on the farm. The Kriders also tap another 450 sugar maples at a friend’s property in Blue Knob.
Highland Meadows owner Jack Krider feeds wood into the evaporator to boil maple tree sap. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski
The taps are connected with a web of food-grade plastic lines that feed into larger lines that eventually deliver the sap into large holding tanks.
The sap — which is 98.5% water and about 1.5% sugar — is then run through a reverse osmosis machine (known as the “RO” ) that pulls water out, leaving it more concentrated. This way, it takes the Kriders about 13 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup — rather than the 65 gallons it would require without the machine.
The end result — maple syrup with a 66% sugar content.
“The RO saves so much time and fuel that it’s unbelievable,” said Krider’s brother-in-law, Jeff Johnson, who works on the farm. “Everything that we do is to increase production.”
In a humid room, fire crackles as Jack Krider, brow wet from condensation, feeds logs into the mouth of a large stainless-steel evaporator. Steam clouds his glasses as he leans forward over a balanced hydrometer, measuring the density of his latest batch of syrup.
Boiling the sap for hours turns the clear, almost tasteless liquid into a sweet, caramelized brown syrup famous for creating a sweet drizzle over pancakes and waffles.
For the Kriders, that finished product offers a better flavor than anything they’ve found in a grocery store.
“The darker the color, the stronger the maple flavor and the more minerals are in it,” Jack Krider explained. “So we make dark and very dark, and over the years, we have found that’s what our regular customers really enjoy. People like that texture and it’s a better taste in their mouth.”
During the boiling process, hot fresh syrup blasts out of a commercial evaporator spout, quickly filling a silver bucket. Jack carefully passes it off to Renee in the kitchen, who then tests the color, and presses out any “nitre,” which is sediment that forms during the boiling process.
“It goes into the filter press looking like dark coffee and comes out just sparkling,” he said.
Renee then pours the syrup into quart and pint containers to ship off to several local stores that sell it year-round. The Kriders hope to make about 400 gallons of syrup this year, some of which they keep for personal consumption.
Jack, who has a sweet tooth, prefers it over ice cream, but Renee likes to experiment by making savory dressings and sauces. Last year, she used it to sweeten lemonade for her grandkids.
“I tell people that if they’re only using it for breakfast, they’re missing out on a lot of the good stuff,” she said.
Because of their proximity to Clover Creek, the Kriders received a sustainable agriculture grant years ago, which allowed them to invest in more specialized equipment, and start a limited liability corporation.
“That was really big for us,” Jack Krider said.
They began attending seminars and sought input from other producers across the state, who became friends and are always willing to troubleshoot a problem.
“Every time we talk, I learn something new,” Jack Krider said. “Everyone is willing to share, but that’s how it’s always been in agriculture.”
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Pennsylvania typically ranks fifth in syrup production behind Vermont, New York, Maine and Wisconsin.
The Kriders and other maple syrup producers across the state will draw their season to a close this month.
Its length can vary in duration depending on the weather, with a typical tapping season beginning in early February and lasting up to six weeks, according to Scott Weikert, a maple syrup expert with Penn State Extension.
Overall, syrup producers love warm days and freezing nights, which helps make the sap run consistently. Maple trees also produce more sap at higher elevations. Consequently, a majority of Pennsylvania producers are concentrated in the mountainous parts of the state, Weikert added.
“Sugar content can also vary year to year, it depends on where the trees are growing, and how much sun they get,” Weikert said. “Less sun equals less sugar.”
Last year, the Kriders were disheartened when their season was cut short by warm weather, leaving them with just 220 gallons of finished product.
“We could see it coming,” Jack Krider said. “A lot of it is out of our control. The tree buds begin to grow and the sap doesn’t taste good anymore. They quit giving, and eventually the supply begins to drop.”
When they’re not boiling sap, the Kriders and their workers are walking miles through the woods, checking lines for damage, inspecting taps or cutting firewood.
“We spend a lot of time in the woods,” Johnson said. “It’s hectic while we are here, but all in all, we wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t enjoy it.”
They also raise Scottish Highland beef cattle, and sell honey from their bees and eggs from their chickens.
“We love what we do, and we are really blessed to have the soil that we have,” Jack Krider said. “Because when it comes down to it, all of our foods get their flavor from the soil. And ours happens to give it great flavor.”
Jess Smith, general manager at Leighty’s Farm Market in Newry, agrees. Highland Meadows maple syrup is a popular seller at her store, and customers frequently compliment its taste.
“It’s nice to have someone to feature that is local, so we can continue to support each other,” she said. “It’s one of the best maple syrups I’ve ever had.”
Jack Krider’s goal is to possibly tap more trees and start to make maple cream, which has the consistency of peanut butter and is often spread over baked goods.
He also hopes to continue aging his syrup in used bourbon barrels for three to four months to create small batches of specialty syrup. For several years, Ritchey’s Dairy has featured the bourbon-aged syrup over vanilla ice cream with a warm waffle underneath.
“I was pleasantly surprised how good it was,” said Carrie Houp, dairy sales room supervisor. “It’s pretty popular, and we are bringing it back out right now.”
The Kriders will be the first to admit that no one gets instantaneously rich off of maple syrup. Although it fluctuates, the average U.S. price per gallon for commercially produced maple syrup is about $35 to $40, but production and container costs are high and keep rising.
“It’s so satisfying to know that people like your product and love what you do,” he said. “All the money you make just goes back into it so you can do a better job, and get more sap.”
At the end of a long day tending to his evaporator, Jack Krider said that the sweet smell of syrup — and success — is worth the effort.
“There’s a saying that ‘Making maple syrup is hours of boredom interrupted by moments of terror,'” he said with a wry smile. “We can have a leak in a line, or it can boil over. Our prayer is just that it all goes smoothly.”
Children: Nikki, Josh (Beth), Andy (Leah) and Wes (Brett), 11 grandkids
Address: 528 Rebecca Furnace Road, Martinsburg
Sales: Highland Meadows, 528 Rebecca Furnace Road, Martinsburg, sells its own homemade maple syrup on site year-round, as long as the sign is up. Visitors who want to buy the syrup or see the production up close are asked to call ahead at 814-793-3314.
Highland Meadows products are also available at Rhodes Meat Market, Fredericks Meat Market, Peach Hill Orchard, Holland Bros. Meats, Leighty’s Farm Market and Separate Peace Farm Store in Huntingdon.
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