Last year (2008) was the first year that Sunday Mountain Maple Farm, a New Hampshire Farm of Distinction, in Orford, NH used the system of reverse osmosis to speed up the boiling down of its sap and 2008 was the year they received the Carlisle Trophy ( Lawrence A. Carlisle, a former commissioner of New Hampshire, also introduced the maple grading system ) from the New Hampshire Maple Producers for best syrup in the state. We were surprised but very pleased and proud, says Paul Messer, a retired Hanover police officer, who trucks in his sap from 3000 taps on Cube Mountain east of his farm and gathering point four miles away from his sugar house which lies across from Sunday Mountain. Even during the coldest months of January and February, Paul can be found driving his tractor working in the woods to keep his tubing free of snow, clean, and in good repair. Tubing stays in the woods year around, thus mother nature & her living creatures all cause damage needing repair. Betty joins him as she reports, to hand him the tools needed for the repair and keep him company. The rich Cube Mountain soil provides healthy food for the trees and gives the syrup its rich flavor. To preserve his 50 to 100 year old trees, his plastic taps are at different location in the tree each year. He uses health spouts that leave a smaller hole in the tree which heals quicker, causing less damage.

When the sun warms the days and the sap begins to flow, night temperature -20’s and daytime in the 40’s, Paul gathers the sap by tank truck from a holding tank at the foot of the mountain.

At the sugar house, the sap is run through a sap filter into a holding tank. After hours of processing with his new technique of reverse osmosis, the sap (sugar in the sap is concentrated) is ready to go into the evaporator to becomes maple syrup in a matter of hours and ready to be packaged and for Betty to have tastings and sell in the sugar house. Sons and son-in-law jump in at any point of the operation. The family gathers to help out on Maple Weekend which is always the last weekend in March. A little sugar-on-snow is enjoyed by all, also known as “Leather Britches” by our ancestors.

Sunday Mountain Maple Farm
Betty and Paul Messer, Sr
2827 Rte. 25A (one mile east of Rte 10)
Orford, NH 03777
603-353-3883 (l/m on answering machine if no answer)
Point of sale: Farmstand year around