Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 78
A MOUNTAIN STATE WONDER
Maple Syrup Magic
This Swiss-German family has been making the golden syrup in West Virginia
for three generations.
BY FRED & JILL SAUCEMAN | PHOTOS COURTESY SPRUCE KNOB
I
n a West Virginia hamlet called Harman, there is
a volunteer fire department. There are a couple
of convenience stores. And according to the most
recent census, there are fewer than 100 people.
It's a calm, quiet spot in the state's Potomac Highlands
region. But 14 miles away, despite frequent blankets
of snow, things are astir. Right now, the sap is about
to flow. For the Swartzentruber family, that means moving
into high gear. Winter isn't a time for rest.
Randolph County is home to about 27,300 people.
Its maple tree population is much higher. Residents
have been collecting sugar water from those trees and
cooking it down into maple syrup since at least the time
of the Civil War.
The Swartzentrubers, one
of many Swiss-German families
in the region, have been
making syrup for three generations.
Today, they operate
Spruce Knob Maple,
by most accounts the largest maple syrup producer in
a state whose reputation for the product is rising like
that sap.
The maple syrup world has its own language. Ron
Swartzentruber calls his line of work " sugaring, " which
is done in a " sugarhouse, " on the premises of a " sugar
camp. "
The Swartzentruber family's camp sits at an elevation
of about 3,200 feet. Climbing the surrounding
slopes, and reaching as high as 4,000 feet, Ron and his
brothers tap about 17,000 maple trees annually. None
of those trees were planted by human hands. They all
grew there naturally. Most are sugar maples. Some are
the red variety.
What Ron calls a " good sap year " yields about 4,500
gallons of maple syrup.
The tapping of the trees usually begins in the middle
of January. " When the trees are starting to push water,
that's what you're looking for to start, " Ron says. " Once
you start getting freeze and thaw, that'll start pushing
your sap water out. "
By the middle of February, the sap starts running.
Depending on the season and weather conditions, it
could take up to 60 gallons of sugar water to make one
gallon of maple syrup.
When Ron first participated in the making of maple
LEFT: The Spruce
Knob people call
this " French toast in
a bottle. "
OPPOSITE PAGE:
The sugar camp
houses the
processes that
advance sap water
to maple syrup.
78 BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
http://www.BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - Cover1
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 3
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 4
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 5
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 6
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 7
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 8
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 9
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 10
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 11
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 12
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 13
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 14
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 15
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 16
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 17
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 18
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 19
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 20
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 21
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 22
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 23
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 24
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 25
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 26
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 27
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 28
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 29
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 30
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 31
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 32
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 33
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 34
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 35
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 36
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 37
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 38
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 39
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 40
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 41
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 42
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 43
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 44
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 45
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 46
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 47
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 48
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 49
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 50
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 51
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 52
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 53
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 54
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 55
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 56
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 57
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 58
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 59
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 60
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 61
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 62
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 63
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 64
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 65
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 66
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 67
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 68
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 69
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 70
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 71
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 72
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 73
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 74
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 75
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 76
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 77
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 78
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 79
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 80
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 81
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 82
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - Cover3
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-march-april-2025
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/brc-jf-2025
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-nov-dec-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-sept-oct-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-july-august-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-may-june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-march-april-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-january-february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-november-december-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-sept-oct-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-july-august-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-may-june-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-march-april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-january-february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-november-december-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-september-october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-july-august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-may-june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/BlueRidgeCountryMarchApril2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-january-february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/BRCND21
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/BRCSO21
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brcja21
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2021_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2021_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2021_0102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_11_12
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_1112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_1112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_1112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20170102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_201612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20151112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20141112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20131112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20130910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20130708
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com