Maple Sugaring A Passion For This Ten -Year Old

by Brendan Smith
Weirs Times Editor

Ethan Lemay is only in his second year in the Maple Syrup business, but he looks forward to a bright future.
Not bad for a ten-year old.
Along with his father Joshua, Ethan produces about two gallons of syrup a season with the “Ethan’s Maple Syrup” logo, while his dad bottles the approximately other thirty-five gallons or so under the “Lemay’s Maple Syrup” banner.
What Ethan and his dad are doing is not exactly a full-scale business, but with time and more learning, as well as an expansion on their present set-up, their maple syrup may someday be a staple in stores and markets around the state.
“We aren’t producing that much right now to do more than just sell a little here and there to some colleagues at work as well as give the rest away for Christmas presents,” said Joshua.
It was only five years ago that the Lemay’s purchased their property in Sanbornton which has about twenty acres and Joshua saw the possibility of making a little maple syrup.
“I did some research and tried my luck at tapping one tree which ended up being an oak,” Joshua admitted with a laugh. “Today we have about two-hundred and sixty taps.”

Joshua started his “hobby” using a barrel stove and eventually built an 8×8 shed which has been expanded over the years. Today it is a full-fledged sugar shack complete with a brand new evaporator.
“I’m always learning and have gotten a little bigger each year with more syrup each season,” said Joshua.
Ethan came on board to start helping his dad a couple of years ago. After school he takes care of the taps which are within walking distance of the sugar shack and he also helps with the boiling of the syrup and other chores in the process.
The rest of the sap across the twenty acres is collected by Joshua and Ethan using a snowmobile or a 4-wheeler depending on conditions.
“I feed the fire and I keep my eye on the thermometer and I check the sugar content,” said Ethan. “I also run it through the filter press.
It wasn’t long until Ethan and his dad decided that Ethan should have his own maple syrup brand and he started making his own syrup and other products.
“I used to be part of LeMay’s Maple Syrup but I broke off to make my own now,” said Ethan. “We share our trees and sap.”
Ethan now has his own maple syrup and Maple candy.
“We are also making maple sticks and they will be coming soon,” said Ethan.

As Ethan gathers the sap from the local trees and has to keep his eyes on certain ones. “The sugar maples really have to be checked every day because they give out a huge amount of sap.”
Ethan carries a three-gallon bucket for his sap collecting duties and often has to empty it twice a day or more. Under his Dad’s supervision he boils his maple syrup in their barrel stove.
So far Ethan has been happy with how his small Maple Syrup business has been going, but he is looking forward to the future where he can increase his maple syrup output as well as turn it into a money making business.
“It takes about forty-five gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup,” said Joshua who said that they are looking into the possibility of purchasing more land to have more maples for their syrup making as well as adding in some sap lines to make the sap collecting a little easier.]

Joshua and Ethan are both still learning about the maple syrup business and spend a lot of time, when they aren’t making syrup, visiting other maple syrup producers around the state to see how they operate. They have also been giving demonstrations on their barrel stove to help out the syrup hobbyists in getting a start.
Joshua and Ethan will be at Just Maple Farm in Tilton on Maple Syrup Weekend, March 23rd and 24th. Ethan will be giving some tours as well as showing folks how he makes his maple syrup on their own barrel stove which they made. Just Maple Farm will have a few of these barrel stoves available for sale for those who want to start out their own maple syrup production.

Lemay’s Maple Shack
At Lemay’s Family Farm
Sanbornton, NH 03269
And can be followed on
Instagram @ lemaysfamilyfarm