Some people call it fate. Some destiny. Some sheer luck. Perhaps it was serendipity when Robb and Lydia Turner started a search for a piece of land for a weekender in New York’s Hudson Valley. Within 7 years that land as metamorphosed into perhaps North America’s largest maple syrup production facility in North America – Crown Maple Syrup.
Crown Maple is now America’s premier maple syrup producer on a magnificent 800-acre farm that boasts perfect soil and climate in Dutchess County, New York. The maple syrup produced here, is thicker, softer, richer and denser than other syrups and is certified organic and produced both sustainably and on the state of the art, environmentally friendly Madava Farms.
Typically harvesting from February to April, Crown Maple sap is not kept for days risking contamination and a breakdown of natural sugars, the production process begins the day the sap is tapped and collected. Once it reaches the 20,000 square foot sugarhouse, an energy-efficient reverse osmosis unit quickly and efficiently removes up to 90% of the water to produce a concentrate with precise sugar content (measured in Brix).
From there, a three-stage state-of-the-art evaporator finalizes production. (Most other syrups are boiled to speed up evaporation). The syrup is filtered, then bottled and sealed on site according to standards for Light, Medium and Dark Amber syrup. Each step of the process has been customized to exceed industry standards. It takes 40 to 50 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup.
The more than 20,000 century-old sugar and red maples produce syrup with a refined taste, making it a favorite of some of New York’s most noted chefs, including Danny Meyer, Eric Ripert and Daniel Humm. Brooklyn’s indie chocolate makers The Mast Brothers also produce the Crown Maple Bar with 73% Cacao.
Last year, at President Obama’s Inaugural Luncheon, Crown Maple Syrup featured in two courses; in the butternut squash puree as part of the bison with red potato horseradish cake and in the dessert of Hudson Valley apple pie with sour cream ice cream. Crown Maple Syrup is about so much more than just the syrup. The Turners have had a dream to not only create the world’s best, but to do it with minimum impact of the environment, create sustainable jobs and protect some of the North East’s finest forests. This organic, single origin product is not only turning heads in the culinary world it’s showing the world how to produce the very best in the 21st century.
Madava Farms is open to the public with weekend ‘from tree to barrel’ tours of the facility, tastings, cooking demonstrations and special events. www.crownmaple.com
