FRANKLIN – Off Road Maple is a family-owned maple farm in Franklin owned by the Jordan family whose love for the operation is evident by the warm, welcoming environment in their recently built maple barn, and their specialty wood-fired maple products. Diane and Jason Jordan, their four children and cousin Pete, have made producing maple a family event since 2011.
The Jordans have developed an operation where each family member is able to express their strengths in their work, Diane said. Jason, however, is the maple guy. He maintains 1,800 taps across three sugar bushes, or clusters of maple trees, that drains sap from the trees and into the drop lines, he said. The drop lines connect to the lateral lines. Diane said, “That’s the tubing you’ll see kind of running from tree to tree, kind of around the forest, and then there’s a main line that will carry it down to a holding tank.”
Tapping usually starts around Feb. 1, Jason said, but prepping and maintenance start as early as Christmas Day. Sap attracts wildlife that chew and puncture drop lines, so routine line checks and replacements are done by Jason and their son Isaac – the work horse, Diane said. Isaac follows Jason’s footsteps into the woods and into the sap house to help with tapping, sap pickup, wood stacking and loading the wood-fired evaporator.
Collected sap is boiled in the evaporator to remove water, concentrate the sap and increase the sugar density before it’s drawn off the machine. The finished syrup is bottled, and graded based on color, Diane said.
Isaac also helps Diane make her coveted maple cream, candy and sugar.
Making maple products is like a science experiment, Diane said. “It’s all about the boiling point. Boiling and cooling - nothing is actually added - they’re all pure maple products.” Maple cream and candy are made with a lighter syrup, which is boiled to 234 degrees Farenheit before being cooled. To make cream, the cooled mixture is stirred until it reaches a spreadable consistency, Diane said. “We have a machine for that now, thankfully.” For maple candy, the cooled mixture is poured into molds and hardened. Maple sugar is typically made with darker syrup, she said, as boiled dark syrup tends to cool and have a grainier texture than lighter syrup.
Diane’s products are sought after at local farmers’ markets, where she and Jason compete for sales; and in their maple barn, where the Jordans have set up a self-serve farm stand, Diane said.
Jason, who left the dairy business to dedicate the farm to maple producing, said he has found real enjoyment in the retail aspect of the business.
Their oldest daughter, Malorie, has a firm grip on the educational component and has been donned the tour guide during maple weekends and other large events, Diane said.
Malorie has also found success in producing beeswax lotion bars, candles, and balms the Jordans sell in their retail shop.
Amber, the artist, paints the farm logos and creates life-sized cutouts for visitor photo opportunities, and also manages retail at farmer’s markets when Diane or Jason are not available. “Amber is so behind the scenes, but her role is so important,” Diane said.
Their youngest, Brodie, handles the details, Diane said. Brodie helps to set up displays and handle the cash box at markets, label the products, and organizes the retail shop. “The grunt work,” Diane laughed, though Brodie’s real passion is helping his father tend the family beehives.
“I’ve always done it. Maple is in the family,” Jason said; his grandfather, Kenneth Jordan, was a maple producer on a farm located just up the hill from the Jordans’ sap house. Jason said he has always had a passion for producing maple - he was born into it - though Diane was not. “That’s the funny thing about our family,” Diane said. Diane and Jason’s grandfathers were neighbors, she said, and her grandfather produced maple on a smaller scale, a hobby that was not passed down to other generations. “We actually have a photo of those two together, on Jason’s grandfather’s farm.”
The Jordans will host a pancake breakfast to celebrate New York State Maple Weekends March 18 and 19, and 25 and 26. Maple Weekends are opportunities for the public to visit a farm to learn about maple sugar-making processes and traditions and to sample pure maple syrup in its many forms – right from the source.
Breakfast will be served from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. with a $9 per person charge, Diane said, and from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Malorie will lead tours of the sap house.
To learn more about Off Road Maple, visit their Facebook page.
