HARTFORD – John Dyke, a third generation Hartford resident and owner of JCL Dyke Farms, is building a new sugarhouse after sustaining substantial interior damage to the original in a fire last spring.
JCL Dyke Farms is a family run business and he is quick to acknowledge the extensive contributions of his wife, Sabrina, who managed to quell the blaze. The new building will provide more than twice the square footage.
Dyke Farms, located at 93 Farrand Hill Road in Hartford, has a total of 2,400 taps in Hartford, Wilton and Dixfield. “It takes roughly 40 gallons of sap to make a single gallon of maple syrup, depending on the weather,” Dyke said recently with the relaxed air of a farmer resigned to unpredictability of Maine weather.
“If it is too warm or wet, you loose sugar content. I’ve seen times that it takes 100 gallons to of sap to make a gallon of syrup,” he said. “Other times it has been down to 28 gallons. But that doesn’t happen very often,” he laughs with characteristic humor.
Dyke Maple Syrup is renowned for its quality. “We’ve had customers that ask why our syrup tastes so much better than what they can buy in the store,” he said. “The secret is using wood.”
Oil may be a faster and ultimately cheaper evaporator fuel, but Dyke agrees with his customers, “You can taste the difference.”
Each batch is rigorously tested using two separate hydrometers (a device used to measure water content) to ensure quality. “And we test the thermometers every day against boiling water to be sure they are accurate, because as much as one degree of temperature difference can throw off the (hydrometer) calibration,” Dyke said.
Finally, a seven-filter system produces, “Sparkling clear syrup,” he said.
Dyke Farms currently offers 34 designs of glass bottles to display its maple syrup.
Together the Dyke family attends more than 40 shows a year all over Maine. To find out more, check out their booth at the Society of Southern Maine Craftsmen in Kennebunkport on Aug. 27, or call 597-3124.
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