The Story
It started with ten taps and a turkey pot.
In 2023, I tapped about ten trees on our little patch of land by Lake Ivanhoe and boiled the sap down in a turkey fryer pot. It took forever, the yield was tiny, and I was hooked.The next season I needed something bigger, so I built it. An old legal-size filing cabinet became a wood-fired evaporator, and Maple on Ivanhoe went from a backyard experiment to a real (very small) sugaring operation.
The Stove
Yes, that’s a filing cabinet.
Every drop of Maple on Ivanhoe syrup is boiled on a stove I made from a repurposed legal-size filing cabinet. It’s wood-fired, brick-lined, built by hand, and about as unique as equipment gets. It’s slow, it’s hot, and it makes great syrup.
Today
One man, 50 trees, a lot of steam.
Today I tap 50 maples on three-quarters of an acre. It’s a one-man shop, mostly. My partner is right there for a lot of the boils, and every season family comes up for syrup weekends to haul sap, feed the fire, and taste-test.
Awards
2026 Fair Ribbons
Before 2026, our syrup had never been judged by anyone but friends and family. In our third season, we entered three fairs and placed at all of them:
🥉 3rd Place – Deerfield Fair, Deerfield, NH
🥉 3rd Place – Sandwich Fair, Sandwich, NH
🏅 4th Place in two categories – Fryeburg Fair, Fryeburg, ME
Four syrups entered, four ribbons home.
Why
Made out of respect for the trees and the tradition.
I don’t make syrup to sell. I make very small batches out of respect for the trees, for the friends and family who enjoy being gifted with a bottle, and for the New England tradition of sugaring that’s been going on in these woods a lot longer than I have.
Contact
Let's Talk Sap
Maple on Ivanhoe isn’t for sale, but I’m always happy to talk sugaring, stoves, or trees.
Proud member of the New Hampshire Maple Producers Association.
