FAIRFIELD, Vt. (WCAX) – Walking in the woods on her Fairfield property is Mary Grant’s favorite place.
“This is the old sugarhouse,” Mary pointed out. “You can see sap coming… every year it’s a new adventure.”
Grants Maple Products is mostly a mom-and-pop operation. “And neighbors and friends and kids,” said Mary’s husband, Douglas, who works by her side.
“It’s just the way our marriage works. We work together,” Mary said.
“Typically, I’ll lose five to 10 pounds during sugaring, which is good,” Douglas said.
The couple met in their early twenties.
Reporter Joe Carroll: What did you see in him when you were first dating?
Mary Grant: Oh, his blue eyes.
Douglas Grant: I saw a good-looking woman who seemed to enjoy the same things I did.
Mary Grant: But I saw someone that I would have a future with, and I have.
They’ve been a team for 52 years. But lately, they’re taking on a tough opponent.
So far, the maple season really hasn’t been that good and the couple say they are struggling to make it to their 1,000-gallon goal of the sweet stuff. They blame it on one factor — global warming. “It’s changing every year, it’s worrisome. It really is,” Douglas said.
“We’re not getting the cold nights, we’re not. The traditional weather for sugaring has changed completely,” Mary said.
They say the warming weather also changes the percentage of sugar in the sap. “We were running 1.8%, Douglas said. “Now, it’s down to 1.4%.”
It boils down to this. What used to take 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup can now take up to 70. Douglas also says the severe storms of late have affected the harvest. “I know, that has sugars, has lost many, many trees, to the wind,” Douglas said.
Reporter Joe Carroll: It’s a tough job?
Mary Grant: Yes, I start early and work late.
‚Sugaring is usually a male domain. Both now in their 70s, Douglas works the evaporator and Mary all the high-tech gadgetry. Douglas says Mary’s the reason they’re still making maple syrup. “She was the driving force to get the stuff to make it easier,” he said.
“But if you love doing something, you should continue it,” Mary said. “And it’s been a lot of fun.”
Some sweet advice.