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On tap: North Andover hosts a sweet start to maple season

By Drake Lucas
Staff writer
Published: February 3, 2008

NORTH ANDOVER — Paul Boulanger's first attempt at making maple syrup didn't turn out so well. When he was 12, he steamed the wallpaper right off the kitchen walls while boiling sap.

Boulanger has come a long way since then, though. And he can prove it March 7 when the sugarhouse he owns on Turtle Lane with his fiancee, Kathy Gallagher, becomes this year's location for the ceremonial tree tapping to kick off Maple Month in Massachusetts.

Representatives from the state Department of Agriculture and the governor's office will attend to read a proclamation and do the ceremonial tapping. And people from local restaurants will serve up maple treats like cupcakes from Butcher Boy, waffles from Eatz and ice cream with maple syrup from Mad Maggie's.

Melissa Leab, president of the Massachusetts Maple Producers Association, boasting more than 200 members, said the day is a way to promote locally grown maple syrup.

"You don't have to go to Vermont for maple syrup," Leab said. "We encourage restaurants and residents to look in their own backyard."

The event is also intended to teach people how syrup is made, and Boulanger and Gallagher are all about education.

Their business grew from an experiment with Gallagher's kids, Siobhan, 14, Meaghan, 13, and Kara Murphy, 11. They had taken a trip to a sugarhouse in New Hampshire in 2004, so Boulanger helped them tap the red maples in the backyard and make a batch of syrup on the barbecue.

The kids lost interest waiting for the sap to turn to syrup, but Boulanger and Gallagher were hooked.

The next year they invited a couple of school classes for a demonstration. As word spread, so did the business. A few buckets became a tubing system between trees. They asked the town for permission to tap maple trees on town-owned land to gather more sap because the red maples on their property are not the best for sap. And they invested in a small hut.

In 2006, 500 people came through for tours and demonstrations. That number climbed to 800 last year, the first year they had the real sugarhouse that they designed and built.

Scouts, classes and even families come by. One couple came from out of state because they got the trip to North Andover and Turtle Lane as a wedding gift. Another morning they had 15 kids for a 4-year-old's birthday party.

In total, about 18 tours came through last year.

Boulanger and Gallagher work with teachers to incorporate science and math lessons into the curriculum, including lessons about barometric pressure, evaporation and fractions.

Tours are free, but they do sell syrup. Last year, they produced around 65 gallons, enough to be considered a small producer and help cover the day-to-day costs during maple season. They calculated that the amount of money they have put into all the equipment will take about 18 years to pay off, but money doesn't factor into why they do it.

Gallagher said the thing that drives them is the interest of others.

"It's about education and sharing with people," she said.

They both have full-time jobs — she as an IT executive for Progress Software in Bedford and he as a financial consultant for Name Media in Waltham. They take days off during March to lead tours and work in making syrup around their schedules.

If the sign is out on Salem Street, then they are boiling sap in the sugarhouse behind their house, whether it is 7:30 on a Saturday morning or 10 on a Wednesday night.

Boulanger collects the sap from trees around town each night during maple season starting around 9:30. That takes about three hours. After emptying the sap into the holding tank and cleaning the equipment, they sometimes get to bed at 2 a.m. and are up again at 6 a.m. for work. They also have a full house to take care of, including Gallagher's three daughters and Boulanger's 5-year-old daughter, Kaleigh.

"We always say we can sleep in May," Boulanger said.

Saturday and Sunday are filled with tours and people just stopping by to take a look.

The guest book for Turtle Lane is filled with names from around the country and around the world. Boulanger said although their children never got too interested in spending hours watching sap boil, the entire family can enjoy a pancake breakfast in the sugarhouse with fresh maple syrup.

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Not for neighbors only

Massachusetts may not seem like a big syrup state compared to neighbors Vermont and New Hampshire, but according to the state Department of Agriculture, it produces over 50,000 gallons of syrup worth over $2 million annually. More than 200 maple syrup producers have signed up with the Massachusetts Maple Producers Association, mostly in Western Massachusetts.

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If you go

r What: Maple Month Kick-off Day at Turtle Lane Maple Farm

r When: March 7, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

r Where: 25 Turtle Lane

r How: Anyone in the community is welcome to attend for free.