Laurel & Ash Farm Dark Robust Maple Syrup is a 100% pure New York Grade A maple syrup with a dark color and robust flavor, produced at Laurel & Ash Farm in the Hudson Valley. It belongs to the darker category of maple syrup, offering a more pronounced and concentrated maple character compared with lighter varieties.
The syrup is made from sap collected from the farm’s own sugarbush, with its production distinguished by a wood-fired method – the sap is boiled over a wood-fired evaporator and the finished syrup is then bottled by hand on the farm.
Dark Robust Maple Syrup has a full, intense flavor with pronounced caramel notes, making it particularly well suited to cooking and recipes where a strong maple character is desired. It can be used in baking cakes and other desserts, preparing sauces and glazes, caramelizing roasted vegetables, or sweetening granola and cereals.
Producer
Laurel & Ash Farm is a small family farm and forest located in Holmes, in New York’s Hudson Valley. The farm produces limited quantities of 100% pure New York Grade A maple syrup using traditional wood-fired methods, while also producing artisanal vinegars and a flour blend made from heirloom grains.
The maple syrup is made from sap collected from native maple trees growing in the farm’s own sugarbush, the forest area dedicated to maple production. During the short sugaring season, when cold nights are followed by warmer days, the sap is collected and then boiled down into syrup on the farm. A distinctive feature of Laurel & Ash Farm is its wood-fired production – the evaporator is powered with wood obtained through the farm’s own sustainable forest management. The syrup is produced and bottled entirely on the farm, in small, limited batches, without additives or preservatives.
Sustainable forest management is an important part of the farm’s identity. Laurel & Ash uses low-impact forestry practices, selectively thinning trees to maintain forest health and biodiversity, managing invasive species, and using fallen and selectively harvested wood as fuel for maple syrup production.
Laurel & Ash Farm has a distinctly small-scale, premium and artisanal market position, built around provenance, hands-on production, sustainability and authenticity. Today, its products are sold directly to consumers through the farm’s online shop, farmers’ markets and a seasonal CSA program, through which customers support the farm in advance and receive seasonal products from the farm.