TORRINGTON — There is good news for maple syrup producers: strong consumer demand and ideal conditions for sap flow, a year after one of the worst seasons on record.

But it also comes at a price: rising fuel costs will likely be passed on to consumers who are snapping up maple syrup for its health benefits and as an ingredient in recipes.

At Lamothe’s Sugar House in Burlington, Jean and Rob Lamothe saved time when they replaced a wood-fired evaporator with an oil-fired pan a decade ago. Sap placed in the pan is boiled until it’s reduced to a thick, sweet flavor which grows more robust as it changes from Grade A amber in the early part of the season to a darker Grade B in the later half.

But firewood still remains the favorite and traditional means of heating pans which forces moisture to evaporate. In recent years, about 25-30 percent of producers like the Lamothes have opted for oil to eliminate the chores of cutting, drying and storing large quantities of firewood.

Instead of using a dozen cords of wood, which would cost about $200 per cord today, the Lamothes expect to burn about 600 gallons of oil.

“We bought the oil in January when it wasn’t quite as expensive,” said Rob Lamothe, who saved money and time by using slab wood purchased in bundles before making the transition. “We don’t have time for firewood anymore, and we have turned the wood shed into a packaging area.”

Other fuel costs have increased across the board for producers who use pickups and tractors instead of horses to collect sap from metal buckets or containers fed by plastic piping. The cost of evaporators, which are stainless steel, has increased 50 percent. Electrical costs have nearly doubled in two years.

“The cost of everything just keeps going up,” Lamothe said.
Full Story: http://www.rep-am.com/articles/2008/03/18/news/325589.txt