RANDOLPH — For the first time, Durow Farms has joined more than 50 other maple producers across Western New York for the annual Maple Weekend events.
Sponsored by the Western New York State Maple Producers Association, participating sugar producers host free open houses at their facilities for two consecutive weekends, March 22–23 and March 29–30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.
Mike and Dawn Durow invite visitors to their family’s sugar house, located just outside Randolph at 11350 Archer Hill Road, where they could learn about maple production and see syrup being made. They will be open to the public this Saturday and Sunday.
Dawn said they would give tree-tapping demonstrations and compare the old days of maple sap collection with modern methods. She said the evaporator will be running, so people can see how sap is transformed into golden maple syrup.
“It’s a great learning experience for people who have never watched the process or may have never tasted maple products, other than maple syrup,” she said.
There will also be fun activities to entertain the whole family including hayrides to the sap building where the vacuum system can be viewed, a scavenger hunt and a visit to a barn to pet the calves and goats.
“One of the things on the scavenger hunt list is the kids will have to either learn how to tap a tree or collect sap in a bucket,” Dawn said. “It’s an interactive activity for the kids. I think they will learn more if they actually do the task.”
Pancakes will be available on Saturday only, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., for a donation. Anyone who can’t make it to the farm and wants pancakes can stop by the R&M Restaurant in Randolph where Durow’s pure maple syrup is served. In addition to maple syrup, maple popcorn, maple-covered pecans, maple sugar, maple cream and pancake mix will be available to purchase.
Diane and Randy Hartson of Frewsburg brought their grandchildren to Maple Weekend at Durow Farms in Randolph where they enjoyed pancakes with delicious, fresh syrup.
DUE TO THE LONG, cold winter and sudden warm-up, Dawn said this year’s maple production season is expected to be a short one and is drawing to a close very soon.
Dawn said they started tapping trees later than usual this year and their first boil was Feb. 27. She said the farm has 4,500 taps, with the majority of woods on a vacuum system.
“We’ve boiled as early as January some years but, in an average year, we start boiling about Valentine’s Day,” she said.
According to the Western New York Maple Producers Association, the sugar maple holds starches in storage during the winter, which change to sugars as spring approaches. These sugars are released into the tree sap and, when that liquid is boiled down, it produces approximately 40 to 44 gallons of maple syrup.
Dawn, whose job is mostly running the evaporator, said the sap is processed through a reverse osmosis (RO) machine that removes 70% of the water before it goes into the evaporator. She said it’s much more efficient and cuts down the boiling time.
“Mike is in charge of the maple production and runs the RO machine,” she said. “Jeff does most of the tapping.”
The farming tradition continues with this generation of the Durow family, including Mike and Dawn; their grown children and spouses, Andrew (Sherrie) Durow, Jeff (Alysia) Durow and Kristin (Kevin) Morsman; and 10 grandkids who all live within an hour of the farm.
Mike and Dawn purchased the 430-acre dairy farm in 1993 from Willis Archer and his wife, Greta (Dawn’s mother). It includes a 200-cow dairy and heifer operation as well as the maple syrup enterprise. Their son, Jeff, who will have ownership, helps manage the farm and works alongside his parents.
A hayride out to the Durow Farms sap building in the woods was popular with the kids during the first Maple Weekend. Taylor Hayes (standing, left) and Kaleb Durow (right) get ready to take a group to the site where sap is flowing into tanks and the vacuum system can be viewed.
THE FAMILY ALSO has another sugar bush in Napoli where Mike’s parents, Dan and Beverly Durow, live and he was raised.
The couple’s oldest son, Andrew, works elsewhere but helps with the tapping and takes the maple products to the farmer’s market. On April 11, from 5:30–7:30 p.m., he will be presenting “How Do I Eat That Maple Syrup?” at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Jamestown.
The Durows are the fifth generation to own the dairy farm that has been in their family since 1835 when Benson Archer purchased the farmland from the Holland Land Company. Dawn said they received the New York State Century Farm award in 1987 because the farm has been in their family for over 100 years.
It’s also a Dairy of Distinction, an award presented to the family by the Cattaraugus County Cooperative Extension in 2014 for keeping their farm attractive and well-maintained. They host Randolph FFA tours of the farm for elementary students.
Because the Durows utilize every available acre productively and responsibly, they received Cattaraugus County’s Conservation Farm of the Year award in 2023.
Durow Farms has maple syrup products available for purchase anytime by appointment, and they are shipped to customers all over the United States.
For more information or to make an appointment, call (716) 358-4772, email ddurow@windstream.net or visit Facebook/Durow Farms Maple. Find participating maple producers and more information on maple production at mapleweekend.com.
