Page 15 - Valley Table - November 2022-February 2023

Liquid Gold
We may be a bit biased, but the Hudson Valley produces some of the best maple syrup we’ve ever tasted. Here are six to try, give as gifts, or ideally both! By Megan Wilson
Corey’s Sugar Shack
Highland \ coreysfarm.com
From their Ulster sugarbush, the Corey family churns out high-quality syrup from the half pint to the gallon that you
can pick up from their on-site shop or order online. Varieties such as savory garlic, peppermint, and cinnamon are customer favorites, but we recommend trying a bottle of their one-of-a- kind applejack maple, aged in bourbon barrels. Pair a bottle with a jar of maple cream, maple garlic seasoning, or maple barbecue sauce for a DIY gift set.
Crown Maple Syrup
Dover Plains \ crownmaple.com
You may be familiar with Crown Maple from their partnerships with area breweries and distillers (like Angry Orchard and
Slate Point Meadery), but their syrups are well worth a taste on their own. The pure flavors—like amber—are perfect for the breakfast table, but don’t miss out on blends like Madagascar vanilla, blueberry, strawberry, and cinnamon. Consider a gift set that includes a syrup along with pure maple sugar and apple cider maple vinegar for the foodies in your life.
Finding Home Farms
Middletown \ findinghomefarms.com
Laura and Dana Putnam are longtime maple syrup hobbyists, but it wasn’t until 2015 that they turned their family tradition into a business. While they’ve spent years perfecting their plain organic maple, we highly encourage grabbing their coffee-, cayenne-, and cinnamon-infused syrups—all aged in Orange County Distillery rye barrels. If you’re picking up your syrup on the weekend, stop by The Sugarhouse, where they serve coffee, waffles, and ice cream (with a drizzle of maple syrup on top, of course).
Laurel & Ash Farm
Holmes \ laurelandash.farm
From their 50-acre farm and forest on a mountainside in southern Dutchess, Laurel & Ash crafts four varieties of sustainably harvested, wood-fired, Grade A maple syrup: golden (the mildest), amber, dark, and very dark (the strongest maple flavor). For the maple purist, they offer syrup flights ($64 for three 375ml bottles), or you can get in on next season’s CSA to grab all four flavors before they sell out for the year.
Soukup Farms
Dover Plains \ soukupfarms.com
This third-generation family farm has been tapping trees since 1955 and have since accumulated 2,000 taps across two Dutchess-area sugarbushes. Don’t miss their special partnership syrups with other HV favorites including Irving Farm’s Gotham Dark Roast for their coffee syrup and Denning’s Point Distillery for their barrel-aged bourbon syrup.
Tree Juice Maple Syrup
Arkville \ treejuicemaplesyrup.com
Maple syrup is, of course, delicious on its own, but part
of what makes Tree Juice so special is their wide variety of naturally flavored syrups. Vanilla and cinnamon are classics, but be adventurous and try zesty lemon, candy cane, and even garlic (which they recommend for homemade dressings and marinades). Buy a gift box with two-ounce bottles of all 10 flavors to sample them all.
PHOTOS (TOP TO BOTTOM) BY BARNEY PHOTOS; COURTESY OF FINDING HOME FARMS
NOV 2022 – FEB 2023 VALLEYTABLE.COM 13