Maple Breeze Farm

Written by sgauley Published on March 1, 2022 in Food and Travel - Special Blog Post

Happy National Pancake Day!

The best pancakes are accompanied by pure maple syrup! Do you agree? Our search for the real deal took us to Maple Breeze Farm located in Westbrook, CT; a 200 acre farm that has been in the Hall family since 1635.

Head on over to the sugar shack where you’ll be greeted by John Hall who’s welcoming and enthusiastic to share about the history of the farm as well as the entire sugaring operation from start to finish with all visitors. The Hall family takes much pride in the sustainability and history of their farm. The entire sugaring process from splitting the wood to the bottling and labeling process all happens right on the property.

Let's take a sneak peak into the sugaring process and see what it takes to get from the maple tree to the bottle!

The process begins when you tap the trees. The sap runs down long tubes carried by gravity to large barrels. It is then trucked up to the sugar shack where it is pumped into the evaporator and offloaded using gravity. Powered by fire, the liquid sap is then boiled where it moves continuously through the evaporator until enough water has evaporated off the syrup. The liquid is then processed through wool filters. A final step involves boiling on a stove top until it reaches just the right viscosity and then it's immediately bottled on site. It is a lengthy process but one that is definitely worth while.

Now's the perfect time to visit the farm as the cold nights and warmer days of late February and early March allow the sap to flow from the trees. It's also when the sugar shack is up and running producing the delicious pure and sticky syrup. Be sure to take a peak into the cozy corn crib where you'll meet John's wife, Bonnie. She is equally as welcoming and is happy to talk about farm life and operations. In the corn crib you'll be able to purchase a bottle or two of pure maple syrup available in both light and dark amber. There's absolutely nothing more comparable to the sweet taste of real, pure maple syrup drizzled over french toast, fluffy pancakes, or waffles (as you can see below!)

Check out some photos of our sugar shack tour as well as our kids breakfast plate we put together showcasing the maple syrup! We used a teddy bear pancake molded pan and our own sourdough starter to make the bear shaped pancake (thank you King Arthur). Perfect for kids (and adults alike), this delicious pancake is accompanied by a trio of fruit skewers and not to be missed is the thick, sweet, locally made syrup.