50
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MARCH 2015
nshoremag.com
LIVE
BY KILEY JACQUES
The owners of Turtle Lane
Maple Farm demonstrate the
true value of maple syrup.
Sap's On
photographs by AP Photo/Elise Amendola
Paul Boulanger is a chief financial officer. Kathy
Gallagher is a vice president PMO. Together, they
are maple syrup makers. "It's not our life," says
Boulanger. "It's not our job. We do it out of pas-
sion and wanting to give back to the community."
And give back they do.
Born of a desire to give their four daughters "a
maple sugar experience," Boulanger and Gallagher
organized a family trip to New Hampshire where,
every year, many sugar shacks open their doors to
the public. Shortly thereafter, they initiated maple
syrup production on their own North Andover
property, Turtle Lane Maple Farm. They began
Zith five trees, eight taps, and a barbecue grill.
That was in 2004.
Fast-forward to 2015, and their venture has
taken on proportions they never imagined. They
now manage about 500 taps—split between town
and private property belonging to residents who
believe in the community service being provid-
ed—that yield approximately 90 gallons of syrup,
and host upwards of 3,000 visitors each year.
"I tried to make it into a math and science
experiment," says Boulanger of his initial efforts
with his own children. They measured sap levels
and noted temperature highs and lows. Ultimately,
the girls grew bored, but their teachers grew inter-
ested. So Boulanger started going into classrooms
to give talNs, Zhich led to field trips to the farm for
Maple
sugar
candy is
on offer at
the farm.
Turtle Lane Maple Farm page 50, Outdoor Kitchens page 54, Bathroom Makeover page 58,
Salem's Next Step Living
page 64, Kitchen Renovation page 68
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