McDOWELL—Highland County is home to over 70% of the state’s maple syrup production, but there are other hidden syrup sources in the county’s diverse woodlands.

Sugar maples typically are tapped from January through March, as the sap requires cold nights and slightly warmer days to flow. But variable weather places pressure on the six-week harvesting window—inspiring some producers to explore alternative species.

Several different species of trees can be used to make syrup, including beech, black birch, black walnut and sycamore.

Glenn Heatwole of Sugar Tree Country Store started experimenting with black birch syrup three years ago in hopes of extending his syrup season. Birch trees are tapped once the ground warms to above 40 degrees, and then the sap “runs until it quits,” he said.

Heatwole is one of the only black birch syrup producers around—partly due to the species’ scarcity in the region. And while it takes about 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup, a gallon of birch syrup requires 250 gallons of sap.

“It’s very labor-intensive,” Heatwole noted. “You have to be on top of it, close at hand and always paying attention.”

Tonoloway Farm’s hickory syrup is made throughout the year. Hickory tree bark is harvested, boiled into a “tea” and sweetened with cane sugar to make a syrup. The farm’s store also keeps a ready supply of maple and apple cider syrups, but its black walnut syrup always sells out.

Boasting thousands of black walnut trees, Tonoloway Farm is one of the largest black walnut syrup producers in North America. From early February to late March, tubes woven throughout the woodlands funnel extracted sap from 2,000 taps into collection tanks.

“Most people don’t understand all the different byproducts you can get from black walnut trees,” noted Virginia Tech researcher Tom Hammett.

Hammett recently launched a research study with the farm’s manager, Will Shepherd, in partnership with Virginia Tech and Future Generations University in West Virginia. They conduct on-farm research exploring production efficiencies and flavor profiles for developing a walnut syrup grading system.

“A lot of the work we’re doing is very similar to some of the work that’s been done with sugar maple,” Hammett explained.

They hope their groundbreaking study will help expand the market. Many syrup producers have yet to discover the premium product—recently valued at $320 a gallon in the wholesale market, according to Shepherd.

“We’re trying to help remove all barriers to entry so that walnut syrup becomes more of a common thing, because it’s probably the best syrup I’ve ever had,” he remarked.

Visit sugartreecountrystore.com or tonolowayfarm.com for more information.

Read more in Virginia Farm Bureau’s fall Cultivate magazine.

Media: Contact Heatwole at 540-396-3469, Hammett or Shepherd.