How sweet it is…

On the hill behind the farmhouse you will find the original sugarhouse of Heaven Hill Farm, home to the Uihlein Foundation maple sugaring operation. Parts of this historic building have stayed frozen in time including the original metal sap buckets that are still used each spring along with the nearly-century-old tapping equipment that is on display for visitors.

Though homage is paid to bygone production methods, much of the process today has been modernized. Refined boiling and filtering tools, running water, a vast network of tubing, and a reverse osmosis machine now simplify the sugaring operation.

The current sugaring operation pales in comparison to its golden years in the mid-1900s when Henry and Mildred installed 3,000 taps by hand each season. Today there are only 500 taps each season. The foundation no longer seeks to operate a commercial sugarbush, rather the emphasis today is on using the sugaring operation for educational programs and producing syrup for donation to charitable organizations.

In the last 15 years, more than 30 charitable causes or organizations, such as the North Elba Community Christmas Fund, have received a portion of the syrup made each spring. Additionally, 168 groups of students have visited the maple sugaring operation to learn about the hard work and environmental relevance of syrup production. 

For the birds

Properly managing the sugarbush habitat is important to support breeding and foraging opportunities for songbirds. In the fall of 2023, Audubon New York conducted a Forest Bird Habitat Inventory and Assessment of our maple forest as part of the foundation’s regional bird conservation efforts. The Uihlein Foundation received the Bird Friendly Maple Project designation, indicating proper maintenance of tree species and forest structural diversity supporting a diverse population of forest nesting songbirds.

The Foundation is proud to continue to partner with Audubon New York, Uihlein Maple Research Forest of Cornell University, and the New York State Maple Producers Association on this maintenance and forest management program. We consider it a privilege to carry on the maple sugaring traditions at Heaven Hill Farm in Henry and Mildred Uihlein’s name.