Gilead Brook Farm, also known as The Wright Family Farm, sits in a valley at the end of a long winding dirt road. At about 700 acres, the farm encompasses the entire valley. As you drive to the farm and round the last corner, the fields open up on either side of the majestic red barn perched above. Massive maple trees line the pastures where the 50 cows graze in the summer. The feeling of 'this is where I want my maple syrup to come from' is undeniable.
The Wright Family purchased the farm in the 1940’s, and they have been making pure Vermont maple syrup for the last 36 years. The fifth generation isn’t old enough to be much help in the sugarhouse yet, but they do love to taste the maple syrup. The sugarhouse sits near the brook, just above the small covered bridge. The maple evaporator, at a whopping 5’ by 14’, is still wood fired. Other than replacing the sap buckets with tubing, not much has changed in the Wright’s process over time. It’s about as old fashioned as it gets.