Welcome to the Sugar Shack!

Trade Tools

Debbie West, of Wests Windy Acre Farms, asks, “Does anybody know what time it is?” For Debbie and her husband, Bruce, is it Sugaring time. “Sugaring” is the art of turning sap from Maple trees into Maple Syrup. The Michigan Maple Syrup Association states that Michigan ranks 5th in Maple syrup production in the United States, and produces approximately 90,000 gallons of syrup/year. Maple syrup is one of the few agricultural crops in which demand exceeds supply.

Visit Bruce and Debbie’s blog, lifeinnorthernmichigan.blogspot.com, for a glimpse of life in the Sugar Shack and to purchase some of their tasty Maple Syrup.  Wests Windy Acre Farms also has grass fed beef, eggs, and Maple butter for sale.

As the sun rises over the hills,
smoke from the sugar shack
drifts across the crystal laden snow
the trees warm up, the sap begins to flow
Thick bubbles form in the pans
then burst with maple scent
reminding us
the reward will be sweet
the long hours well spent
its a bitter cold but beautiful morning here in the North
BUT we are looking forward to the perfect temps
for sap flow over the next week or so –
We need to have warm days and cold nights
for the perfect conditions!
-Bruce and Debbie West