14A • GAZETTE NEWSPAPERS
WEDNESDAY, March 7, 2012
NOT ALL SUPERHEROES WEAR A CAPE.
Maple Madness Driving Tour kicks off this Saturday Learn about the transformation from sap to syrup
Meet Your Neighbor
ACMC HEALTHCARE SYSTEM COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARDS 2012 This is for the modest ones. The selfless. Those who are committed to making a difference in Ashtabula County—every single day. They don’t want a pat on the back. They just do what they do for the love of our community. And that’s exactly who we want to recognize at the Third Annual ACMC Healthcare System Community Impact Awards. Simply complete the form below or at www.acmchealth.org. Select the category that best describes the outstanding contributions of your nominee. A panel of community representatives will then choose our 2012 award winners. Let’s make a difference in the lives of our community’s true difference makers.
ACMC Healthcare System Community Impact Awards Nomination Form Please submit by March 19, 2012 Award Categories (Select one per nominee): Cornerstone Award Demonstration of the four “Cornerstones” of ACMC and Cleveland Clinic: Quality, Innovation, Teamwork and Service. Living Legacy Ongoing contributions that make Ashtabula County a better place to live, work and play. Breaking the Barrier Award Excellence in a position, program or task that had not previously been accessible due to gender, race, nationality, physical ability or other challenges.
Citizen of the Year Generous contributions of time and talent to promote quality of life in Ashtabula County. Youth Citizen of the Year Demonstrated leadership by those 18 or younger who make Ashtabula County better. Spirit of ACMC Association with ACMC Healthcare System and demonstration of the Cornerstone tenets of Quality, Innovation, Teamwork and Service.
REASON FOR NOMINATION
MAIL COMPLETED FORM TO:
On a separate page, up to 400 words, describe the nominee’s community contributions as well as any other major accomplishments or volunteer activities that should be considered.
ACMC Community Impact Awards c/o Business Development Ashtabula County Medical Center 2420 Lake Avenue Ashtabula, OH 44004
PHOTOS BY STEFANIE WESSELL
One of the maple syrup farms participating in Ashtabula County this year is the Bissell Maple Farm, known for its Sugar Chalet maple syrup products. Pictured are Nate Bissell and father David Bissell. BY STEFANIE WESSELL Gazette Newspapers TRUMBULL TOWNSHIP - Ever wondered how sap from maple trees gets transformed into delicious treats like maple syrup, candies, mustard and more? The next two weekends are your chance to find out, as several maple syrup farms in Ashtabula County are participating in the state-wide March Maple Madness Driving Tour. The Ohio Maple Producers Association and maple producers across Ohio are sponsoring the tour, which takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 10-11 and March 17-18 (some farms are only participating on Saturdays, so check the calendar). This year, there are 32 stops in 14 counties across Ohio that will be open for the free, drive-it-yourself tour. Experienced sugar makers will be on hand to answer questions and conduct the tours. Guests are asked to dress for the weather with coats and boots. One of the maple syrup farms participating in Ashtabula County this year is the Bissell Maple Farm, known for its Sugar Chalet maple syrup products. Located at 3741 Higley Rd. in Trumbull Township/ Rock Creek, the Bissell Maple Farm is a modern sugarhouse with 100 years of history. The Bissell family has been making maple syrup in northeast Ohio since the late 1800s. The original Bissell farm was well known for its apple orchard on Route 45 in Austinburg Township and later on Route 84 in Saybrook Township. From 1978 to 1998, David Bissell continued the Bissell tradition at his Route 46 farm in Jefferson until moving the family to the current farm. Today, the sugarhouse is located west of Rock Creek at the family’s farm on Higley Road. Over the last 10 years, the farm has expanded its capabilities and capacity to meet the demand of its customers. The farm now has a modern sugarhouse and utilizes the latest technology and conveniences for efficient syrup making. Bissell Maple Farm Vice President Nate Bissell helps
run the farm with his father, David, and the farm is in its sixth generation of family farmers and counting. “We have a lot of heritage,” Bissell said. Spread over nearly 300 acres, Bissell said 1,500 maple trees are “tapped” every season at the farm, either through the traditional buckets or a modern tubing system. Bissell explained that sap is collected from maple trees in the spring. When the temperature rises above freezing, the sap runs up into the tree from the root system. At that time, the sap will run into the taps and be collected. The sap is then boiled down to the proper density of maple syrup. “It needs to get above freezing for the sap to flow,” Bissell said. “The trees know.” Bissell Maple Farm utilizes two methods to collect sap: the “old-fashioned” buckets hanging on the tree and a modern tubing system. The galvanized buckets require manual collection of the sap into gathering tanks when they begin to fill. When the gathering tanks are full, the Bissells pump the sap into holding tanks in the sugarhouse. The tubing system utilizes a vacuum pump and gravity to draw the sap to a central “pump house” storage tank. It is then pumped 850 feet underground to the sugarhouse into a second storage tank waiting to be processed. After sap is collected, it is processed through a reverse osmosis machine to extract 75 percent of the water out of the sap. Raw sap contains around twopercent sugar, and the reverse osmosis concentrates the sap to eight-percent sugar, allowing for time and fuel savings. The next step is evaporation in the farm’s Dominion & Grimm evaporator. The farm currently utilizes stainless steel pans that evaporate about 35 gallons of water per hour. Keeping to tradition, Bissell Maple Farm still uses wood to fuel the evaporator. After the syrup is brought to the correct density in the syrup pan, it is filtered and stored for further packaging. Guests will be able to learn more about the process and tour these facilities
during the driving tour. To prepare for the crowd, nearly 50 volunteers have been getting ready for the event at the Bissell Maple Farm. Guests will be able to sample some of the maple syrup products at Bissell Maple Farm during the tour, including pancakes, maple sugar candies, maple syrup cream, maple syrup mustard and even maple syrup barbecue sauce. When guests arrive, they will be greeted by a horsedrawn wagon, which will take them to the facilities to begin their tour. Guests also will be able to enjoy a warm fireplace and listen to music during their visit. “It’s very family friendly,” Bissell said. The complete list of participating Ashtabula County farms includes: • Deer Run Sugarbush, 1537 Easton Rd, Colebrook, 1.5 miles east of Route 46, south of Route 322. Heated sugarhouse set back in the woods. Amish, Saturdays March 10 and 17 only. • May Hill Maple, 10238 Dennison Ashtabula Rd., Colebrook, east of Route 46 and north of Route 87. New sugarhouse with modern equipment. Syrup made on farm for over 75 years. Easy access. Saturdays March 10 and 17 only. • Bissell Maple Farm, 3741 Higley Road, Trumbull Township. Modern sugarhouse with 100 years of history. Food, snacks and fun. Enjoy a warm fireplace, music and scenic location. Saturdays March 10 and 17 only. • Cline Family Sugarhouse 5069 S. Wright Street, Kingsville. Saturdays 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sundays, 12:30 - 5 p.m. Making syrup for over 25 years with 550 buckets. Easy access. • Camp White Wood, 7983 S. Wiswell Road, Windsor, south of Mayfield Road (Route 322). Maple camp with tours, tasting, activities. Fee for pancake breakfast. Saturdays March 10 and 17 only. A complete tour stop list, including farms outside of the county, will be available at each stop or can be printed off at www. ohiomapleproducers.com.
Guests will be able to sample some of the maple syrup products at Bissell Maple Farm during the tour. Pictured, from left, are volunteers Brenda Caruso, Sue Richards and Sue Haehn.