What would inspire a teenager to cut the broom handle into 10 pieces? The need for taps for the maple trees that he wanted to use for collecting sap into empty milk jugs and coffee cans. From there, he would boil the sap down to make maple syrup. Old-timers in the Lachine area would understand the pioneer approach to making the taps. Dale’s mentor was Enos Torsch, a man well-known in the area for the sweet stuff produced on his farm on M-65 in the Spratt/Lachine area — honey and maple syrup.

That was in 1981. Then, a handful of years later, a maple syrup-making companion came along, Crystal, and she was helping him before they married in 1987. Collection containers progressed from the milk jugs and coffee cans to buckets and bags in the woods.

Crystal reminisces, “We started out boiling with a homemade cooker. We would set it out in front of the garage on the cement, and take turns getting up at night to fix the fire and add more sap. The kids used to enjoy cooking that way; they said it was more fun.”

In 2016, they switched to a wood-fired evaporator, and since then they have added an RO, which is a reverse osmosis machine.

Courtesy Photo Dale Sumerix is seen tapping a maple tree on his property in Lachine.

Crystal explains, “You run the sap through it and it removes about half of the water from the sap. So, you don’t have to cook the sap as long.”

They also added the filter press for filtering out impurities, a canner for bottling, and last but not least, a building to house everything. In 2021 Dale and Crystal moved to a bigger section of woods in Lachine — property owned by Dale’s cousin, Kendall Sumerix. It was then they converted all their taps to a tube with a vacuum. Prior to that, about half the trees had tubing, and the other half, buckets/bags.

The lines themselves remain in the woods year-round. Despite that, just before the beginning of the sap running season, it takes Dale a couple of weeks in the woods to get ready for tapping. He has to fix downed lines from fallen trees and branches, patch lines that have been chewed by squirrels, and then actually tap the trees. Because, while the lines remain in the woods, the taps are removed at the closing of each season, to allow the trees to heal. They tap and untap around 1,000 trees each year.

Production for the season all depends on the weather. It has to get above freezing during the day and below freezing at night. The freeze-thaw cycle creates pressure within the tree, causing the sap to flow.

Crystal says, “Our sap has been running about 1.8 on sugar content. So, that’s 47 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of syrup. Once the trees start to bud, the season is done; you get what is called ‘buddy syrup’ and it doesn’t taste very good.”

Courtesy Photo Sumerix Family Maple Syrup is seen in maple leaf bottles. The Sumerix family makes maple syrup in Lachine. The syrup is available for purchase at area farmers markets, as well as Alpena General Store, Northland Market, Hilltop Cafe, and Anchor Market.

She adds, “Last year we were making syrup at the beginning of February — earliest we’ve ever made syrup. This year we began the process on March 10.”

Once the syrup is done, there is the packaging, transporting and marketing. Packaging begins with an annual trip to a sugar bush supplier in Mason to bring back a trailer load of jars.

Crystal continues, “We make between 200 to 300 gallons of syrup a year and sell most of our syrup at farmers markets. We also have it at the Alpena General Store, Northland Market, Hilltop Cafe, and Anchor Market.”

Other maple syrup treats they make are: maple sugar, maple-coated nuts, and for Kids’ Day at the Alpena Farmers’ Market, they make maple syrup cotton candy.

The maple syrup making project used to be a family affair. But, time goes by, the kids grow, and now have jobs and families of their own. They help when they can.

Courtesy Photo Jars of Sumerix Family Maple Syrup are seen on a counter in Lachine.

Maple syrup isn’t the only sweet that is the fruit of their efforts. They also have honey bees. But, that’s a whole other project.

So, the next time you enjoy locally produced maple syrup, you can know that you are taking part in a long-time pioneer tradition of reaping the benefits of Northeast Michigan.

Mary Centala and her husband, Mike, own and operate Heritage Acres Farm in Wilson Township. Mary has a lifelong connection with agriculture and has journalism and broadcasting degrees from Alpena Community College and Central Michigan University. Contact her at heritageacres15@yahoo.com.

Courtesy Photo Dale Sumerix is seen tapping a maple tree on his property in Lachine.

Courtesy Photo Sap is seen boiling to be made into Sumerix Family Maple Syrup.

Courtesy Photo The Sugar House sign is seen at Sumerix Family Maple Syrup in Lachine.

Courtesy Photo Sap is seen boiling to be made into Sumerix Family Maple Syrup.

Mary Kelley Centala