On this Veteran’s Day, we give a special shout out to two of our fellow sugar makers, Veterans Mike and Lisa Martucci. If you ever have the pleasure of talking with Mike or Lisa, you will quickly find that they are super interesting, ambitious people who are extremely passionate about natural foods and agriculture. We […]
Thank you to ALL veterans for their dedication and service to our country. On this Veteran’s Day, we also want to give special shout out to Smoky Lake’s Elite Craftsman, Nick Kruse, who served in the United States Navy. We feel pretty darn lucky to have Nick on our team! What a Guy! Nick Kruse! […]
Our hearts are all extremely heavy today as we mourn the passing of our friend and coworker, Steve Mader. Steve was one of Smoky Lake’s first employees, joining our team while we were still working out of a residential garage. It was just a few months ago, that the entire Smoky Lake crew — including […]
Interview with Sugarmaker and US Navy Officer, Mark Metzger Smoky Lake: In which branch of the military did you serve and what was your role there? Mark: U.S. Navy–28 years active duty. I was a nuclear-trained Surface Warfare Officer and had command of a guided missile frigate Smoky Lake: In what locations have you served? Have […]
Expressing Our Gratitude… This Memorial Day, we originally planned to spotlight our customer Mark Metzger, a very kind and humble sugar maker from Illinois who served our country in the US Navy. Mark is such a great guy and we had hoped Memorial Day would be a good opportunity to express our gratitude for all […]
Happy Veterans Day! Today We Honor Our Fellow Sugar Maker, Mathew Wilkinson, For The Service And Sacrifices He Has Made For Our Country. Interview with Mathew Wilkinson: This interview was conducted on Sept 6, 2018 between Jenny Blohm, Smoky Lake Office Manager, and our fellow sugar maker, Lieutenant Colonel Mathew Wilkinson. Jenny: In which branch of the […]
As sap collectors and syrup producers, the time has come to plan for and embrace the red maple tree in our endeavors. The species is becoming more and more prolific in our forests and this trend has been noticed over the last 100 years. How do we adjust? The red maple is also known as […]
Happy Veterans Day! Today We Honor Our Fellow Sugar Maker, Kate Cooke, For The Service And Sacrifices She Made For Our Country. Interview October 27, 2017: Angela: Kate, thank you for your service. I’d love to learn more about it. In which branch did you serve? Kate: I served in the US Air Force from […]
Commonly referred to as “shag bark trees”, there is no denying that the Hickory Tree looks very different from our beloved maples, but I would argue that they are equally fascinating. Just like maple trees, the hickory can be used to make a delicious syrup. However – unlike maple syrup – hickory syrup is made by boiling hickory bark. No sap required! […]
Hello from Bensheim, Germany! I took a nice walk today and leisurely surveyed the landscape as I strolled along. The sun was out, birds were singing German love songs and all was right with the world. La la la. And then Bam! Something caught my eye that stopped me dead in my tracks… Is that a MAPLE LEAF […]
