Take Your Time at Hurry Hill

-->

Hurry Hill Maple Farm Museum  has been on the bucket list for a few years. Janet Woods, the owner, has invited me on numerous occasions over the last several years.

I have been to other Sugar Houses and enjoyed the visits and the free samples and the syrup I always brought home, well, and sometimes candy and maple mustard. Equally important were the maple producers; hardworking, friendly and informative.

Hurry Hill has the added attraction of the Maple Museum; a unique niche anywhere around northwestern Pennsylvania.

The Hurry Hill Farm Museum is located just outside of Edinboro on a scenic road which wanders through picturesque farms and rolling hills. It’s difficult to mention Edinboro and omit...snow. Residents pride themselves in the amount of snow and the duration of winter.

But it wasn’t snowing on Sunday September 7, when we visited. It was an awesome autumn afternoon.

Think Maple Syrup this Fall

Hurry Hill is open every Sunday during the months of September, October and November from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. The museum is a fun place to visit for both young and old. For the kids there are plenty of activities, for older people there are plenty of maple artifacts such as a display of  colonial day maple tools and history, Sabbath Buckets, other even earlier equipment, cooking utensils,  an early 1900’s kitchen, and many other intriguing exhibits featuring maple syrup production.

There is a unique section of the museum devoted to Virginia Sorensen which includes her prized 1957 Newbery Medal for her book Miracle of Maple Hill. Sorensen lived in Edinboro, enjoyed the frequent heavy snows, and used many local residents as characters in her novel based around another nearby Maple Sugar House. Although the book was written as  children’s book, it a fun read for people of all ages. The book is available for sale at the Museum as are many other maple products. In addition to maple syrup, there are maple peanuts, maple candy, maple mustard and barbecue sauce, maple herbal tea and a range of other products.

“Many people are running low on maple supplies they purchased in the spring and the holiday season is in just a few months,” Janet Woods said. “ Autumn is really pretty here and it’s a good chance to take a Sunday drive before the snow gets here.”

For those thinking about tapping their own maple trees, or for those small producers in need of supplies, Hurry Hill is a good first stop for information, advice and supplies.

Special October Sundae Sundays

The Edinboro Area Historical Society (EASH) will be at the Museum every Sunday during October. They will be serving up Maple Sundaes every Sunday for $ 3, greeting visitors, answering questions and conducting children’s activities

According to Allan Montgomery of EAHS, was a time of celebration; winter was over and people could enjoy the friendship and company of their fellow neighbors. It was also important to many farms since “sugaring” brought in much needed cash for spring planting. Maple trees also provided many rural families a healthier and less expensive alternative to cane sugar.

Take a ride at Hurry Hill Into the Sugar Bush

A short ride on a golf cart or wagon from the Hurry Hill Museum is the Sugar House where the maple sap is boiled in a large, wood fired evaporator during the sap run. On the less than five minute ride are views of fields and stands of newly planted maple trees with patches of goldenrods blooming here and there and dozens of bluebird nesting boxes.

Walking into the Sugar House, is akin to stepping back in time. There is a deep sense of history, and long hours of work.

Or as William Faulkner wrote: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”

Hurry Hill Farm Museum has a certain sense of peacefulness, a oneness with nature.

Details for a Sunday Visit

The website for Hurry Hill is well worth the visit. It can be found at http://hurryhillfarm.org/

There is a wealth of information, history and other facts about maple syrup and about the farm museum itself. For example, under the Walking Trail menu bar, discover how the farm got it's name. And be sure to watch the video the First Boil.

Contact Information

Museum: 814-572-1358

Email: hurryhillfarm@verizon.net

Museum location:

11424 Fry Road

Edinboro, PA 16412

Janet Woods is a member of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Maple Association. The organization sponsors a spring Maple Taste and Tour Open House during which many other Sugar Houses in the region open their doors for demonstrations, activities and serve free maple products which are also available to purchase. The organization also sponsors a popular Lake Erie Maple Expo which will be held in Albion this year on November 7 and 8.

For more information on the Expo, or the spring Taste and Tour Open House, or to find a Sugar House close to your neighborhood, visit PA NW Maple Association

One of Many Good Recipes from Janet Woods

Maple Raspberry Vinaigrette

1/3 cup of olive oil

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

1/3 cup red raspberry vinaigrette

½ tablespoon dried basil or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

¼ teaspoon salt

Combine ingredients in a bowl and whisk. Store in the refrigerator. When ready to use, let the mixture come to room temperature. Shake well before using.

Wonderful on fresh green salad, garden leaf lettuce or cucumbers, grape tomatoes, and feta cheese.

.

And Just for the Heck of It

The northern section of North America is the only place in the universe where maple syrup is produced from the amazing sugar maple tree. Eighty percent of the maple syrup produced comes from Canada while the remaining 20 percent is produced in the United States. While the maple tree provides healthy maple syrup in the spring, it is an attractive and colorful tree throughout the fall.