MEMBER PROFILE
by Terry Coleman

Ed and Linda Woodworth

Ed and Linda Woodworth of Walkerville, MI have their sugaring operation on the same centennial farm that Ed's Great Grandfather homesteaded in 1865. Ed is a fourth generation sugar maker and shares the same love for the maple woods that his father and grandfathers did before him.

In 1865, the family business started with 600 hand carved basswood buckets and a series of three arches with flat pans on them for boiling. The sap was boiled into sugar and shipped to Wisconsin where it was distributed around the country as a staple sweetener.

Ed and his father began working as a team in 1954 and his father worked in the sugarhouse until he was in his eighties. In 1965, a second 80-acre farm was purchased which increased the operations tapping capacity. Throughout the sixties and up until 1973 the boiling was done on a 40"x14' wood fired King evaporator. In 1973, a larger oil-fired evaporator was purchased to cut back on labor and make things easier. The 6'x20' three-pan Vermont style evaporator is still being used today. It is fully hooded and has a custom pre-heater. Syrup is drawn from the big rig and finished on a 2'x4' flat pan finisher.

The Woodworth's current operation varies between 2600 and 3600 taps per season. All taps are bucketed and the trees are tapped lightly with only one or two taps, even on larger trees. The farm could allow 5000 to 6000 taps if tapping was more widespread and heavier per tree. On a normal year, production is about 700 gallons. At one time 1400 of the taps on the farm were on tubing, but for various reasons have been put back on buckets. Ed has three men who do his gathering and his two sons and various grandkids help in the shanty also.

Plans for the future include a new underground storage tank, enlargement of the sugarhouse for more storage, and possibly returning to a tubing system. Mr. Woodworth says that maple flows in his veins and that he just wouldn't feel right if he didn't get to face the physical challenges as well as mother nature’s obstacles each year.

To visit Allen Creek Farms take 176th Ave north from the village of Walkerville two miles to Jackson Rd. Turn right and go four miles to Maple Island Rd. Turn left and go one mile to the corner of Maple Island and Monroe Rd (9520 E Monroe Rd).