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ABOUT Petteys Farm Maple

  Richard Petteys JR  has been in the Maple business for over 20 years. What once started as a hobby that reminded him of his Grandfather's Maple hobby, grew into a passion of Ricky's. Ricky (Richard) built his Sugar Shack a few yards from his grandfather's original shack. Starting off with sap buckets (as his grandfather once used) and a few tubing lines, Ricky began slowly each year replacing the buckets with more tubing. Tubing freed up more time on gathering and was more reliable. In the beginning Ricky had a simple 2x8 evaporator, which he replaced in 2003 with a larger 4x10 evaporator. In 2010 Ricky invested in a Reverse Osmosis machine, which allowed him to speed up the processing time. As the years continue to pass Ricky has made numerous updates. An automatic draw off machine helps keep track of the tempture of the syrup as it nears the limit to be pulled off. We often find Ricky spinning in a circle as he has the processing time perfected to the second as to what he needs to be doing...fill the stove with wood so that it stays intensely hot, check the boil, checking the density, filter press the syrup, fill the jugs and label jugs...turn and do it again. As family members walk in and out of the shack to help out where ever needed, we seem to flow with each other knowing just what needs to be done . Did I mention Petteys Farm is a Dairy farm? Yup so up at 4am to milk and then back at 4 pm to milk again, along  with all the everyday task of running a farm in the hours between. Crazy to think these poor men find time to rest no less run a full blown Maple business.

       **Family** makes it possible. Along with Ricky, his father Richard Petteys SR and Mother Dawn Petteys help out on the Dairy farm and Maple business. Ricky is blessed to have help from his 4 Children. Kaylie 13 yrs, Brody 10yrs, Zoey 7 yrs and Hunter 6 yrs old.. Ricky's Mother helps with the kids and getting them ready for school and picking them up from school. What seems as a total chaos at 3pm to most humans, is a smooth flowing system of kids and adults getting home, fed, changed and off to the barn/shack. Amazes me that everyone has their boots on and is smiling as they head out the door. 

     With the help of 7 children and half dozen of adults, things get accomplished. Each Year the family gathers in the woods to begin the sap to syrup process. The kids run and play Big Foot Hunters/ Gold Miners, while the adults begin the time consuming process of repairing the lines and following the "spider web" of line and stopping at each tree placing 1 to 4 taps in the tree before moving to the next tree. Great conversations and many laughs take place in those woods each year. We continue to carry on family traditions, as they are as important to us as learning the new updated methods. We treat everyday as a gift and an adventure waiting to be explored.

Meet the Family
Don't worry I just needed this pic for a
Richard (Ricky) 

Operator

~basically everything!

    Richard Petteys JR born and raised on the Dairy farm that he and his parents still farm to this day. Richard started the Maple Business as a hobby but the hobby quickly became a career that provides for his 4 children.
 

Richard (Papa Rick)
         Owner

~Senior Gopher

~Line Sucker

~Sap Mule

~1st,2nd,3rd &4th shift worker
  Richard married the farmer daughter in 1980 and has run the family farm since. Helping his son with the maple business and managing the everyday farm life. Rick has the knowledge and patience to deal with most people and situations.

Dawn (Mama Dawny)
           Owner

~children wrangler

~shack chef

~floating helper

~errands manager

   The original farmer's daughter, born and raised on this farm her entire life, now helps to raise her grandkids the same way she and her children were. Dawn is a multi-talented woman, she can do about anything and knows when she is needed the most. From calming a crying child down to caring for a new born calf. Dawn is the oil to this fine tuned working operation.
 

             ~Petteys Kids~

Brody, Kaylie, Zoey and Hunter

    Each one of our kids loves the outdoors, so going to the woods and exploring is a treat! We find the kids building forts or going on Big Foot hunts! They are a big help when we need an extra set of hands and great source of entertainment!
Lola Petteys
  Lola the protector. She loves wandering around the woods looking for the naughty "wood rats" squirrels. Her wooly fur is a great place for your cold hands for a quick warm up.
Dixie Petteys
 Loves the woods. Enjoys chasing the kids around and barking at anything that may be threatening (a stick, a mouse, a leaf, her humans, her own shadow)
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