September Work

The very late summer is upon us! It has been exceptionally dry here on Zoar Road, and the ground is parched. There is a heavy layer of dusty sand on the trails made by Woody and his pony friends. You may be wondering about the recovery of the beaver pond (marginal), but the beavers have been building through the woods from the front pond back to the site of their old, destroyed pond. Unfortunately this is going to cause us to lose some hardwoods, but it is so critical to create water reserves that we are letting them have free rein. After such a hot, dry summer, the forests rely on under-surface water reserves, and beavers are master engineers in this space. And they work cheap! It is estimated that there is 5x as much water under the soil as above it in the beaver ponds. We need that! Beaver areas build not only habitat for innumerable other species of plants and animals, they also create resilience to flash storms, drought, and other extreme weather events. We'll take it.

The August launch of our 2025 syrups was fabulous, thanks to you, Farm Fam! Although several of the early batches are sold out, we still have a healthy supply of mid and late season selections. The team has also been busy making our very popular mini sampler sets which include selections from across the season and are a great gift idea for your friends and family who do not yet understand the obsession.

Late summer work is provisioning for the year ahead. Downed trees are cut, split and stored for next winter. Honey is gathered. Fruit is collected for our late summer varieties of shrub beverages. And this year, after a bit of a hiatus, we attended the Sharon Springs Fall Festival! Sharon Springs is the home of our first wholesale partner, Beekman 1802. Beekman transformed into an international beauty brand, but before it made the switch, it was a wonderful magnifier for the high-quality work of Tapatree and other artisans. We are indebted for the early support of Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Dr. Brent Ridge and we like to raise a toast by supporting the Sharon Springs event. The festival was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with people in person and gather feedback on some of our new products. Seeing the enjoyment of our amazing wild-foraged honeys, shrubs, fruit pastes and pickled asparagus was delightful!

There is no substitute for seeing your faces while tasting. The 2025 Whole Maple syrups were a hit, and many of you went home with delicious fruit pastes, honey and shrub for your pantries. Who could resist some extra flavor for the winter ahead?

In the friends and family category, we are delighted to learn that Beck Home & Goods is reopening in Woodstock, NY in November, and we look forward to being on their shelves. If you are in the Catskills, remember to stop by and say hello! The years have brought so many lovely opportunities and friends.

Off to work, Farm Fam! We hope that your summer-to-fall transition is accompanied by determination, optimism, and a devotion to all things that are good and community minded. Our mutual success will be woven from a yeoman's dedication to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Onward!