Patterson Maple Farms, Sabinsville, Tioga County
Owned by: Richard
Patterson
Patterson Maple
Farm, nestled in the hills near the town of Sabinsville in western Tioga County,
is the largest Maple Producer in the state, with 83,000 taps.
Owner Richard
Patterson got his love of sugaring from his grandfather, who began tapping trees
on the property during the 1920’s.
Grandpa Patterson,
as Richard calls him, began making maple products in the same traditional manner
as the first maple producers, the Native Americans. He employed wooden whittled
spiles carved from pithy trees like sumac, wooden buckets to collect the sap,
and a horse named Dobbin who pulled a cart through the sugarbush while the
Patterson family collected the sap.
While Grandpa
Patterson made only enough syrup and sugar for use on the farm, Richard’s
parents added 2500. Eventually, they were able to use it for trade at the
General Store, where they received seeds for the coming year’s farm crops and
shoes for the children in exchange for their excess product. What could not be
sold locally was packaged into plain metal tins that bore a Patterson tag, taken
to the Sabinsville Train Depot and shipped to New York City.
When Richard took
over the farm, demand was increasing for pure maple syrup, and Richard expanded
the business.
Richard’s sister,
Mary Lee Patterson-Zechman, a retired school teacher who lives in Lancaster
County, took over the job of sales, and the farm received a USDA contract to
sell their wares at farmers markets in Washington, DC.
Local and state
politicians who used Patterson syrup at home wrote letters of recommendation to
the USDA to help the Patterson’s secure the contract. “The USDA said they’d
never seen that before,” Richard said. “We got the contract right away.”
The business took
off from there. “Mary Lee should’ve been a salesman,” Richard stated. He said
she sells their syrup wherever she goes; out of the trunk of her car at gas
stations, at farmers markets and by phone. She even sold to the White House Chef
one time, waiting as his bodyguards escorted him from a long, black limousine.
Much of Patterson’s
Maple Products are sold in the major cities on the east coast—Washington, DC,
Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City. Richard stated that in Philadelphia
alone, the farm sells about 400 gallons of pure Pennsylvania Maple Syrup each
month. As with most other modern businesses, Patterson Farm’s website claims an
increasing share of the orders.
Linda Neal, who has
worked at the farm for 22 years and handles tours along with her other duties,
stated that the farm has sent syrup to 35 different countries, and has given
tours to people from across the world. In the back of the sugar house, Linda
keeps a map with pins placed to mark all the places their syrup has gone.
Though Linda gives
tours to school groups, private individuals, tourists both foreign and domestic,
and anyone else who wants to learn about the history of maple, she said her
favorite groups are made up of third graders.
“They come ready to
learn, and they’re so excited!” Linda said. “Third graders ask the best
questions, and you can tell they really enjoy learning.”
Linda’s a big part
of Patterson Farm’s success. She’s kind and patient, and very knowledgeable
about the history of the farm, and both traditional and modern sugaring. Part of
her tour explains how the Native Americans began tapping Maple Trees for sap,
the calendar they developed and how it was used to mark the year.
“We still use the
calendar. The third full moon of the year is the Indian’s ‘Sugar Moon,’ and
that’s when it’s sugaring time,” Linda explained.
Linda is known for
her bears as much as her maple. Living in the forest near Little Marsh, her
property is frequented by wildlife, and she had had a number of cubs winter over
on the property, some even sleeping on her porch. The photos she takes are a
popular attraction at the year-round Maple Store operated just off Patterson
Farm’s sugar house.
Every day, Richard,
or occasionally a crew member, makes a long, slow four-hour round trip to check
all the tubes in all the sugar bushes leased or owned by Patterson Farms. Linda
says that, although the farm has all the modern equipment for high-tech
sugaring, Richard still prefers to check each batch himself in the traditional
way just to be sure.
Patterson Farms is
open year-round, selling a wide variety of Maple Products at their store. Tours
are available by appointment. The farm can be reached by calling 814-628-3751,
or call 717-872-8233 for sales. Orders can also be taken via
pattersonmaplefarms.com.
To reach the farm
from US Route 6, take PA-349 North in Gaines. Drive approximately 10 miles, and
then take a right onto Beechwood Lake Road. Stay on the paved portion of the
road until taking the first dirt road on the right, Gurnee Road. Continue for
approximately 1 mile, and then take a right onto Patterson Road.
The Stories were written by Amanda Jones for the
Potter/Tioga Maple Producers and PA Route 6 Alliance
Photos are by Curt Weinhold
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