At Laurel & Ash
Farm... 

We strive to produce the highest quality farm products while doing so responsibly. We value quality over quantity, enjoyment over tedium, and fostering respect for the forest and land that we farm.

Laurel & Ash Farm is a 50 acre-working family farm and forest nestled within a mountainside in Holmes, New York. We produce limited batches of 100% pure New York, wood-fired, Grade A, maple syrup.

When The nights Are Cold...

And the late winter days are just beginning to warm, maple sap begins to flow through the Laurel & Ash Farm sugarbush. During this small window every winter, we harvest only our sweetest sap to create the most delicious and delightful wood-fired maple syrup.

We work tirelessly to produce the highest quality maple products in limited batches from indigenous maple trees grown on our Hudson Valley, NY farm. We harvest every drop of our maple sap using sustainable practices and are always mindful of our role as responsible stewards of the land. We use the wood from our farm’s forest management to fire our evaporator during the sugaring process. Laurel & Ash Farm maple syrup is tapped, wood-fired and bottled on the farm in The Hudson Valley.

Where MAPLe, Ferns and fennel meet...

We believe in sustainable farming practices, low-impact maple harvesting techniques and holistic forest management. The forest floor and canopy are resilient yet delicate eco-systems that we work in harmony with. We ensure that motor vehicle use is limited to designated forest paths, invasive species such as barberry and honeysuckle are managed, while native species such as laurel and ferns are left untouched to mingle with our fennel and tomato crops at the forest edge.

We believe that a diverse forest is a healthy forest. Diversity promotes new forest growth as well as encourages migrating birds and wildlife. Thinning trees is done only to protect the forest habitat and to increase the sugarbush’s resiliency.

Fallen and thinned trees are harvested for sugar wood, or responsibly burned. Then once cooled, the remaining coals from our sugaring process are returned to the forest floor.

MAPLE MANAGED FOR BIRDS

We are thrilled to announce that Laurel & Ash Farm has become New York State’s tenth official Bird-Friendly Maple producer. Through the Bird-Friendly Maple project (a collaborative effort between Audubon, Cornell and the New York State Maple Producers Association), we have been recognized for managing our sugarbush—the forest area where maple syrup is produced—in ways that provide more resilient bird habitat. 

We have amended our forest management and wildlife habitat plan to include the practices and recommendations of the Audubon New York bird habitat assessment, resulting in increased diversity of bird species in our forest. Our focus is not only on creating the most delicious and delightful maple syrup, but doing so responsibly - using low impact harvesting techniques and holistic forest management that promotes sustainable sap production, diversity in our landscape, and a hospitable habitat for birds and other wildlife. The stewardship of our sugarbush not only affects us, but neighboring forests, wetlands, and bird conservation in the region. Maple syrup and responsible production can be a model for sustainably produced food that also provides healthy habitats for wildlife.