Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from everyone at LM SUGARBUSH LLC! 

Maple Pecan Pie

One Half Cup Sugar

Three Eggs

One Cup PURE MAPLE SYRUP

Three Tablespoons of Melted Butter

One Half Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

One Quarter Teaspoon Salt

One and One Half Cups of Pecan Halves

One Pie Crust

Directions

Mix together eggs and sugar until well blended. Add PURE MAPLE SYRUP, butter, vanilla, salt and pecans. Pour mixture into pie crust. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let rest for at least 1 hour before serving. Top with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Open House - November 29, 2014

Saturday, November 29th, 2014 is Small Business Saturday. We will be having an OPEN HOUSE day at the farm. We have beautiful decorative glass containers which make excellent Christmas gifts. Stock up on some delicious maple goodies before the holidays!!

 We are also offering a voucher for one FREE bag of Maple Cotton Candy to anyone who a purchase on Small Business Saturday!! 

Delivery Day

Mason and I went on another delivery adventure yesterday. We made three deliveries in Indianapolis. 

 

Our trek began around 11am. Mason took a two hour nap on the way there, so he was not much company. We stopped right outside of Indianapolis (Franklin, Exit 90) for lunch. We ate some really yummy Subway. The store was already decorated for Christmas. The tree had a train at the bottom and Mason had a fun time looking at that. The store also had a drive-thru. I’ve never seen a Subway with a drive-thru before!

 

Our first stop of the day was Progue’s Run Grocery (http://poguesrungrocer.org/) on East 10^th Street. It is a small grocery store, deli, and coffee shop/juice bar. They sell all kinds of organic produce, salad, vitamins, and healthy drinks and snacks. They were having an outdoor BBQ. It smelled so good that Mason and I were tempted to eat a second lunch.  The building is painted all over with a beautiful mural. It is a very unique place!!

 

Our next stop was Good Earth Natural Foods (http://www.good-earth.com/) on Guilford Avenue. They have a little bit of everything, from organic produce, to freshly ground organic flour and essential oils. The best part about Good Earth is that it is located right on the canal system. The store has a little picnic area….with DUCKS. Mason and I fed the ducks until we couldn’t feel our fingers. We went though about three pounds of kernel corn.

 

Our last stop of the day was at Green BEAN (http://www.greenbeandelivery.com/). I delivered here last time, but to recap, Green BEAN is a grocery delivery service specializing in organic produce and natural groceries. We made the delivery at the warehouse, so no interesting pictures here. 

 

At this point, Mason was sick of being in the car. We took a break and ate some ice cream and stocked up on gummy bears. Back in the car, the PAW PATROL saved the day!! Chase and Rubble started driving the car - this was highly entertaining to a two year old!! (I was safely stopped for all of the in-car pictures). We hit construction traffic around Seymour and thankfully, Mason fell asleep again. 

 

We made it home around 6pm, and noticed that the corn field behind our house was being harvested. Mason was so excited to watch the huge combine. We watched it until he got cold. This cold weather isn’t easy on a little nose and toes!!

River Glen Horse Trials

Not really business related, but I wanted to share that Jenny and Ocala placed 2nd in a very competitive Training division at the River Glen Horse Trials in Tennessee. Jenny has been working so hard over the summer with Ocala and all of her hard work has paid off!!

Sugar on Snow

Snowed in? Try making Sugar on Snow!! Sugar on Snow is a delicious taffy-like candy, made by pouring heated syrup over snow. To make Sugar on Snow, boil PURE MAPLE SYRUP to 234 degrees. A candy thermometer is the easiest way to accurately gage the temperature. Cool the maple syrup slightly for about two minutes. Scoop clean snow onto a cookie sheet and drizzle the maple syrup onto the snow. This delicious candy is a sweet treat and will stick to your teeth!

Snow Day!

We got our first big snow of the year last night. Right now we have about 2-4". It's still snowing a little bit and the temps this evening will dip into the teens. Great for the trees, not so great for cold fingers and toes. 

Local schools are closed so Mason is enjoying a day at home with Robert. We might try to go sledding when I get home from work today! 

Delivery Day

Yesterday, Mason and I made deliveries to two of our Central Indiana wholesale customers. 

 

We started out bright and cheerful. Mason was a little puzzled by the boxes stacked next to his car seat, but gummy bears and doughnuts quickly bought his silence. 

 

When we left home, it was a balmy 33 degrees. By the time we reached our first delivery in Bloomington, Indiana, it was 27 degrees and SNOWING. Mason had fun watching the snow out the window. It started snowing so hard I was beginning to wonder if I was going to make it home in one piece. 

 

Our first delivery was at Bloomingfoods Deli and Grocery(http://www.bloomingfoods.coop).  Bloomingfoods is located on Third Street in Bloomington, Indiana. They have a wonderful selection of organic produce, cheese, and an excellent craft beer and wine selection. Their deli is stocked with all kinds of yummy salad and they make delicious sandwiches. Mason went shopping and picked out red grapes, watermelon, and hummus. He also snaggled me into purchasing some chocolate at the checkout counter…..he didn’t have to twist my arm too hard. 

 

Mason and I had a picnic lunch in the greenhouse at the store. It smells like flowers and it is always very warm – much appreciated on a cold day! We sat and watched the snow while we ate lunch. We also had a nice visit with our friend Jessica, who is the Native American demonstrator at the Maple Syrup Festival.

 

Thankfully, the snow melted quickly as we headed north towards Indianapolis. Mason was thoroughly entertained by watching Paw Patrol on my iPhone. He hit his second pack of gummy bears about 20 miles south of Indy, and quickly fell asleep.  

 

Our next stop was Green BEAN in Indianapolis (www.greenbeandelivery.com). Green BEAN is a grocery and organic produce delivery service. They have locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Missouri.  Mason slept through this delivery so we were quickly back on the road headed home. 

 

We stopped at Camping World on our way home, located off of Exit 99 on I-65. Mason and I looked at a few campers and I was considering selling a kidney. We looked at the 2015 model of our current camper and I’m in love. 

 

We have several additional wholesale distributors in the Indianapolis area. We also supply Progue’s Run Grocery Store(www.poguesrungrocer.org) on 10^th Street, Good Earth Natural Foods (www.good-earth.com) on Guilford Ave and A Taste of Indiana (www.atasteofindiana.com)on Rucker Road.

 

We made a quick stop at the farm on the way home to box up an order and pick up syrup for a few local orders this week. We were both glad to be home after a long day in the car. The gummy bears and doughnuts finally caught up to Mason and he had a sugar induced playfest. He ended up taking off all of the couch cushions and building a bridge. The joys of a toddler...

Sign of the Times

LM Sugarbush LLC has an official roadside sign! I have been itching to make a sign for the business for years and finally had the opportunity to do so. It has a somewhat interesting story behind it so thought it would be a nice story to share. 

 

The sign started out with a metal horse. The horse originally belonged to Robert’s great-grandfather.  The horse had been hanging on a family member’s tool shed for years. Robert built a new barn for the family member over the summer and they offered the horse to him, knowing that I’m a huge horse lover. 

 

The metal horse sat in my barn for a few months, un-noticed for the most part. About a month ago, Jen, Nic, Robert and I were working at the farm, trimming bushes and mowing grass. We were working at the end of the driveway when I decided to repaint the existing sign which was rusting away and illegible. The old sign was a cast iron rectangle which included the address and an 8 pointed, very incorrectly drawn maple leaf. I did a horrendous job repainting the sign. It looked like my two year old son painted it. In fact, he could probably have done a better job.

 

So terrible was my attempt to resurrect the old sign, I was motivated to build a new sign and fulfill my longtime wish to have an official sign for the business. The metal horse immediately popped into my mind and I began pondering plans for the new sign. 

 

I sanded and re-painted the metal horse a shiny black. I used a maple lead stencil and spray painted a green maple leaf on the horse. I bought two treated deck corner posts, a board, address numbers, and mailbox letters from Home Depot. I crammed all of this in my little car, along with Mason in his car seat. I should get a medal for that feat alone!

 

I brought my supplies home and my wonderful hubby Robert helped me with the construction. We cut the board in half and attached both sections to the deck corner posts. We then attached the metal horse to the top board and added the address numbers “321” on the bottom board. Using the mailbox letter stickers, Robert added LM Sugarbush to the left hand side and Maple Syrup on the right. 

 

Nic dug the holes in the ground and used quickcrete to secure the posts. Finished product: an amazing new sign!! 

Family Introduction

In case you don’t know our family, I thought I would introduce everyone.

 

Nic and Jenny – Jenny is my wonderful older sister and Nic is her husband. They enjoy traveling, especially cruises, and they are both very opinionated football fans. Let’s just say that when the Colts play the Broncos, Jen and Nic are usually in separate locations to keep the peace. Their “child” is a Labrador mix named Jackson. Jackson is the official Waffle Moocher at the Maple Syrup Festival and will probably bark at you while simultaneously begging for food. Jenny is an avid equestrian and shows her horse in the sport of three day eventing. Nic and Jenny work as financial advisors at an investment firm in Louisville. 

  

Jackson - Photo Credit: Jennifer Reisenbichler 

Jen and her horse Ocala

 

Robert and Emily (Me!) – Robert is my wonderful husband. We have a two year old son, Mason, who occupies most of our free time. Mason is obsessed with tractors and loves playing outside. We enjoy camping over the summer and try to attend most of Jenny’s horse shows. We also have a spoiled rotten cocker spaniel, Conner. Conner is pretty shy and will probably go unnoticed by most people. Robert is a volunteer firefighter with our local fire department and is employed as a project manager at a local construction firm. I work for an attorney in Louisville and enjoy being a mommy on my days off.

Photo Credit: Wendy Gordon Photography

 Photo Credit: Elisa Campbell

Leane(Mom) – Is one of the original founders of the business and a wonderful mother to me and Jenny. She still lives on the farm and is enjoying semi-retirement from the business. She works as a healthcare aid and enjoys bike riding and traveling with her friends. 

Photo Credit: Wendy Gordon Photography

 

Caleb – Is my younger brother and he may make an occasional appearance on the blog. He is enjoying his first apartment and working as a server at a local restaurant. He usually helps out with parking or the branding irons at the festival. 

Photo Credit: Wendy Gordon Photography

Welcome!!

Welcome to the LM Sugarbush LLC blog! Hopefully, this blog will be a great way for our customers and fans to follow the activity at the farm throughout the year. Although our production season is limited to January-March each year, we stay busy year round running the farm and managing the maple syrup business. We feel like our festival attendees and customers are a part of our extended family – we want to share our family and events with you! 

 

If you have never heard of us before, LM Sugarbush LLC is a family owned maple syrup farm located in Salem, Indiana. Founded in 1981 as Leane and Michael’s Sugarbush, the small family business has produced over 18,000 gallons of Pure Maple Syrup, right here in Southern Indiana. 

 

The farm and business was purchased in late 2013 by Nic and Jennifer Reisenbichler and Emily and Robert Blackman. Jenny and Emily are daughters of the founders, Michael and Leane. 

 

LM Sugarbush LLC is host to the Annual Maple Syrup Festival held each year in February and March. The festival draws an astounding 8,000-10,000 people over four days. This year marks the 24^th annual festival. The 2015 dates are February 28^th & March 1^st, and March 7 & March 8, 2015. 

 

We host several open house days each year for the public to come out and enjoy the beautiful farm. The next open house is on Saturday, November 29^th, 2014, which is SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY. We are offering a voucher for one FREE bag of delicious MAPLE COTTON CANDY with each purchase or order placed on November 29, 2014. The voucher is redeemable at the 2015 Annual Maple Syrup Festival. 

 

You can also visit our website www.LMSugarbush.com for more information about the farm and the business. 

 

We hope that you check back for our frequent updates and enjoy reading our blog. If you have any questions or feedback, please let us know!!