Sweet Success: Brule River Farm Continues 30-Year Tradition of Maple Syrup Making

Brule River Farm Will Sell Their Homemade Maple Syrup at Superior Farmers Market Starting May 26

BRULE, Wis. – As the seasons change, the sap is running wild in the north woods.

For the owners of Brule River Farm in Brule, Wisconsin, it’s a season they look forward to year-round.

“It’s something we wouldn’t do if we didn’t like it, and it’s a passion for us, it keeps us busy,” said David Dumke, co-owner of Brule River Farm.

Maple syrup season requires patience and a good working relationship with Mother Nature.

“It all depends on the weather,” said Dumke.

For Dumke, his operation at Brule River Farm is completely dependent on the climate.

“This year, we’re starting two weeks early. But if the weather warms up, we’re going to be done in one week,” said Dumke.

It’s the great unknown that has kept Dumke and his wife working to turn sap into delicious maple syrup for the past 30 years.

“I go bring it in, we cook it out there and then my wife finishes it in our commercial kitchen and bottles it,” said Dumke.

It’s a team effort that’s just one part of the operation at Brule River Farm.

“This year we’re doing maple syrup, shiitake logs, and lots of vegetables, and fruit trees,” said Dumke. “It’s so great to be in the woods this time of year.”

Currently, there are 400 trees tapped on the property. He says this year, they’re expecting a yield of nearly 50 gallons once all is said and done.

“Some years we get a really good run, can’t keep up, and other years it’s just not much,” said Dumke.

Whether it’s a hit or a miss, Dumke says it’s the passion and local pride that keeps his interest when the freeze, thaw cycle of spring rolls around.

“We have some people that, they’ll only purchase our maple syrup,” said Dumke.

It’s the quality of the finished product paired with Mother Nature’s precision that keeps customers coming back year after year.

“I think it’s such a pure thing where you’re producing something really good. It’s something you can’t get unless you do it yourself,” said Dumke.

In their 30 years of collecting sap and making syrup, only one year yielded nothing at all – it was back in the spring of 2013.

Brule River Farm will begin selling their syrup on Wednesday, May 26 when the Superior Farmers Market opens for the season.