Thank you to 150ish.com, a free weekly email newsletter that "brings you all the dish on local food artisans working within 150 miles–more or less–of New York City," for its nice profile of the farm in its November 5 issue:
“You have a lot of sugar maples and from the looks of it, they’ve never been tapped.” That’s what a friend who really knew his trees said to Joni and Louie Lanza on his first visit to their 40-acre farm in Garrison, New York. “We had no idea,” Joni laughs. Five years later, they’re up to 1,000 taps—and drawing out some seriously delicious sap.
Joni, a sixth-generation farm girl from Kentucky, came to New York to dance on Broadway and worked between gigs in restaurants. She met Louie, chef and owner of NYC's Josie’s and Citrus, and now, three sons later, they are raising their children on the farm the way Joni grew up.
Joni and Louie were smart enough to admit what they didn’t know—and they knew nothing about maple syrup “Patrick Cronin, of Cronin Maple Farms, is our mentor,” Joni explains. “He taught us how to tap the trees and collect the sap. We boil it down to syrup at his sugar shack. Without him, it would have been very difficult to do this.”...
Lanza Farms produces all grades of syrup, but Francesca and Marisa really love the idea of their specialty syrups, especially the Liquid Gold, which is matured in bourbon barrels. “Well, that was a natural for me,” Joni laughs. “I come from Woodford County [home to Woodford Reserve from Labrot & Graham, Kentucky’s oldest bourbon distillery], so I called and explained my idea, and they sent me some barrels to try it. It worked beautifully and now it’s our most popular item.” Francesca plans on using this in her Maple-Pecan Pie.
Joni’s other specialty flavors include a ginger infusion and chai tea. “When I was pregnant, I was on a chai-tea kick,” she says, “and I thought ‘what would happen if I made a giant chai-tea bag and steeped it in the syrup?’ Louie is a chef, so if any flavors are off, he’s going to tell me!” She will also be making cinnamon syrup for the holidays.
Now their farm is expanding. The couple has added goats and hope to be making cheese in the coming year. Along the way, Joni has become a passionate voice for the small family farm. Grateful to those who continue to serve as her mentors, she looks forward to sharing her experience with the next generation.
“You have a lot of sugar maples and from the looks of it, they’ve never been tapped.” That’s what a friend who really knew his trees said to Joni and Louie Lanza on his first visit to their 40-acre farm in Garrison, New York. “We had no idea,” Joni laughs. Five years later, they’re up to 1,000 taps—and drawing out some seriously delicious sap.
Joni, a sixth-generation farm girl from Kentucky, came to New York to dance on Broadway and worked between gigs in restaurants. She met Louie, chef and owner of NYC's Josie’s and Citrus, and now, three sons later, they are raising their children on the farm the way Joni grew up.
Joni and Louie were smart enough to admit what they didn’t know—and they knew nothing about maple syrup “Patrick Cronin, of Cronin Maple Farms, is our mentor,” Joni explains. “He taught us how to tap the trees and collect the sap. We boil it down to syrup at his sugar shack. Without him, it would have been very difficult to do this.”...
Lanza Farms produces all grades of syrup, but Francesca and Marisa really love the idea of their specialty syrups, especially the Liquid Gold, which is matured in bourbon barrels. “Well, that was a natural for me,” Joni laughs. “I come from Woodford County [home to Woodford Reserve from Labrot & Graham, Kentucky’s oldest bourbon distillery], so I called and explained my idea, and they sent me some barrels to try it. It worked beautifully and now it’s our most popular item.” Francesca plans on using this in her Maple-Pecan Pie.
Joni’s other specialty flavors include a ginger infusion and chai tea. “When I was pregnant, I was on a chai-tea kick,” she says, “and I thought ‘what would happen if I made a giant chai-tea bag and steeped it in the syrup?’ Louie is a chef, so if any flavors are off, he’s going to tell me!” She will also be making cinnamon syrup for the holidays.
Now their farm is expanding. The couple has added goats and hope to be making cheese in the coming year. Along the way, Joni has become a passionate voice for the small family farm. Grateful to those who continue to serve as her mentors, she looks forward to sharing her experience with the next generation.
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