I am excited to share a little update about life here in Middletown Springs and what we’ve been up to. This blog was written by my amazing partner, Sara Young. We have had a sweet year, indeed, and we want to tell you about a brand new venture that’s brewing…

“It has been just over a year now since we made a dream come true! With a leap of faith, some hard work, and support from family and friends, we were able to purchase a 52-acre property here in Middletown Springs to serve as the new home base for Green Mountain Timber Frames.

The property provides Luke and his crew the space they need to restore and preserve pre-1900 timber frames. These handcrafted barns are a testament to old fashioned craftsmanship, and our mission is to save barns that are in disrepair, restoring and re-erecting them to serve as homes, cabins, and barns. The space is working beautifully for the restoration work. Here are a couple of our favorite memories from the day we purchased the land:

 

The bonus of the new property is that we also have ample space to enjoy as a family and with the community. We have spent many lovely days exploring the woods, finding salamanders in the stream, watching the glow of fireflies in the meadow, camping and cooking over an open fire, foraging for wild mushrooms, taking full moon walks, and perhaps best of all – maple sugaring (more on the later)!

This spring and summer, we have made progress on planting a small orchard, many berries of different varieties, and we are preparing an area for a large vegetable and herb garden to be planted next spring. Luke also plans to erect one, two, or maybe three timber frame cabins tucked away in the maple grove, perfect for a tranquil getaway.

 

With all these exciting adventures in store, Luke and I have set up a new business entity called Green Mountain Timber Frames & Gardens, LLC. We couldn’t be more thrilled!

Our Very Own Vermont Maple Syrup

While much of these plans will unfold over the coming months and years, what we do have right now is pure Vermont Maple Syrup, and a lot of it! The purchase of the property included an operational sugarbush with 1,400 taps and we have partnered with Mahar Maple Farm here in town to do the boiling.

Our family had so much fun last winter walking our woods, learning how to maintain the lines, and tapping the trees. One of our favorite moments was witnessing young Kiara commune with the trees. When one of us would drill the hole for the tap, Kiara would wrap her arms around the trunk and say, “thank you, tree,” and then gently tap the spout in with her hammer.

 

We may be biased, but we think it is fair to say that our gratefulness to the forest and the many blessing that have been bestowed on us this year has made for some very tasty syrup!

The next step in the process was to choose the packaging and create a label. It was very important for us to use glass instead of plastic. Fitting with the aesthetic of our vintage barn restoration, we ultimately chose an “old-timey” glass jug in varying sizes.

 
Sample the very first batch of Green Mountain Timber Frames & Garden Syrup!

This sweet gift from the maple trees is locally available at the Larson Farm and Creamery in Wells, Vermont, or by contacting us directly to pick up in Middletown Springs or discuss shipping options. Please email me to place your order.

What else is happing at the Green Mountain Timber Frames shop? 

This spring and summer, Luke and the team have erected three restored vintage timber frames at the shop location. Folks who are looking for a barn to purchase and re-home can now visit the shop and actually stand inside the space!

We also love to celebrate after raising a barn, and we had two lovely open house cookouts this summer after working together to stand a barn up.

We even got to play a little music with friends after one of the raisings:

Here is one of my favorites, the Trapper’s Cabin, standing at the shop:

Come visit us and see the restored barns in person, and maybe pick up a bottle of your very own Green Mountain Timber Frames & Gardens maple syrup!

Contact us at:
luke@GreenMountainTimberFrames.com or 1-802-7748972