Miller’s Purely Maple: A Family Tradition in the Pine Creek Valley
Tioga County | Pine Creek Valley & PA Grand Canyon of the Pennsylvania Wilds
By LaKeshia Knarr
Dale and Melanie Miller, owners of Miller’s Purely Maple, have been involved in the maple industry nearly their entire lives.
Dale dabbled in the trade before he met and married Melanie, whose family produced maple while she was growing up.
“We were hooked,” Dale said.
Today, the couple oversees their own farm in Tioga County, which includes a sugar bush covering 570 acres and encompassing 7,000 taps.
Sap is collected using a tubing system that connects to the trees and runs underground. Once the sap reaches the sugar house, it is processed into quality maple syrup over a wood fire. And other byproducts are made from there!
Each season, the Millers produce an average of 1,000 gallons of syrup, reaching a goal they set for themselves in the early days of their business.
They’ve now set their sights on reaching 1,500 gallons each season.
The couple operates a small retail shop adjacent to their home year-round, and over the weekends in the summer you can find their sweet syrup products at their concession stand at the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon.
Although the Dale and Melanie’s sons, Joel and Justin, grew up helping out on the maple farm, it is unclear if they will continue in their family’s footsteps.
“I call myself a first and last generation producer,” Dale says with a grin, adding that the family business will one day be theirs if they so wish.
*Photos taken by Bill Crowell / Budget Artist as part of the Creative Makers of the Pennsylvania Wilds – A Traveling Public Art Show, which was partly funded by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
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