Lucas Adcock
Staff Writer
Rachel and Adam Taylor, of Frostmore Farm, are steadily prepping operations and products for Maple Days 2026 and, this year, they’re bringing a new collaboration to the farm for the February 21 Maple Days event. With Frostmore Farm having ceased maple production the last two years, they’re eager to hop right back into it with a new collaboration of efforts and products from Sara and Stephen Simmons’ Hand Me Down Homestead.
“We didn’t want to jump back into making maple syrup without reliable help to split some of the time and labor involved in making it,” Rachel Taylor said. “We had casually mentioned this to them a few months ago and it grew into an official partnership from that. Continuing to produce maple syrup at our previous level was a massive undertaking, especially for Adam, who was managing most all the labor alongside a full-time job. Stepping back allowed us to focus on our family and eliminate that added stress, which was a wonderful change for us for the two years we took off. We eventually realized that if we were going to get back into production, we needed to downsize and find partners to help with the time and labor involved. That is exactly where Sara and Stephen Simmons came in to help us move forward.”
This collaboration between the two maple producers is a win-win for both of them, with Hand Me Down Homestead now able to produce more syrup to grow its business with a larger maple operation without having to invest in the start-up equipment. As for Frostmore, having the extra hands and reliability of someone they can trust is invaluable. Not only is Hand Me Down Homestead producing more syrup this year, but their own products as well, to quite literally bring to the table, at Frostmore for the February Maple Days event before returning to their own operations for March Maple Days.
“During Maple Days we open up our farm for tree-to-table tours and sample different batches of syrups,” Taylor said. “We also break out all the goodies and have special items that are made just for those days! Hand Me Down Homestead is planning on making some of their own delicious maple goodies to share and sell at the Frostmore Farm Dunmore location in February, and in March they will be set up at their own place showcasing their individual syrup operation and products.”
Taylor was adamant in her belief that it’s important to keep events like Maple Days rooted in working farms rather than turning them into commercial experiences, saying that Maple Days provides such a great experience for visitors to be able to see where and how the product they are buying is produced.
“It also provides a personal connection to be able to meet and ask questions to those who produced it,” she said.
West Virginia agriculture often relies on collaboration, especially for young families running larger operations.
“The amount of labor that went into producing syrup for the size of an operation we were running was not practical or sustainable for our family,” Taylor said.
Without this collaboration, Frostmore would not have produced maple syrup for the 2026 Maple Days.
Their goal was not just to get help, but to find others who would also benefit from the collaboration. Hand Me Down Homestead was the right choice.
This collaboration is going to enhance the educational side of the event for both kids and adults, teaching how maple products are made and why it still matters.
“Just like how some people/kids aren’t aware of where their food comes from, it is important to show how this food product is made,” Taylor said. “There are also so many neat ways to tie education into maple syrup. So many great STEM lesson plans are available for all ages and there are so many great books and stories about maple syrup making,”
Maple Days is not only a staple of West Virginia agritourism, but also for those who live here and experience it year-to-year. With these maple events, farmers help sustain traditions that might otherwise be at risk of fading away.
“It helps us reach others who may be interested in getting into it or want to try it,” Taylor explained. “It also provides an actual experience – as opposed to watching it through a screen.”
While partnerships may not be essential for all agritourism operations in West Virginia, they have enhanced Frostmore’s visibility, increased sales, and has allowed them to produce syrup this year when they otherwise may not have been able to. Needless to say, the Taylors at Frostmore Farm are ecstatic to have begun maple production operations in preparation for Maple Days with the help of Hand Me Down Homestead. When asked what she’s most excited for during production this year, Taylor said, “I always love Shirley Doolittle’s cinnamon rolls she makes for us. I also love seeing people’s faces when they try syrup for the first time!”
With operations in progress, she explains that the weather has been prime, with lots of freezing / thawing without it getting too warm for too long.
“Days above freezing and nights below freezing make the sap flow,” she said.
Although the weather has been ideal for productions, the farm still faces some challenges for these events, including, finding enough help to make the day enjoyable and run smoothly or parking when it is a muddy mess and terrible weather – to name a few. Yet another reason for partnership collaboration.
The Taylors encourage participation for Maple Days, especially for those who have never been.
“There are so many neat places opening up around the county,” Taylor said. “What a grand day someone could have touring around, seeing the different operations, and tasting the different maple offerings available just for those days!”
For Frostmore Farm, they hope that a memory can be made from visiting, and that visitors can reflect on how they felt when they see or taste maple syrup again and how they were treated on the farm that day.
For the maple community in West Virginia, the Maple Days events highlight all sorts of maple producers – from new-fangled to old-fashioned and from tiny backyarders to 15,000+ tap operations.
It gives everyone who participates a way to showcase their unique spin on maple production and the rigorous efforts of setups, builds, production and unique collaborations. The weekends of February 21 and March 21 will celebrate Maple Days events across the state.
Lucas Adcock may be contacted at lucasadcock@pocahontastimes.com
Lucas Adcock also writes under the pen name of L. A. Porter.
