Bechard's Sugar House — Local services in Town of Beekmantown

I had stopped off at Bechard’s Sugar House as an impromptu visit while vacationing in the Point au Roche area with my wife, her parents, and a collection of her aunts, uncles, and cousins.

I found the owners to be immensely friendly, greeting us with local warmth, welcoming conversation, tastings of a wide range of products, and recommendations on recipes for maple syrup that you’d never otherwise consider doing.

Following tastings of a range of syrups, including light, amber, dark, very dark, and bourbon-barrel, I was compelled to purchase a quart of dark syrup, a pint of very dark syrup, and a bag of ground maple coffee. Others in my group gave into temptation and purchased some of the other items in Bechard’s impressive range of stock - my wife buying a pack of maple dog biscuits and a bag of pancake mix, my mother-in-law buying some flavored popcorn, and one of my wife’s cousins buying a tub of maple sugar meant to substitute for white sugar.

The syrups themselves were flavorful, with clear incremental differences between the available grades. The maple sugar candies were rich, crisp, and dry in a fashion that reminded me of something one would buy at a local fairground. The candles on offer were intensely scented and reminiscent of Christmas. The containers for the syrup ranged from the traditional moonshine-style jugs to intricate glass work depicting maple leafs. I can’t speak for the tastiness of the dog biscuits.. but I’m certain of their quality.

Overall, the sugar house was an accidental but completely worthwhile experience that lead to intense flavors, friendly conversation, and the opportunity to learn something about the local maple syrup industry outside of Canada...

Stopped here for the first time on a Wednesday afternoon and was pleased to have met the owner Marvin. He’s quite friendly, personable, and informative. He explained how he got started with a small interest in maple in 1998, then grew the business over the years, and now harvests from 175 acres with nearly 10,000 taps. We’ve enjoyed their products for years purchasing them from a variety of locations, but mainly from Hoss’s Country Corner. We especially love seeing their booth during Octo-Bear Fest in Long Lake each year. We’ve gotten maple syrup in glass and plastic and sizes from 8oz to a half gallon and gotten all the grades of syrup from lightest of amber to the very dark. We enjoy the maple popcorn, granulated maple, maple pecans, maple walnuts, maple cream, maple salad dressings, and also got the maple dog treats for a friend’s dog. My most favorite item is the bourbon barrel aged maple syrup!! So many items to choose from here, it’s a must stop if in the Plattsburgh area or...

I took a road trip to Bechard's Sugar House in mid-April. Tammy and Marvin Bechard were both there, and it was a pleasure meeting them. Their store is amply packed with all sorts of maple products, and I ended up purchasing maple coffee, maple black tea (my new favorite!), maple popcorn, maple candy, and maple syrup for a friend. I also bought a box of notecards illustrated by a local artist and a pair of maple leaf earrings by a local jeweler. Bechard's does have a website from which you may order their products, but I wanted to see their physical shop. It was worth the trip. And it's only 15 minutes north of Plattsburgh, a sizable city with a university...