Maple-themed mustards are a staple product at Jessica and James Bolduc's sugar house, "Jessie James Maples."
When James and Jessica Bolduc bought their Gilmanton property in 2001, they got more than they bargained for. James remembers looking at the trees ringing the property and saying, "I think these are sugar maples."
"We decided, 'Hey, let's give it a try,'" he recalled.
The trees were indeed sugar maples, and the young couple set their first taps. That initial effort has resulted in Jessie James Maple Farm, a second job and passion for the Bolducs.
Jim Bolduc gets one question out of the way: they are not related to the famous outlaw.
"We thought it would be fun and easy to remember," he said.
Jessica can remember her father tapping trees a couple of times, but she didn't get involved. For Jim, it was a new experience. They taught themselves, hanging clean milk jugs off the sugar maples on their property. They boiled sap in a turkey roasting pan over an open fire. They stayed up until 3 a.m., on that first batch, and at the first tasting, "We were blown away," Jessica said. "It was magic."
"It was probably some of the darkest syrup ever made," James said with a chuckle. "But to us, it was awesome."
And it was theirs.
"We fell in love with the process, knowing that we did it," James said. "And we did it together."
They tapped four trees that first year, gradually increasing to 100 taps. They also upgraded their equipment, moving from the open fire to boiling in their barn to a formal sap house in 2011.
Jessica works full-time in communications for AFL in Belmont while James owns his own real estate and construction business.
"My job is more flexible," he said, which is a good thing; they're in the woods for 100 or so hours a week in peak tapping season.
They are always upgrading, according to James.
"Everything we get from the business, we put back into the business," he said. "We put up bigger lines, bought a new evaporator, brought in RO (reverse osmosis)."
They are cautiously hopeful about the 2025 maple harvest.
"It's been colder, more like a 'normal' winter. The last couple of winters have been warm," Jessica noted.
With the warmer winters, the producers were able to start sooner, she said, adding, "We are looking for some warmer days."
They're also looking ahead to Maple Weekend, when they host visitors at the sugar house, sell product and explain the process. Though their "liquid gold" gets top billing, they have also developed a line of Jessie James foods. Their Maple Chipotle seasoning was a fusion of interests, James explained.
"We love maple. We also love Mexican food. We thought, 'Let's put two things we love together,'" he said.
They created their own Maple Mesquite seasoning, which Jessica said is good on chili.
"I'm making a batch this weekend," she said.
They do several flavors of mustard, a cinnamon/maple seasoning blend, maple barbecue sauce and maple popcorn.
"Our maple popcorn," James said, "is more maple than popcorn."
On Maple Weekend, they'll be boiling sap, weather permitting, and explaining the process. There will be products for sale and free samples.
"We also host a walk around the sugar bush," James said.
They also field questions, many of which are maple misconceptions.
"Some people may have tried a bad batch, and they claim not to like it," Jessica said. "Maybe it was boiled too late in the season."
A taste of the Jessie James brand usually cures that, she said.
They're more than willing to put up with the long hours and frozen toes that come with maple harvesting. For Jessie, it all comes together when they're working a farmer's market or a craft fair, and they see a regular customer heading toward them.
For James, it all comes together "when we're sitting in the sugar house, and it's just the two of us. It's something we can share."
Jessie James Maples, located at 164 Allens Mill Road, Gilmanton, will be open Saturday and Sunday, March 15 and 16, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. For more information, visit www.jessiejamesmaple.com.