In Highland County, Virginia, there are more trees than people. Specifically, the County is rich in sugar maples, the trees whose sap produces maple syrup.

Better known as a “northern” sweetener, maple syrup is something that Highland County residents have been producing for decades—likely⁠ as early as the County was first settled in the mid-1700s⁠. ⁠They learned the practice from local Indigenous tribes⁠, who took part in tapping trees themselves.

In “Sap’s Rising in Highland County, Virginia,” Gravy reporter Sarah Jessee explores Highland County maple syrup production in the past and present, and discusses how the County’s syrup-making might change in the future.

For additional reading

A Hidden Threat to Maple Syrup (Washington Post)

Highland County Festival: sweet, sticky, vital for local economy (VPM)

Highland County Maple Festival

Maple Festival Through the Years (WDBJ)

Acknowledgments

A big thanks to KALW Public Media in San Francisco, for early listening of this work.

Sarah Jessee is a strategist and storyteller who’s loved audio—and radio specifically—as long as she can remember. After studying radio documentary at the Salt Institute, she contributed to Snap Judgment and WVTF News.