IT’S NO SECRET that maple syrup is big business in the Hudson Valley—of the more than 2 million trees tapped statewide last year, nearly 80,000 were here. But while big producers use high-tech methods to gather, handle and process hundreds of thousands of gallons of syrup, there’s something decidedly unromantic about the hum of a micro vacuum pulling sap through miles of saplines mapped with lasers.

Up on Storm King Mountain, near Cornwall (Orange County), Wynn and Ledlie Klosky’s Storm King Farm has no lasers. They cut the wood they need to keep the boilers hot; they gather the plastic sap buckets and carry them back to the house one or two at a time; they know by taste and color when the syrup is ready; they’ve even named a couple of their favorite trees—Avalon, and Two Trunks McGee (the biggest producer).

The total annual production from their backyard facility is all of 12 gallons—but it suits them just fine, thank you. Ledlie’s conversations and questions aren’t about how to grow the business. He has more basic things on his mind: “How close to the earth—to the original thing—can I get?” Storm King Farm welcomes visitors. Their products are available only at the farm. Check their Facebook page for details and announcements.