Aryn Henning Nichols

For many families in the area, it’s not spring without a trip to the annual Maple Festival at Greens’ Sugar Bush in rural Northeast Iowa.

Gideon Green was the first generation to arrive in Iowa in 1850, settling his family by the Yellow River in the Bloomfield Township of Winneshiek County, near present-day Castalia.

Many years and five generations later, Dale Green and his wife Karen maintained the land and home as they built up Spring Valley Farms, running a bull breeding operation and beef cattle farm. And across the gravel road sits a vast grove of maple trees that the Greens tap for sap every spring, carrying on a tradition that began in 1851 – just one year after Gideon Green decided to call Northeast Iowa home – making it the oldest continually operational business in Iowa.

Starting each February, the family rallies together to pull sap from roughly 1,100 maple trees, collecting it in underground cisterns to await the cookhouse. When things are in full production mode, the evaporator is running every day, boiling sap into syrup, sugar, or candy. 

And then, ever since 1991, Greens’ Sugar Bush hosts the Maple Festival, inviting folks out to welcome in the new season and fresh syrup. It is an outdoor event, rain or shine (or snow – eek), always held the last Sunday in March and the first Sunday in April (unless Easter falls on one of those Sundays, like it does this year). 2024 Maple Festival dates are Saturday, March 30 and Sunday, April 7. 

“When we first started the pancake breakfast, we put up a big tent on the hillside above the evaporator building and used only one grill to make the pancakes,” says Jeni (Green) Melcher. “The picnic tables did not set level, so it was advantageous to sit on the uphill side just in case something got spilled.”

They’ve learned a lot since then, fine-tuning table placement and the number of grills needed for the roughly 2000 people (give or take, weather-depending) who come out over the course of those two days to enjoy all-you-can-eat pancakes, sausage, applesauce, and drinks. And of course, real maple syrup. (Hot tip: You can bring your own container to buy bulk syrup for home, although they have pre-packaged options available as well). 

From the start, Dale and Karen taught their five daughters – Jody, Lori, Stacy, Jeni, and Wendy – the business of tapping and processing maple syrup. And in 2021, Jeni (daughter number four) took over as leader of the Greens’ Sugar Bush sap operation, along with her husband, Tom Melcher, and son, John.

The Melcher family has a dairy farm just south of the Sugarbush. It’s situated on land where Jeni’s great, great, great grandfather, Steven Allen, homesteaded and is across the road from the farm where Jeni grew up and her parents still live. Jeni and Tom do most of the Spring Valley Farms field work and help care for the small herd of beef cows still on site as Dale and Karen ease into retirement.

It’s a retirement well-earned. In addition to regular farm work, Dale and Karen have worked hard to create a legacy for generations to come in the form of conservation efforts on their land. In 2003 Dale Green received the National Cattlemen’s Association’s Region III Environmental Stewardship award, and in 2016 the State of Iowa Conservation Farmer of the year for his efforts to prevent run-off from the livestock operation reaching the Yellow River. They planted nearly 9,000 trees along the river, fenced off the waterway to keep his cattle away from it, and installed roughly a mile of stream bank stabilization.

Thinking about the future of the land and how it will suit the next generation is how legacies like the Greens’ are built. 

In this Q&A, Jeni (Green) Melcher reflects on being the sixth generation to carry on the traditions of Gideon Green, making syrup and making memories for families for years to come.

Name: Jeni and Tom Melcher, John (14-year-old) 
Age: 48
Business: Greens Sugarbush
Year Business Established: 1851
Business address: 1411 111th Ave, Castalia, IA 52133
Website: Facebook page Greens’ Sugar Bush

1. Tell us about the “leap” moment. When did you decide to take the reins on the family business? 

My family has been making maple syrup in Iowa since 1851; I am the sixth generation to do so. After 173 years you hate to be the one that says, “Maybe not this year.” My parents were getting older, and it just seemed like the time to take over. This business is truly a family tradition. I have four sisters that all help, I am just the one that is in charge.

2. What’s the best thing about being your own boss? 

The best part is getting to carry on the tradition.  

3. How about the worst?  

The worst part is knowing that you are responsible for everything, there are days that you doubt the decisions that are made and wonder if after all these years you will be the one that does not succeed. 

4. How do you manage your life/work balance?  

The making of the maple syrup only last about two months. We sell syrup the rest of the year. The hardest part is that we are dependent on the weather. The season normally starts in early March and lasts until Mid-April. There will be times that we are working at the sugarbush every day and then there will be a cold or warm snap and we won’t have anything to do for a whole week. We are dairy farmers in real life so there are always chores to be done no matter what. We rely on family members to help out so that everything gets done.

5. What’s something you look forward to each year when it’s time to harvest syrup?

The best part of the season is the “smell”. When we are making maple sugar candy the syrup gets to boil in a pot for about an hour. Just sitting watching the syrup boil and smelling it is the best. Second best is eating the warm maple sugar. I also love telling people our story. Every family has a unique history, ours just maybe a little sweeter than some. Just like I am the sixth generation to make the syrup, there are generations of people that have been coming to buy the syrup and that is a very special thing.

6. Is there something you don’t look forward to as well?

We have a saying about the syrup season – “We dread it coming, the middle of the season is kind of fun, then you can’t wait for it to be done.” When the temperatures start to warm in the spring we know that the syrup season and all the work that goes into it is almost here, then once the trees are tapped, help has been found and everything is up and going it is fun. 

As I said before, we are dairy farmers. Those chores still need to be done every day, as the spring moves along there is field work that needs to be done, about that time the syrup season gets wrapped up, so we move on to the next thing. There is no way we could carry on the tradition without our family members and some good friends.

7. Do you see the Greens’ family tradition of syrup-making continuing into the future? 

The world around us is continuously changing, but some things still stay the same. This year is shaping up to be a challenge. The February weather says it is time to make syrup, but the calendar says to wait a couple more weeks. But my husband and I will go out and tap the trees, signaling the start of yet another season. I am confident that we will gather sap at least once and boil it down to syrup and the tradition that my family started so many years ago will have continued. Will it be a great year, nobody knows, but that almost does not matter. Carrying on the tradition is more important. The older trees in the timber have literally been tapped by generations of my family, but there are getting to be fewer and fewer of them. Just like the next generation of Greens is learning how to make syrup, the next generation of trees is slowly growing along with them to hopefully be ready to take the older generations place when the time comes, but nothing in the world is guaranteed.

2024 Greens’ Sugar Bush Maple Festival dates (rain or shine): 
Saturday, March 30, 10am – 2pm 
Sunday, April 7, 10am – 2pm 

The announcement was ignored by mainstream media. In December 2023, a tiny spider, lost to the world for almost 100 years and feared extinct, had been found. Acting on historical records, a team of spider experts assembled in northern Portugal and scoured the floor of a forest that had been protected from clear cutting and forest fires for hundreds of years. Their holy grail was Fagilde’s Trapdoor Spider, an unassuming, earth-toned spider that lives underground and tap dances to attract mates. Its rediscovery thrust the sleepy village of Fagilde, population 397, into the conservation limelight. Suddenly, an oft maligned species sparked small-town pride, shining the spotlight on efforts to protect nature.

Usually cast as villains by Hollywood – think Tarantula! and Arachnophobia – spiders have had a bad rap throughout history. Perhaps it’s the fangs, or the four sets of eyes. All those spindly legs don’t help. And who hasn’t popped their cork after finding a spider crawling slowly up their arm? Our web weaving friends have been the fodder of nightmares since the dawn of man. Despite sinister appearances, the stigma is undeserved. They are, in fact, amazing. 

Fifty-one thousand species of spiders have been identified. Found on every continent except Antarctica, they come in an endless variety of wild shapes and designer colors. The tiniest, known only by its scientific moniker, Patu digua, is smaller than the head of a pin and dwells in the rain-drenched forests of central Colombia. 

The largest, the Goliath birdeater, would send Little Miss Muffet to the emergency room. It weighs as much as a cup of chocolate chips and prowls the forests of northern South America on eight hairy legs that can straddle a dinner plate. Jumping spiders take the prize for best in show. Australia’s gaudy peacock spider, named for a rainbow of eye dazzling iridescence, could give Elton John a run for the title of “Most Flamboyant.”

Indeed, misconceptions abound. Spiders are not insects. They are arachnids, a group of invertebrates that also includes scorpions, ticks, and mites. Anatomical differences are easily remembered as a function of numbers. Insects have three body segments, spiders have two. Insects have six legs, spiders have eight. And the clincher – insects have two antennae. Spiders live an antennae free existence.

Their ability to spin silk is signature. Produced by abominable glands, spider silk is a marvel of nature. Webs are architectural wonders. The Darwin’s bark spider, discovered in a Madagascan national park in 2009, builds webs over rivers. One particularly industrious individual spun a masterpiece spanning more than 80 feet, the largest on record. Time to put away the kayak.

Pound for pound, spider silk is stronger than steel. Used by spiders to ensnare prey, inventive scientists have created numerous products from spider silk, including medical bandages, violin strings, and bullet proof clothing. 

As predators, spiders are essential for healthy ecosystems. They eat a staggering number of insects annually, many considered pests. By doing so, they help keep things in balance. You can’t have a better helper in your garden.

Across the Atlantic, Fagilde residents are celebrating the rediscovery. Children previously frightened by spiders are now reporting new sightings. A local bakery created Fagilde Trapdoor Spider Cupcakes to honor their smallest, most famous resident. And the entire community, inspired by a humble spider, has rekindled a reverence for nature. 

Mary & Craig Thompson

Mary and Craig Thompson live in the bluffs north of La Crosse, WI. Mary is a certified spider whisperer. Craig cannot muster the fortitude to touch a spider. However, he does not charge them rent for living in the basement.

Anni Weilgart was Interviewed by one of her daughters, Lindy Weilgart

Anni Weilgart, 100, grew up in Berlin, Germany, experiencing WWII as a teenager.  She lived in Decorah from 1963 to 2010 and taught German at Luther College. My father, W. John Weilgart, was a professor of psychology there. My mother now lives with my sister and brother-in-law, who look after her wonderfully in Washington State. I have always admired my mom for her socialness, adaptability, ability to get along with everyone, practicality (where my dad, the typical brilliant, but absent-minded, chaotic professor, was useless in that regard), her frugality, her physical activity, her respect for education, but above all, for her generosity of spirit and willingness to always be there for her family. She adored us children. I can speak to her for hours on end over Skype, as she is a wonderful listener, always interested and supportive. She is also a phenomenal role model, still walking one mile every day on the treadmill at a fast pace (25 mins.), despite breaking her hip two years ago. Although blind, she has fewer ailments and healthier blood values than all of us. I can’t even contemplate the idea that she won’t always be with us.

What’s the best advice anyone ever gave you? 

Love is something you can never give away. The more you give it away, the more it comes back to you. One saying we had: If you want to be happy in life, contribute to the happiness of others because the happiness you give will come back into your own heart.  I found that to be true. If you give friendliness and help to your friends and neighbors, you’ll get the same back. I think I never had a bad experience that way.

How about the worst? 

My mother used to drill into me: children have to be obedient. But she never told me when I was finally allowed to make my own decisions, how old you had to be when you finally get to think for yourself and can decide to obey or not.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I did not have a clear goal. The circumstances of the time maneuvered me into the teaching profession. It was the best decision I ever made. It was a necessity of the time during WWII. Everyone had to do some kind of service to the country before you went into higher education. But teachers were urgently needed so the qualifications were waived. That was appealing to me, so I didn’t have to work on a farm, milk cows, etc. You could start right away. 

I got into a smaller village that had only two classrooms: Grades 1-4 & 5-8. I was assigned Grades 1-4 in one classroom. I had different assignments for each grade, always switching between them. I had to plan it so they all had time with me, written assignments, etc. I had a certain knack for talking to children, so they listened and trusted me. I had a good relationship with them. The kids were friendly and eager to learn.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want with you? 

Books, writing material, companion.

Try to describe yourself in one sentence.

I am interested in many things, have travelled widely, mainly through my kids, and am able to adapt well to many situations.

If you could eat anything every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Soup and fried potatoes and egg with onions.

Name one thing you could not live without.

My children and contact with them.

Tell us more about your first job.

I was worried about my first job because I was assigned to teach at a small, isolated country school in an area in Bavaria that was totally Catholic. Since I wasn’t Catholic, I was worried I wouldn’t be accepted. I also came from Berlin, and in southern Germany, they didn’t like Berliners and northern Germans, because they gave them unasked for advice and talked a lot. My fears turned out to be unfounded because very soon, they were very kind to me and respectful. They gave me a lot of credit and thought I was capable, even though I wasn’t really. They thought as someone from the nation’s capital, I must know a lot. One mother asked for piano lessons for her kids. I didn’t really play but it was assumed I knew everything, so I had to give lessons on the few things I knew. The teenagers or young adults in their early twenties also asked for dance lessons, so I taught them. This was after the war when everything was chaotic. Finally, the minister of education decided that Catholic teachers should teach Catholic kids, and Lutheran teachers should teach Lutheran kids, so I was transferred to another small farming village in Bavaria. It was where I met my husband who, as a psychologist, was studying school children.