A Sweet Treat on a Sunday morning

Submitted by Seth Rogovoy on January 31, 2010 - 1:50pm

(Great Barrington, Mass., January 31, 2010) - Three generations of the Leab family were on hand at the Triplex Cinema this morning to discuss maple sugaring and agri-tourism efforts at Ioka Valley Farm in Hancock, Mass., as part of Berkshire Living’s award-winning Rest of the Story series.

Today’s free event, an outgrowth of the feature story, “Sap Happy!,” in the Jan-Feb 2010 issue of Berkshire Living, attracted a crowd of over fifty people who came equipped with curiosity and sweet tooths that were sated by the free samples and the variety of items available for purchase, including maple syrup, maple candy, maple-covered peanuts, maple mustard, maple barbecue sauce, and other sweet treats.

The program, moderated by editor-in-chief Seth Rogovoy, began with a 20-minute slideshow recounting Ioka Valley Farm’s transition from an old-time dairy farm run by Don Leab’s parents for thirty years through Don’s three decades as a dairy farmer, before he sold his dairy herd and son Rob and daughter-in-law Melissa joined Don and his wife, Judy, in turning the farm into an eclectic, four-season agro-tourism center serving educational and recreational needs, serving themed farm breakfasts on weekends in the “Calf-A,” the converted cow barn, and a mixed use farm that produced corn, hay, maple syrup, strawberries, blueberries, pumpkins, vegetables, and Christmas trees.

(l-r) Rob, Don, and Melissa Leab of Ioka Valley Farm

Rob Leab spoke eloquently about the challenges and rewards of spending times in the forest tending to the stands of maple and brainstorming new and improved techniques of tapping the trees for sap while insuring the long-term health and welfare of these valuable natural resources.

And Rob and Melissa’s children were on hand as enthusiasti

Melissa and Ron Leab with their children,<br />
the next generation of Ioka Valley farmers

c participants in the event, helping to run the slideshow and insisting that it is their intention to continue the Leab family tradition of keeping Ioka Valley Farm as a running concern into the next generation.

Please visit our complete photo gallery of the event at our Facebook page here.

Text and photos by Seth Rogovoy, editor-in-chief, Berkshire Living magazine

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