38 Thurman – Cultivating a Heritage of Living off the Land Thurman has forever romanced her land and waterways. Hardy settlers cleared fields to pasture animals and grow crops. They harnessed creeks to power mills for grinding grist or sawing wood from thickly forested hills. The woods offered not only building materials, but wild game and maple sap, while streams and rivers supplied fresh water, fish, furs and transportation. The love affair lingers, with many in Thurman still seeking sustenance from nature’s abundance, and sharing their experience with vacationers. The Glen Lodge, a charming B&B, perches beside the Hudson, where fishermen still cast. Kayakers and rafters, patrons of Wild Waters Outdoor Center and Beaver Brook Outfitters, ply paddles. Many produce pure and natural foods, like Nettle Meadow Farm’s internationally-acclaimed gourmet cheeses made from sheep, goat and cow milk, and Whitefields’ Farm’s plump pork, poultry, fresh eggs and garden goods. Thurman boasts the four largest commercial maple producers in Warren County. Hidden Hollow Maple Farm is operated by three generations of the Wallace family, and currently boasts the highest number of taps of the four. Valley Road Maple Farm makes syrup from a sugarbush worked for over 100 years by the Combs family. Adirondack Gold Maple Farm claims the title for tapping trees owned by the Kenyon family for generations reaching back to the late <strong>18</strong>00s. Toad Hill Maple Farm, worked by one Galusha family for over 40 years, in 2010 won a USDA REAP grant to help them build and equip a brand new energy-efficient facility. These maple producers make an extensive product line that includes syrup, sugar, cream, popcorn, peanuts and candies. Many in Thurman cut the vigorously growing forests, for lumber, like Martin’s Lumber and Northern Hardwoods, to make rustic furniture at Adirondack Ambiance, or for fuel or paper. They all celebrate their harvests during annual festivals. Mountainside Adventures introduces climbers to rocky mountain slopes in town. Most of Thurman’s businesses are cottage industries with no “store-fronts” to boast of their goods and services. Numerous folks work in the building trade, offering everything from custom carpentry to either log cabin homes or traditional “stick built” houses to meet the growing need market for second homes and vacation camps. Others operate heavy equipment to build and grade roads or excavate. Got a gravel road? Hire someone for gravel driveway re-surfacing. Many ply the traditional Adirondack trade of logging, but with increased attention to sustainability of this valuable resource. There are bakers who take their wares to farmers’ markets, seamstresses relied on for custom sewing jobs, house painters, lawn care specialists, and auto mechanics – including the long-established Pendell Hollow Garage. A new company, Thurman Farm Tours, attracts motor coach groups to town to learn about our agrarian operations. Reach our advertisers at: ADK<strong>Dining</strong><strong>Guide</strong>.com • ADKStoresandGalleries.com • ADKEntertainment.com • ADKAccommodations.com
39 Reach our advertisers at: ADK<strong>Dining</strong><strong>Guide</strong>.com • ADKStoresandGalleries.com • ADKEntertainment.com • ADKAccommodations.com
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