HedgeHog Hill Farm is part of Mount Holly in Belmont, Vermont... an area made up of six villages. HedgeHog Hill is perched atop spruce-clad Green Mountains near Jackson Gore, Okemo Mountain's newest resort area.

The town lies in a sort of shallow basin, or depression, in the Green Mountains, and in the old days of stage coaching over the road from Burlington to Boston, afforded the best place for crossing the Green Mountains south of Montpelier.

Described as the "town time forgot", Belmont boasts the highest post office and church in all of Vermont (est. 2300 ft. above sea level!). Accordingly, "drifting snow clogs the roads and chill winds whip the farm in winter". Temperatures below -20°F are not uncommon and our tractor or even bulldozer (!) are often required to clear the snow-swept driveways.

In summer, cool breezes melt into beautiful, healthful days, grass grows oh so fast, and the sun warms us all. Fall, glorious fall, brings "leafies" out by the thousands to witness some of God's best work.

Then there is the spring when the sap flows, thousands of gallons into the budding maple trees and, if the rain, sun, snow are in the perfect sequence and the temperature falls below 32°F at night, then above during the day - - it's four weeks of exciting syrup-making time!

The Burns Family purchased the original 200 acres, which had been in trust from Tom, Alan and Bill Seward in 1988 over an "age ole" Vermont handshake! The following year, the homestead and 10 acres were bought and the property was brought back together and the renovation began.

Ten years later, with a hand-built post and beam barn (built from beams from the farm and, sporting four 60' 8x8 beams sawed off by an Alaskan chain saw!), a four acre pond carved out by a 450 John Deere bulldozer (which is still resting in the barn!) and plantings together with 30 acres of grass!

Grand memories of dinners on the porch, surprises, Thanksgivings, Christmases, swimming, hiking and yes, HedgeHog Hill Maple Syrup - now in its second decade - but that's another story!