Showing 31 – 40 of 59 resources

Understanding Buddy Off-flavour in Maple Syrup

Acquiring the ability to identify common off-flavours in maple syrup is important for producers. Detecting buddy off-flavour in fresh sap can be difficult, although much easier to taste in finished syrup. Buddy syrup can be described as an unpleasant chocolatey aroma and flavour having a lingering bad aftertaste. Buddy flavour in maple syrup is a food quality issue, not a food safety issue.

Perceptions of U.S. and Canadian maple syrup producers toward climate change, its impacts, and potential adaptation measures

The production of maple syrup is an important cultural and economic activity directly related to the climate of northeastern North America. As a result, there are signs that climate change could have negative impacts on maple syrup production in the next decades, particularly for regions located at the southern margins of the sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) range. The purpose of this survey study is to present the beliefs and opinions of maple syrup producers of Canada (N = 241) and the U.S. (N = 113) on climate change in general, its impacts on sugar maple health and maple syrup production, and potential adaptation measures.

Sycamore Sap and Syrup Field Trial

This study showed that sycamore does produce a sweet sap flow that can be boiled down to roduce a syrup. That syrup had a nice taste, that some people say has a butterscotch like flavor. This is a new sap and syrup product, that will need more work to develop taping strategies that could lead to its commercial production. Likewise we need more information on the sap and syrup chemistry before we can provide guidance to potential syrup producers.

Walnut Sap Flow and Syrup Making Field Trial

A 107 tap study area was established at John DalenÕs farm in Franklin WV. At this site we carried out a series of trials to learn about walnut sap flow, and to address sap and syrup production issues as they arose. We also collaborated with walnut sap producers in Palestine and Leon WV, and with Virginia TechÕs Catawba Sustainability Center in Blacksburg VA. The analysis section of this report is based on the work done at the Dalen farm study area.

UVM Sap Pricing Calculator

This spreadsheet can be used to determine the price per gallon paid to the seller for sap or concentrate based upon a finished syrup density of either 66.0, 66.5, or 66.9¡ Brix and calculated using the “Revised Jones Rule” which can be found at: http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/jones.pdf

Tapping on National Forest Lands

When looking to expand the maple industry people often look at the large acreages of forested lands in the public domain. In West Virginia, 16.5 percent of the land is in public ownership, and in Virginia, 17.1 percent. Of that, the largest acreage is managed by the federal National Forest System (NFS). Sugarbush owners adjoining NFS lands might look across the line to tapable maple stands in the national forest. Private citizens or community groups could also look at public lands as a way to get in the business. In this study, we investigated an example of a community group, the Mt. Rogers Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad, that is running a successful maple sugaring operation by tapping trees in the adjoining George Washington-Jefferson National Forest. We examined the sugaring operation and the impacts that the sugaring operation is having on the Whitetop community.

Reduced sap yields from tapping into stained wood

What is the impact on sap production when your tap into an old wound? With tubing systems, it is almost impossible to know for sure. This presentation covers preliminary sap yield data from clean tap holes versus holes that hit brown wood.

Ten Years with the Asian Longhorned Beetle Program in Massachusetts

ItÕs been 10 years since the ALB was first reported in Worcester, Massachusetts, and since then 24,179 ALB-infested trees have been found and removed, including the four trees mentioned. This has dramatically changed the character of the heaviest hit Worcester neighborhoods, Greendale and Burncoat, and resulted in a massive reforestation effort. Those neighborhoods were the center of the infestation and nearly every single host tree, including street trees, were removed in the effort to eradicate this pest. The DCR ALB Reforestation program, Worcester Tree Initiative, the city of Worcester, and the other five municipalities in the regulated area have replanted thousands of trees. Today, those young trees have become established and have started to provide much needed shade and wind breaks.