Year: 2022

Showing 11 – 20 of 34 resources

Tapping Walnut Trees: Making Walnut Syrup for Fun or Profit

Everyone knows you can tap maple trees, boil down the sap and make maple syrup. Maple syrup on pancakes is a classic American breakfast. However, few people know that the same is true for other select species of trees. People in the sub-artic have for years tapped birch trees, both boiling the sap to make a sweet syrup and consuming it raw as a health drink. Walnut trees are on that list of those select other species. Members of the Juglans genus, black walnut (Juglans nigra), white walnut or butternut (J. cinerea) and English walnut (J. regia) have all been tapped for syrup production. This walnut syrup primer will get you on either the commercial or the hobbyist path.

Date:
November 27, 2022

Mappleau: A Maple Liqueur

Mappleau (pronounced “mah-ploh”) is a maple-derived liqueur made from distilled maple wine and sweetened with pure maple syrup. Its manufacturing process and its namesake are inspired by Pommeau, a barrel-aged French liqueur made from fresh apple cider and apple brandy (hard cider that has been distilled). There are a few different production methods that achieve different flavor profiles. For oak-influence, the distilled maple wine, i.e., maple brandy, can be back sweetened with barrel-aged maple syrup, and/or the sweet Mappleau can be aged in various types of barrels (e.g., new oak, bourbon, wine, brandy, etc.). Alternatively, unoaked syrup can be used for back sweetening for a lighter flavor profile, and the Mappleau can be aged in a neutral vessel (e.g., stainless steel).

Date:
November 27, 2022

Sugarbush Management Videos

This collection of 13 videos from UVM Proctor Maple Research Center includes topics ranging from invasives to regeneration to culverts.

Date:
September 12, 2022

Foresters’ Approach to Sugarbush Management in the Northeast U.S.

This research is focused on a first of its kind survey of professional foresters with the goal of not only understanding the technical approaches foresters use when working in sugarbushes, but also how the surveyed foresters view sugarbush management compared to managing stands for other forest products.

Publication:
Maple Syrup Digest
Date:
September 1, 2022

Quarter-Inch Tubing: Is it a Better Option for Gravity Sap Collection?

Ten years ago, 3/16” diameter tubing was introduced to the marketplace as an alternative tubing to 5/16” diameter tubing.  However, recent research shows that sap production in 3/16” tubing drops off as soon as the second year after installation due to microbial growth. A replacement for 3/16” diameter tubing in gravity systems could be 1/4” tubing. With almost twice the aperture of 3/16” tubing (0.049 sq inches compared to 0.0275 sq inches), 1/4″ inch tubing is less likely to plug from microbes yet is still able to create a full column of sap for gravity vacuum. Quarter-inch tubing is currently not available for maple producers but can be procured from other industries and, with modifications, will work for maple production.

Publication:
Maple Syrup Digest
Date:
September 1, 2022

Expert Tubing Tips for Maple

At Leader’s Spring Open House, three top experts in tubing and woods management – Glen Goodrich, Mark Erlsten, and Jon Rybkiewicz – sat down for a little over an hour and shared loads of invaluable information on all aspects of installing tubing, tapping trees, and best woods practices.

Date:
August 17, 2022

North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual, 3rd Ed.

Since 1958 the North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual has served as a basic reference source for the production of pure maple products. This 2022 edition provides up-to-date, science-based information and recommendations relating to all aspects of the industry. The guidelines presented will help users ranging from the hobby and beginning producer level to those well-established in the industry. In addition, the information herein will benefit foresters, land managers, Extension and outreach personnel, and others aiming to provide assistance to those in the maple industry. Numerous photographs, tables, a glossary and hyperlinks to selected source materials are included.

This publication is also available in print, at www.mapleresearch.org/ordermanual.

Date:
July 19, 2022

Getting Started: Value-Added Products

The objective of this document is to provide guidelines for producing and selling packaged value-added maple foods and beverages. This document does not include regulatory requirements for unpackaged products sold at fairs or farmers markets. State and federal regulatory requirements are established to protect the producer and consumer from food safety concerns.

Date:
June 27, 2022

Management Strategies for Invasive Plants in the Sugarbush

There are multiple approaches to treat or otherwise kill invasive plants that that the maple producer wants to control. The best treatment in one situation may not be best in another situation. Methods of treatment are typically either mechanical or chemical. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages depending on the circumstances.

Publication:
Maple Syrup Digest
Date:
June 1, 2022

Exudation Pressure in Maple Trees: Comparing Simulations with Experiments

Exudation is the process whereby trees can generate a large positive pressure in stems or roots during months when the tree is leafless and mostly dormant and temperatures fluctuate above and below freezing. This article aims to provide an update on recent modelling efforts
in combination with experimental measurements from red/sugar maple trees at the University of Vermont Proctor Maple Research Center that validate the model results.

Publication:
Maple Syrup Digest
Date:
June 1, 2022