Resource type: Practical Skills

Showing 31 – 40 of 313 resources

Measuring and Adjusting Invert Sugar in Maple Sugar

The variability of invert sugars in syrup makes it necessary to test and adjust the invert sugar levels to match the specific characteristics desired for a given confection. Testing syrup and adjusting to a proper invert sugar level can eliminate batch mfailures and help the maple producer make confections of consistent quality. For many years the use of the Clinitest tablets was suggested as the way to measure invert sugars in syrup. Now, a simple test using the common glucose meter used to monitor blood sugar can be very helpful in selecting and blending syrups to make the most consistent products. Testing syrups before they are purchased for the purpose of making confections assures you are getting syrup that will make the confections you want.

Date:
February 26, 2022

Identifying Maples for Maple Syrup Making

This is a basic guide to identifying three maple species during the growing and dormant seasons. We look at key identifying characteristics such as branching patterns, leaf shapes and bark patterns. Additionally, we include identifying characteristics of two other trees that could cause confusion in the sugar bush.

Date:
January 5, 2022

Quality control guide cards

These handy cards provide checklists for color, clarity, density, and flavor, with notes on why syrup may not measure up to standards.

Date:
January 2, 2022

Food Safety & Quality Issues in Maple

Pure maple syrup is generally considered a “low-risk” food in terms of food safety regulations and following good production practices can limit the risks even further. This presentation will cover food safety issues related to production, bottling and storage of pure maple syrup.

Date:
December 8, 2021

Maple Quality in the Marketplace Today 

250 maple containers of pure maple syrup were purchased online in 2020 and tested for density, color grade and flavor. Learn how many samples met the grading standards, how different testing instruments compare, the most common grading problems and some best practices to ensure high quality syrup reaches your customers.

Date:
December 8, 2021

Welcoming Visitors in your Sugarhouse and Sugarbush 

Do you sell your maple products or give tours at your sugarhouse? Is your sugarbush open for hiking? Thinking about it, but not sure? Join us for a discussion about marketing, safety, liability, and other considerations. We’ll share information (and let you know how to get free signs) for Maple 100, Open Farm Week, and the new agritourism limited liability statute – and we’ll make time for a round robin about what would be most helpful for your sugaring operation. 

Date:
December 8, 2021

Gourmet Maple Marshmallows – A New Recipe & Guidelines

The Cornell Maple Program has been working on adapting gourmet marshmallow procedures for a recipe that uses maple as the only sweetener, and the results pack a lot of maple flavor.

Publication:
Maple News
Date:
November 18, 2021

Tapping into Sappy Non-Timber Forest Products for Fun and Profit

What I am proposing in this article is that woodland owners consider sap and syrup production as a way to increase the financial benefits derived from their forest resource by tapping their trees, and increase the fun in owning a woodlot with a good “sugarin off” party.

Publication:
National Woodlands
Date:
October 1, 2021

Ask Proctor: Defoamer

We regularly get questions from maple producers about which defoamers are the best to use. Of course, the answer is…it depends.

Publication:
Maple Syrup Digest
Date:
September 1, 2021