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Cottage food laws vary considerably from state to state, and are generally intended to be a way for small farmers and food processors to establish small businesses offering value-added food products. Some states require food producers to pay a fee, obtain a permit or license, or register with the town, county or state. Periodic health inspections of home kitchens and even product testing may also be required depending on location.
Once the season is over you need to use a little TLC when it comes to storing maple syrup so it will maintain its quality and value. If you have a lot of syrup setting in drums here are a few suggestions.
Most of us understand how to tap trees, gather sap and produce maple syrup. Yet, one of the most important and least thought about tasks of a sugar bush owner is maintaining the health of the sugar maples. To do that effectively, the majority of us can greatly benefit from the help of a professional forester.
Studies currently underway at the University of Vermont Proctor Maple Research Center (PMRC) are examining the effects of accumulating internal taphole damage on the ability to support future tapping, as well as related subjects such as the effects high vacuum sap extraction might have on tree growth, all with the goal of developing new sustainable tapping guidelines. However, along with focusing on the possible negative effects of tapping and sap extraction, it is important to examine how certain practices might lead to greater sap yields.
Maple producers and rural landowners throughout the maple syrup producing regions of the Northeast have expressed interest in acquiring improved sugar maple seedings for future sap production. A sugar maple tree improvement program for high sap concentration began in the 1960s under the direction of the USDA Forest Service.
This project was conducted to determine if ginseng could be cultivated in a sugar maple forest for alternative income.
Although many analyses of the chemical composition of maple syrup have been conducted, relatively little information exists on the differences in composition of the individual syrup grades. As a first step in acquiring this information we performed a study to determine the characteristic sugar composition of each maple syrup grade.
Technological advances by maple equipment manufacturers, continued outreach and education by local, state, federal, and provincial maple organizations, and widespread adoption of new management practices by producers have revolutionized the maple industry over the last 20 years. The design and layout of sap collection systems and advances in vacuum pumps and releasers has resulted in higher per tap sap yields well beyond the old standards. Increased per tap volume has been matched with modern high brix reverse osmosis systems and efficiency gains in evaporators, pushing the economic potential of making maple syrup to new heights. Value-added products, niche marketing and branding, and social media and online platforms, coupled with health conscious and savvy consumers,have altered the retail sales landscape and linked rural maple producers to consumers around the world.
Looking around your woods youÕll see that there are far more trees on the landscape than you have time to measure. The science of forestry has taught us that similar stands (ones that have the same species composition, size classes, productivity, and management history) do not need to undergo a 100% census to get an accurate picture of what is there. Foresters use sampling methods that inventory stands to get an accurate representation of what is in them and the quality of the resource.
Some producers are willing to open up their sugarhouse doors to show the buying public how we make the sweet treat. Repeat customers know the quality of product produced, but for many consumers the operation’s aesthetics are critical to their purchasing habits.