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West Virginia Sugar Operation Review Preparedness Manual & Regulatory Guidelines

The first part of this book is a set of guidelines that follow the West Virginia Department of Agriculture’s Sugaring Operations Inspection Checklist. The checklist is what is on the clipboard of the state compliance officer should you ever get or need a WVDA review certificate. The second part of this book presents a Decision Tree and Regulatory Matrix that you can follow to help you comply with state and federal regulation that apply to your production and sale of maple syrup.

Date:
January 1, 2021

What Causes Buddy Syrup and What Can Be Done to Prevent it?

Buddy off-flavour is an annual, natural occurrence that has been well recognized since the dawn of commercial maple production in the late 19th century. As we began our investigation there were two basic ideas for the sudden appearance of buddy syrup. The first was that heating sap containing elevated levels of particular amino acids produced compounds (pyrazines) that contributed to buddy off flavour. A more recent idea has been that yeasts in the sap convert sulfur-containing amino acids into compounds that explain the off flavours.

Publication:
Maple Syrup Digest
Date:
March 1, 2021

When is it Syrup? Tools and techniques for measuring syrup density

One of the most important skills for sugarmakers to master is knowing when what’s boiling in the evaporator has become syrup. Quality control is key, and packaging syrup too dense or not dense enough will ruin the best of any sugarmaker’s efforts.

Publication:
Maple Syrup Digest
Date:
June 1, 2017

When is it Syrup? Tools and techniques for measuring syrup density

One of the most important skills for sugarmakers to master is knowing when what’s boiling in the evaporator has become syrup. This guide to mesuring density explains the tools and techniques for accurate measurement.

Publication:
Maple Syrup Digest
Date:
June 1, 2017

When to Stop: Some Factors Affecting The Economics of Processing Grade Syrup

Near the end of each sugaring season, producers must make a decision when to stop making maple syrup. Sometimes the decision is an easy call, such as when the onset of bud break and cessation of sap flow coincide. The decision to stop production can also be the result of careful economic analysis of the cost of production versus value of the product. The variable costs (fuel, labor, filters, etc.) of any maple operation are a key component to this sort of analysis.

Publication:
Maple Syrup Digest
Date:
June 1, 2015

Why change the maple grading system?

Thoughts on the value of implementing the new maple grading system.

Publication:
Farming, the Journal of Northeast Agriculture
Date:
December 1, 2010

Working with little ROs for syrup production

One of the biggest drawbacks of making maple syrup for a back yarder or small maple producer is the time it takes to boil the sap into syrup. The idea of using a small reverse osmosis unit to assist with the syrup making is very interesting to many small maple producers. There are many little reverse osmosis systems available for water purification in households or for small commercial applications. These can be purchased from a number of big box stores, home improvement stores or on line. These RO units can be used to remove water from sap to speed up the concentration and syrup boiling process.

Date:
June 7, 2019