Book: The Sugarmaker's Companion An Integrated Approach to Producing Syrup From Maple, Birch and Walnut Trees By Michael Farrell

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The Sugarmaker’s Companion includes:
  •  A focus on maple syrup as a healthy, local, sustainably produced alternative to corn syrup and other highly processed artificial sweeteners;
  • Discussions about organic certification, sugarhouse registration, and the new international grading system;
  • Information on marketing to create a profitable business model based on scale, interest, access, and more;
  • Detailed analyses of the economics of buying and selling sap;
  • Information on ways to process and market other tree saps, including birch and walnut;
  • Ways to enhance diversity in the sugarbush and interplant understory crops for value-added products such as ginseng, goldenseal, and mushrooms; and,
  • An economic analysis of utilizing maple trees for syrup or sawtimber production.
In addition, readers and sugarmakers will learn plenty of practical, how-to skills, such as:
  • If, and on what scale, syrup production is right for them;
  • How to find trees for tapping;
  • The essentials of sap collection;
  • The art and science of sugarmaking;
  • How to build community through syrup production; and,
  • Valuable information on ecological forest management and value-added products.
Appealing to foresters, organic farmers with woodlands, homesteaders, preppers, permaculture enthusiasts, and, of course, sugarmakers, this book is applicable to a wide range of climates and regions, and is sure to change the conversation around syrup production and prove invaluable for both home-scale and commercial sugarmakers alike. This is a unique guide to making an integrated sugaring operation, interconnected to the whole-farm system, woodland, and community.

Praise and Reviews


“Full-color images, along with charts and highlighted topics, make this book accessible to both the beginner and the experienced sugar maker. VERDICT: While the wealth of information may seem daunting to novices, this work is a required reference for those who are seriously exploring sugar making as a small-or large-scale business. Hobbyists will find innovative techniques and ideas to broaden their scope of knowledge.”—Library Journal

“In The Sugarmaker’s Companion, Michael Farrell presents both a philosophical and a practical look at today’s tree sap and syrup industry. The book provides pertinent and useful information for both hobby and commercial tree tapping operations. In a changing industry that is heavily shadowed by tradition, Michael combines the old tested methods with up-to-date research and science.This comprehensive book looks at both the big picture and many of the small details. Even for non-sugarmakers, it will be an informative and enjoyable read.” —Gary Backlund, author of Bigleaf Sugaring: Tapping the Western Maple

 © Diane Chase is the author of the Adirondack Family Time™ guidebook series, Adirondack Family Time™: Your Four Season Guides to over 300 Activites, which is available online or bookstores/museums/sporting good stores. Diane is currently working on the third guidebook in the four-book series of Adirondack Family Activities™.

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