Sap & Syrup

SWANTON, Vt.—Lapierre is promoting a new spout, designed with Vermont sugarmaker David Folino, that features a straight insert with minimal taper to have more contact surface to the tap hole.

The spouts are made of a polycarbonate see-through material and have depth lines in order to see how deep it is. This allows for tapping crews to more accurately set a tapping depth consistently.

The spouts also have a short joint for an easier “slide-in” of the drop line. [ MORE ]

How to identify maple syrup off-flavors

Henry Marckres, Vt. Agy. of Ag. (retired) | April 15, 2019

Maple syrup has a unique flavor that sets it apart from other specialty foods.

Its characteristic for exhibiting different subtle flavors depending on when it was produced, where it was produced, and, at times, how it was produced make it a product that everyone, regardless of their taste preferences, can enjoy.

However, this characteristic also makes syrup flavor susceptible to flavors that are not considered typical.

These off-flavors can occur anywhere from the tree to the containers. Not only do production methods affect the flavor, but Mother Nature has a hand in it too. Following are some common off-flavors that have been encountered, their likely causes, and ways to avoid these problems. [ MORE ]

Ewww. Make the ropy syrup go away

Peter Gregg | April 15, 2019

CONCORD, N.H.—One of the dreaded phenomenon in sugaring is ropy syrup and researchers have tips on how to beat it.

“It’s a problem that once you’ve known, you don’t want to know again,” said Martin Pelletier, a researcher with Centre Acer in St-Norbert d’Arthabaska, Que.

Pelletier gave a compelling presentation on the topic at the North American Maple Syrup Council’s annual meeting in Concord, N.H. in Oct.

Experts classify ropy syrup as a “texture defect” consisting of a string that extends 4 inches or more in the syrup.

It’s a nightmare in the sugarhouse, making syrup unsellable. It can create overflows in the pan and is impossible to filter.
[ MORE ]

Quebec warehouses still flush with excess syrup

Peter Gregg | January 8, 2019

LONGUEUIL, Que.—Quebec reserve warehouses are still full, despite a crop that was 30 percent off, with only the far eastern edges of the province suffering big losses.
“Our crop was not disastrous,” said Simon Trépanier, executive director of the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers (FPAQ).
The federation went into last season with approximately 96 million pounds of syrup in what is known as the strategic reserve, which is a group of warehouses filled with barrels.
This year, as of late fall the reserve still held 95 million pounds, Trepanier said. Eighty million pounds of those holdings are table grade syrup. Only 20 to 22 million pounds are estimated to be industrial syrup. [ MORE ]

Bulk market flat this summer

Peter Gregg | November 21, 2018

ALSTEAD, N.H.—The bulk market is holding its own this fall, with little changed from the spring other than there is more syrup out there than predicted.
“I think the crop is at least as big as last year’s,” said Bruce Bascom of Bascom Maple Farms, one of the biggest on-site bulk buyers in the Northeast.
Bascom said syrup coming out of the field has continued to show up at his warehouse door throughout the summer and early fall.
“We’ve been getting five pick-up loads per day five days per week,” Bascom said last month.
The general bulk price has remained unchanged since the spring. [ MORE ]

Tips from an expert: Selling on Amazon

Paul Post, Peter Gregg | October 9, 2018

PUTNEY, Vt.—Peter Cooper-Ellis spent more than three decades in the Silicon Valley, where he worked at four different successful software start-up companies.

But the Brattleboro, Vt. native never lost his love for Mother Nature's sweetest natural product. His family has been in the maple business for more than a half century.

So he combined his passion for the industry and technology to start Putney, Vt.-based Hidden Springs Maple. At first, he ran the company remotely, with help from family members, while still living in California, before coming home to the Green Mountain State two-and-a-half years ago.

Cooper-Ellis explained how his firm has grown and how sugar makers can expand their own sales, in the workshop, Strategies for Online Marketing of Maple Products at the 2018 Vermont Maple Conference & Tradeshow last winter.

"What we're selling here is an experience of Vermont," he said. "We have a huge value in the brand of Vermont. We try to leverage that. Many customers have been to Vermont and they want to stay in touch with it."

What better way than with an online purchase of maple product?

"Our mission is to use the power of the Internet to sell maple," he said. "That's what we've been doing." [ MORE ]

Canada slaps a 10 percent tariff on U.S. syrup

Peter Gregg | July 2, 2018

OTTAWA, Ont.—Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau imposed a retaliatory ten percent tariff on maple sugar and maple syrup this week, one of hundreds of items targeted in a mounting trade war.

“These countermeasures will take effect on July 1, 2018 and will remain in place until the U.S. eliminates trade-restrictive measures against Canadian steel and aluminum products,” Trudeau’s government said in a statement Sunday.

The U.S. exports approximately $12 million in maple products to the country, according to government statistics. Most of that syrup originates in Maine. [ MORE ]