The only book you'll ever need to make your own maple syrup at home.
From author Rich Finzer, a Blue Ribbon-winning maple syrup producer with 20 years of experience. Get the best advice and learn shortcuts and tricks that will save you from making rookie mistakes, save you money by telling which equipment you really need and save you valuable time during the boiling-down process. Maple on Tap includes step-by-step instructions for all sugaring activities from tapping to bottling, as age-old skills are enhanced with modern technology. Included are beautiful color photographs clearly demonstrating the process and further lifting the veil of mystery on this unique North American pursuit.
Excerpt
If your goal is learning to make your own maple syrup, then I promise you that this little book will explain exactly how to do that. And everything in here represents the way I’ve learned to make syrup. There won’t be any confusing terminology, no obscure references, tasks you can’t accomplish or obscure acronyms; just easily understood cold hard facts coupled with the field-tested techniques that work. Just for the record, all production figures, statistics, etc. are based upon my own 24 tap operation.
Will your syrup win a blue ribbon? Heck, I don’t even know if that’s your plan. But I can tell you this; if you follow the directions in this little book, you’ll stand a heap sight better chance of accomplishing that than if you don’t. Am I bragging – nope. Like Dizzy Dean once remarked; “If you done it, it ain’t braggin.”
Professional Reviews
Finzer, Rich: Maple on Tap; Library Journal
Finzer, Rich. Maple on Tap: Making Your Own Maple Syrup. Acres U.S.A. 2013. 116p. illus. index. ISBN 9781601730343. pap. $15.95. DIY
Real maple syrup is the result of a lot of time and labor. Finzer allows the reader to chuckle at his beginner’s mistakes then neatly lays out the process with options. The organization of the book is very amateur friendly—a bit of history and trivia, followed by a glossary of terms that are used in following chapters. Each step in the process is covered, from tapping the trees for sap to bottling the amber goodness. Equipment and methodology are well described, with some of Finzer’s own adaptations. VERDICT This manual covers a very specific process in excellent detail and is more introductory than Rink Mann & Daniel Wolf’s Backyard Surgarin’ and more comprehensive than Joe McHale’s Maple Sugaring at Home . Great for enthusiasts and those interested in home production in the right geographic areas—the northeastern United States and southeast Canada. Highly recommended.
A Book on Making Maple Syrup
I received a fascinating little book in the mail a few weeks ago, and if you have any interest in learning how to tap your farm's maple trees for syrup production, you should put it on your wish list.
Maple on Tap: Making Your Own Maple Syrup (Acres U.S.A., 2012), by Rich Finzer, was a nice surprise. When I took the book out of the package it arrived in, I opened it immediately. It is not a flashy book filled with glossy photographs and superfluous information, but rather it’s a humble workhorse, chock full of practical information. Yes, there is a little bit of syrup history, but then the book goes right into the how-to's of syrup production. It covers everything from which maple species are best for tapping to the BTUs of the different fire woods you can burn to cook down the sap.
Everything is here. Maple on Tap covers how to gauge the best timing for a good sap run, what type of equipment you'll need, how to boil down and store the goods, and it even goes over the cost of producing your own syrup. The photographs found throughout the book are also very practical, showing you the techniques and equipment as they are described within the text.
While I do enjoy a flashy book every now and then, there is nothing like a sweet little practical book that contains exactly what I need to know to get the job done
Life in the Finber Lakes: Summer Reads; Summer 2013, Maple on Tap: Making Your Own Maple Sugar
The Finger Lakes region is a prime location for “sugaring off,” an expression describing the process of making maple sugar. Writer Rich Finzer, a Blue Ribbon-winning syrup producer who resides on an 80-acre farm near Hannibal, has penned an easy-to-use book on the subject based on his over 20 years’ of experience making his own maple syrup. Everyone from the novice to the seasoned sugar maple farmer will enjoy this how-to book on sugaring.
It presents helpful information beginning with an emphasis on planning. The fact that it takes 40 gallons of raw maple sap to equal one gallon of maple syrup is proof that the process is time-consuming. Finzer candidly shares his mistakes and what he’s learned from them, and invites readers to do the same. One chapter is aptly titled, “Rookie Year Mistakes & How to Avoid Them.”
The compact volume is attractively presented with color photos and numerous illustrations of tools and techniques. Finzer’s approach is engaging and not overly technical. He includes a helpful glossary, resources and a listing of many March and April maple festivals. The book recently won the Gold Medal award in the Crafts/ How-To category at the Benjamin Franklin Award competition sponsored by the Independent Book Publisher’s Association.
My book is a collection of dialogues with award-winning chefs from various backgrounds and cultures, sharing their personal experiences of where and why food culture is where it is today.
My book is a collection of dialogues with award-winning chefs from various backgrounds and cultures, sharing their personal experiences of where and why food culture is where it is today.
