Publication date:
01 April 2020Length of book:
240 pagesPublisher
Down East BooksISBN-13: 9781608936847
In 1964 three cousins tapped three thousand sugar maples deep in the Maine woods. They called themselves Jackson Mountain Maple Farm. Boiling Off is the story of making Maine maple syrup commercially in Temple, Maine, for fifty-some years, and how a thirty-year technology revolution beginning in the 1980s changed the face of Maine sugaring forever.
Woven into the story of Jackson Mountain Maple Farm is the history of Maine sugaring beginning in Farmington in 1781, when Stephen Titcomb boiled off the first official pure Maine maple syrup in a cast iron kettle. Boiling Off tracks the evolution of sugaring technology from Titcomb’s kettle to reverse osmosis and heat exchangers; follows sap gathering techniques from buckets and oxen-drawn drays to plastic tubing and vacuum pumps; and records production in Maine from 8,000 gallons of maple syrup in 1985 to 709,000 gallons in 2017. The story describes the subtleties of syrup flavor, how it is properly graded, and the art of making award-winning maple syrup. It also reveals who produces Maine maple syrup, where it is harvested, and how L. L. Bean first came to stock it on their shelves.
Woven into the story of Jackson Mountain Maple Farm is the history of Maine sugaring beginning in Farmington in 1781, when Stephen Titcomb boiled off the first official pure Maine maple syrup in a cast iron kettle. Boiling Off tracks the evolution of sugaring technology from Titcomb’s kettle to reverse osmosis and heat exchangers; follows sap gathering techniques from buckets and oxen-drawn drays to plastic tubing and vacuum pumps; and records production in Maine from 8,000 gallons of maple syrup in 1985 to 709,000 gallons in 2017. The story describes the subtleties of syrup flavor, how it is properly graded, and the art of making award-winning maple syrup. It also reveals who produces Maine maple syrup, where it is harvested, and how L. L. Bean first came to stock it on their shelves.
The consummate book about the history, people, and technology involved in producing maple syrup in Maine. . . . a captivating story of the development and advancement of an iconic Maine agricultural industry.
--Kathryn Hopkins, International Maple Syrup Institute Board of Directors and recipient of IMSI Golden Maple Leaf Award for excellence.
A great read for anyone wanting to learn more about maple sugaring in Maine.
--Lyle Merrifield, president Maine Maple Producers Association.
--Kathryn Hopkins, International Maple Syrup Institute Board of Directors and recipient of IMSI Golden Maple Leaf Award for excellence.
A great read for anyone wanting to learn more about maple sugaring in Maine.
--Lyle Merrifield, president Maine Maple Producers Association.