Maple Syrup: An Introduction to the Science of a Forest Treasure - Softcover

Michael A Rechlin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 193577834X ISBN 13: 9781935778349

Publisher: Mcdonald & Woodward Publishing, 2016

Synopsis

This book takes the reader through the hows and whys of making maple syrup. On this journey readers not only learn how to make maple syrup, but also the biology, chemistry, and physical science behind the process. They will learn to, metaphorically, think like a tree as they get into the physiological processes of sap flow and the tree s adaptations for winter. Working into syrup production, the book gets into the chemistry that gives maple syrup its special and distinctive color and taste. All of this is enhanced with the historic context of this sustainable product from our forests. Half way through the book you ll be reaching for a drill and looking for a maple tree to tap. By the end you ll be a scientist looking for the next maple mystery to solve or question to answer. Maple Syrup: An Introduction to the Science of a Forest Treasure is written in a style that will keep you turning to the next page. Author Mike Rechlin has been keeping students awake in class for the last forty years. His slightly quirky writing style is a product of those years in front of a class. I think you ll enjoy it.

About this title

About the Author

Michael A Rechlin is a life-long educator who believes in a hands-on project centered approach to education. In publishing Maple Syrup: The Science and the Art of Sugaring he hopes to encourage others to explore the wonders of sap flow and sugar making. And to do it with an understanding, often from the tree s perspective, of why it all happen. Mike had been Forestry Division head at Paul Smith's College, which has a 1,200 tap student run sugarbush, for over 10 years. He moved from there to hanging his buckets in the forests of Principia College in southern Illinois, where he taught a class in Sugarbush Management. These days he resides in West Virginia, where he helped to establish the Dry Fork Maple Works, a 20,000 tap state of the art commercial sugaring operation, and works with the West Virginia Maple Syrup Producers Association to promote the growth of the sugaring industry within the state. He was lead author in a December 2005 issue of ""Maple Syrup Digest"" titled: Making Maple Syrup in a Land of Funnel Cakes and Pulled Pork, where he recounts the trials of syrup making on the southern edge of the Sugar Maple range. And, had a piece on the expanding interest in sugaring in West Virginia in the December 2014 issue of Maple News. Born in Buffalo NY, I attended Paul Smith s College (AAS in Forestry) , the University of Michigan (B.S. Forest Management, and M.S. resource ecology) and SUNY/ESF (Ph.D. Natural Resource Policy). In addition to making maple syrup I h

From the Inside Flap

Written for a broad audience, Maple Syrup is an accessible, enlightening, and enjoyable exploration of the what, where, why, and how of a treasured natural resource. A book for the curious, readers learn how and why trees, particularly sugar maples, produce and deliver the sweet sap from which maple syrup is made. Traveling with the reader through a maple season, the author describes traditional and modern operations, and the chemistry and physics involved in converting sap to syrup. From Puttin up Wood to Managing Forests for Sap, author Mike Rechlin blends science with an obvious enjoyment of the pure fun of working in the woods and boiling sap. Whether you re an experienced syrup maker, a backyard hobbyist, a teacher, an inquisitive naturalist, or simply somebody who likes maple syrup, you ll learn something new and intriguing from reading this book.

Edition details

• Publisher: Mcdonald & Woodward Publishing
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 193577834X
• ISBN 13: 9781935778349
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 188