Sweet Talk: All Things Maple

This month, Aaron and Adam get together with their colleague at the Cornell Maple Program, food scientist Dr. Catherine Belisle.

Catherine went through the process of getting the Arnot Forest kitchen certified by New York State under Article 20-C. This certification can provide maple producers the opportunity to create a variety of food products for sale, granting access to a wider market. And the certification process is simpler than one might think.

Though this episode focusses on experiences with the New York State certification system, the information should translate well to similar regulations in your state.

As always, we're here to help. Contact Catherine, and others at the Cornell Maple Program at www.cornellmaple.com, and send us a message through the "Contact Us" page.

This episode was made possible with funding from the NYSMPA and USDA AMS.

Episode Produced by Ailis Clyne.

Music - Long and Low Cloud by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

This month, Aaron pays a visit to Dan Weed's sugarhouse, located just over the hill from the Arnot Forest. Dan wears many hats, as owner and operator of Schoolyard Sugarbush in Newfield, NY, along with his wife Holly, as a CDL equipment dealer, and as President of the New York Maple Producers' Association.

Learn more about Schoolyard Sugarbush: https://www.schoolyardsugarbush.org/

Learn more about the NYSMPA: https://nysmaple.com/

This episode was made possible with funding from the NYSMPA and USDA AMS.

Episode Produced by Ailis Clyne.

Music - Long and Low Cloud, Funk and Flash, both by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

This month, Aaron and Adam review some highlights from this year's re-launch of New York's annual Maple Conference. Special thanks to the New York State Maple Producers' Association, Commissioner Ball and the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets, the Trumansburg High School Sugaring Program, and to all who attended the conference. We hope to return with an even bigger and better conference in 2025.

This episode was made possible with funding from the NYSMPA and USDA AMS.

Episode Produced by Ailis Clyne.

Music - Long and Low Cloud, Funk and Flash, both by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

This month, Aaron and Adam give a preview into the 2024 NY Mid-Winter Maple Classic - the largest maple conference of the year. The conference will be held on January 5 and 6 at the Oncenter in Syracuse, NY. Register and learn more at: https://nysmaple.com/mapleclassic/

Episode Produced by Ailis Clyne.

Music - Long and Low Cloud by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

This month, Adam interviews Philippe Breton, Corporate Relations manager for Lapierre, a large maple equipment manufacturing company based in Quebec. Breton is also chair of the newly formed Maple Industry Manufacturers' Association. They discuss past, present, and future challenges facing manufacturers, producers large and small, and the industry as a whole.

Episode Produced by Ailis Clyne.

Music - Long and Low Cloud, Funk and Flash, both by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

Aaron interviews Dr. Joey Aloi, director of the Appalachian Program and Assistant Professor at Future Generations University in West Virginia. They talk about a recent economic development project that created a regional maple syrup brand for Appalachian sugarmakers, and educates the public about all things maple. They also discuss the outsized impact maple syrup has on the regional economy and agritourism.

To learn more, contact Joey at: joey.aloi@future.edu

Episode Produced by Ailis Clyne.

Music - Long and Low Cloud, Funk and Flash, both by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

Aaron interviews Helen Thomas, executive director of the New York State Maple Producers' Association (NYSMPA), about marketing research conducted in partnership with the New York State Department of Ag & Markets and funded by the Acer Access and Development Program.

To learn more about the research, visit: https://sugarmakers.nysmaple.com/acer-market-research-results/

Episode Produced by Ailis Clyne.

Music - Long and Low Cloud, Funk and Flash, both by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

This month, Adam once again interviews Dr. Timothy Perkins before he retires from his position as Director of the Proctor Maple Research Center at UVM. Together they remember Dr. Perkins' fruitful career: the ups and downs, the mistakes learned from, and the discoveries and innovations that made it all worth it. We thank Dr. Perkins for his contributions to the maple industry and wish him well in his retirement.

Episode Produced by Ailis Clyne.

Music - Long and Low Cloud, Funk and Flash, both by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

This is our second installment of "Ask a Maple Specialist." Aaron and Adam answer some of your most frequently asked maple questions, and even call up some friends of the show to help provide answers.

To have your question featured on the show, visit the Sweet Talk webpage at www.cornellmaple.com (https://blogs.cornell.edu/cornellmaple/sweettalk/). Or, submit your question directly on the Spotify app by scrolling down on this episode.

Episode Produced by Ailis Clyne.

Music - Long and Low Cloud, Funk and Flash, both by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

This month, Adam catches up with a regular guest of the show, Dr. Abby van den Berg who is a Research Associate Professor at UVM and the Director of the Proctor Maple Research Center. They discuss and dispel some of the myths surrounding sugarmaking with Red Maple trees, including: tapping technique, productivity, flavor difference, and timing of onset of buddy flavor. Spoiler alert - go ahead and tap your Red Maples!

Episode Produced by Ailis Clyne.

Music - Long and Low Cloud, Funk and Flash, both by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

This month, Adam interviews Dr. Tim Perkins, director of UVM's Proctor Maple Research Center. Topics range from best tapping practices and techniques, to the truth about tapping myths, and updates on the development of a new kind of spout. Just in time for tapping season.

You can find plenty of recent maple research findings and the newly published 3rd edition of the North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual at mapleresearch.org.

Episode Produced by Ailis Clyne.

Music - Long and Low Cloud, Funk and Flash, both by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

Aaron interviews Derek Simmonds, a Business Development Specialist at the NYS Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture, Cornell AgriTech. They talk about the resources available for product development at the Center of Excellence in Geneva, NY, and about the steps a business owner should take when developing a new food product. Check out what the Center of Excellence has to offer at https://cals.cornell.edu/cornell-agritech/partners-centers-institutes/center-excellence-food-agriculture.

Have a question for a maple specialist? To submit your question, visit the Cornell Maple Program website at https://blogs.cornell.edu/cornellmaple/sweettalk/, or if using the Spotify mobile app, simply scroll down now to submit directly.

Episode produced by Ailis Clyne.

Music - Long and Low Cloud, Funk and Flash, both by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

Aaron interviews Mark Cannella who is an associate professor at the University of Vermont where he serves as the Farm Business Management Specialist. The interview covers many of the challenges facing maple producers regarding economics and business management, but it also provides a ton of information on the resources available to producers coming out of the University of Vermont Extension Program. Mark Cannella has developed much of this available material which can be found at www.maplemanager.org

Episode produced by Ailis Clyne.

Music - Long and Low Cloud, Funk and Flash, both by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

In this episode, Adam interviews Mike Rechlin who is the Maple Commodities Specialist at Future Generations University in West Virginia. Instead of the usual maple sweet talk, today they discuss walnut syrup, an equally sweet but newer alternative tree syrup whose production poses some unique challenges. Adam also discloses some of his most recent research findings while experimenting with making beech syrup at the Uihlein Forest. The world of alternative tree syrups is vast, with many more still to explore in future episodes.

Episode produced by Ailis Clyne.

Music - Long and Low Cloud, Funk and Flash, both by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

In this episode, Adam interviews representatives from two major bulk maple syrup buying and packing operations: Butternut Mountain Farm in Vermont, and Bascom Maple Farms in New Hampshire. Both businesses have their own sugaring operations, on top of purchasing syrup from other producers and distributing it to customers like major grocery store chains and large food manufacturing businesses. Adam learns about common issues bulk buyers come across in the maple industry, which processing grade syrups can be used in which manufacturing settings, and about the challenges of the bulk packing side of the maple business. Learn more about the hugely important role that packers play in the maple industry.

Episode produced by Ailis Clyne.

Music - Long and Low Cloud, Funk and Flash, both by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

In this episode, Aaron interviews two guests: Catherine Belisle, PhD, the new food scientist at the Cornell Maple Program, and Christian Mercado Acevedo, MFS, a Cornell Food Science graduate and food and beverage consultant. Together, they developed a new maple product this year called Mappleau, an after-dinner drink who's name and production methods were inspired by Pommeau. 

You can reach Christian at www.caldamentum.com

To access the free Mappleau production fact sheets, visit the New Product Development webpage at www.cornellmaple.com (https://blogs.cornell.edu/cornellmaple/product-development-and-research/)

Episode produced by Ailis Clyne

Music - Long and Low Cloud, Funk and Flash, both by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

In this episode, Aaron and Adam answer some of the most frequently asked questions they receive from both maple producers and maple consumers. This is the first Q&A style episode of the series, and we intend to produce more. To have your question featured on the show, visit the Sweet Talk webpage at CornellMaple.com (https://blogs.cornell.edu/cornellmaple/sweettalk/).

Episode produced by Ailis Clyne

Music - Long and Low Cloud by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

This month, Aaron Wightman interviews two guests with perspectives on urban sugaring opportunities. First is Kristina Ferrare, the Forestry Program Specialist at Cornell Cooperative Extension - Onondaga County, based in Syracuse, NY. After learning about the educator's perspective on urban sugaring, Aaron seeks out a practitioner in a suburban neighborhood in Ithaca, NY. Greg Albrecht is the founder of Roat Street Sugarworks, a unique community sugaring operation with participation across his neighborhood.

Episode produced by Ailis Clyne

Music - Long and Low Cloud, Funk and Flash, both by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

This month, Adam Wild interviews Mark Isselhardt, Maple Specialist at the University of Vermont Extension. Mark has a lot of experience tasting and assessing maple syrup from his time educating maple producers at grading schools, judging syrups at maple contests, and researching impacts to syrup quality at the Proctor Maple Research Center. We hope his insight will help all you sugarmakers improve upon your syrup quality this maple season.

https://www.uvm.edu/extension/agriculture/maple

Read more about the research on "metabolism" off-flavor: https://mapleresearch.org/search/?_sf_s=metabolism

Episode produced by Ailis Clyne

Music - Long and Low Cloud, Funk and Flash, both by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

This month, Aaron Wightman interviews two burgeoning young sugarmakers of the maple industry's next generation - Damian Hill of Shaver-Hill Maple Farm in Harpersfield, NY, and Andrea Caluori of Little Mouse Farm & Studio in Ashfield, MA. Damian grew up in a maple producing family and is the third generation of Hills to continue growing the business. Andrea is a first-generation farmer and an artist who grew up in the Bronx and found her way to the welcoming world of the maple industry. While Shaver-Hill Farm specializes in maple - both in food products and as an equipment dealer - Little Mouse Farm is a small, but highly diversified new business.

Andrea is a graduate of the Cornell Maple Program's Maple Camp - a four-day, immersive program designed to provide hands-on learning and expert advice to both complete beginners and those looking to improve their operations.

Episode produced by Ailis Clyne

Music - Long and Low Cloud, Funk and Flash, both by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

This month, Adam Wild interviews Abby van den Berg, a tree physiologist and maple researcher at the University of Vermont - Proctor Maple Research Center. An expert on the effects of maple sugaring on the health and growth of maple trees, Abby recently conducted research on how "early" tapping affects our trees in the long run. Is it worth it to tap earlier than your usual tapping date? Or will some extra sap not be enough to outweigh the extra damage done to the trees? What does "early" even mean for different regions in a changing climate? Adam asks these questions and gets some insights that will help the Cornell Maple Program interpret their own early tapping research, and compare their data across different regional climates.

Episode produced by Ailis Clyne

Music - Long and Low Cloud, Funk and Flash, both by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

This month, Aaron Wightman interviews three agroforestry, or "forest farming", specialists who double as educators with Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE). These three guests have been instrumental in the formation of a statewide agroforestry work team that connects CCE educators and researchers with the goal of improving the availability of resources to those interested in adopting some of these practices.

Brett Chedzoy is a Regional Extension forester who works for CCE of Schuyler County, and the forest manager of the Cornell Arnot Teaching and Research Forest. In addition, Brett practices silvopasturing at his family farm in Watkins Glen.

Steve Gabriel works with the Cornell Small Farms Program where he focuses on specialty mushroom production and agroforestry research and extension projects. He also runs Wellspring Forest Farm & School with his family in Trumansburg where they harvest maple and mushrooms and raise ducks and sheep in diverse habitats.

Tracey Testo is a program coordinator at the Cooperative Extension office in Columbia and Greene counties where she focuses on agriculture and natural resource issues. She is experienced with American Ginseng and forest mushroom production.

Episode produced by Ailis Clyne

Music - Long and Low Cloud, Funk and Flash, both by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

This month, co-directors of the Cornell Maple Program, Aaron Wightman and Adam Wild, reflect on the past season of maple tubing and taphole longevity research. They give background information on the recent history of this type of research conducted by the program and then shed light on the newest findings that could help solve the problems facing 3/16" tubing systems.

Episode produced by Ailis Clyne

Music - Long and Low Cloud by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

In this follow-up episode, Adam Wild interviews Dr. Jonathan Tremblay, an associate professor of kinesiology and human kinetics (AKA exercise science) at the University of Montreal. He is the first to research the effects of maple in "clinical trials", which, as Dr. Seeram explained, are research experiments done with human subjects. This type of research is crucial to understanding the benefits and unique properties of maple and proving how these components affect the human body. However, human clinical trials come with many challenges, as Dr. Tremblay explains. 

Dr. Tremblay's research focuses on maple as a fuel source for athletes. He explains how the research is conducted and what it takes to compare how maple is used by the human body during exercise, against commercial sports drinks. Human health research is not an easy undertaking, but but having scientific research to back-up health claims will greatly benefit the maple industry. 

You can find his maple-related research at: MapleScience.org/Jonathan-Tremblay

Episode produced by Ailis Clyne

Music - Long and Low Cloud by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

This episode, Adam Wild interviews Dr. Navindra Seeram, a natural product chemist at the University of Rhode Island whose research focuses on maple and human health benefits. His research has identified unique polyphenols to maple, and resulted in a nutraceutical maple syrup extract (MSX).

Dr. Seeram addresses myths and anecdotes about maple's beneficial health effects that have not been proven by science. He also goes into detail on the benefits that have been backed up by his lab group's research findings, and what it takes to get that evidence. Human health research is not an easy undertaking, but understanding maple's role as a functional food will greatly benefit the maple industry. Additionally, Dr. Seeram discusses other parts of the maple tree that could potentially be utilized for human consumption and other products.

Find his research and so much more at: URI.edu/maple

Episode produced by Ailis Clyne

Music - Long and Low Cloud, Highway 430, both by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

This week, Aaron Wightman interviews two guests with different, yet compatible perspectives on sugarbush management. 

Peter Smallidge is the New York State Extension Forester, and Director of the Arnot Forest, and has been involved with maple research and extension since the late 90's. We asked Peter to discuss his research pertaining to syrup production optimization and forest regeneration. 

Zack Boerman from Audubon NY is a co-developer of the Bird-Friendly Maple Program. We asked Zack to share his expertise on sugarbush management from a wildlife conservation point of view.

Episode produced by Ailis Clyne

Music - Long and Low Cloud, Funk and Flash, both by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

This week, Adam Wild interviews his predecessor at the Uihlein Maple Research Forest, Mike Farrell, now CEO and co-founder of the Forest Farmers and New Leaf Tree Syrups. They talk about everything from ways to get the most out of your production equipment, to the production of syrups from alternative trees: birch, beech, walnut.

Episode produced by Ailis Clyne

Music - Long and Low Cloud by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

In this episode, Aaron Wightman, Co-Director of the Cornell Maple Program at the Arnot Forest, interviews Steve Childs, his predecessor. Steve served as the New York State Maple Extension Specialist since 2004 and has worked for Cornell Cooperative Extension since 1986. During his extensive career, he played a huge role in making the maple industry what it is today by researching and providing education on: sap collection systems, vacuum, sanitation, and value-added products. You can find several of his books and extension materials for free download at cornellmaple.com

Episode produced by Ailis Clyne

Music - Long and Low Cloud by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

Get to know your hosts, co-directors of the Cornell Maple Program Aaron Wightman and Adam Wild. In this episode, they discuss past, present, and future research at the two CMP research sites, Arnot Forest in Van Etten, and Uihlein Forest in Lake Placid. They also make projections about the future of the maple industry, wax poetic about the coming maple season, and give a sweet taste of what's to come on this podcast.

Episode produced by Ailis Clyne

Music - Long and Low Cloud by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)