Sweet Talk: All Things Maple

This is our third installment of "Ask a Maple Specialist." Aaron and Adam answer some of your most frequently asked maple questions.

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.

Episode Produced by Ailis Clyne.

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

This month, Adam interviews Scott St. Mary from St. Maple in Malone, NY. Scott has a unique and successful approach to maple marketing and retail, especially through novel products and a popular maple food trailer.

Episode Produced by Ailis Clyne.

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

This month, Aaron interviews Peter Gregg, founder of the Maple News and author of the anticipated maple memoir Sugar Rush. They discuss the origins of the newspaper, and of Gregg's sugaring career, and give a sneak peak into the memoir that will hit the shelves on July 2.

Subscribe to the Maple News at: https://www.themaplenews.com/.

And learn more about Sugar Rush at: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Sugar-Rush/Peter-Gregg/9781639366811

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 two researchers from the University of Michigan, Geoff Lewis and Spencer Checkoway, who received a USDA-AMS ACER grant to conduct a carbon lifecycle assessment of maple syrup production.

To help contribute to this research, contact Geoff Lewis at: [email protected], and to view the results of this research, go to the Center for Sustainable Systems website: css.umich.edu.

This research will result in a calculator tool hosted on the CSS website for maple producers to better understand the sustainability and efficiency of their operations.

Additionally, there are a couple of reports available now related to this research. Find them under "Publications" here: https://css.umich.edu/people/student-researchers/spencer-checkoway.

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 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.

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/

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.

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.

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: [email protected]

Episode Produced by Ailis Clyne.

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