Backyard Sugarin': A Complete How-To Guide

by Rink Mann, Michael Farrell (Foreword by)

Overview

From buying equipment to tapping your own trees to boiling the sap, this is the classic, best-selling guide to making maple syrup

This little book swept maple sugarin’ buffs off their feet when it first appeared and is still the top-selling guide to the craft after over 40 years in print. Backyard Sugarin’ tells you how you can make maple syrup right in your own backyard without having to build a sap house or buy buckets, holding tanks, evaporators, and other expensive paraphernalia.

This new edition also features a foreword by maple expert Michael Farrell, author of The Sugarmaker’s Companion, who provides a contemporary look back at the old-school techniques presented in this book. With detailed “how-to” information and tips from sugarers across the country, this is the only maple sugaring guide you’ll ever need.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781581573404
Publisher:	Countryman Press, The
Publication date:	01/04/2016
Series:	Countryman Know How
Edition description:	4th Edition
Pages:	112
Sales rank:	1,089,019
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Rink Mann lived in New Hampshire and made his own maple syrup for many years. He died in 2003.

Michael Farrell serves as the director of Cornell University’s Uihlein Forest, a maple syrup research and extension field station in Lake Placid, NY. He is the author of The Sugarmaker's Companion.

Table of Contents

Foreword Michael Farrell vii

Introduction 1

Planning Ahead 5

Trees, Taps, and Saps 11

Selecting Your Trees 11

When, How, and Where to Tap 14

Buckets and Pails 18

Dealing with Frozen Sap 21

Sap Storage 22

Homemade Evaporators 25

Engineering Principles of Backyard Evaporators 26

Evaporator Pans 29

Building a Homemade Evaporator 31

Cement Block Evaporators 32

Basic Block Sugarin' Rig 32

Basic Block with Stack and Damper Controls 34

High Capacity Block Evaporator with Multiple Pans 36

Semi-Pro Cement Block Rig 39

Steel Drum and Tank Evaporators 40

25-Gallon Drum Evaporator in Stone Wall 42

50-Gallon Drum Evaporator, Wood Fired 45

50-Gallon Drum Evaporator, Oil Fired 48

Converted Oil Storage Tank, Oil Fired 50

Double Pan, Converted Water Pressure Tank Evaporator 54

Backyard Barbecue Conversion 58

Congressman's Box Stove Conversion 60

The Boiling Down Process 63

Step By Step on the Author's Rig 66

Canning and Storage 74

Making Maple Sugar (For Those Who Dare) 76

Anonymous Revelations from Backyarders 79

Musings of a Backyard Sugarer 87

Index 91