Sugarin' Maple Syrup 101 with Kathryn Hopkins — WildFed Podcast #017
In this episode:
Kathryn Hopkins | Director of the International Maple Syrup Institute and statewide resource for the Maine maple syrup industry
Podcast discussion:
Introducing Kathy
How Kathy got involved with maple syrup
Where maple syrup is produced
Ideal maple syruping conditions
How the sap flow works
The history of maple syruping
Kathy’s role in implementation of best practices
Main producers of maple syrup in the US & Canada
Maple syrup black market
Creating public awareness
If you’re going to eat sugar, make it maple….
Price of maple syrup + investment in infrastructure
Why organic? Sustainable practices of organic sugarers
How the vacuum system method works
The other maple sap products
Best management practices for the tree and the sugarbush
Best management practices for the sugar producer
The future of maple syruping
Closing thoughts & how to find Kathy’s work
WildFed Podcast is brought to you by:
Meet Kathryn Hopkins
Kathryn Hopkins has worked for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension in a variety of capacities from 1993 to the present. Since 1997, she has been an educator in the UMaine Cooperative Extension — Somerset County Office and has been responsible for Agriculture and Natural Resources programming in her county and statewide. As part of her responsibilities, Kathy serves as a statewide resource for the Maine maple syrup industry and coordinates UMaine Cooperative Extension’s Renewable Resources Extension Act. She coordinates and presents trainings and workshops; authors educational
material and conducts research on maple syrup sap and syrup production issues. She is one of the creators of the IMSI Maple Grading School that has been presented annually since 2004.