From Our Blog
Maple Recipes: Anticipating Fall
Maple recipes are anticipating fall by inclusion of seasonal staples like pumpkin, pork, root vegetables, nuts, and,...
DIY Maple Syrup: All About Sugar Wood
It's a perfect fall day in New England. Time for us to put in fuel for next spring's DIY maple syrup making...
Current Events: What Happened in Maple this Summer?
It's been a while since we updated you on current goings on in the world of maple. We've got a whole season to catch...
Preserving with Maple
If your garden is anything like ours, you are currently experiencing an overabundance of (a) cucumbers, (b) tomatoes,...
Learning with Maple
Making maple syrup together is a great way to engage kids---both big and little---with art, science, history, and...
Six Notorious Pests of Maple
What could be a better warm-weather, maple-related blogpost than the bug-villains of the sugarbush? We’re talking...
Doing (Just About) Everything on the Sapling Everything Grill
Cheers! You can do (just about) everything on the Sapling Everything Grill! We're always discovering new things that...
How to Collect Maple Syrup Antiques
Anyone who is keen on learning about or collecting maple syrup antiques should check out Virginia Vidler's...
2022 Maple Syrup Production by State
Maple nerd alert! The USDA has released the 2022 maple syrup crop statistics and boy are they sweet. (Sorry.) What...
Identifying Maple Trees in Spring and Summer
We've previously named fall as an ideal time to identify maples. That's because distinctive fall foliage helps to...
Beyond Maple: How to Make Dandelion Syrup
Last weekend, compelled by a curious smell coming from the kitchen, I arrived there to find my teenage daughter...
Maple and Backyard News
Spring has sprung for maple producers and backyard enthusiasts alike. Here's the latest on all things maple and...
DIY Maple Syrup: Making Maple Cream, Candy and Sugar
Making maple syrup was the hard part. Here’s how to turn your homemade maple syrup into maple cream, maple...
Maple Recipes
And here we are, just winding down our DIY maple syrup making year. We're hearing from many corners of sugar country...
Cleaning and Storing DIY Maple Syrup Equipment
The season is over, and it’s time to pull your taps, and clean and store your DIY maple syrup equipment. Here are some...
Maple and Backyard News
In some backyards, maple syrup making season is just getting underway, while in others, it's wrapping up and time to...
Anyone Can Make Sugar On Snow
You don't have to be a professional maple syrup maker to enjoy sugar on snow. You don't even have to be an amateur!...
Maple Recipes
Maple recipes for high sugaring season feature quick fuel for DIY maple syrup making! Here's how to make your maple...
DIY Maple Syrup: Making, Filtering and Storing Syrup
You’ve tapped your maple trees. You have been collecting and storing sap. The weekend approaches. It’s time to boil...
Maple and Backyard News
We're shoveling snow, sleeping, eating and shoveling more snow up here in Vermont. Here's what's on for maple and...
Collecting and Storing Sap for DIY Maple Syrup
The sap is running and your buckets are filling up! Time for maple sap collection and storing your sap in preparation...
Maple Recipes
It's that time of year again! DIY maple syrup making season has begun in many places. But it's not as if we stop...
The BYOB Seedling Evaporator Kit & The Sapling Evaporator: A Comparison
If a picture is indeed worth 1,000 words, this should be a short blogpost, because this infographic pretty much says...
Maple and Backyard News
It's go time! Early maple syrup season has begun in the south and mid-Atlantic. Here's what else is going on in the...
DIY Maple Syrup: How to Tap
You’ve decided to make maple syrup this year and you’ve determined that it’s time to tap your trees. Great! Here’s...
Maple Recipes
Seamus's Maple Chamomile Latte: Brew chamomile tea and add a healthy measure of maple syrup and half-and-half. Enjoy...
Maple and Backyard News
A month's worth of maple and backyard news, all packaged up for you! Maple News It's that time of the year! Our...
The Health Benefits of Being in the Woods
Why we hobby maple syrup makers are so happy and fit! Ok, that may be overstating it a bit. Hobby maple syrup makers,...
Resolution: Maple
It's almost 2022 and you're looking for a healthy, natural, outdoor hobby to get you through to spring. Aren't we...
Maple Recipes
A maple-flavored holiday starts with the good stuff: 100% pure maple syrup! Are you ready for a maple-flavored...
DIY Maple Gifting
Many of us DIY types make maple syrup in the spring to give away throughout the year. We've recently discovered the...
Maple and Backyard News
We're foraging evergreens for seasonal decoration and working hard to fulfill holiday orders. What's your maple and...
Maple Recipes
Maple Candied Pecans: Toast pecans in a cast iron pan over medium heat, stirring often, until frangrant and browning....
Our Indigenous Peoples First Cultivated More than Just Maple
Sugar country, under snow, getting ready to give thanks for the abundance of food first developed in the Americas. Our...
Maple and Backyard News
Wet maple leaves carpet the floor of the sugarwoods. Rainboot weather is afoot! What's your maple and backyard news?...
Beyond Maple: Tasting Syrups Made from Trees, Flowers and Fruits
Syrups Beyond Maple from Silver Lake Syrups. Dandelion, Rhubarb, Caramelized Spruce Tip and Elderflower. Here in...
Maple Recipes
Maple Sweetened Apple Butter: Cut 20 apples into eighths and place in stock pot with 1 C apple cider; cook down until...
Apple: The Other American Syrup
A bowl of Cortlands waiting to be pied. Our secret ingredient? Apple cider syrup - another American tradition! There's...
Maple and Backyard News
An outbuilding. A retired boat or two. And maple trees just starting to turn in the distance. That's what's happening...
Maple Recipes
The first day of fall means it's time to make and can Maple Tomato Jam. Combine in stock pot 5 lb. finely chopped...
DIY Maple Syrup: Time to Identify Your Trees!
Fall is just about here again. Time to escape into the woods. The leaves have started to turn, the air is crisp, the...
Maple and Backyard News
The colors are slow to turn this year, but, soon, we'll have a rainbow on the grass and in the trees! Maple News Fall...
Maple Recipes
Dill n' Maple Fridge Pickles: Wash and slice cukes. Put the cucumbers, a dill flower, a peeled garlic clove and 2...
Murder in the Maple Woods
Murder in the Maple Woods is a debut novel by Claire Ackroyd, a landscape designer and independent organic inspector...
Maple and Backyard News
A backyard is the greatest escape! Maple News August is traditionally a slow-news month for maple, and 2021 does not...
Maple, Archeology, and the Other Vermont Evaporator Company
This antique evaporator door was made by a Vermont Evaporator Company that operated a century ago. A customer...
Maple Recipes
The Spicy Maple Shrub: Simmer 1 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 cup of seasonal fruit, 1/3 cup of maple syrup, one cinnamon...
Maple and Backyard News
Maple News It's the waning days of COVID (she types, hopefully) and the supply chain is a fright. Will there be a...
Homemade Maple Syrup Peaches
Peaches canned in homemade maple syrup: a north-south, east-west delicacy. Our peach tree nearly toppled over with the...
Maple Recipes
House Maple BBQ Sauce: Mix two parts maple syrup, two parts ketchup and one part apple cider vinegar. Add...
What is “Bird-Friendly” Maple?
Audubon Vermont, the State of Vermont, and Vermont Maple Sugar Makers have teamed up to make Vermont’s working forests...
Maple and Backyard News
Maple News The numbers are in from the Northeast Region Maple Syrup Report, and national maple production in the...
Isn’t all Maple Syrup Organic?
Pesticides and herbicides are not commonly used in maple syrup production. Does that mean that all maple syrup is...
Maple and Backyard News
Maple News Us: "Internet, are you hungry?" Internet: "I could eat!" Maple continues to feel the online recipe love...
Maple: The New Urban Tradition
When you think of Philadelphia, you don't think of maple syrup. Right? Cheese steaks and scrapple, sure! (Also, Rocky...
Maple and Backyard News
Backyard sugar house in spring. Maple News It's May. So as far as maple news goes, it's mostly about slathering that...
DIY Maple Syrup: Caring For Your Sugar Woods
The spring is a perfect time to start actively caring for your sugar woods. Here’s how! Every ecosystem requires...
Maple and Backyard News
Spring rain brings red maple buds to the forest floor. Maple News The seasonal wrap ups are wrapping up for the year....
Maple News
Wild leeks, also called ramps, just coming up at the base of a maple tree. When the ramps come, the sugaring season...
Maple and Backyard News
Maple News Maple news is pouring in from all over maple country. Rhode Island (state tree: Sugar Maple) has seen its...
Maple and Backyard News
Maple News And, we're cookin'! Maple syrup production is officially in full swing across the United States and Canada!...
Maple and Backyard News
Maple News At long last! Sugaring season opens across the country, and it's a snowy one! The steam is rising from...
DIY Maple Syrup: Why a Continuous-Flow Pan is Better Than a Flat Pan
At Vermont Evaporator Company, all our DIY maple syrup equipment features “baffled” or “continuous flow” pans because...
Maple and Backyard News
Maple News It's getting to be that time of year! Time to learn how to make maple syrup (at least virtually), visit...
Maple and Backyard News
Maple News It's time to decide. Is maple sugaring the next new skill you'll master during the pandemic? Maybe these...
Maple and Backyard News
Maple News It's getting to be that time of year! And maple-flavored news does not disappoint. Another university...
DIY Maple Syrup: When to Tap
How not to miss your maple-syrup-making window! You’re going to make maple syrup this year, and don’t want to miss...
Maple and Backyard News
Maple News And time marches on. Here we are in the wee days of 2020 with maple still making the news: maple syrup...
Maple and Backyard News
Maple News It's holiday season! And, by that, we mean Happy National Maple Syrup Day, of course! As for all those...
What to Give with that Homemade Maple Syrup
Last-Minute Finds that Pair Well with a Bottle of the Good Stuff We can’t tell you how many DIY maple syrup makers we...
Maple and Backyard News
Maple News The holidays are abundant with opportunities to cook and bake with (and eat) maple! Here are our picks from...
Maple and Backyard News
Maple News Here in Vermont, we use maple for everything, including emergency medicine, and, in the immortal words of...
(Stress) Baking with Maple Syrup
Oy! The pressure. Good thing there’s baking. And good thing there’s maple. Here’s how to substitute maple syrup for...
Maple and Backyard News
Maple News This stick season, take a free online beginning maple sugaring class, pick up some maple cocktail syrups...
Maple and Backyard News
Maple News A pile of leaves and a pile of news. New in the industry: "small-batch maple" is now officially a thing,...
Maple and Backyard News
Maple News Time to open up another can of maple news! The maple industry continues to innovate and delight with...
Maple and Backyard News
Maple News A fresh stack of maple news is hot off the griddle! Vermont's Maple 100 event is now underway with sweet...
Maple and Backyard News
Maple News Maple events are back! Usually held in the spring, and cancelled along with all-that-was-normal in early...
Planting Maples for Posterity
Here in sugar country, it is not uncommon to find oneself travelling down a country lane in the dappled shadows cast...
Maple and Backyard News
Maple News Pandemic or no pandemic, the maple industry is doing great. In fact, a new study calls for big maple to...
Maple and Backyard News
Maple News It's as hot and sticky as a batch of maple syrup out there! Tired of binging on Netflix to beat the heat?...
Wood-Fired Beer: Brewing up the Sapling Summer Kolsch
Wood-fired beer. It’s a thing! And we made a quick and easy Sapling Summer Kolsch to prove it! Sapling Summer Kolsch:...
Maple and Backyard News
Maple News It's that time of the summer. It's that time of the pandemic. It's. All. About. Food. We don't even feel...
True Crimes of Maple
Inside the sweet world of syrup, a picture of crime emerges . . . Burglary, vandalism and heists, oh my! The hidden...
Maple and Backyard News
Maple News All roads lead to the pandemic, it seems. Even in maple, the news is just thick with it. Some of the news...
Maple and Backyard News
Maple News Did you know that there are more than 100 maple species around the world, including a prairie-hearty...
Maple: America’s Indigenous Sweet
This Independence Day, recall the uniquely American history of our favorite, independant, homegrown sweet! First...
Maple and Backyard News
Maple News Vermont set maple production records in 2020, maintaining its status as the nation's largest maple...
Maple and Backyard News
Maple News The news over the last few weeks has been 99% bad. Take a break from it by catching up with what happened...
Our COVID Promise
File under “Boring but Important” if you must, but here’s what we’re doing to keep ourselves – and you – safe! As...
Just Add Firepit: An Instant Backyard Staycation
This Memorial Day Weekend will find us in the garden and at the grill, as usual, but, after two months of family...
Baking Wood-Fired Bread on the Sapling Everything Grill
How to make delicious, fresh, wood-fire bread on the Sapling Everything Grill! Perfection: King Arthur Flour’s...
Six Recipes for a Maple Cocktail Hour
Apparently, cocktails have been around forever, and, while the popularity of cocktails has waxed and...
How to Grill and Smoke on the Sapling Everything Grill
DIY maple syrup season is over, but grilling season is here! Here’s how to grill and smoke on the Sapling Everything...
Maple School: Why Does Sap Run? Science!
Maple sap runs in the late winter or early spring time, when the nights are freezing and the days are warm. But what...
Maple School: Maple Syrup Story Hour
Children’s literature on maple syrup making is prolific, varied, and fun. Here are some great titles for a maple syrup...
Maple School: The Early History of Maple Syrup
Maple syrup was first developed here in North America. When and by whom? Read on! Corn, beans, cotton, tobacco and...
Maple School: The Math of Tapping a Maple Tree
Welcome to Maple School, our series on things kids can learn through maple syrup. First up is The Math of Tapping a...
DIY Maple Syrup: A Sugar Maker’s Glossary
You’ve started making your own maple syrup, but are still a bit stymied by some of the maple lingo out there. We offer...
Ten Reasons to Make Your Own Maple Syrup
Here are ten reasons why sugaring is one of our favorite hobbies! 1. Making maple syrup really makes our March....
DIY Maple Syrup: Making Maple on the Sapling
Making maple syrup on the Sapling Evaporator is easy! Here’s how. Technical posts, technical posts, and more technical...
Why the Sapling Beats Homemade Barrel Evaporators
The Sapling Evaporator is engineered for maximum DIY maple-syrup efficiency! A while back, a prospective customer...
Your Questions about the Sapling Evaporator – Answered!
< Like shiny things? The Sapling Evaporator, in stock now, is a classic, flat black with stainless evaporator pan...
The Health Benefits of Maple Syrup
Ever hear that Maple Syrup is good for you? Wonder if it’s true? We did too! So we did the research and here is what...
Resolve to Make Your Own Maple Syrup This Year (It’s Easy!)
If you've identified your maple trees, everything else you need to know in order to make maple syrup in your backyard...
Something to Read: Giving a Book about Maple
Books make great gifts for maple lovers of all ages! At gift-giving time, my coworker and sister-in-law Nikki has a...
Sweet Company
How Vermont Evaporator is kind, responsible and thankful in business. Hi. We’re Nikki and Kate. We manufacture and...
Smoke your Thanksgiving
Last year, we smoked our Thanksgiving turkey and apple pie on our Sapling Smoker. Delish! Whether you are hosting or...
Giving Thanks for Maple
Join us in observing Native American Heritage Month this year by giving thanks for maple! Nikki Whelley, Vermont...
Handmade in Vermont – Sourced in Maple Country
The Sapling is handmade in Vermont from things sourced in maple-producing states! Fall isn’t just the season...
Back to School: A Review of Children’s Literature on Maple
From picture books about sugaring in the olden days to modern how-to manuals for kids, children’s literature on maple...
Caring for Your Sugar Woods Part 3: Removing Invasive Species
When setting out to remove invasive species, bring loppers, a hand saw, burlap, twine, a handcart, and a good-natured...
Caring For Your Sugar Woods Part 2: Cultivating an Ideal Suite of Tree Species
A very young red maple seedling rescued from the garden and waiting to be planted in our sugar woods. Cultivating red...
Caring for your Sugar Woods Part 1: Mapping Invasives
The peskiest weeds in your sugar woods will be Buckthorn, Honeysuckle, and Barberry, all three found and pictured here...
Caring for your Sugar Woods in a Changing Climate: An Introduction
It seems that a lot has been written about the connection between climate change and maple syrup making recently....
The Maple King: How Maple Got Big
Oil had Rockefeller, steel had Carnegie, and F. Scott FitzGerald brought us the Great Gatsby. But Maple had a King!...
A Good Read for the Maple History Buff
Maple Sugarin’ In Vermont: A Sweet History by Betty Ann Lockhart is a perfect fair-weather read for the Vermont...
Why the Sapling Beats Homemade Barrel Evaporators
The Sapling Evaporator is engineered for maximum DIY maple-syrup efficiency! A while back, a prospective customer...
Happy Christmas to All!
‘Twas the Friday before Christmas and all through the shop, machinery was whirring, with a chug, clang, and pop!...
How to Holiday Shop for your Backyard Sugar Maker
Back by popular demand! For the month of December, all orders come “gift wrapped” with a big red bow! The hubbub of...
Sugar From Trees: An American Heritage
The first chapter in the history of maple syrup is a uniquely Native North American one. First there were historic...
Cooking Without Thinking: The Maple Edition
Lunching with perfection here on cobb salad with maple mustard vinaigrette. To emulate, add to your favorite hearty...
Who on Earth ARE we Backyard Sugar Makers?
City folk want to know: who ARE these people who make their own maple syrup in their backyards? Well, for one thing,...
DIY Maple Syrup: Fall is the Best Time to Identify Maples!
The leaves are turning colors here in the north country! It’s officially fall! Time to get out there and tag the...
DIY Maple Syrup: All About Sugar Wood
Not to be confused with “sugar woods,” a.k.a. the “sugar bush,” or “sugar stand,” “sugar wood” refers to the fuel you...
Maple Sugaring 101: A Beach Read for Sugaring Folk
“The Maple Sugar Book” by Helen and Scott Nearing is an extensively researched, interesting, and surprisingly funny...
Beyond Maple Sugaring: A Year in Homemade Syrups
The flower of the elderberry, which blooms in midsummer, can be used to make syrup too. While there are cultivars,...
Who ARE We Backyard Sugar Makers?
There’s something we’ve been wondering lately from both personal and professional perspectives: Who ARE we backyard...
Dear Dads: Thanks for Helping us Build a Great Product!
Like great dads everywhere, ours are there when we need them, even if it means many hours of hard work designing and...
A Beach Read for Sugaring Folk
“The Maple Sugar Book” by Helen and Scott Nearing is an extensively researched, interesting, and surprisingly funny...
The Easiest Way to Start your Backyard Sugaring Hobby!
There’s no easier way to start your backyard sugaring hobby than with the Sapling Evaporator from the Vermont...
How to Operate the Seedling Urban Evaporator
OK, you know now why a continuous-flow pan beats ye olde brew pot for making maple syrup in your backyard. But how...
How to Operate the Sapling Evaporator
Fortunately, operating the Sapling Evaporator, shown here in “experimental blue” is easy! Unfortunately, the...
Why a Continuous-Flow Pan is Better than a Flat Pan
Seedling Urban Evaporator is a Continuous-Flow Pan and thus More Efficient than a Lobster Pot People responded so well...
Climate Change and Maple Sugaring
OK. Enough bucolic wandering through the forest to identify the best trees for sugaring. Enough feel-good homemade...
One America Homemade Maple Syrup Peaches
I know, I know. In my last post, I promised to discuss the effects of climate change on maple sugaring. And I’m sure...
Do You Have Your Milk Money?
The third Milk Money campaign giving Vermonters the opportunity to discover and invest in local businesses, is live!...
One, Two, Three… That’s a Tappable Tree!
Now that the leaves are in for the summer, it’s a good time to think about which trees you’d like to tap for next...