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I live in Colorado. There aren’t a lot of maple trees around to make your own maple syrup. In fact, most of the trees that surround me are different varieties of pine, and so many aspens. So, when I was given the wonderful opportunity to review the book Sweet Maple, by Michelle Visser, in exchange for my review, I thought it would be an interesting read on the making of maple syrup, but honestly never thought it would pertain to me.

Little did I know that Colorado, and much of the northwestern states, are home to this amazing maple tree called the Rocky Mountain Maple. I now know that there is an opportunity to make my very own maple syrup at home!

Living in suburbia, my tree selection is currently non-existent, but it’s so great to know that when we buy land that will support enough trees, I will be able to harvest sap, and process my own maple syrup!

An Overview of The Book

Sweet Maple is a cohesive and straightforward guide to tapping your own trees and processing your own maple syrup. The book was detailed enough that as an amateur, I feel I could take a stab at actually attempting to tap my own trees and boil my own syrup. That’s a huge accomplishment for someone who isn’t always open about trying new things!

The book details not only how to process your own maple sugar, you’ll also get information on the types of trees you can tap, how much sap you’ll need, how to preserve it and even the nutritional benefits of sap and syrup!

The pictures in the book are crisp and clean, aiding in not only the reader’s guide to making their own syrup, but also for the large amount of maple related recipes filling the book.

And that takes me to the recipes! This little book is full of awesome maple related recipes I can’t wait to try! My family loves maple syrup and there are so many options, both sweet and savory, where adding maple syrup will definitely take a normal recipe and blow it out of the water! There is even a recipe for homemade dog biscuits!

Lastly, I love how personal Michelle gets about her ventures in sugaring, how her family is involved, the type of life they live and the reasoning behind building such a life!

I’ve written Sweet Maple in hopes of bringing the joys of maple into homes across America, to assure people that it’s okay that simple joys require hard work ~ Michelle Visser

Favorite Parts of the Book

• In all honesty, this book is great. I didn’t expect a lot, but only because I didn’t think this book could apply to me. Boy was I wrong! This little book offers so much information on the processing and creation of maple syrup, and pretty much all things maple. I love how straightforward the information is, and how personable the author, Michelle, is about the book.
• To add to the invaluable information regarding the harvesting of sap and processing of maple syrup, Sweet Maple is packed with maple related recipes. The recipes are amazing! I am so excited to start using these awesome maple recipes. Not only are you getting a thorough and easy-to-read guide to sugaring, you are also getting a maple syrup cook book!
• I absolutely love how down to earth Michelle presents herself. In one of the first pages of the book, she describes her failures! How refreshing to know that she didn’t stumble upon sugaring one day and become and instant expert! – Not that this isn’t reality, everyone fails, just not everyone is so open about those failures.
• I also love how Michelle makes sugaring an option for anyone who is willing to put in the work; explaining how accessible it is for most people and that it’s even an option for those living in more southern regions.

A Little Extra

This book also includes an awesome tutorial on how to make lilac syrup! This is something I can do this spring. My home has a lilac bush that produces so many flowers. How amazing it is to be able to make something new with the wonderful lilac blossoms!

Final Thoughts

I you are interested in making your own maple syrup at home and have no idea how to go about it, this is an excellent book for you! I am so happy to have this book in my possession so that I may refer to it once we are established in a home with enough trees to supply us with sap for processing! More information on Sweet Maple can be found on Michelle’s website, where you should head over and read more about the book! Add it to your Christmas list and begin processing your own maple syrup this spring!