COLUMBUS — As temperatures rise and the 2009 maple syrup production season draws to a close in Ohio, commercial syrup producers and hobbyists alike can start preparing for next year with Ohio State University Extension’s North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual.
The manual’s second edition, released in 2007, already has sold more than 4,500 copies.
Order
It’s available to order in either paperback for $17.50 or hardbound for $25 at OSU Extension’s online bookstore, http://estore.osu-extension.org/.
Ohio residents may also order a copy through their county office of OSU Extension.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ohio produced 118,000 gallons of maple syrup in 2008, a 57 percent increase from 2007 and the most since 1959.
Ohio was fifth in the nation in maple syrup production, behind only Vermont, New York, Maine and Wisconsin.
Tour
Maple syrup fans can take part in the 2009 March Maple Madness Drive-It-Yourself Tour in Geauga County, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. March 21-22. A tour map and a description of the stops is available at http://geauga.osu.edu or http://www.ohiomapleproducers.com/.
But for those who want a more comprehensive look at maple syrup production, the 329-page manual offers just about everything.
The manual has more than 20 authors and was co-edited by Melvin Koelling from Michigan State University and Timothy Perkins of the Proctor Maple Research Center at the University of Vermont.
