The Sugar Rush: A Memoir of Wild Dreams, Budding Bromance, and Making Maple Syrup

by Peter Gregg

Filled with humor and madcap adventure, The Sugar Rush is the story of two friends with a sweet, golden, syrupy dream, set against the rugged New England wilderness.

When a global-warming-induced early thaw catches Peter Gregg and Greg Smith off guard, the best friend fifty-somethings scramble to get their thousand-tree farm ready for tapping. As they race up and down the icy mountain, drilling taps into their red and sugar maples and securing the blue plastic tubing to transport the sap back to their sugarhouse, they make a blood pact to pursue the mythical “five pounder” goal—the lofty syrup production amount that would put them in league with the pros in Vermont.

For the next three months, from February to early April, they battle rugged terrains, handle dangerous equipment and outrun predatory wildlife in an Ahab-like pursuit that consumes their energy, time, and the contents of their wallets—all to make that sweet golden condiment for pancakes and waffles. Out of their struggle (that is a mystery to many), they produce something even more friendship, a lifeline to a community, and a sense of purpose that remains long after the sugar season is over.

Told with humor, gusto, and the salty vernacular common to the hinterlands of upstate New York and Vermont, The Sugar Rush captures the particular angst of reaching middle age with wit and insight and speaks to our desire to set the bar high... and then having to solve the enormous problems that come with it. The Sugar Rush is a hilarious yet moving account of the crazy things men will do to truly understand what is meant by the "pursuit of happiness."

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published July 2, 2024

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I’m reading nonfiction I know the book is good if I’m thinking that I need to get a copy of it for the husband. I know that it is really good if he’ll be passing it on to his friends. I knew within the first few chapters of reading my library ebook that I’d be buying a copy of this one. I even – gasp – splurged on a hardcover. It was that good.

Peter and Bert have been making maple syrup as a hobby for a while. But after the industry-wide abysmal 2021 season, Peter decides to shoot for the stars. He decides to try to get an average of 5 lbs of syrup from each tree that they have tapped. That’s not easy. Most producers don’t reach that. To do it they have to massively upgrade their equipment and seriously commit to the season.

Things don’t always go to plan. Let’s be honest, their plans aren’t always that well thought out in the first place. Along the way, you learn a lot about modern sugaring and the people who obsessively devote months of their lives to maple syrup when the sap is running.

This book is hilarious. I read it almost straight though including on my phone during the opening band I had never heard of at a concert. Modern technology is a gift.

If you like the genre of books were people document trying to hit their goals/learn something new with unpredictable results, this one is for you with the added bonus of maple syrup!

[Louis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maple syrup, the name just makes your mouth water in anticipation of a sweet and thankfully all natural delight. When I think of maple syrup, I immediately think of Vermont and this book is set right on the Vermont border in Upstate New York. The book travels between New York, Vermont, & New Hampshire in depicting a season of sugaring by two semi-pro dudes in the sugaring world. It is an enjoyable dive into the rural world in which so many work to produce maple syrup for people to enjoy. Like a hot stack of pancakes, it leaves you satisfied and probably wanting a bit more to enjoy.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow there seems to be endless of this exact format of book (some liberal arts major tries his hand at some farming/blue collar stuff and hilarity ensues yet through it all he learns a valuable lesson about nature and friendship)

That said I guess I’m a sucker for anything agricultural related especially since this took place in an area we visit often

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love maple syrup. But enough to read a book about it? This memoir was such a fun read. The author and his partner Bert are racing the clock to try to produce their largest batch of maple syrup to date--a 5 pounder, which will earn them respect from the pros. Climate change has altered the traditional calendar and the author and his cronies try to predict the best time fo prepare the trees. The book captures the humor and flavor of Vermont and I found myself frequently laughing out loud! As I read this, I thought The Sugar Rush would be a book my dad would like--and that's a high recommendation!

[Lizzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reminds me of Michael Perry, but less poetic. An interesting, nice topic with salty, quirky characters and country charm. Often veers too far into macho BS and performative roughneck vibes. but mostly has a decent effect. Learned a lot about a topic I’d never thought of much, although would’ve liked maybe more facts and history and a little less random tangents, although some of the "local flavor" was charming. Overall, was nice to hear about people trying to achieve a goal, technically failing, making mistakes, but ultimately succeeding in a way and enjoying themselves. Makes me appreciate real maple syrup even more.

[Birdie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Subject matter is great and some of the book is very interesting but the writing style is distracting and annoying. The author speaks like he’s a teenage boy and repeatedly referred to him and his friends as dudes. Like bro you have gray hair, and frat boys aren’t really your demographic. He needed a better editor

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book because I love real maple syrup so i thought it would be nice to know a bit more about how it’s made. I did! It was an entertaining, easy read—to go with my Greek yogurt with maple syrup!

[Rob Goldman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good fun read. Gregg simplifies life and tells his story in an enjoyable way. Glad I read the book. Some of the dialogue was contrived and I’m sure that was done for literary purposes. However I was happy to read this book.

[J.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book! It tells the true story of two buddies living in Vermont who decide to make syrup from the maple trees on their land. It explains in easily understood details all that is involved in the process of turning sap to sugar. It is quite humorous as the two men constantly rag on each other, introduce 'characters' who are other sugar makers and have a good time doing so. You won't believe how much work goes into harvesting the sap, transporting it to a shack they built in the woods where it has to be filtered and boiled and winding up with blue ribbon winning pure maple syrup.

[Kimberly Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great memoir and full of fun facts about maple sugaring in Vermont. Deep dive with lots of info. I have always enjoyed visiting sugar houses and have always been a maple syrup purist even amongst all the ‘maple flavored or adjacent’ syrups so popular when I was growing up. I admit to wanting to do a tap and Paul on the maple in my backyard just to try some sugaring out!

[Caedyn Busche · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up on a whim from my library and I’m so glad I did. It was hilarious, fast-paced, and satisfied my needs to learn about a niche subject while also getting to know the people as if they were new friends. Great read, and now my Western Mass self knows more about an industry also near and dear to my neighbors!

[Matt Trussell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trying to separate myself from Amazon-owned crap, please come join me on The StoryGraph. Better tracking, better graphics, easy to import your GR data, without the oligarch owner:

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews...

Once more people make the switch, I'm going to delete this account.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one and learned a lot about one of my main food groups! I'm so glad there are people like the author and his buddies who take the time and trouble to produce maple syrup. Apparently it's not for the faint of heart!

[NonFiction 24/7 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun story to read about two buddies and a cast of characters and some syrup.

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fund easy to read story. I am am amateur syrup maker so could relate to the events, activities and equipment that he wrote about.. Thanks for a few hours of enjoyable reading!