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Boiling Off: Maple Sugaring in Maine
In 1964 three cousins tapped three thousand sugar maples deep in the Maine woods. They called themselves Jackson Mountain Maple Farm. Boiling Off is the story of making Maine maple syrup commercially in Temple, Maine, for fifty-some years, and how a thirty-year technology revolution beginning in the 1980s changed the face of Maine sugaring forever.
Woven into the story of Jackson Mountain Maple Farm is the history of Maine sugaring beginning in Farmington in 1781, when Stephen Titcomb boiled off the first official pure Maine maple syrup in a cast iron kettle. Boiling Off tracks the evolution of sugaring technology from Titcomb’s kettle to reverse osmosis and heat exchangers; follows sap gathering techniques from buckets and oxen-drawn drays to plastic tubing and vacuum pumps; and records production in Maine from 8,000 gallons of maple syrup in 1985 to 709,000 gallons in 2017. The story describes the subtleties of syrup flavor, how it is properly graded, and the art of making award-winning maple syrup. It also reveals who produces Maine maple syrup, where it is harvested, and how L. L. Bean first came to stock it on their shelves.
Woven into the story of Jackson Mountain Maple Farm is the history of Maine sugaring beginning in Farmington in 1781, when Stephen Titcomb boiled off the first official pure Maine maple syrup in a cast iron kettle. Boiling Off tracks the evolution of sugaring technology from Titcomb’s kettle to reverse osmosis and heat exchangers; follows sap gathering techniques from buckets and oxen-drawn drays to plastic tubing and vacuum pumps; and records production in Maine from 8,000 gallons of maple syrup in 1985 to 709,000 gallons in 2017. The story describes the subtleties of syrup flavor, how it is properly graded, and the art of making award-winning maple syrup. It also reveals who produces Maine maple syrup, where it is harvested, and how L. L. Bean first came to stock it on their shelves.
240 pages, Paperback
Published February 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 11, 2023
In 1987 I was at Fort Knox, KY taking JMOC (Junion Maintenance Officer Course) where we got to take apart various vehicle subsystems - tracked and wheeled - to see how they ticked and were then trained on running maintenance programs at the unit level. I cannot think of a more terrifying and torturous assignment for an NCO, having a bunch of senior lieutenants and captains mucking about in EM business. While there I spent time at the bookstore at the museum. This was prior to Amazon being even in the book business. I spied - in shrink wrap, which was unusual - on the shelves a copy of Avigdor Khalani's "Heights of Courage" about his experience as a commander in the Six-Day War on the Golan Heights. I love military history, took it down, admired it and put it back. I finished the course, reported to the First Infantry Division in West Germany and forgot about it for about a year.
I then decided I wanted to read it. I could not find it, this was before Amazon had even started shipping books - 1995. I learned a lesson, if you find a book you want, buy it, because that itch will not go away. This is much easier today with Amazon, or the much more affordable Thrift Books - I do not mind a well-fingered used book, it is like a five star review.
We visited Camden, Maine this summer and in perusing one of the gift shops I noted this book. Took it down, had a bit of a fancy towards it and put it back on the shelves. I looked it up on Amazon and Thrift and the price there was similar to the price in the store new, more expensive when shipping was added. But I had spent a bit of money already on vacation and the cheapskate in me perched upon my shoulder had me walk away. We went on a boat tour of the harbor and I kept thinking about the book. By the time we reached shore I had decided to buy it, returning to the store and purchasing one of the three remaining copies.
I think it is important to read a broad range of subjects. I think reading what you enjoy and are comfortable with is valuable, I think reading something different and unfamiliar is also necessary. My knowledge of Maple Syrup, Maine or otherwise, was that it was good on waffles and pancakes, although I am a waffle guy. I went through a stage a decade ago where I took a fancy to Maple Candy and ate my way through that fetish. But I did not know a thing about maple sugaring, so I bought the book.
The author delivers all anyone could want. Amazingly, they manage to deliver it in an engaging manner which keeps the reader engaged. I felt like I was sitting with them in their saphouse, walking the woods selecting taps, runing lines, slinging buckets of sap into the transport tank and transferring it to the storage tank, stoking fires and boiling sap, sampling the pure syrup resultant, attending local trade shows, discussing local history, balancing the books, making business decisions, feeling the first caress of warmth as it penetrated the Maine woods starting the brief and wonderful sap run.
I am not a mechanically oriented person, the inner workings of machinery, gadgets and the like hold zero interest for me. But in this book the granularity of details made such minutiae compelling. I know now why the ball stopper in the tap relates to the bacterial growth in the xylum and the impact that has on the volume of sap from a tree. I know the opportunity cost of wood vs oil heating, the differing types of pans used to boil the sap, the types of containers used in retailing the sap. I also know the business to more of a degree than I otherwise would, a degree with suprising detail - not the mastery of a lifetime, but enough to understand the importance of the economies involved, something I am interested in by education. I also know the history of sugaring from colonial times in Maine, as well as the competition with Vermont and the partnership with Quebec. I have a sense for the politics, the people, and the love that this vocation/avocation compels in people.
I feel like I spent time with the author, listening to their stories, discussing my questions, living in the Maine woods. Not just about sugaring, but if you read with a mind to experience something different, about life, a biographical lens of a passionate pusuit.
I then decided I wanted to read it. I could not find it, this was before Amazon had even started shipping books - 1995. I learned a lesson, if you find a book you want, buy it, because that itch will not go away. This is much easier today with Amazon, or the much more affordable Thrift Books - I do not mind a well-fingered used book, it is like a five star review.
We visited Camden, Maine this summer and in perusing one of the gift shops I noted this book. Took it down, had a bit of a fancy towards it and put it back on the shelves. I looked it up on Amazon and Thrift and the price there was similar to the price in the store new, more expensive when shipping was added. But I had spent a bit of money already on vacation and the cheapskate in me perched upon my shoulder had me walk away. We went on a boat tour of the harbor and I kept thinking about the book. By the time we reached shore I had decided to buy it, returning to the store and purchasing one of the three remaining copies.
I think it is important to read a broad range of subjects. I think reading what you enjoy and are comfortable with is valuable, I think reading something different and unfamiliar is also necessary. My knowledge of Maple Syrup, Maine or otherwise, was that it was good on waffles and pancakes, although I am a waffle guy. I went through a stage a decade ago where I took a fancy to Maple Candy and ate my way through that fetish. But I did not know a thing about maple sugaring, so I bought the book.
The author delivers all anyone could want. Amazingly, they manage to deliver it in an engaging manner which keeps the reader engaged. I felt like I was sitting with them in their saphouse, walking the woods selecting taps, runing lines, slinging buckets of sap into the transport tank and transferring it to the storage tank, stoking fires and boiling sap, sampling the pure syrup resultant, attending local trade shows, discussing local history, balancing the books, making business decisions, feeling the first caress of warmth as it penetrated the Maine woods starting the brief and wonderful sap run.
I am not a mechanically oriented person, the inner workings of machinery, gadgets and the like hold zero interest for me. But in this book the granularity of details made such minutiae compelling. I know now why the ball stopper in the tap relates to the bacterial growth in the xylum and the impact that has on the volume of sap from a tree. I know the opportunity cost of wood vs oil heating, the differing types of pans used to boil the sap, the types of containers used in retailing the sap. I also know the business to more of a degree than I otherwise would, a degree with suprising detail - not the mastery of a lifetime, but enough to understand the importance of the economies involved, something I am interested in by education. I also know the history of sugaring from colonial times in Maine, as well as the competition with Vermont and the partnership with Quebec. I have a sense for the politics, the people, and the love that this vocation/avocation compels in people.
I feel like I spent time with the author, listening to their stories, discussing my questions, living in the Maine woods. Not just about sugaring, but if you read with a mind to experience something different, about life, a biographical lens of a passionate pusuit.
February 24, 2023
3.5 stars. An interesting in-depth look at how the maple syrup industry developed in Maine, as told through the eyes of one sometimes-struggling tree tapper.
I will admit that there were parts of this that I skimmed over, mostly the detailed blow-by-blow accounts of various maple sugar association meetings and the more technical part like details of sugar ratios at various boiling points. Those would hold more interest for someone who actually makes maple syrup. As someone who was just generally curious, I was more interested in the basic mechanics and the way the author's business developed.
It was interesting to me that the whole book was written in present-tense, even though most of it takes place decades prior. An unusual choice.
I think I would have given this a solid four stars if some maple syrup recipes were included, because I always love sweet recipes....
I will admit that there were parts of this that I skimmed over, mostly the detailed blow-by-blow accounts of various maple sugar association meetings and the more technical part like details of sugar ratios at various boiling points. Those would hold more interest for someone who actually makes maple syrup. As someone who was just generally curious, I was more interested in the basic mechanics and the way the author's business developed.
It was interesting to me that the whole book was written in present-tense, even though most of it takes place decades prior. An unusual choice.
I think I would have given this a solid four stars if some maple syrup recipes were included, because I always love sweet recipes....
April 7, 2025
Excellent narration of the history of maple syrup production in Maine. My grandfather tapped our sugarbush. His father did before him and my father still does. Brought back a lot of memories. Fascinating to read about the modern technologies.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews