Backyard Sugarin': A Complete How-To Guide, Third Edition

by Rink Mann

From buying equipment to tapping your own trees to boiling the sap, this is the classic, best-selling guide to making maple syrup. This little book swept maple sugarin' buffs off their feet when it first appeared and is still the top-selling guide to the craft after nearly 30 years in print. Like the previous editions, this one tells you how you can make maple syrup right in your own backyard without having to build a sap house or buy buckets, holding tanks, evaporators and other expensive paraphernalia. Provides detailed "how-to" information, and makes some new and noteworthy revelations-including tips sugarers across the country have shared with the author. 60 black & white photographs, 6 line illustrations

Genres: Nonfiction, Food, Reference, How To

96 pages, Paperback

First published February 7, 2006

Reviews

[Carrie Jacobsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful and accessible. I've read a lot of blogs on the subject, but found this helpful in a different way than those. If you're going to try backyard sugarin', I think it's worth having a copy around.

[Mark Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you ain't sugarin', you ain't livin'

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything you need to know to make your own syrup without spending lots of money on professional equipment. I feel ready to give it a try after reading this! Note: A large portion of the book is about making your own evaporator. I don't plan on doing that, so I actually skipped those pages. My five star rating is based on the other chapters that I did read.

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is obviously meant to be a practical how-to book, and it’s good at being just that. But it also manages to be a delightful read, with Mann’s folksy slang and down-to-earth advice, my favorite being to watch that the evaporator pans aren’t left empty over the fire because they’ll be “the devil’s own to clean.” Haha. I like him. Can’t wait for sugarin’ season in New England!

[Calciferocious · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super useful and concise! The author's voice is a delight to my northern Maine-raised sensibilities. Drily witty, frugal, creative, and practical. I'm excited to take our sugarin' operation up a notch next season.

[Audie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! If you are interested in making a few gallons of maple syrup this is a great book! It's a quick read, and is full of low to no cost ideas for creating your own set-up.

[kilroy caldwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, quick read on maple sugaring, although the pictures aren't very good.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic and one I will read again I'm sure.

[Tom Pyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A much quicker read than I was expecting, and a wonderful book that lays out what I wanted to know in a rather simple way. Super excited to tap my trees this spring and take some advice from this!

[Kevin Beals · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pictures in it are terrible, way too dark to see anything and his descriptions are lacking on how to actually build the evaporators. Overall though, he has some pretty good info and is a quick read for somebody looking to get into it.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give it 3 stars but the proof is in the sugaring which will commence shortly. Maybe I'll upgrade my rating over a pile of pancakes.

[Belinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thinking about tapping a sugar maple tree in my yard. This book explains the process and the materials need.