Betty Ann Lockhart

I'm a maple syrup purist, which is to say that my pancakes are covered with nothing but the real maple syrup. I also love reminiscing about years gone by in which I would take my young children to maple syrup festivals at local nature centers. Although most of my local stores sell maple syrup originating in Canada, I’d been eager to learn what this book had to say about maple sugaring in Vermont.

The book is a treasure trove of history about how the maple sugar industry began. It was started by the Abenaki, native American Indians, and then adopted by American colonists who saw what a useful commodity maple sugar, and later maple syrup, were. This history of maple sugaring includes such interesting information as why abolitionists became big supporters of the maple sugar industry (to avoid supporting slavery in the production of sugar from Jamaica) as well as what happed to the von Trapp family after their escape from Nazi Europe (they became a maple sugaring family in Vermont!).

The book has many vintage pictures and (somewhat long) quotations from original sources. Although this book was well-researched, the way the facts were presented made it a bit tedious to read. At times, I felt almost as if I were reading an encyclopedia article rather than a popular book. Nevertheless, if facts are important to you, you'll probably find the reading more interesting than I did, although the historical facts were probably something I benefited from learning.… (plus d'informations)

Though I've never been to Vermont, I want to go there now and visit some of the Maple Sugar farms discussed in this fascinating book. It covers the history from a surmised Native American use based on archaeological evidence to the present day, and I appreciated the writing being more interesting than dry history. Many black and white photos are included and they really complete the book. I only wish it had a free sample page in the back!

The book itself is nicely printed by an independent press that specializes in local history.… (plus d'informations)