Sugartime: The Hidden Pleasures of Making Maple Syrup

New York: The Lyons Press. Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. 1997. Hardcover. Purple textured boards with brown spine imprinted with title and author in cream. Full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. B&w photos, illustrations. 148 pages. Sugaring is the act of collecting maple sap to make maple syrup, an early-spring endeavor that takes place all around the country - in Vermont, most famously, but also throughout New England, as far south as Ohio, and as far west as Minnesota. It is a time-honored tradition that has changed little since the Native Americans sugared centuries ago. Sugartime is a beautifully rendered narrative about the act of sugaring, a soulful activity that, like the best of outdoor hobbies, slows time down. Interspersed with the book's lyrical account of a season in the sugarbush are separate sections that serve as a primer to guide the beginner through every stage of surgaring, from selecting trees and hanging sap buckets to finishing off maple syrup. For anyone with an interest in taking up sugaring, everyone who has a maple tree, and all those with a nostalgia for the rural landscape Sugartime will be a joy to discover. (43/4 X 73/4 ) .