When it comes to producing maple syrup in Vermont, the younger generation is not only embracing the tradition, but also trying to make it better. In this podcast, we'll hear about high schoolers just learning the classic art of sugaring as well as a couple of college students who are innovating the process.
While a group of 10th- through 12th-graders at Thetford Academy learn the basics of Vermont's most famous export, a junior and senior from Vermont Technical College (VTC) are headed to the LaunchVT finals for innovating a key part of the tree-tapping process. Seven Days food writer, Sally Pollak, spent time with all of these students and explains how the younger set is learning sugaring skills through an outdoor program, and reveals as much as she can about a new tool created by the VTC team (they're applying for patents, you see).
Read more about this and new maple products being developed in the Seven Days story, "Vermont Maple Sugarers Tap Tradition, Technology And New Products, " co-authored by Pollak and Hannah Palmer Egan.
