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Tree Sap Catches On As Healthy Drink
Michael Farrell is spreading the word on tree sap’s potential as a nutrient-packed drink. Author of “The Sugarmaker’s Companion”, Farrell is a longtime consumer of tree sap, also called “tree water”. The idea is to drink the sap right out of the tree instead of boiling it down into syrup.
  “I love drinking the sap,” says Farrell, who is a Cornell University extension specialist. “It is absolutely delicious.”
  While several companies do market tree water in Canada, it hasn’t been available commercially in the U.S. That is about to change. Feronia Forests, a New York state company, is introducing Vertical Water this spring. It is maple tree sap that has been pasteurized and packaged for use year-round with no need for refrigeration.
  “Consumer testing indicates there is a greater sales potential for maple water than for boiled down syrup,” says Farrell.
  Tree sap isn’t limited to sugar maples. Farrell says that all maples can be tapped. Non-maples also have potential, including birch, black walnut and butternut trees. Information on tapping these alternatives to maples is included in his book.
  Farrell says maple, walnut or birch tree sap can be enjoyed year-round. “If you get more than you can drink fresh, simply freeze it,” he says, adding that he recommends pasteurizing it by boiling briefly. “Then you can thaw it out and drink it any time.”
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Michael Farrell, 157 Bear Cub Lane, Lake Placid, N.Y. 12946 (ph 518 523 9337; cell 518 637-7000; mlf36@cornell.edu;
 http://maple.dnr.cornell.edu). His book is available for $39.95 plus S&H at Chelsea Green Publishing, Inc. (ph 800 639-4099; www.chelseagreen.com) or on Amazon.com.



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2014 - Volume #38, Issue #3