Where to put this book...?

[Clan Delaney]

So...

If you were to walk into a bookstore and go searching for a book on making maple syrup, where would you go? I ask because I think I already know the answer, and I'm guessing it's not "Cookbooks".

I work for a very noble company that happens to sell books, and in the course of my day last week I found this book:

http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/14960000/14964501.JPG

Imagine my surprise when I saw it was destined to be shelved under Cookbooks - Herbs/Spices/Condiments! What!?! My maple syrup, a condiment? Never! Ketchup is a condiment. Mustard is a condiment. Maple syrup, however, is Food. That's my stand, and I'm sticking to it.

We have a system in place that allows booksellers to suggest changes in book placement, so I made a request. Any book about how to make maple syrup clearly belongs in Nature - Agriculture, I said. I was able to get a change made, but only into the Regional Cookbooks section. (I also got a note from the people that make these changes that said they love real maple syrup, and that I should sell some at the NYC Farmer's Market. Tomahawk, you've got customers! It's Manhattan - $18 pints! Go for it!)

I am not satisfied with Regional Cookbooks. I plan to make another attempt at correcting this maple misconception, but I need your help! Take a minute to do the attached poll, and I'll pass on the weight of it's opinion with my next request.

[maplehound]

you should ask them where they put books on gardening or farming. I bet they arn't in the cook book section. If maple syrup production isn't farming then I sure don't know what it is.

[fred]

thats like "raising sheep" should be in crafts/sewing because the wool is used for yarn. management never seizes to amaze me.the amount of time and money that is spent in this industry, its not a hobby either just a part time job thats fun :)

[twobears1224]

as a country boy thats been involved in sugaring my whole life i voted for farming.but,i can also see where somebody might be looking at sugaring as a hobby and look there...alot of people do tap the three maple trees in there yard and see it as just a hobby.

delbert

[StewieSugar]

I went searching for this particular book at our local bookstore, and I headed for the hobby/craft section - primarily because I was looking for a simple-starter book to get me into it as a hobby. Looking at the contents of the book, it probably won't be of much help to the large production syrup makers out there.

In contrast, Ohio State's book is much more complete, discusses many more things like marketing, and includes managing the sugar bush. A person trying to get into this as a hobby would likely be overwhelmed by Ohio's book, and it would likely be a good reference for the production folks. As such, I think it fits best under the Agri section.

It's kind of like the topic of vegetable gardens. If I want to grow two tomatoes plans and a few peas, I'd head to the hobby section first. If I want to grow acres of plants and make a living off it, I'd head to the Agri section.

I cannot, however, see it fitting under Cookbooks. ???

[Clan Delaney]

I thought about Gardening, but that's more for growing. What we do is more along the lines of harvesting and processing, which falls better under Agriculture. Now, if we were talking books about uses for maple syrup, then sure, Cooking. But if what we do is considered cooking, then we should be up front about the prep time: 1 Year. :D

[BarrelBoiler]

I would say in the 'how to' section along with How to prune trees,how to grow things

[fred]

In contrast, Ohio State's book is much more complete


that's because ohio is where its at :)

[KenWP]

The book is english so I probbably wouldn't find it in the whole province let alone a certain section of a book store.

[Specklefield Farm]

Hey Clan,

Let em call it whatever they want......long as theyre buying it!! My kids laugh and mock me cause I put syrup in my coffee. the more people they make fun of me in front of, the more syrup I sell!! I say everyone should put syrup on their steak, potatoes, everything!! LOL!!

[40to1]

I bought Rick Mann's book at the New England Mobile Book Fair (which is neither mobile, nor a fair - I don't think anyone understands how it got that name). Anyway, I started in the gardening section, but found it in the small farm section (How to raise Sheep, How to Grow an Orchard, etc., etc.).

The NMBF has what may be the largest cookbook section in the world, and Rink Mann's book was nowhere near it.