My wife and I are sometimes asked to give talks on producing maple syrup. These are usually at small venues with 30 to 40 people in attendance and we do 3 or 4 of these a year.

We have a host of power points, videos and props aimed at giving very basic information to both the curious and budding backyard tappers.

As an addition to our props, this year we thought we might keep a few gallons of first run sap. We’d bring it to a boil to kill off any bacteria and then freeze it. Thaw, boil again and serve it up at these talks.

I’d like to get some feedback from you folks. Are there any concerns about safety? Would you sample sap? If not, why?

As an aside:
We are very rarely paid for these lectures, but the host almost always allow us to sell syrup afterwards. Spiles attached to a couple feet of tubing sell particularly well in the pre-season, at a couple of bucks apiece.

If you’re ever offered an opportunity to do one of these lectures and can comfortably talk in front of people, my advice is…do it! Do it for fun, for profit, for increased visibility, you won’t regret it.