<DIV>How has one of America’s oldest agricultural crafts evolved into a multimillion dollar industry? Douglas Whynott brings us deep inside the world of maple syrup by following entrepreneur Bruce Bascom through one tumultuous season, revealing a business complete with a black market, a syrup heist monitored by Homeland Security, and a global strategic reserve comparable to OPEC’s (a barrel of maple syrup is worth more than a barrel of oil).<br><BR>Along the way, Whynott takes us from a sugarhouse where we learn syrup’s subtle flavors and grading system to a sugarbush where we discover the maple tree’s unique biology. As tin buckets and wooden spouts give way to vacuum pumps and tubing, Whynott explores the industry’s chances for survival, highlighting a larger issue: how global warming is threatening our food supply.<BR><BR>?In Doug Whynott’s graceful hands, this story about a maple syrup manufacturer and dealer becomes an intersection of subjects: of technology and business, American history and climate change, friendship and family. A wonderful and fascinating book.”?Tracy Kidder, author of<I> Mountains Beyond Mountains</I><BR></DIV>