- [Mark] This is Mark Isselhardt, Maple Specialist,
with the University of Vermont Extension.
This is a Vermont Maple Minute.
Winning a ribbon at a maple contest
is a significant source of pride for the sugar maker
and can help with marketing their hard earned product.
Most contests require a pint of syrup
be entered for judging, but they don't necessarily require
the syrup be hot-packed when entered.
To make sure you are entering the syrup
in the correct category,
open the syrup right before entering
and regrade it for the four basics,
color, clarity, density, and flavor.
Syrup must be well filtered
and free of any foreign material.
The density must be within legal limits.
And the syrup must be in the correct color class.
Remember that syrup will darken over time.
Syrup that was close to the limit
for color during the season,
might be the next grade darker by contest time.
Assuming the syrup meets the first three standards,
judges will then grade the syrup's flavor.
While syrup flavor is the most subjective part of judging,
syrup cannot be off-flavored, and generally speaking,
the flavor should reflect the syrup's color,
with darker syrup having stronger flavor.