Maple Products Featured in Orono
Contact: George Criner at (207) 581-3150; Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571
ORONO, ME.— As part of a research project aimed at increasing demand for Maine maple syrup, a local restaurant will offer special maple syrup-based menu items this weekend. Researchers in the University of Maine’s Dept. of Resource Economics and Policy, Cooperative Extension, Maine Agricultural Center and Canadian-American Center are overseeing the project, which will demonstrate partnership marketing between Maine maple producers and Maine-owned restaurants.
“Maine trails only Vermont in the production of maple syrup,” says George Criner, a resource economics and policy professor at UMaine. “Weather conditions in the northeast are favorable to sap production, and maple syrup plays a significant role in our state’s economy.”
Criner and his colleagues believe that opportunities to expand the industry exist. Their research involves marketing, an examination of production costs, and the impact of a syrup quota in Quebec.
The Bear Brew Pub, at 32 Main Street in Orono, has designated Friday Oct. 28-Sunday Oct. 30 as “Maine Maple Weekend.” The event will feature a full range of items made with pure Maine maple syrup. UMaine researchers have arranged this project, which is sponsored by Maine Maple Products, Inc. and the restaurant.
Menu items will include Cedar Plank Salmon roasted in a brick oven and finished with maple glaze, maple BBQ glazed baby back ribs, maple marinated Pork Tenderloin with caramelized maple onions, and more. Desserts will include maple cheesecake with blueberry sauce, maple walnut ice cream sundae with warm maple cream sauce, and maple walnut cake with maple frosting.
Information on Maine Maple Syrup and its uses, see the Maine Maple Producers Association webpage at www.mainemapleproducers.com. For more information on Maine Maple Weekend at the Bear Brew Pub in Orono, contact Criner at 581-3150, or Bear Brew Pub owner, Matt Haskell at 866-2739.