David K. Leff, Essayist, Poet, Lecturer

The River's Pulse: Fifty-Two Haiku Weeks Along the Farmington (part 7: September)

September
water shapes boulders
channeling the current’s flow
grains of sand downstream

paddlers sluice the rocks
headlong to foaming curlers
spray fully awakes

confluence of flesh
and stream with every flush
the pipes lead away

blue iris flags yield
to purple pyeweed umbles
time ticks in color

A couple blocks from my home, the Farmington River is the largest tributary of the Connecticut.  From Tinker's Damn, Homebound Publications, 2013,http://homeboundpublications.com/store/books/tinkers-damn/

Getting Zany with Mini Golf

I recently took an hour-long trip to Switzerland though I traveled but two miles from home.  At Matterhorn Mini Golf in Canton my wife Mary and I were greeted by owner Autumn Sutherland who wore a warm smile and a traditional Swiss blouse and skirt.  Every hole on the newly opened course evoked Swiss culture from skiing in the Alps to William Tell to chocolate and even the Hadron Collider atom smasher.  Obstacles included a wedge of Swiss cheese, triangular Toblerone candy bar slices and a large safe representing Swiss bank accounts.  Rows of real corn grew alongside the hole devoted to the country’s dairy industry and the carpet at Heidi’s goat shed was dotted with ersatz droppings.  We had a blast.

Maple Sugaring

Maple Sugaring, Wesleyan University Press
2015 | 220 pages | Cooking| Hardcover ISBN 978-0-8195-7569-2 | Purchase 

Maple Sugaring gives readers an intimate look at the art and science of America’s favorite sweet. These stories, told by real-life sugarmakers, reveal how this ancient industry has persisted into the twenty-firstcentury. Thanks to the newest technology, and patience, New England sugarmakers are still keeping it real. A former maple sugarmaker and board member of the Connecticut Maple Syrup Producer’s Association, David Leff takes us on a journey into the very heart of New England’s character. Along the way he talks with the sugar gurus, who share their expertise, insights, and anecdotes about their experiences in the business. What makes maple sugaring such a beloved tradition? Is it marketing savvy, family tradition, or something deeper—and harder to tap? This book is for anyone with a sweet tooth who is curious about the science behind the sweetness, or who simply enjoys a good story. Maple Sugaring is full of wisdom, quirky characters, and recipes.

Ask At Your Favorite Bookstore Or Order Your Copy Today

What People Are Saying About This Book

“From heartwarming family history to the latest trends in sugaring technology, from traditional recipes to new culinary trends, and from maple syrup’s natural health benefits to the benefits of sugarmaking as a labor of love, Maple Sugaringcleverly captures what’s best of this time-honored New England tradition. Clearly, David Leff shares our passion.”—Mike Girard, Girard’s Sugarhouse, Heath, Massachusetts

“David Leff dives into a vat of maple syrup and comes out with a brilliant book on sugaring. His practical know-how and reverence for sugaring are matched only by his skill at depicting the kaleidoscopic interaction of character, place, science, and passion that has created the New England culture we know and love. Tree by tree, shack by shack, he builds a world and illustrates it from every angle. Like John McPhee before him, Leff has turned cultural investigation into an art.”—Eric D. Lehman, author of A History of Connecticut Food

“David Leff provides an excellent account of the maple industry and the incredible sugarmakers who bring us this all-natural sweetener every year. Anyone who loves pure maple syrup and the rural lifestyle of the Northeast will greatly enjoy this book.”—Michael Farrell, author of The Sugarmaker’s Companion: An Integrated Approach to Producing Syrup from Maple, Birch, and Walnut Trees.