Community connections and education are two vital components of Merchantville's Maple Project and this year we've had lots of opportunities for both. From visits by local school students, to curious families passing time in the park, to culinary arts teacher, Joseph Rocchi, who promotes Indigenous food sovereignty and interest from James Beard award winning author and slow drinks entrepreneur Danny Childs
- our outreach has expanded in 2026.
On Monday, March 9th, we had about 13 third graders from Urban Promise visit. We took them to a tree on Greenleigh Court and showed them a tap and bucket, had them collect sap and bring it back to the Community Center, where we showed them how we test and then poured the sap into the tank. They each had a taste of the sap, learned about how boiling happens in the evaporator then, enjoyed a syrup tasting. The following day students from Merchantville School's Junior Green Team and Garden Club came for a visit with teacher and club advisor, Rebecca Meizinger. The kids were great - very engaging and inquisitive.
Joe Rocchio, who spent some time on site last week learning about our project, would like to start looking at being involved in a way that makes sense for next season, as well as helping to showcase and promote the project either through educational programming and demonstrations to bring more attention and support to the project.
Danny Childs, a former ethnobotanist turned bartender, consultant, and author under a project called Slow Drinks uses a botanical approach to crafting cocktails using hyperlocal and hyper-seasonal ingredients. He's always interested in sourcing local sweeteners (sorghum, maple syrup, honey, etc.) and curious about exploring the possibility of a collaboration between our two projects.
We also heard from the Sustainable SJ and NJFS Urban & Community Forestry program - who recently heard about Merchantville’s maple tapping. They love to hear about towns utilizing their urban forests to the best of their ability and felt our efforts are amazing. They are looking forward to learning more about what we've been working on.
The Merchantville Maple Project is a hub for Stockton University's Maple Project.