Skip to main content

Maple Syrup

Yep, time to get some more maple syrup. This gallon jug lasted about a year. I love using maple syrup to sweeten oatmeal, granola, yogurt, smoothies, etc. 

As I've mentioned before, I often look at things that I buy and ponder if I can make it myself. Maple syrup is no different so when I received a newsletter and saw "Sugar Bush" on the list of upcoming classes at a local nature center, I didn't waste any time signing up. After learning the basics I set out to find some trees at my parents farm.

I think the hardest part of maple syrup-ing is finding the right trees (elder or maple will work) and the cooking down of the sap (haven't done this part). I remember in Jr. and Sr. High studying trees in Science class.....yeah, I haven't improved on this skill. I mean, to me a tree is a tree. During my sugar bush class the instructor showed us what to look for when identifying trees but when we went out to field we only looked at maples and elders. We didn't look at non-elders/maples. I think that comparison would have helped me. Dad to the rescue. He showed me which trees that I could tap.
I drilled holes into the trees, tapped in the spiles and used milk jugs for sap collection.

Some of the jugs wouldn't "stick" to the tree so I used plastic tubing/hose that ran from the spile and into the jug. I cut this hose long so that the jug couldn't easily slip off the hose. I then tied twine around the tree to hold the jug onto the tree.

Six trees tapped and then spring decided to arrive early. As much as I love the warm summer-like temperatures, it's not helping my new hobby. In order to get good sap flow night time temperatures need to be near or below freezing with warm, sunny daytime. Since Minnesota is know for it's fluctuating weather, we still may get some night time freezing (wasn't it snowing in April last year?). So I'll wait another week or two before pulling my spiles. Maybe I'll get just enough for one morning of pancakes. Otherwise I will try again next year.





Shared on Delicious Obsessions Traditional Tuesdays and Homestead Barn Hop
 

Labels:

Comments

  1. JeanetteApril 1, 2012 at 9:17 PM

    I have a dream of trying this one day. . . . but right now I live in the wrong climate:-)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stay-cation: Fun Things to Do Around Rochester, MN

Family vacations are expensive. Gas, lodging, meals...oh, and then there is the admission cost to all the cool things that you want to see. Vacations cost more than a small fortune. Now figure in the loss of income (some of us don't get paid vacations) and you've "broke the bank". Enter the stay-cation. Gas costs are reduced. Lodging is covered. Meals, although still necessary, can be made at home and packed in a cooler. This summer, instead of taking a week off, I am taking a couple long weekends. One weekend we will be traveling "Up North" to visit my husband's college buddy. Otherwise we're keeping our exploring near to home. Another benefit to a stay-cation is a little extra time for home projects. I can keep up with the laundry, instead of having a week's worth of laundry to do when I return home. Isn't that the worst part of vacation - the accumulation of dirty clothes you have to wash after being away from home all week? Gardening ca...
10 comments
Read more

stripped bare

It's Friday which means it's time to dance and sing (the daycare kids and I have a song and dance to celebrate this glorious day). Friday is also the day in which Lisa-Jo hosts Five Minute Fridays and I humbly join the party of words strung together in five short minutes by a group of fantastic writers. The rules are simple. Lisa-Jo provides the word, write for five minutes flat, no backtracking/editing/over thinking, share your link at Lisa-Jo's, and share the love by reading what others have written. It's great fun and so inspiring. Won't you join us? I promise, you will be blessed! Today's word ~ BARE Lord, I want to be stripped bare.            Strip me of myself so there is more room for you. Strip me of my foolishness, my stubbornness, my selfishness.    Do nothing from  selfish ambition or  conceit, but in  humility count others more significant than yourselves  Phil. 2:3 And to man He s...
9 comments
Read more

Five Minute Friday ~ Grasp

It is that day of the week. The day of the week in which I not only dance and sing my Friday Song, but also the day of the week in which I join others in a fun writing exercise inspired by Lisa-Jo . A day when I am challenged to think about one word and write from my heart for a mere five minutes. Today's word is grasp. Here we go........ My children,  oh, how I wish I could hold you tight in my grasp for eternity. How I wish I could shelter you from any storm, safe in your mama's arms..... protecting you from evils protectimg you from disappointments protecting you from hurts protecting you from the really hard days. Yet, if I don't loosen this grasp  you will not grow, your wings will not learn how to fly. So I hide my heart's desire to hold on, I loosen my grasp and I lift my prayers up to my Heavenly Father.  A Father who can protect much better than I.    Ah, Lord God!  Behold, you have made the heavens and the earth...
8 comments
Read more