...to this!
Monday, March 28, 2016
Saturday, March 26, 2016
When Boiling feels like a well oiled machine
There has been so much progress in the last month.
It's hard to type this post retroactively, knowing that there's a major life changing event that has happened since. I almost have little to say about these photos since it seems so minor in comparison.
The vivid green emerging from the recovering moss.
There was a lot of beauty and color in the places I looked.
Look at all those hues of red!
I think the most amazing event of this boiling weekend was the rebirth of Junior our tractor. That is all thanks to Uncle Gerome, who fixed the Magneto and brought the spark back to Junior.
SP was very happy to be skidding logs again. All is well in this world.
It's hard to type this post retroactively, knowing that there's a major life changing event that has happened since. I almost have little to say about these photos since it seems so minor in comparison.
The vivid green emerging from the recovering moss.
There was a lot of beauty and color in the places I looked.
Look at all those hues of red!
I think the most amazing event of this boiling weekend was the rebirth of Junior our tractor. That is all thanks to Uncle Gerome, who fixed the Magneto and brought the spark back to Junior.
SP was very happy to be skidding logs again. All is well in this world.
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
M'apron
He thought they were chaps so I got excited but it turned out to be a man apron or a maple apron but we will call is a m'apron. It's still hot!
Sunday, March 20, 2016
The darkest syrup ever!
Another beautiful Syrup Sunday happened at our happy Homestead.
It was nice seeing SP get to relax this time, instead of all the cutting and chopping he did days earlier.
There's that m'apron again, mmm hmm!
Getting the sap out of the pan was the only struggle and a little creative siphoning fixed that easily.
Getting it tipped up was a little bit tricky but it worked smoothly.
What was left behind was the most beautiful sediment Delta in the bottom of the pan.
It was really much more beautiful than either of these pictures capture.
It turned out to the be the darkest, yummiest syrup yet with a fantastic viscosity to boot.
We got over 2.5 gallons of the heavenly stuff too!
It was nice seeing SP get to relax this time, instead of all the cutting and chopping he did days earlier.
There's that m'apron again, mmm hmm!
Getting the sap out of the pan was the only struggle and a little creative siphoning fixed that easily.
Getting it tipped up was a little bit tricky but it worked smoothly.
What was left behind was the most beautiful sediment Delta in the bottom of the pan.
It was really much more beautiful than either of these pictures capture.
It turned out to the be the darkest, yummiest syrup yet with a fantastic viscosity to boot.
We got over 2.5 gallons of the heavenly stuff too!
Enjoy!
Saturday, March 19, 2016
The day the Bellows Died! (Sung to the tune of Ms. American Pie)
Today was the day we could finally use our fancy new evaporation pan.
Isn't she a beauty?
It really makes the unpainted boiler look horrible! We need to do something about that!
The new pan makes the most gorgeous sap!
A man uses various tools, including a piece of beveled edging. I'm a fan of the m'apron of course. The foam sifter is pretty neat too.
I didn't realize how nasty it actually looked in there.
Today was such a lovely day. Scout had a lovely day bathing in the sun. And wood chips.
Today was the day the Bellows died. Adios shop vac - you've been good to us.
Luckily I am not a girly girl and really don't care about my cheap hair dryer because it has been re-purposed.
We played with some really cool sap shadows... I swear some smart Alec is putting up their middle finger.
Oggled the m'apron at work....
went for a chilly convertible ride....
and played with some chickens. Hey Slip!
Yes, Slip got her name from her slipped wing.
It was a long day, as there was over 120 gallons of sap to go through so we were out there well after dark.
I like the subtle shadow of Stephen as he leans in to smell the nearly "ready for the finisher" syrup boil.
It is such a wonderful smell.
Isn't she a beauty?
It really makes the unpainted boiler look horrible! We need to do something about that!
The new pan makes the most gorgeous sap!
A man uses various tools, including a piece of beveled edging. I'm a fan of the m'apron of course. The foam sifter is pretty neat too.
I didn't realize how nasty it actually looked in there.
Today was such a lovely day. Scout had a lovely day bathing in the sun. And wood chips.
Today was the day the Bellows died. Adios shop vac - you've been good to us.
Luckily I am not a girly girl and really don't care about my cheap hair dryer because it has been re-purposed.
We played with some really cool sap shadows... I swear some smart Alec is putting up their middle finger.
Oggled the m'apron at work....
went for a chilly convertible ride....
and played with some chickens. Hey Slip!
Yes, Slip got her name from her slipped wing.
It was a long day, as there was over 120 gallons of sap to go through so we were out there well after dark.
I like the subtle shadow of Stephen as he leans in to smell the nearly "ready for the finisher" syrup boil.
It is such a wonderful smell.
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Shame on you Hannaford
For taking the fun out of a childhood tradition!
Some things do not need to be simplified and done for us!
Some things do not need to be simplified and done for us!
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Sunday, March 13, 2016
2nd Finish, Sunday 3/13
There was something almost exhilarating about waking up knowing that our next boil would be on stainless steel.
With over 15 gallons of sap to finish, we knew it would be a fairly long day so we got to start and ate breakfast outside.
SP got to use his fancy new wireless thermometer.
I am a huge fan of the copper ladle cup that Shane uses.
Baby had a fantastic idea while drinking his daily cup of sap - why not give a cup of sap to the chickens? SO we did and boy was Slip a happy chicken!
SP got a bit of his goofy side out when he fetched the filters!
Time to gather more sap and prepare the syrup buckets.
The weather had been so warm that all the snow had melted which is a bad thing for the sap. All the snow packing around the storage bins melted as well, so we needed to drive out into the woods and find some.
Creating use of styrafoam award goes to SP! Bravo!
When the gummy bears come out you know that we are getting close. Tradition is what tradition does.
The tools of the trade in use:
And the clean up begins:
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