Sunday, April 28, 2013

Spring: Seedlings, Sap...and Snow?

Spring is late this year. At least when compared with last year when I already had greens coming up in the cold frame.  This year there is still snow on the ground and even coming down the first week in April. I thought we would miss maple syruping this year (what kind of true homesteader would leave the country the last 2 weeks in March?). It was a rare opportunity to travel with a citizen diplomacy singing delegation to Kurdistan in Northern Iraq.  



An extra week in Turkey including 2 days sailing in the Aegean Sea...worth the risk of missing the season!

But mother nature wanted us to have our sap and eat syrup too! She delayed spring, and the sap run, until we returned!

25 taps this year - 23 are maple and 2 birch (first year).  I attended a Birch sap workshop at FonduLac Reservation in March and learned about the medicinal qualities of birch sap.  The same qualities found in Chaga, a mushroom that grows on the birch tree, learned about from my mushroom foraging class last fall!  No wonder the Birch is such a sacred tree for the Anishinaabe people; the gifts it provides are countless. Though I did not like the taste of the syrup that much (more like molasses) I appreciate the health benefits.  My idea is to mix some birch sap into my maple and see how it tastes.  Every year is a new adventure filled with trials - few tribulations.

Our fourth year of maple syruping out here, some say it will be time to give these trees a rest and find some new ones for next season. While the idyllic image of maple syruping includes the old tin buckets with T top tin roof hanging from the spigot, the fiscal reality of these quaint collection devices keeps them in the fantasy category for us.

We have a combination of blue plastic bags purchased from the store (they are quick and easy as well as economical) AND the freebie option is the recycled mayonnaise and frosting buckets from the local grocery deli.

They are FREE but have required a few years of figuring out the best way to hang them.  After trying drip tubes and rope tying them - Sara got the drill out!  The spigot goes right into the hole and last year she figured out to make the hole a wee bit bigger so it could hook right over the spigot lip and hold itself at the same time!

Brilliant!!

In the past it has taken about a week to collect the 30-40 or so gallons required for a boil (animal guard Rubbermaid trash can to the rescue).  As long as I can keep the sap cool enough, it stays fresh for that long.  This is where snow still on the ground comes in handy!

An 8-12 hour day tending the wood fire around the simple outdoor "stove" - followed by some finishing off on the hot plate on the back porch and whaa laa...syrup!  Amber gold that should cost $50.00 a pint considering the labor involved. But priceless knowing how it came to the table.

I LOVE maple syruping!  It typically starts before any seeds can be planted (even under indoor lights) and feels like a jump on the season.  The idea that nature provides such goodness with no effort or design on my part - a generous offering for those who are willing to accept it. While I love gardening, I am becoming more and more interested in foraging and the lack of human intervention it requires.  They both help me to feel more grounded and connected with the earth, but there is something about maple syruping that also evokes the sacred.  Collecting the sap is my daily meditation, each drop an earthly offering, transformed by fire into sweet manna.

End of April report...a record four boils to go along with a record 50 inches of snow for the month (my birthday month by the way!) We pulled the taps the last weekend in April, though they were still dripping!  We have enough sap and syrup for more than the year.

Sara likes to track the phenology of our boils, as it really does afford a window into spring unfolding.  April 6 it was cold but clear - friends Joan and Akiko joined Paula at the boil.  Less than a gallon of the clearest and lightest syrup I have ever produced. April 22, Earth day, with three full garbage cans of sap and still lots of snow on the ground, we used 2 full cans in one boil-adding an extra half as it boiled down-a mistake as 12 hours later it was still far from ready for the final stage!
Sara finally back from her busy month of gigs and travels, we spent a lovely day together in our woods. We added a tarp since more snow was in the forecast. It was a wise move as the heavy wet flakes began to join us around 5:00pm. We called it around midnight - finishing the rest in the house and garage!


April 27 was the perfect day to spend around sap camp. Almost 70 degrees and lots of melting.  Sara wants to call it Silver creek syrup or bird syrup.  The little creek, above ground only in the spring, made us feel like we lived along a river.  And the birds were out is full force - starting with juncos who were strewn along the sidewalk eating up the last of the birdseed used months earlier for some traction in the ice. A beautiful purple headed finch joined the white throated sparrows at the feeder. And the robins are out, reclaiming their nests and copulating for this years' hatch! It is definitely spring in South Range...finally!
Our last boil will need to be this week, as the weather gets warmer and next weekend is busy with Three Altos reunion activities!

Speaking of gardening and bringing Nammah's blog full circle...Nammah's bounty is underway. The 8 weeks prior to planting seedlings (tomatoes, peppers, celery, parsley and onions-April 6) are growing well and the 6 weeks prior (brassica's) joined them under the grow lights in the studio April 26.  Let the season begin!