Sap season

This time 0f year is not winter and not spring. It is maple syrup season. The sap is flowing and that means cleaning the evaporator, installing the flew pipe on the stove in the sugar shack and tapping trees. When daytime temps reach above freezing and night time temps dip below freezing, sap is flowing. Sap is collected from sugar maples but can be collected from red, siver and other maples and other tree species but we like maple. For every 40 gallons of sap collected you can get 1 gallon of syrup, depending on the sugar content in the sap. Sap collection occurs every morning and late afternoon. When enough sap is collected to fill the evaporator the boiling begins. As the sap approaches the syrup stage it is drawn off and finished inside. The smell of evaporating syrup is like no other, sweet and mapley. Gods goodness in a tree.

Compost is gold

Compost is one of the best ways to add nutrients to your garden. Above I have provided a list of good things to add to your compost. Remember to layer each ingredient in small amounts to get the best results. We plan on using a no dig method this year in our garden beds to reduce weed seeds. You can add compost in the fall or add it in the spring when setting out plants. You can layer it on top of the bed or row, or incorporate it in the top 2 inches of soil. The idea is not to disturb the sub-soil, because this will encourage weeds. There are many videos and chapters written on techniques, so I wont repeat them here. Stay tuned for pictures and progress updates as planting season draws near. Spring is just around the corner.

Knitting and spinning and weaving, oh my!

During the cold month of January I am usually doing one of these three. Weaving seems to take up most of my crafting time as of late. I did get out some roving and am spinning that on my Louet. Here are some of the hand painted spindles I have created. I like to paint familar things here on the farm.