Finishing the Syrup

Our first batch! 6 sealed jars, and a "dregs"jar for us to use now. It was the last of the syrup and i squeezed the filter to get every bit possible.

 Finishing the syrup involves boiling down that last little bit to get the sugar concentration just right.  Doing this over a variable wood fire is hard, so generally, the finishingnis done over a controlled heat, lkke your kitchen stove, or a propane cooker outside.  I am doing small batches in the kitchen, as it is snowing again today and cold.

Getting the boil going.

Jars And lids. I will sterilize these while the syrup boils.

My filter.  This is a clean 100%cotton, lint free flour sack towel.  

Almost there.  The syrup has to reach 220 degrees.

Things happen fast at this point, and close supervision is necessary.

Finished syrup in the filter.

After the syrup finally reaches temperature, it nedds to be filtered.  There are minerals called "sugar sand" that occur naturally, and for a nice clear syrup, you want to filter these out.  There are special syrup filters that cost about $22.  they are thick, either wool or orlon, and with our small batches,nit seemed like I would lose alot of syrup innthe filter. So, I used a good, 100% cotton flour sack towel.  It seems to do just fine. The syrup is crystal clear.
So thats the first fruits of labor.  It is pretty darn cool to harvest this great natural resource from our property. I am hoping to 

finish off the rest of what I boiled yesterday. Two or three more batches this size.

Boiling Sap!

Today was the first of (probably) several sessions of boiling down all the sap I am collecting from our maple trees.  This is a long process, but it was a picture perfect day today and I didn't mind being out there.
 I gathered all the supplies (a chair, a cup of coffee, a book, my tablet)... Oh, and of course, got the evaporator, plenty of firedwood, and the sap.

A beautiful day to boil sap!

This is looking inside the 55 gallon drum where the sap has been stored. In our recent below zero temperatures, it froze. I had to chip away a hole in the center to get at the unfrozen part.  This freezing actually helps concentrate the sap a bit more,  because the ice is really just plain water, and what's unfrozen has a slightly higher sugar content. It makes for a bit less boiling. I estimated there is 50-60 pounds of ice in this barrel.  It felt more like 150 when I tried to move it.

Get a good roaring fire going.

The process is pretty straightforward, at least for the first 8 hours.  Pour the raw sap into the shallow trays on top of the burner, and boil away. Keep adding more sap as it slowly evaporates and the levels in the pan drop..  Don't let it get too low, and if it starts to foam or boil over, a tiny drop of olive oil or butter will prevent that from happening. Keep the fire as hot as you can.  Any kind of wood can be used. Scrap lumber, whatever. Pine is good because it burns hot and fast. We had lots of scrap pine.

What you are doing is taking a solution with  about 2-3% sugar, and boiling away the excess water, to concentrate it down to a 67% sugar solution.  So we are talking LOTS of evaporation that has to happen.

As the sap cooks, it changes from a clear, water-like liquid, into an increasingly amber colored and thicker

one.  After awhile, you can begin to smell that maple sugar aroma. Mmmmmmm.

Although I brought out a book, my tablet, a cup of coffee and a chair with me, I don't think I sat down for more than 10 minutes all day, and only got one page of my book read.  There was just stuff that needed doing.  I split the pine boards we were burning, so they would burn better. I had to shovel off the snow on the roof of the shed because it was melting and dripping right into the sap pan!  I had to go make the rounds twice to gather more sap from the buckets (its like job security, those trees just keep pumping out the sap!) I set up my small Rocket Stove to pre-warm the sap so that it didn't slow the boil down so much when I had to add extra to the pans.

And then there was lunch, and the neighbors came by, and , well, before you know it, the day has gone by and we are still boiling. I say "we" - it was just me out there,  but I guess I count the dogs and chickens. Steve was at a 20 mile road race today, or I'm sure he would have been here helping. I was supposed to go, but hey, sap doesn't wait! This had to happen today.

I don't know why this picture insists on being sideways. I am just showing that it's now late afternoon and the moon has come out. 

The last rays of daylight silhouette my best-producing maple tree.

It's late enough that the Chickens have gone to roost.  Their main roost is an old orchard ladder .  The boss hen gets to have the highest spot. See her? Doesn't she look bossy?

A shaft of late-day sunlight seems to focus right on the evaporator and the cloud of steam rising.

As things get closer to being done, I have to monitor the temperature closely.  I want to take the "almost syrup" off the stove here when it reaches 217 F.   The actual goal is 219-220, but that can happen really fast, and it's easy to burn the syrup, so that last bit of boiling will be done over a controlled heat.

Boiling Sap- Its Not Hard, Just Requires Patience

It's Dark and I'm Still Out Here

Rain, Snow, Fog, and Mud

Clean crate. It lasted about, oh, 43 seconds....

It rained all night last night.  We lost power for several hours, but it was back on when we woke up this morning.  The rain changed to snow after dawn, and continued lightly for about an hour.  Now the temperatures are rising (high 30's) and the warm air hitting the snow on the ground creates what we call "snow fog" - a low mist that settles over the ground everywhere.  Sometimes rather eeire, sometimes quite lovely.
Everywhere the snow is melting, and bare patches are beginning to pop up here and there, mostly around the edges of the snowbanks.  And, anywhere there is bare dirt, it is MUD.  Here in New Hampshire, we have a whole season devoted to mud.  It's a short season, perched somewhere between the snow melt of late winter and the real beginning of spring.  We plan around it.  We say things like, "Once  mud season is over, we can get the tractor out."
or, "When mud season hits, I know it is time to plant the lettuce in the cold frames."
Things that DONT happen in mud season:
clean cars
clean floors
clean dogs
clean dry work boots.

Mud season is the enemy of any animal enclosure.  It is not good for ANY critter to have to stand around in mud.  So the homesteader has to provide some dry mulch to keep animals out of the mud as much as possible.  Its an every day chore.  A single milk cow might need 50 pounds of hay or straw every day laid down in her pen.  Since we are  are only dealing with chickens right now, my quantities are not that drastic, but I still have to fork out and spread some straw in their run.  The last two days I have not let them out  because I am away working and cant' keep an eye on them.  Plus, it has been raining and they are not always smart enough to get out of the weather.  I just try to keep as dry a layer on top as possible so they are not constantly walking around with wet feet. I wouldn't like that either if I were them.

But, don't get me wrong. We welcome mud season, as it is the signal that long awaited spring is finally coming.  All of a sudden, on a sunny day in late March, you just might walk outside and smell EARTH... that wonderful, composty, sweet, pungent smell of beautiful beautiful dirt and all the life within it.  After a long winter, THAT is something to cherish.

I have been working all week, filling in for a friend at a gallery, while she is off  gallivanting in France or some such place.  So, not much work has gotten done around here.  But i did do a much-needed cleaning of the chicks cage today.  I moved a few things around, removed one of the heating units, as they don't need it so much and it takes up space their growing selves can use now.  It's been about 15 minutes and they have already made a total mess of the clean cage.
The clean litter seems to awaken their scratching and pecking instincts, and they toss pine shavings everywhere in their frantic search for something under the litter.
Even more, the clean soft litter brings out their desire to have a bath. Chickens bath with dirt. This is an important part of keeping them healthy, actually, as it is how they rid themselves of excess skin oils,  feather mites and other parasites.  If you have ever seen a chicken taking a dust bath, it is pretty funny, and they look about as content as you could ever hope to see.

No, they're not dead, they are enjoying a nice dust bath.

(photo from http://thepoultryguide.com/dust-bath-for-chickens/)

The chicks do this too. Only, with 26 of your brothers and sisters all  crowding in and stepping on you as you try to bathe, well, it's not quite as easy as you might think.
So, today's chick flick is watching some of the dust bathing activity.
Day 17 Hey, I Am Trying to Take a Bath Here.....

Garden Notes

Sometimes March can be sort of a limbo month for the garden. We are having a late spring, with below average temperatures.  But any day now, the weather could suddenly turn to spring, so things have to be ready.  Our garden here  is in no way ready.. so all this preparation sometimes feels like a gamble.  Still, seeing the seedlings poking up through the soil, even if it is the inside grow shelves, is good winter therapy.



Here is a link for a free online gardening summit... about 30 experts in the field of sustainable, organic, homegrown food production will present videos on every conceivable aspect of growing your own groceries.  Things like:how much land do you need? What are the best chicken breeds? What are some ways to collect rainwater?  raising small livestock, growing herbs for natural cures, eating for health, anf many more.
its all free, and i think it is going to be a wealth of information.
http://homegrownfoodsummit.com/


And here is Day 16 of the Chick Flicks...there wasnt a day 15.
The chicks are beginning to look like small chickens, instead of cute fluffy babies. They are also outgrowing the crate very quickly and I am scrambling to find a larger, safe space for them.  They may take a short visit to the outside soon.
notice innthe video, towards the end, the little rooster chick with NO TAIL while all the little girls have very obvious tail feathers.

Sun and Sap

 Finally, we had a day with temperatures above freezing.  Even though the day started at 5 degrees, the sun came out and warmed things up. It was delightful.

 the new sap buckets.  These traditional buckets are courtesy of a kind neighbor who had extra. And they do look nice.  Thanks to the warmer temps, I gathered about 9 gallons of sap today.

 Meanwhile, the cold frames are warming up, and i even saw a couple of sprouts beginning to poke their heads out of the dirt.

65 degrees inside, 20 degrees outside!

No chick flick today. We will be back tomorrow!

Frigid!

We are back to single digits at night and only low 20's in the daytime.  It has really felt cold because these temps have been accompanied by wind.  Brrrrr...
So, there has been no sap flow for about the last 5 days.  And believe it or not, the 40-something gallons of sap in my collection barrel have frozen solid. I actually had planned to do a boil today since I have collected enough to make about a gallon of sap.  But, I guess I will have to wait till it thaws.  It's not BAD that it froze. This keeps it fresh. But it DOES inconvenience me, and forces me to wait till most of it is thawed out.
The native Americans actually used the freezing technique to concentrate the sap.  If you freeze it, then allow about 2/3 of it to thaw out, what ice is left is almost all just plain water. The thawed portion is now a slightly stronger sugar solution.  You can do this freeze-thaw several times and get a more concentrated sap to start the boil, but the taste and texture of maple syrup requires heat application in the end.

I had some computer issues so there is not a post from yesterday. so here are two days of Chick Flicks.

Day 13  Feathers!

Day 14 Chicks vs. Mealworms

Welcome Spring! What's up with this snow?

More  Snow! Springtime in New Hampshire!

Marley dog on trail today

So, first day of spring, and we woke to snow. Just a few inches fell. And at one point,the sun even came out.  We decided to go for a long winter hike, and brought the dogs with  us.  It was nice.  Rough going in some places through the still-deep snow, but still mostly quite enjoyable. We saw many signs of moose,but never caught a glimpse of one.
Back home and back to chores.  We were surprised by a neighbor bringing over some REAL sap buckets... you know, the metal kind that look so nice.  That was really nice because  my plastic ones are a little sad.
I am going to go out and exchange them very soon.

Meanwhile.....
My growing shelves in the house have reached capacity.  so now what?
Maybe this is a sign that I need to wait to plant more seedlings.
Surely not. I bet i can find more window space!

Right now, the hardy greens are seeded in flats in the cold frames.  That is spinach, kale, chard,  parsley, and two different kinds of lettuce, and several varieties of cabbage.  .Holding my breath to see when they will sprout.  Its been 11 -15 degrees at night. If these were already up and growing, I would be concerned. But seeds naturally go through some freeze/thaw cycles if left out over winter, so I think they will be ok.

Inside, there are a couple hundred onion seedlings,  and flats of tomatoes, peppers, celery,  broccoli, and cauliflower. Everything is up except the peppers.  They are being slow.

If the cold frames had been prepared before winter, I would be planting carrots in them. I will have to miss this first early planting and hope I can make up for it with late crops in the fall.

Broccoli and Tomatoes . In the very front are the tiny celery seedlings popping through.

a few of the 200 onions.  

Ahhh... it is nice just seeing these plant babies pop up through the soil... Garden therapy!

The chicks were crazy wild today. I think they would like to get out of that crate.  Maybe I can fix up some larger "playpen" area.   Oh, the floor would suffer!  So here is Day 12 video.  I call it "Chick Rush"... what happens when you put a treat inside a cage with a couple dozen baby chicks!  The greedy little buggers!