Ratta Tap Tap

This past weekend, was tapping weekend! We decided that the weather conditions were just right for tapping our "maple tree". We've never tapped before, but I've been looking online to learn how to do it and when to do it. Apparently, it should be cold (preferably below freezing) outside at night and warm up above freezing during the day. The process of freezing and melting helps build up the flow of sap - when the tree is tapped, the sap flows easier. We weren't sure if we were going to be able to tap this year, because the "start up kit" is a little spending and we weren't in a position to purchase anything "extra". However, I put it out there on Facebook that we were looking for some spiles - I assumed that no one of my generation would have spiles - but asked if maybe a parent or grandparent would have spiles that they wouldn't need for this year's tap. My cousin and his wife sent me a box of 25 spiles!! 25!!!!! What an amazing gift!!!! I'm so thankful. We had some water jugs and a stainless bucket to collect the sap and off we go!

A pile of spiles

A single spile - isn't it awesome!?

Tapping Supplies :: Cordless drill, hammer, a handful of spiles, a drill bit - large enough to tap the tree the size of the spile, bucket/water jug sap catchers, and a blade.

Hey, that's me tapping a tree for the first time.

Tapping in the spile (tap).

Drip, drip, drip ... sweet water sap dripping into the bucket.

Collecting sap.

By the time we were done adding the three taps to the tree, we had collected this much sap!

The next morning - we checked the buckets...look how much sap!

Straining out the bark bits.

Not too many particles of bark etc.

More sap!

More sap!

So delicious!

Carrying the bucket of sap into the house.

Mark and Shelby - Maple Tree Tappers

Drake, sneaking a finger full.

What do you think Drake?

It's delicious and sweet!

Boiling down the sap.

Tracking the evaporation.

Our goal is to fill this jar, think we can do it?

Evaporating more! Quicker than we thought!

Going very quickly!

Starting to turn color.

Getting thicker and darker.

The first batch nearly filled the jar - but as we were boiling this down, there was more collecting in the buckets outside and we were able to fill the jar to the top.

This was a great experience, in just a (less than) 24 hour period, we were able to gather enough sap to fill a jar of syrup. The jar was more than enough for us to have a pancake breakfast. Kait brought home pancakes from her job at Hueston Woods - they had an "All You Can Eat Pancake Breakfast" in celebration of their Maple Syrup Festival. Since Kait is a server there - she was able to bring home the leftover pancakes! NICE - free pancakes, free syrup (with just a little roll up your sleeves) and it was a delicious dinner. EXCEPT :: that I don't think it was MAPLE syrup ha ha ha. Maybe I got my tree identification wrong. We looked at the tree last fall, after all the leaves were gone, but thought that (from the bark and buds) that it was a maple, but the taste is definitely different from maple...maybe it is sweet gum? I don't know, we'll have to figure out, once there are leaves on (in just a month or so). The good news is that although it is not as sweet as maple, it is still delicious syrup - more of a nutty flavor...and we have enough taps to tap several trees next year, but we were able to sample the process with a smaller amount (easier to handle) - I'm hoping to get with a few of our neighbors and tap their trees in trade for some syrup. I think this is something we'll be doing for years to come and improving on the process each time.

Spinning, Spiles and Kindness

With all the excitement about Mabel and Frankie's babies, I forgot to show my first finished piece of spun-by-me yarn! I've already decided what the first two pieces will be once I get to using our own animals' fiber - the first will be some time of art piece to show off our first animals on the farm - I'll hang it in the house and admire it forever. The second piece will be something for someone very special in my life. He's the one that helped me make my dream of owning a farm come true. That being said, I decided to make myself a little something with the purchased roving that I spun. So...I decided I needed a new hat! That's the original intention of that purple roving was a hat for me - the gray and lighter purple were roving I bought at JoAnns, just to play around with. I'm happy with what I created though. It's fascinating to me to watch something turn from a blob of fiber to yarn to a crocheted wearable piece. Love it!

This is just as I had completed it - one day, hopefully, I'll be wearing a homespun, hand knit sweater to match.

Here's another picture - after someone (Mark) was being so so wonderfully helpful - after Frankie pooed on my hat (I was helping her nurse and she decided to poo on my hat, after I laid in on the ground - my fault) - he decided to wash...and dry my hat. What happens to wool when it is dried in a dryer? Felt. The hat shrunk a bit - but I got it stretched back out and it looks super cute. 

In the second picture, you'll notice that I'm in a classroom. I asked Mark if he'd like me to bring little Sweet Pea into his class for a little show and tell. Since we can't just say "here's a goat, come pet it" - where's the learning in that? We also brought in the spinning wheel, fiber and carders etc. The kids were so excited to touch everything...they are 1st graders...so there were lots of questions, lots of comments...lots of AWWWWWwwwwwwWWWWWs when I got Sweet Pea of the her travel pen. LOL I love it! At the end of the day, I held her as we walked to the bus lines for bus duty and got stopped a million times on the way - Mark and I were quite popular yesterday. I sometimes wish I could just do stuff like that all day...teach children about animals and farms and everything that I've learned over the past few years. I would want to be an everyday teacher - more like a traveling teacher that just teaches about special themes and helps support the main teachers. Maybe I'll win the lottery and be able to do something like that....one day. Sweet Pea behaved perfectly - so snuggly and cute, letting everyone pet her and love on her...but it was obvious when she was ready to go home and go back to her mama. It was really cute - as soon as Frankie heard me get out of the car, she baaad really loud and Sweet Pea heard her and responded with a loud baaaaaaaaaaa - and back and forth they went until I got Sweet Pea back in the pen. Immediately Sweet Pea went to nurse and Frankie wanted to clean the smell of all those yucky humans off their baby. Oh! I also wanted to share something else...the amazing kindness of some of the people in my life. About two weeks ago, on Facebook, I put it out in the universe that we were looking for spiles (the taps that go into trees for Maple Syruping) - we were thinking of buying a kit, but they are over $100 and we just didn't have the funds. I was looking for a place around here that we could buy just a couple spiles and couldn't find anything in this area. So thinking that maybe someone knows a guy who knows a guy, I thought I'd just put it out and see what came back. This past Wednesday, I received a box from UPS - it was clinking...hmmm what is this strange sound?? I opened it up and realized that my awesome cousin, James (I call him Jimmy, because I've known him since birth) and his beautiful wife, Kim, had sent me 25 spiles! 25!!!! Man, how cool is that!??!?!!??!?! Looks like I've got some tapping to do. Another awesome thing - my friend Alysia sent me the cutest little heart shaped planter that has hens and chickens plants in it. I absolutely love it. I wish I had more money and time to show the people around me how much I love them and that I'm always thinking about them and I appreciate them. I guess that's why I make them macaroni and cheese?!?!?!?! LOL