Making Maple Syrup

In contemplating the present opening prospects in human affairs, I am led to expect that a material part of the general happiness which Heaven seems to have prepared for mankind, will be derived from the manufacture and general use of Maple Sugar. 

Letter to Thomas Jefferson by Benjamin Rush, August 19, 1791

Looks like times haven't changed all that much when it comes to the gift of turning maple sap into maple syrup and maple sugar. It does seem like a sweet gift from Heaven.   Sugaring was one of the goal projects at the hobby farm this year and I am happy to call it a great success! 

I'm sending a huge thank you to our daughters for the Christmas gift of the tools to tap the trees.  I'm looking forward to making pancakes and waffles for you throughout the year with delicious, pure maple syrup right from our own trees. 

Sap collection was very easy.  We checked the jugs a couple of times a day...sometimes they were half full and other days completely overflowing.  It was interesting to watch how the fluctuating temperatures and varied amount of sunshine affected the sap flow.  It was even more interesting to see that one day this tree produced more and then on another day, a different tree produced better. 

We boiled the sap down inside the house on the stove.  I know that is not recommended because of the amount of moisture it puts in the air inside the house.  We really did not encounter any problems with the relatively small amount of sap we collected.  

I say small but, in reality, we collected sixty gallons of sap in two weeks time.  I stopped collecting when I started to see tiny buds on the trees and when the sap flow started to slow down.  That sixty gallons of sap became one gallon of pure, amber colored, delicious, thick maple syrup.  That is about the amount of syrup we use in one year's time.  I am thrilled with the result. 

There was only one boil-over mishap and yes, that was quite a sticky mess but caused me to seek out some education.  Boil-over will occur very quickly when the syrup is getting close to the right consistency.  It can be calmed quite easily just by touching the surface of the liquid with a little pat of butter.  It was amazing to watch the bubbles that were climbing up the side of the deep pot retreat rapidly in the presence of that little bit of fat. The beautiful syrup was placed in sterilized canning jars while it was hot and is now being stored in the freezer to keep it perfect all year long.

Next year, Bob has promised me a sugar shack to do the evaporating in a more traditional way.  I think the addition of wood smoke will make the syrup taste even better! 

In true hobby farm fashion, I'm proud that I have produced all the maple syrup we will use this year right on our land.  The project was easy enough that we all agree to do it again next year....and maybe instead of tapping four trees, we will tap eight....I'll let you know :)  

Peace be with you, 

Star Schipp 

This post may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase using one of those links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.  It is a great way to support your favorite hobby farm blogger.  Thank you!   

The UnIntentional Mud Bath - Getting Stuck in the Mud

The world is mud-luscious and 

puddle-wonderful

e.e. cummings

The snow is disappearing, the temperatures are rising and our barnyard is full of mud...all certain signs that Spring is near!

I'm not really sure why I didn't remember that the path to the barn becomes a mudbog...I was rushing between chores and work and getting the boys to school when the day started on a two hour delay.  I pulled up to the barn to feed the cats who were loudly complaining that breakfast was late.  One foot out of the car and I realized that the muddy days of Spring had sprung. Oh dear, please let me be able to drive out of this mess...please, please, please! 

Of course, I was already stuck...rock forward, no traction, reverse, no traction, turn the wheel, no traction...sigh...

After some time, I was able to pull free from the sucking muck.  My car shows the muddy badges of courage for facing the battle.  Remind me to go to the car wash on payday.  :)  

In case this happens to you, here are some tips to get yourself free:  

Stuck in the Mud? 

• Do Not Panic and do not press harder on the accelerator - spinning your wheels will only make it worse.
• Do push on the accelerator gently - put the car in the lowest gear and see if the tires will get some traction
• Turn the steering wheel so the wheels are straight and rock from reverse to drive but only a few times - you will know very quickly if this will work.  Rocking from reverse to drive can damage your car if overdone.
• Find something to put under the tires for traction. (This is what worked for me today)  Boards, sticks, rocks, an old blanket or (as a last resort) your floor mats.
• Still stuck?  It is time to call for a tow truck...

Welcome to life on the hobby farm! The adventures of rural living can challenge your patience and your creativity but every hard-won victory brings joy.  

Thanks for visiting today, I'm so glad you stopped by. I'm sending you good thoughts for your tires to always gain traction!  

Peace be with you, 

Star Schipp 

This post may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase using one of those links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.  It is a great way to support your favorite hobby farm blogger.  Thank you!   

  

Skills Saturday: Tapping Maple Trees

A sap-run is the sweet good-by of winter.  It is the fruit of the equal marriage of the sun and frost. 

Jim Burroughs, Signs and Seasons, 1886

We are trying a new skill today on Estle Schipp Farm.  We have never tapped our maple trees and it has been on our list of want-to-do's for quite some time.  I'm sending out a huge thank you to our daughters who gave us the tapping supplies for Christmas! 

Real maple syrup is so wonderful and as about a pure a product as you can get.  It is the concentrated sap of a sugar maple tree - that is it - not one other thing added.  What is sold on the grocery shelves as syrup is usually a form of corn syrup with artificial flavoring and coloring plus some additives to preserve the shelf life.  I was well into adulthood before I found out that what I had put on my pancakes all the years before was not real maple syrup. Stop using the fake stuff. Once you make the switch, you will be so glad you did. 

The resource I'm using is the website:  Tap My Trees.  Last fall, we marked the trees we planned to tap.  Update on that, we tacked a small piece of fabric to the trees so we could remember which ones to tap.  We tagged four trees but only found two tags.

Lesson 1:  Mark the trees better 

The next challenge was to figure out when to actually set the taps.  I've been closely watching the weather reports and the daily high and low temperatures.  Generally, the sap flow starts between mid-February to mid-March.  The sap will flow when daytime temperatures rise above freezing and nighttime temps below freezing.  Looking at the forecast for this week seemed promising. So off we went and set four taps.  

Bob drilled into the trees....I was expecting to see the flow begin immediately but it didn't.  The temperature was not above freezing when we tapped in the spiles so I'll be making frequent checks throughout the day as the temperatures rise. 

Lesson 2:  Sap flow depends on weather and it not always consistent.  Some days may have alot and others none.

If you look at all the supplies marketed to the process of maple sugaring, you may get overwhelmed.  I originally thought I needed several buckets, yards of tubing, an evaporator and various other supplies.  I'm glad that I re-thought that (especially on the hobby farm budget).  Use what you have!  Instead of buckets, I'm using 2 liter bottles and milk jugs as sap collectors and I'll use the electric roasting pan I already have to boil down the sap.  Good old canning jars will hold the maple goodness I hope to have by the time the season is over. The spiles/spouts were really the only necessary purchase.  

Lesson 3:  When trying a new skill, only obtain the minimally essential equipment necessary and expand from there if it is a skill you enjoy. 

I'm really excited to add sugaring to our growing list of hobby farm life skills.  I'll keep you posted on the progress!  

Peace be with you, 

Star Schipp 

This post may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase using one of those links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.  It is a great way to support your favorite hobby farm blogger.  Thank you!   

Farmgirl Friday: Time to Conquer My Fear of Making Soap!

Anyone's life truly lived consists of work, sunshine, exercise, soap, plenty of fresh air, and a happy contented spirit. 

~Lillie Langtry

Hello!  Welcome, I'm so glad you stopped by today.  I have a confession to make:  I am afraid to make soap.  

Sounds ridiculous doesn't it?  I drink raw milk; I've killed a chicken; I empty mouse traps;  I've even once punched a bull in the nose for knocking me down - in short, I've done many things that this city girl turned hobby farmer never thought I would do but one thing eludes me...the courage to make soap. I'm talking about real soap - not that melt and pour stuff. 

My sister makes soap and some pretty good soap at that.  I could go ahead and get soap from her since I want to avoid some of the ingredients in commercial soaps but now it has become a personal hurdle that I need to overcome.  Go ahead and look at the label on the bars of soap you have in your cabinet...do you know what all those things are?  

I'm looking at a label right now...petrolatum, polyquaternium-6, pentasodium pentetate, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, pentaerythrityl tetra-di-t-butyl....absolutely frightening when you consider that you are putting these chemicals all over your body day after day. 

I've been on a quest to get our foods in as natural state as possible.  I've done the same with the household cleaners.  The time has come to make soap.  

I've done an inventory of what I am most afraid of and here is the list and the counter statement I am using to overcome my fear: 

• Making soap is hard ~ Is it really any harder than pressure canning foods?  I used to be afraid of that too! 
• Making soap costs a lot ~ Getting the chicken coop up and running cost more than I thought it would, but the fresh eggs are absolutely worth it...and honestly, once I have the equipment to make soap, I can use it over and over. 
• Homemade soap is hard on your skin ~ From what I've been reading, old-time soap was harsh because the ingredients were inconsistent from batch to batch.  I have a better source of ingredients now. 
• Working with lye is dangerous ~ okay - this is probably the real reason I haven't made soap.  Working with lye IS dangerous but, with the right precautions, it can be managed safely. 
• There are a lot of soap recipes on the internet.  I can't figure out which one is best. ~ yep, there are many recipes out there just like there are for baking bread, making vegetable soup or even meatloaf...just pick a basic one and do it! 

Do you have any fears like mine?  Do you want to learn to make soap with me?  I'm making the commitment to do it and I hope you will too.  

Here is the list of equipment I think I need to get started.  I'll spend the week gathering it all together and will make the leap to make my first soap and, yes,  I'll probably call my sister for help ;)

Soap-making Equipment

• Digital Scale (+I have a postal scale)
• one or two food thermometers (+I have a digital one and one for candy)
• Stick blender (+I have one)
• gloves (-I need these)
• goggles (-I need these)
• stainless steel soup pot (+I have one)
• stainless steel 2 quart saucepan (+I have one)
• large roasting pan - 2 quart pan needs to fit in it with room to be surrounded by ice (+I have one)
• large glass bowl or 2L pitcher (+I have one)
• glass, quart size bowls or cups for weighing lye and fats (+I have some)
• two long handled slotted spoons-steel or stainless steel (-I need these - all my stirring spoons are wooden)
• molds - can be milk cartons (+I'm sure I can find something around here for this)
• pH strips (-I need these)

I am really looking forward to adding Soap-maker to my list of hobby farm skills and happy that I can share the journey with you. Plus I want to earn that Intermediate level Going Green merit badge.  I'll keep you posted on my progress.  

Tomorrow is Skills Saturday and I will teach you how to make buttermilk.  I hope to see you then!  

Peace be with you, 

Star Schipp 

This post may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase using one of those links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.  It is a great way to support your favorite hobby farm blogger.  Thank you!