Looking Ahead....

As we sit here looking out at snow covered back yards and snow covered mountains my thoughts go to spring. Spring,... out in the woods the trillium will be blooming again! I am thinking about my 40' long flower box along the side of my house and the hardy flowers that grow there year after year. I think of what choices I will make for annuals to add bright spots of color. I think of the smell of the soil, the breeze in the pine trees and I can almost hear the birds singing!

What prompted me to think about spring? Jenny Matlock! Jenny's blog post today is about gardening and where she purchases much of her seeds and gardening supplies. To get us all in the mood she's hosting a "give-away"... the prize is a $50 gift certificate to The Tasteful Garden.

So visit both The Tasteful Garden and Jenny Matlock. You won't be disappointed. Thanks Jenny for visiting my blog. I followed the trail back to your blog and am now a follower, -- Just in time to join you as we both look ahead to spring!

Gaywings...

The ground in front of my deck is awash with purple. It took me a while to identify these delicate little wildflowers. They are Gaywings.


To give an idea of how small they are notice the pine cone in the lower right of the next photo.

I noticed them a few years ago and they seem to have spread farther and farther in every direction. I don't know how common they are, but I've spent a long lifetime walking in the woods and had never seen them until in the spring here the last few years. I really enjoy these delicate little flowers!

A Closer Look?...

While experimenting with my camera trying to get some closeup shots I took the following photo. Yes, it's our common "weed" the Dandelion! When you look at it closely it is beautiful! Perhaps we should look more closely at other things around us!

Here is the fresh growth on an evergreen tree at the edge of my lawn...

And the closeup view...

The white Trillium is blooming at the end of my driveway.

And again,... a closer look!

It's been raining for a couple of days now, I wonder what will be blooming when the sun comes out? I will be looking more closely!

Sweet Violets!...

In 1951 Dinah Shore recorded the song "Sweet Violets." Sweet violets are growing in abundance all around my home and along my driveway! I have had fun experimenting with my camera the past few days...

Play Ball!...

High school softball season is here. My granddaughter plays three sports each year, soccer, basketball and softball. So as you can guess, I'm watching as many games as I can! As she's just finishing ninth grade I am looking forward to three more years of games. This is their first home game. She got two hits. The first hit was a long one and unfortunately was caught by the center fielder. The second hit got her on base. However the inning finished before she could get to home plate.
Here she is in right field shouting encouragement to her friend who is pitching...

Our field is in a nice setting behind the school,... tall pines flank two sides...

The girls fought hard but lost...

OK,... maybe we'll win next week, right? I know I'll be there to cheer them on!

It's Finally Here!...

After much anticipation I do believe that SPRING has come to the hill!

Trees are budding...


My driveway is completely dry...

Green shoots are enjoying the sun ...

The pine trees are getting ready to produce that dreaded yellow pollen. I know, I know... it's nature's way!

And I've spent two days raking...!

Today I start on an even bigger task,...washing my house! Stay tuned!

Really?....

The sun is shining, it's 81°, all the flowers are blooming, the lawn needs mowing...
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
April Fool!.......actually it looks like this.... (she said giggling!)

Steam's Up!... (Part 2)

This is a different view of the sugarhouse, you can see the huge tank on the wagon behind the tractor. Sap is transferred from holding tanks in the woods at the end of the pipelines and then pumped into the large covered tank from where it runs into the boiling pans. As I said yesterday, all systems and tanks are cleaned and sterilized prior to use.

This thermometer is attached to final pan of boiling syrup. You can see the needle is right at the exact mark for "syrup." My son waits until it's one degree higher to begin the draw off. The reason is that it will cool in the drawing off process and usually end up one degree below the syrup mark, making the average temperature right on the correct reading.

The syrup is drawn off by a faucet at the bottom of the final pan. Usually two large stainless steel pails full for one "run" of syrup. The pails of syrup are then lifted and poured through a filter.

A spigot with a lever is at the bottom of the filter chamber and it goes directly into new jugs and is sealed.

That is the story of "Pure" Adirondack maple syrup. Other areas in the northeast are famous for maple products, especially Vermont. Maine, Massechusetts and New Hampshire also produce syrup as well as New York. Canada produces much of what you find in your grocery stores. There is little difference, just the polical boundaries of the states and provinces! Some "old timers" say they can taste the difference from maples that are on either north or south facing slopes. All of that is too little a difference for me to worry about!

Pancakes and sausage any one? They are hot off the griddle and the syrup is ready!

I will be holding a drawing on Saturday, March 28th, of all the names that have commented on the two "Steam's Up!" posts and the winner will receive .... A quart of Pure Adirondack Maple Syrup!

Steam's Up!...

Springtime in the northeast brings maple sugaring time. Here in the Adirondacks there are several maple sugar "works"... Stands of maple trees which are tapped for the sap. Sap is either collected in buckets on the side of the trees or runs directly through vinyl pipeline from tree to tree, ending up in a holding tank. All parts of the system are sanitized prior to production. The sap is then boiled down to make maple syrup. This is our family's sugarhouse. It has been in use for many generations.


You can see that that our family has held to the traditional ways, no fancy building here! It is treasured as it is, and I'll show you why.



On the interior wall you see initials of my son's great-grandfather,... dated 1918! There are other notations on the walls that are farther ago than that, but those did not photograph well.



This is looking up from the boiling pans to the opening above where the steam rolls skyward.

My son is adding wood to the fire beneath the boiling pans. Some modern operations have oil-fired boilers, all encased in stainless steel and in well finished rooms. For us, the old way, while perhaps a lot more work, is interesting. We have had school classes visit to watch this traditional process.
The back half of the sugar house is where the wood is piled. By the end of the boiling season most of this will be gone. Used to feed the fire that boiled the sap. In the photo below you see the steam rising from the pans of boiling sap. Strainers rest across the pan's upright walls, waiting to skim any froth from the top of the sap.

The sap enters in one end of the system of connected pans, and as it thickens toward syrup consistency it moves forward to the final pan where it is drawn off. Here my daughter-in-law brings more sap gathered from buckets on the trees. My grandsons watch. The sap is a clear liquid almost like water, but with a sweet taste.

According to studies, it takes four trees at least 40 years old to yield enough sap over six weeks to produce one gallon of maple syrup. It takes 40 gallons of sap to boil down to one gallon of syrup. I will have more photos and show how the syrup is tested for correct consistency, then strained into the plastic jugs, and also news of a "give-away!" Tune in tomorrow,...

The Wadhams Falls,...

The ice on the waterfall in a nearby community has finally fallen away. This photo was taken Sunday. On the right side of the falls you can see a large chunk of ice that fell forward onto the rock ledges. I know these photos will be of special interest to a fellow blogger who loves waterfalls, Betsy from Tennessee.

This is a natural waterfall. However, many years ago it was enhanced by a dam at the top of the falls to support the local power plant. A large tubing ran from the dam at the top of the falls to the electric generating plant below the bridge that spans the river.

The plant looks deserted now. However it is not! It is still producing electricity and the current owner keeps it in good operating condition. I'll do some research on that for another post.

Enjoy the waterfall Betsy!

Sunday at Home,...

Ahhhh..... Sunday afternoon at home, sunny, warm, birds singing, a preview of spring,... some serious deck time,.... a good day!

How to Tell It's Almost Spring...

First the snow starts to melt,... circles open up around the base of the trees...

"Middy" begins to enjoy sitting out on the deck in the sunshine...

The birds start singing their springtime season songs,...

The sun is now going down a lot farther to the right of the mountain. In December it goes down on the left shoulder of the mountain in the foreground!

And my family gathers around to help blow out my one candle on the chocolate cake with maple sugar frosting!

After my birthday I know that spring is right around the corner!