Day Two - Maple Syrup Adventures

Day two of our maple syrup adventure begins by wading through the forest leaves to check the buckets to see how well the trees are performing. Okay so I'm not really wading - Matthew's camera skills have combined with an optical illusion to create this effect!

The sap is collecting nicely.

Look at it shimmer.

Drip, drip, drip, drip, reminds me how much water is wasted when you have a leaky faucet!

In our case the dripping sound is liquid gold.

Deb's invention for filtering the sap before we start boiling. Yet another use for the common clothespin.

The setup for cooking the sap. Looking at our fire pit gives me much satisfaction as Matt and I spent a fair bit of time last summer removing the old ugly cinder blocks that had been there and replaced them with nice field stones we collected throughout the summer when driving in and out of the cottage road. The benches are slabs of Canadian Shield granite carried down from the top of our hill at much risk to my ankles and back! The wood benches came from old barnwood boards we found along the river during various outings in the canoe.

Oh and of course we need lots of wood! That old wheelbarrow we got last summer from Bob down on the county dump road by way of a referral from the local garden centre is coming in pretty handy!

Okay now for 7 hours of boiling and adding sap and wood and boiling and boiling... did I mention the choking smoke on the wind that seems to always shift in YOUR direction every time you sit down and get comfortable.

We proudly display our product - 2 x 250 ml containers of Syrup - well one container of almost syrup (very sweet maple water) and one of actual syrup. The finishing stage is very critical and being newbies we wanted to ensure we didn't burn it all so we bottled our first bottle just before the syrup formed in the pot - after 7 hours of boiling it really came down to about 15 very critical minutes where the risk of scorching is imminent.

This was definitely the most expensive HALF LITRE of maple syrup we ever tasted..... and oh so very sweet - It likely can be branded organic!

Another early spring chore - this time made much easier with the help of our new (almost antique) gas tiller that I bought at a local garage sale last summer for less than the price of a good case of 24! After sitting in the bunkie all winter - a couple of pulls and we were off and running, with me trying to hold onto it. Wow we just doubled the size of the garden this year!

Another new addition to our magic forest is our first bird feeder. We put it in the tree out front of the cottage last time we were up and were very glad to see all the seed had been eaten.

I'm not sure why it has taken us so long to get going with birding, it is very satisfying to see these visitors up close - so far only nuthatches have come calling. We will have to build more

and try adding several types of seed and suet to attract a more diverse crowd.

Maple Syrup Adventures

Deb read an article in the newspaper recently about making maple syrup from the urban forest in Toronto. Inspired to try this in our own magic forest, we picked up supplies on our way up north for March break.

Identifying the appropriate tree was simple as most of the snow was gone and the dead leaves from last fall still surround each tree. We started with two buckets and will see how much sap we collect over a few days. As luck would have it the 15 degree high today happened to make it the perfect day for sap. Cool nights and warm days make for ideal conditions.

From what I've heard and read the process of filtering and cooking the sap is not as simple. The ratio is 40:1 so it will take 40 litres of sap to make one litre of syrup, I think an admirable goal would be to make enough for breakfast! If that proves successful we could with a bit more equipment ramp up production and we should then be able to produce a nice batch in years to come. We certainly have enough trees.

Stay tuned.....

As luck would have it seems MANY of our trees are Sugar Maple - or very similar as the photo above demonstrates.

Some of the gear we bought on our way up to the cottage at the Home Hardware in Lindsay. It must be a poplar past time in these parts as almost sold out of supplies.

Deb really seems to be loving this - or maybe this is just another sappy picture!

Where old world meets new! As with many new experiences these days it all starts with the internet and a quick Google search. This article outlines the steps and equipment necessary to tap trees and make the Maple Syrup. The cordless drill proved a fair bit easier than days past when a hand drill was the tool of choice for the job.

Getting everything together on this fine 15 degree March day!

Drilling ever so slightly upward into our selected tree. The sap started running before the drill was even out!

First drop from the spigot.

Matthew attaches the pail.

It works the sap is running.

Deb and bucket - evidently very excited about the prospect of pancakes with homemade syrup!

Our first sap bucket hung and already slowly filling.

Matthew takes a portrait of us with our first sap bucket!

Matt setting the second tap into tree.

CHRISTMAS - NEW YEARS 2010

We are now back home after a wonderful winter week at the cottage.

Much to my content this year there were no frozen or burst pipes once the cottage defrosted. After a few hours with the woodstove blazing away we were very cozy indeed. It is surprising just how much firewood we used up in a week - but then as our only source of heat the fire was never allowed to die out 24/7 for the duration.

Our time was spent enjoying the wonders of the season - snow shoeing, x country skiing, hiking, tobogganing and of course shoveling!

We have established a holiday ritual of visiting with the neighbors to provide a bit of holiday cheer via chocolates and with a dozen people to see this usually takes us a few days to accomplish. It is a great way to connect with the other cottagers and locals.

We had Matthews' friend Luca and his father James up for a night and we enjoyed sharing the winter spirit with them.

Last year Matthew attempted cross country skiing for a few minutes before bailing on the concept as he couldn't seem to get his legs! This year he spent a good chunk of each day skiing around the property on the trail he made with Nicholas his neighborhood friend and also tackled the most demanding hills on the road and driveways in the hood!

Waking early on several frosty mornings, I overcame the intense desire to crawl back under the covers and instead respected the creative spirit I am trying to cultivate and nurture when at the cottage. Being surrounded by nature calls to me and I intend to seek out the light and beauty and capture it through my lens. Going out early on several mornings I was able to shoot a variety of winter scenes in the beautiful morning light. New Years morning in particular the snow lay fresh and heavy on all the trees and provided a truly magical winter wonderland, hopefully an omen for the year ahead!

We thought we would settle in for a quiet new years eve at the cottage when the phone rang and Dave (our cottage road maven) informed us that a neighbor Pete had cleared his pond and the "traditional" cottagers new years eve shinny game was scheduled! We couldn't of dreamt of a finer more "Canadian" way to spend the evening! We headed down with our skates to find a mild evening with light snow falling. The pond was lit by two spotlights on ladders at either side, Pete brought down his new snowblower AKA "Zambonie" and cleared the ice as we laced up on a freshly installed bench at the ponds edge. Deb brought some wine and chocolate to provide additional holiday cheer to those sitting around watching the game. Matthew played with a vigor rarely exhibited at his team games in the city. Maybe it was the magical setting, maybe the spirit of the company - he skated his little heart out and we all really enjoyed a wonderful new years eve of camaraderie in our small corner of the the world. A new years eve that will not be forgotten anytime soon.

Photos of the summer

Here is a link to photo albums from our 2009 summer and others

http://www.picasaweb.google.ca/phil.pellat

TreeHouse Visit

View of the forest and Canopy 30-40 feet above the treehouse.

As I spent a good chunk of my days over the past week building a
treehouse, it was a celebration of sorts tonight with Matthew and I
sitting up there during dusk until after dark listening for animals
from this new forest platform. It is rare to actually get Matthew to
sit still (with no TV in front of him) so this was a great event! We
heard lots of animals scurrying about but didn't see any. I think
getting up there a bit earlier in the evening might be good and
perhaps towards the Fall we can bait the area with a few bales of
straw and bags of apples to attract the Deer and Bears.

August is Here

Well after a brief two day visit home, one of which I spent in bed
feeling like a Mac truck had run over me, we returned to the cottage
with Deb's parents!

I must admit a week with the in-laws is always challenging - but we
did manage to keep pretty civilized and have a good time. We took them canoeing, hiking and did a bit of touring around the area.
Not bad considering they are both in their eighties!

The projects continue.
Today we got the firewood rack completed and made some progress with the tree house, or as I like to think of it "the animal viewing platform" as that seems to make it a more permanent part of Our Magic Forest. One would think that a few boards nailed together as they used to do in the old days would suffice. But as I start researching online into methods of construction and various considerations regarding tree health and flexibility issues of using two trees things get increasingly complex. It will be a great platform to view the creek area behind the bunkie once it is completed.

I also had a delivery of materials so I can finish the bunkie - this
may not however happen this summer.

We topped our day off with a nice bike ride up the road!

So it seems the summer is running quickly by - I need to get through a
few more To-Do items, but also accept that a few simply won't happen this summer.
Also important is the time I promised myself to relax and spend listening, watching, photographing and relaxing.

Wildlife Sightings

There is a lot of wildlife around here... so far this summer we have seen:

Mink

Beaver

Whitetail Deer (many)

Fox

Rabbit

Bears

Birds (many)

Wild Turkey
Grouse
Ducks

Heron

Fish
Bass
Sunfish
Trout

Frogs / Toads
Snakes

Salamander

Butterflies
Damsel flies
Dragon flies
Deer flies
Horse flies

Weevils