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Working Late

March 15th, 2009

It was a beautiful day here in NE Ohio yesterday, high in the 40’s and partly sunny. A perfect day to spend in it’s entirety outside.

This is what we saw all day yesterday from dawn till dusk.
fire-at-night
We were up too late boiling down our maple sap over a fire for me to make a meaningful post. I’ll be back tomorrow morning though with tales of our sugaring adventures and photos of our maple syrup (boy is it delicious!!!).

Did you have a fun productive day yesterday? Were you able to work outside?

7 Comments to “Working Late”
  1. Julia on March 15, 2009 at 7:19 am

    Oh, this is so exciting! I can’t wait to hear more about the maple syrup!

    I did get outside a little — to clean a little in the garden and saw the mint and tarragon starting to come to life . YAY!

    Julia’s last blog post.. Happy Birthday, Liz!

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  2. Kelly Butler on March 15, 2009 at 7:40 am

    We were able to get Brooklyn in her stroller for a walk – which of course is one of my favorite things to do – I love her little smile when the sun in on her face and the wind is blowing her hair….

    Kelly Butler’s last blog post.. Garden of Hope

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  3. Mangochild on March 15, 2009 at 9:13 am

    Oh yes! I had the most wonderful time at the maple sugaring open house at a local farm. Perfect weather for it. I’ll post with pics on my blog. But as fun as it was, having your *own* trees, as you too, sounds even better!

    Mangochild’s last blog post.. First Seed Starts of Spring 2009!

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  4. Teri on March 15, 2009 at 12:36 pm

    It was a nice day in Idaho too. I didn’t work in the garden, but I got a horse rode:)

    Teri’s last blog post.. 73/365

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  5. edh on March 15, 2009 at 4:16 pm

    Hi!
    Seeing your posts on sugaring and beekeeping made me decide to finally de-lurk. I’ve been enjoying your site greatly for a couple of months.
    We have a set-up that sounds a lot like yours; gardens where we try to grow as much of what we eat as possible, beehives, and a few maples to tap. Also a beloved dog.
    We’ve been tapping our 8 Norway Maples for 12 years or so, and can’t imagine doing without. With 1 tap per tree, we usually get 4-6 qts each year (Norways have a lot less sugar than sugar maples, though yours look like silver maple?). If you’ve had fun this year, you might want to get a copy of Backyard Sugarin’ by Rink Mann. Lots of practical advice!
    We do plug our tap holes; just whittle a tapered plug of pine, tap it in gently, then saw it off flush with the bark. Keeps intruders out, and the tree just grows around it. Just don’t tap too hard or you’ll split the trunk.
    Thanks for all your great writing, I’m still reading your older posts!

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    • Susy on March 15, 2009 at 4:51 pm

      Thanks so much for finally commenting. I always enjoy getting to know my readers! Thanks also for the sugaring tips, we’re kind of winging it this year with info gleaned from the internet. I’ll definitely get that book and read it before next year’s season. I’ll be making taps as well for our trees this year.

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  6. warren on March 15, 2009 at 9:26 pm

    I was in NW PA this weekend doing the very same thing at my parents’ house! I love homemade maple syrup…we’ve done it for 25 years or more!

    warren’s last blog post.. Check out my equipment

    Reply to warren's comment

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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