What have you done this week to prep?

[philo]

So is this the time of year to tap maples, or is it too late now? or does it matter?

I guess what I'm asking is do you have a quick reference on how to get started. I realize it results in a small amount of syrup but I'd like to at least know how to do it.

Best flow when freezing at night and thawing during the day. Stop when the buds start to expand or you'll have a serious "off" taste.

 

[dusty88]

Best flow when freezing at night and thawing during the day. Stop when the buds start to expand or you'll have a serious "off" taste.

Thanks.... I'll have to put this on the agenda for later. So can you do this during the fall or is spring best? Any recommendations on where/what to get for taps?

I've also heard walnut trees can be tapped the same way.

 

[TGUNTER]

Trying to practice surviving by eating deer steaks with mushrooms and gravy. It's pretty tough.

 

[dusty88]

Spring-cleaned the chicken coop and duck house. Researched and trying to get mentally prepared for potential avian influenza outbreak (there's an avian flu showing up in commercial and backyard flocks, supposedly being carried by waterfowl and migratory birds).

Set up a slightly different compost system to hopefully make for easier and more efficient rotation.

It was a beautiful day for outside work. Next on the list is to ready the garden for potatoes and cut back some stalks so the asparagus can start sprouting

 

[ATM]

Just filled the freezer with more fresh pork. Stocked up on some new hiking/camping equipment through the winter.

...It's pretty tough.

Maybe you're overcooking it.


(looks delicious)

 

[churchmouse]

View attachment 36806 Trying to practice surviving by eating deer steaks with mushrooms and gravy. It's pretty tough.

Deer is very lean. I do not cook it but friends do. They add sauces and such to keep it from being so tough.

 

[teddy12b]

Over the weekend..... Took my precision rifle out for couple rounds to confirm zero and run up the round count a little. Half dozen suppressed hits at 300 yards from the patio and I did it without waking up the kids so I was happy.

Took inventory of the orchards I've been putting in since spring '13. I made a mistake last spring and gave a deep heavy prune to many of the trees too early and we ended up getting more freezing temps that killed them all off. Yesterday I confirmed the casualties, and I've got plenty of replanting to do. Also confirmed that I'l probably have peaches and pears this year. Currently there's 19 trees in 5 gallon buckets ready to be planted to replace what has been lost. Now it's just a matter of a day off and getting all that work done.

 

[Thor]

Cardio...weights...

Sat down with a snifter of Brandy on the west facing porch and read a couple of chapters of "This Reckless Breed of Men, The Trappers and Traders of the Southwest", smoked a meerschaum pipe and adjusted the lean of my 1895 Mauser in 7.92 NATO, filled up the snifter with brandy...fine sunset. After the darkness grew I put down the book and just watched the spectacular sunset with the bats flying in an out of the uprights.

Reminds me I need to make sure we have sufficient insecticide for the upcoming year...heard the first mosquito buzz...probably why we were friendly with the bats.

Hey, it's spring folks! Time for another snifter.

 

[Lee11b]

nice comment, Thor!!! I also smoked a cigar and enjoyed a glass of whiskey and coke, enjoying the sunset...

 

[bwframe]

I could be wrong, but I bet me meant it this way?

View attachment 36806 Trying to practice surviving by eating deer steaks with mushrooms and gravy. It's pretty tough.

 

[Thor]

nice comment, Thor!!! I also smoked a cigar and enjoyed a glass of whiskey and coke, enjoying the sunset...

Nice...seems to be cooler today. No worries, the snow is gone, be back on the porch soon enough.

 

[Lee11b]

Yes, Indiana weather....blink and it drops 30 degrees....fart, and your ducking in the cellar for a tornado warning.....at least we didn't break a record for snow fall this winter

 

[Force10]

Thanks.... I'll have to put this on the agenda for later. So can you do this during the fall or is spring best? Any recommendations on where/what to get for taps?

I've also heard walnut trees can be tapped the same way.

Only late winter when the sap is running. I bought the plastic spiles off of Amazon, gave like 12 bucks for ten of 'em. Sufficient for our needs. Ideally you tap mid February-ish, but you don't want to tap while the trees are frozen or you risk damaging them when you set your spiles. As mentioned sub-freeze at night and sunny days provides the most sap.

You can tap other trees, but the ratio will be a lot higher for the syrup. I've read of birch, box elder, any of the maples, and others, but the sugar maple has the highest sugar content in the sap, therefore less energy needed to bring it to the syrup stage. On average your sugar maple will yield syrup at a 40:1 ratio.

 

[Iroquois]

I've established a relationship with our new neighbor. An avid hunter and fishermen, long time outdoorsman. All things I'm not....hopefully a mutually beneficial friendship, us providing resources and him providing knowledge and skills. He's a jack of many trades, as am I. I like to study and do my homework, he seems to fly by the seat of his pants. ...
Best of all we enjoy each other's company. And he's next door, only 200 yards down the road. Downright handy in my neck of the woods.

 

[dusty88]

Only late winter when the sap is running. I bought the plastic spiles off of Amazon, gave like 12 bucks for ten of 'em. Sufficient for our needs. Ideally you tap mid February-ish, but you don't want to tap while the trees are frozen or you risk damaging them when you set your spiles. As mentioned sub-freeze at night and sunny days provides the most sap.

You can tap other trees, but the ratio will be a lot higher for the syrup. I've read of birch, box elder, any of the maples, and others, but the sugar maple has the highest sugar content in the sap, therefore less energy needed to bring it to the syrup stage. On average your sugar maple will yield syrup at a 40:1 ratio.

thank you!

 

[teddy12b]

Did some testing with IR flashlights, IR lasers and night vision. Still trying to get comfortable with the use of all that gear, but so far every time I use that stuff I walk away on a higher level of proficiency so I'll keep at it.

A friend of a family stopped by and I showed him my precision AR with a can on it. Showed him a 300 yard cold bore hit on a small target, then let him do it too. Pretty sure I just planted the seed of a silencer in this guy and eventually there'll be one more fine american who's got a can on the end of his AR.

 

[dusty88]

Garden prep. Picked up 2 pickup loads of free manure. I'm pretty sure I put more fertilizer on that garden then I take out, so maybe one of these days I'll stop adding for a while.

Also picked up some young perennials.

I forget to plant garlic every fall. With the few days of cold weather we have, I may try to put some garlic in tonight. From what I've read/heard, it will establish if it gets just a bit of cold weather before the warm weather.

 

[mom45]

Garden prep. Picked up 2 pickup loads of free manure. I'm pretty sure I put more fertilizer on that garden then I take out, so maybe one of these days I'll stop adding for a while.

Also picked up some young perennials.

I forget to plant garlic every fall. With the few days of cold weather we have, I may try to put some garlic in tonight. From what I've read/heard, it will establish if it gets just a bit of cold weather before the warm weather.

I planted garlic in April the first year I grew it. The heads did not get real big but really weren't much smaller than when I plant it in the fall.

 

[dusty88]

I planted garlic in April the first year I grew it. The heads did not get real big but really weren't much smaller than when I plant it in the fall.

Cool. You leave some behind for a long term garlic bed I presume?

 

[mom45]

Cool. You leave some behind for a long term garlic bed I presume?

I believe I planted about 10 pounds of cloves (that was a LOT of garlic) so I left about half in the ground to continue to the next year. I now plant in early November. Last year I had four rows and harvested a half bushel of garlic heads. I replanted some and kept the rest to use...still have plenty. I freeze some of it...peel the cloves, place in jars, cover with olive oil and freeze. I use it straight from the freezer through my garlic press since the oil does not freeze hard. I also ferment some in raw honey and use that honey in my sourdough bread. The cloves can be eaten for cold prevention and/or used in cooking.