LIVING OFF GRID

This blog is about our travels in our solar powered "Airstream" and living off grid, in our passive solar home, near Bancroft, Ontario, Canada.

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Saturday 21 March 2015

COMPANY ARRIVES

Paul, Olga, Tien and Minna arrived yesterday. The day was perfect for boiling sap and we soon had them working in the bush.


Before they arrived we started boiling sap we had in storage.


Everyone had to try a cup of "maple syrup" tea. It was sweet, delicious and full of minerals. A very enjoyable drink while sitting around the fire-pit.

Once tea was finished it was time to take the sleigh and collect sap. Here Tien, Minna and Olga go from tree to tree emptying the buckets. They returned with 30 litres of sap which will boil down to about 500 ml of maple syrup.



Back in camp, Paul and I poured off the sap into our storage buckets where it will stay until Wednesday. 

 Today looks like another warm day, perfect for collecting sap, but tonight the temperature will drop to -19*C and stay below freezing until Monday.

 This morning we will finish boiling the sap we started yesterday and bottle it. In the afternoon we plan to collect more sap; not sure if we will boil any today. (Just looked outside. We had snow last night. Our plans may change.)

 Next week Carol and Don will be here and I think we will be busy as the weather looks favourable for a good sap flow.

 Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your morning coffee Pat. 
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2 comments:

  1. becca22 March 2015 at 22:21

    Looking forward to when Lionel is old enough to help. By then you'll likely need it if you are going to keep tapping more trees! Free labour! (ok, we'll take some syrup in payment) Won't be for a few years. Owen can be the foreman and Lionel can be the labour judging by how big Lionel is now! We can harness him to the sled. ha ha.

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    1. Art and Mary23 March 2015 at 05:50

      Hi Becca;

      It will be great when Owen and Lionel are old enough to come and help. By that time we will need some young muscle. Hopefully by then we will have an ATV for them to ride. Our maple syrup is so delicious this year. Mary boils it down to just the right consistency. Perfect on pancakes. Hope you guys can make it up this summer.

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