Making Pure Maple Syrup

 

What on earth is that?

Pure maple syrup, that's what!

Our son's farm in Salisbury, PA is in the heart of maple syrup country. 

We are surrounded by farms who tap the trees with blue lines that run from tree to tree, but so far, Kevin and Katie are still doing it the old-fashioned way with sap buckets. This is just a couple of the many trees he tapped.

The first week of March, Kevin was collecting the sap from the buckets every day and then pouring them into a large pan over a fire. 

Then we fed the fire every few minutes to keep the syrup boiling. 

It's a looonnnng process!

The boiling syrup creates a constant steam. Country roads are dotted with sugar camps, and the rising smoke from the fire and steam from the syrup are dead giveaways to their locations.

You have to keep a constant eye on how much sap is in the pan. It will burn easily if it gets too low. But it can be difficult to see the sap through the steam! 

Momentarily, the air will shift, and you can once again see it boiling underneath the steam. 

The sap starts out looking like water, but by the time it's close to finished, it takes on the beautiful amber hues we know as syrup, and the sweet smell fills the air.

After several days of collecting sap from the trees and boiling it down, they ended up with 7 gallons of pure maple syrup for their own use. They aren't selling it commercially at this point. That would involve big (expensive!) changes to their operation. For now, they just enjoy making it the same way generations of folks did before them. 

And now, pass the pancakes! 

Trying our Hands at Drying Flowers

Just a few weeks ago, the U-Pick Patch at our son's farm was in full glory. Howard Family Farms in Salisbury, PA was the place to go to pick and arrange your own bouquet. 

Unfortunately, the end of the season comes when Jack Frost makes his annual debut.

The night before the predicted frost, George & I cut a row of flowers Katie wanted to dry from the U-Pick Patch, while Kevin did the same in their private patch at their house. 

It was getting close to dark, and we were hustling. And to be completely honest, we really didn't know what we were doing. But we managed to completely fill the truck bed with just one row of flowers.

The next day, George & I tied them together into bundles, while the kids & Kevin hung them to dry. Once again, we really didn't know what we were doing, but we gave it the ole college try. We were almost done when Katie got home from work, and told Kevin that technically, we were supposed to strip the leaves. Oops! But she was fine with how we did it, (or maybe she is just a good actor?) Hopefully the drying leaves won't be too much of an issue. 

Ah, well, this may be a live and learn situation. Isn't that most of life? 

They sure look pretty hanging there! Katie has plans for them. It will be interesting to see what all she comes up with! 

 

Easter Blessings

I do believe Spring is finally here to stay! 

Our favorite little guy is excited to be outside again.

He loves to "Hap."

You know...... Help. Said in a sweet little 2 year old voice.

He thought he was pretty big stuff calling in the cows.

And gettting the flower gardens ready.

I tried giving him a child sized hoe.

No dice.

He wants to use what we use.

"Tool." he says. Our big ones, not his little ones.

I've had a very productive Easter weekend. The flower beds are now mostly clean, and I've been helping George get poles set for a new barn we are building. We had great weather for most of it, though Easter Sunday did end with storms. 

We heard a great sermon at church, then had lunch with friends. An Easter buffet, chock full of delicious food. Our friends said they were going to go home and take a nap.

What did George and I do? We went home and chased cows. 

Three of the new calves decided the grass was greener on the other side of the fence while we were gone. We pulled onto our lane, and saw them, happily grazing in the hayfield.

Fortunately, it wasn't too much trouble getting them back where they belonged.

It's become a joke around here. When our son and daughter-in-law are away, one or another of the livestock will get out. Happens every time. 

Life on the farm.

Country Life and Shop Life Collide, with an E-I-E-I-E

With a shop name of Country Lane, it's only fitting to carry farm decor, don't you think?

So, we do. 

After all, farms and country lanes go together. 

For us, farming is who we are, in large part thanks to our son who started a farm on our property.

Then he married a farm girl.

And they are now raising a little boy who is a farmer thru & thru.

One of his first words was tractor.

He loves the maaas. 

And any piece of equipment.

Note he is wearing muck boots.

He prefers those (and cowboy boots) over sneakers.

He even discovered where old farm equipment goes to die. 

He didn't care, it was just his size.

He loves to sing Old MacDonalds farm.

E-I-E-I-E.

He never sings E-I-E-I-O, it's always E-I-E-I-E.

Love that little farmer boy! 

Even when he's in the shop with Mimi, he is still surrounded by farm animals.

With a moo moo here....

And a baa baa there....

With a cluck cluck here.....

And a quack quack there..... 

And everywhere an oink oink!

Back on the farm, I'm not sure what he was so awe struck by. Maybe a bird.

With a tweet tweet here, and a tweet tweet there.......

Getting Back on Track

I can think of several places in my life this applies. The last few years, I've gotten sidetracked in many respects. Some was good. Some..... not so much.

I have been very busy. Some was good. Some.... not so much.

My focus got muddled.

While I certainly believe in helping others where possible, it can swallow you up. I found myself spending so much time helping others that I had no time left for me. For my family. For my health. For my shop.

So. I'm reining in. Getting back on track. Selfish? In some ways perhaps. But that will just have to be ok. There are only so many hours in a day, and the older I get, the faster those days are going.

I look forward to working on this blog again. I've missed doing so.

I left off almost a year ago with news that the baby goats were about to start arriving. What an adventure that was! And extremely time consuming.

Spring was a blur of taking care of the mama's while they waited to go into labor.

And the babies as they came.

48 of them!

And as babies tend to do, they got into mischief every chance they got.

Every day was a blur of day job work, and evening time goat tending.

Or fence mending.

For a few months, those goats took over our lives.

Unfortunately, despite our constant efforts, we couldn't keep them in.

Not in the barn - they figured out how to knock down fences.

Not in the pasture fields. 

I never understood the term "walking down a fence" until I saw goats do it.

Repeatedly.

Long story, and a difficult decision, but we ended up selling the herd.

And using the money to build a new front porch.

Which was also very time consuming.

And whew! A lot of work! 

Speaking of work.... 

In addition to the added farm work, I also spent most of the summer baking for a farmer's market. 

Talk about time consuming!!!

It was a good experience in many ways, but not one I plan to repeat.

Maybe if I was younger.

When I was younger, I could eat that stuff and get away with it.

Now..... not so much.

I had lost weight doing the farm work. 

But gained it all back (and then some) eating leftovers.

Yeah. Not good.

So. 

I'm looking forward this year to helping our son & daughter-in-law with their farmwork. But not being as tied down to it as last year.

I'm looking forward to having more time to devote to our shop, creating, planning, decorating. Without the distraction (and calories) of the baked goods.

I've reined in some other areas of my life as well, and feel a great sense of relief in doing so. 

Here's to a New Year! 

Hopefully one full of lots of new blog posts.

I promise to try. 

Country Club versus Country Barn

On Easter, a friend of ours treated us to Easter brunch at the Country Club. We asked her to take a picture of us so I could send it to our son-in-law, who put himself through college on a golf scholarship (and academic as well... what a guy!). He practically grew up at the Country Club. George has been there a time or two for work luncheons. Me? It was my first time.

Uh oh, hidden behind the tree.

There we are! 

Lunch was delicious, and we had a great time.

But the reality is, we're not nearly as much the Country CLUB type,

as we are just COUNTRY type.

Fast forward to yesterday.

We have been helping with the neighbors goats for a few years. 

This year we bought them, they are our babies now.

Literally.

The first one had her babies yesterday morning.

Triplets!!!

Mama is skittish, and not impressed with my efforts to take pictures

I couldn't get her and the babies all together in one shot.

They don't take directions very well.

Nor do they say cheese.

But all 3 kids are hers.

And so far, she is feeding all 3.

Yay!

Altogether, there are around 20 goats ready to give birth.

Anyday now.

And believe me, they will be quite delighted to get it over with.

Some of them are looking quite miserable

as they waddle around!

Watching a Chicken Hatch

We got to watch the most amazing thing a couple weeks ago...

A baby chick hatching out of it's shell!

It's a struggle.

 But that struggle is what gives it the strength to live outside the shell.

It was inside an incubator on our son's farm,

where it had all the warmth it needed.

It pecked and pecked and pecked and then....

it finally broke free!

For a few seconds it stayed all coiled up in a little ball.

But then before long, it stretched out.

And it was immediately hard to believe it had been inside that egg!

Talk about CRAMPED quarters!

No wonder it was desperate to get out!

In a day or two, it had dried and fluffed out it's feathers.

How cute is that?

Pretty cute!