The Local Saps!

We were able to collect 2 5 gallon buckets filled with Maples Sap from 2 of our trees yesterday.  The weather hasn't really been very cooperative and really wet so it had been a few days since the buckets were last checked.  They were filled as full as could be!  So they now have 2 fresh buckets there and friends of 18 more trees with buckets as well.   All the kids went up help and had a great time!  Now we wait.......

It's Sugarbush Time!

Well we got 2 trees tapped yesterday with 2 taps each.  I went up this morning and one bucket was 1/2 full and the second is 1/3 full.  I will probably head up tonight and check again and change out the buckets (hopefully).  This is our first syruping experience and I am so excited!

While we were up there, we noticed a little visitor on our bucket.  A honey bee.  He desperatly wanted to get in there with all that sap.  Must be he could smell it but could not figure out how to get in.  I'm hoping that they stay out.  I would hate to open it and find dead honey bees, that would be a double disappointment!  

I'll post more as our journey continues.  I'm thinking we will boil it down the weekend of the 13 and 14.  I know it has to keep cool so hopefully the weather will be kind to us and provide a long syrup season.  

  

October is for Apples

A few weeks ago, we went apple picking with my mother. This was the first time any of us had ever been apple picking. It's one thing when you go to the store and pick up a bag of apples, but quite another when you go to the orchard to pick up a bag of apples. At first we thought we would just pick some and put them into bags. I co-mingled a few of mine so that I could remember what I bought (or so I thought). I picked two shopping bags full of apples and thought that would be good for those types and and I'd pay for them and then go down and pick some Jonamacs for the kids lunches. When we paid it was by weight. $16 for the two bags. I was good with that but then inquired about the bushel price. For $20 we could get a bushel... well that was just a few dollars more I thought.. how do my bags compare against the bushel? We pulled down the bushel box and loaded my apples into it.... it was only 1/2 full. So for a few more dollars I could get twice as many apples! I happily paid my additional $4 and went down to fill my box. I felt like such a good shopper and without any coupons! What to do with so many apples? Well... besides the apple crisp, apple pies and the lunch box apples I found a great apple bread recipe. It is absolutely wonderful!

Apple Bread

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup applesauce
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups apples, diced
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves

Directions:

Combine and set aside the oil, applesauce, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Sift flour, cinnamon, soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to oil mixture gradually. Add apples and nuts. Bake in 2 regular loaf pans for 1 1/2 hours at 300 degrees. Cool 10 minutes in the pan, sprinkle with sugar, if desired.