Maple Syrup

For the past two weeks we have been collecting maple sap for the big boil down this weekend.

We had identified two trees that were big enough and tapped them March 16th. Everyday we would go check the buckets and dump the sap into large containers that we stored in the freezer. I had concerns with the sap going bad if I didn't store it properly and freezing was an option that came up repeatedly, so I tried it!

Over the two weeks we collected a total 12 gallons of sap. Our friend Jennifer and her family found us a turkey fryer burner to use. Another friend lent us a pot. Saturday morning we started boiling. It took us 8 hours of evaporation to finally have all the sap combined in one pot! At this point we stopped for the night.

This morning I went back out at 10:30am and got it boiling again. By 2:30pm we took it off the burner and bottled it.

After sitting looking at the finished product for a while, I realized I wasn't happy and set about filtering the syrup. After some taste testing we also realized that although it tasted like maple syrup, it was "off" a bit. We figured it probably wasn't completely finished. By this time it is 8:30 at night and I have decided to try and boil again in the morning to get that perfect maple syrup taste.

It has been a great first experience and will definitely do it again next year. Hopefully with more trees and just one day of cooking it down.

Sunday

I can not believe that this blog is nearing 4000 views! Thank you so much everyone for following along with our adventure. We are having so much fun meeting amazing people, learning tons, and realizing we have so much more to learn! After seven months we still are not regretting this choice to move on to this next stage of our life. Our visitors can all attest this is a beautiful place to live. It has provided that calm, peace that I was searching for.

However, as spring is fast upon us, I am finding myself so busy and have made the decision to reduce my posts to Sundays only. I appreciate your understanding and still would love you to stop by and follow along every week. Please feel free to comment either through the blog, email or facebook. Any suggestions for posts would also be appreciated and considered!

This week has consisted of watching the sap run in the maple trees and starting my seedlings. Both have gone much better than I had expected!

We have so much sap I have had to freeze 2 pots worth. I decided I would just do one syrup day and didn't want any to go bad before that time. That will happen this week so I'll let you know how yummy it turned out.

The seedlings I had expected to take 10 days or so to see any growth, but the cucumber, broccoli and cauliflower are all so big. My herbs have also mostly sprouted! I am so excited. Now the rush is on to get a garden prepared for them!!

A Snapshot of Our Time with Kyla

We have had 10 days with Kyla here but sadly, we have to drive her back to the airport tonight. I'm sure her mother is looking forward to her return but we will miss her!

Please enjoy this snapshot of our time together.

On the Waterfront

Mika

Last Night Fire

Chrome and Marble

What a Beauty

Dixie off Leash Training

Not "THE" Dress

Beauty? Masks

Happy Birthday to Me

Yesterday was my birthday. My first birthday away from my parents and my son and my friends. My incredible daughter and her best friend managed to put together a fantastic day for me.

It began with them taking morning dog duties so I could sleep in. Followed by a waffle and fruit breakfast in bed! I then got a few hours of peace and quiet (they went back to bed hahaha) to read my book and have a coffee and go for a walk. Then I was told I had to leave the house for an hour. Why?

I figured they were cleaning the house for me, setting out a cake and balloons and then we would go out to dinner. But no...my darling daughter had schemed and plotted behind my back and was throwing me a surprise party. My only clue was when she asked me to stop by Pizza Delight and pick up an order for "Zoe". The server commented on the party we must be having that we ordered these party trays....hmmmmm??

I drove back home (with the pizza) and was surprised by many of the friends and neighbours we have met since we arrived six months ago. It was such an incredible feeling to have these people care enough to show up and celebrate the day with me. It gave me a true feeling of belonging that I never experienced in Beamsville.

They finished the night off by taking me outside and having our first bonfire of the season - something I have been hoping for for weeks now!

Even today, more people stopped in who were unable to make it last night to apologize for missing the party and wish me a happy birthday! Just incredible! And to think, my amazing Zoe and beautiful Kyla put this all together for me. I am one lucky lady!!!

Kyla

It has been a crazy week! My parents left one week ago today. I took a few days to regroup and decide which direction to move forward.  Zoe decided she wanted us to tear up the plywood floor in the bedroom she has been using while her room is under construction. Let me start by saying this job was so far down my priority list that it wasn't even on my list...however up it came. We finished in just enough time to rearrange the furniture and vacuum the floor before our next visitor arrived.

Hello Kyla!! This is the first one of Zoe's friends from Beamsville that has come out to visit us. She flew on her first airplane which means she must really love Zoe (and trust me the feeling is mutual)!! She arrived Tuesday night around 10pm, followed by a two and a half hour drive, and we got home just after 1am. Off to bed we went. The next morning we were very exhausted but Zoe had to get up to attend two classes at school. She had a test to write and an oral presentation to give. As tired as she was, she still got 100% on the presentation! Way to go Zoe! We have had a fun few days showing Kyla around, going out for dinner, playing with Dixie. They have plans for a day in Halifax so Zoe can pick out her prom dress (ARGH!!! Help!!!) and plans for a lot of relaxing and catching up.

I am taking advantage of her being here to get outside and do preparations for spring. I got four more apple tress pruned and have made a slight dent in the mass tangle of thorns that is our blackberry bramble!

Regrouping

Mom and Zoe driving out to the orchard-
mom driving, Zoe in the trailer

It is always difficult to say goodbye to my parents. We had a terrific 12 days together. We got so much work accomplished and had a wonderful time. But then they have to ruin it by leaving! I am a very emotional person (or as Zoe calls me, a cry baby).  I hold my emotions very close to the surface and they often overflow in tears. The past few days have been relatively quiet as I regroup and try to focus ahead.

The pile from trimming the apple
 trees was as tall as dad!

Now that we are in March I am upping my grow light game. Trying to get the timing pinpointed on when to start which vegetables inside. I have identified some people with posts and fencing so I can have supplies ready for the thaw!

I learned a lot about the fireplace from dad
I got the living room up to 28degrees one evening

I am also trying to be prepared for the very short window I understand I may get for maple syrup. I had identified five maple trees in the fall but as I did my research last month, I now realize three of them are too small to tap this year. But that does leave two. I am not expecting to get much syrup, but I still want the experience of tapping, gathering, and boiling. And maybe it is better to start small scale with a little batch this first year.

Like father like daughter

One of Zoe's Ontario friends is coming to visit. She is flying in over the March break, and Zoe is over the moon to show Kyla our new home and new puppy of course!

Today I have included pictures from mom and dad's visit that we did not post previously! I have captioned them because they did not naturally fit the topic today.

Time's Up

Our time is over for now but already I can’t wait to get back. We are a family who loves projects and The Two Girls and a Dream Farm has more than its share of projects.

What did we do?
Inside the house we sanded two floors. We stained and urethaned  the den floor, painted the door and trim, moved in furniture, hung art and curtains. The room is very usable now but Shannon has a built-in to add and the quarter round to do. 

We took down a disused three story chimney and carried a ton or two of bricks outside.

We removed two closets.

Outside we trimmed trees- at least 8 and removed a couple more.

We took a trip to the metal recyclers and then one to the constructions material dump.

We did electrical work in the garage.

We carried firewood in from the garage, down to the basement to drying rack number one, then up to the living room to drying rack number two and finally to the burning rack.

For fun we walked the property. It is a complex piece of land with evergreen forests, birch stands, old orchards, ponds, marshes and meadows. While walking the dog we tried to find animal tracks without much luck. 

Finally we ended our stay with dinner at Bistro East, our favourite NS restaurant.
Now counting the months until we can come back again.


Sandy

Mom and Dad Visit The Two Girls and a Dream Farm

Before Trimming...

By Mom

This is our second visit to the farm and we deliberately chose winter so that we could do some specific jobs- trimming apple trees and doing some renovation work at a time of year when we would not be drawn outside.

After Trimming...

I have a renewed respect for Shannon and Zoe. Nothing is easy here. The apple trees are about 15 acres back on the property, a good 10 minute walk. The trees are oldish and uncared for. I am not sure that our trimming will help them be more productive, although it won’t hurt.

Doing renovations in a 160 year old house that has not been well maintained is one challenge after another. Ten minute jobs take three hours and they always seem to call on a combination of our rusty problem solving skills, brute strength and dumb luck.

It is wonderful to be with Shannon, Zoe, Charlie and Dixie. Shannon loves the challenge although she is at that sad point where she has to donate some of her farm time to getting a job😰 Zoe is doing very well, actually enjoying school. She cooks meals, cleans up, works on renos, socializes with friends and does schoolwork. However she has not enjoyed a childcare project where she cares for a robobaby for four consecutive days. She never wants one of her own she says. Charlie, the cat, is placidly putting up with all the changes in his life. He has a bit of a Garfield demeanour. And Dixie! She is a spunky, energetic and smart Labrador/Border Collie puppy. She is the centre of activity in the house and makes it hard for us to get anything done.

Sandy