Maple Syrup: Coronavirus Week 53

Last week was one of normal mixed with new.  

We did school, visited Great Grandma, had a 4H and a MOPS meeting and all the other things mixed in.  

For the past 3 weeks, and 3 to come, the kids have been attending a "4-H Around the World" craft zoom during which they learn some culture and language of that week's region and then make a craft from that part of the world.  So far we have made rain sticks, string art and origami clovers.  

Bedtimes have been their usual chaos with a little extra tired thrown in due to the recent time change.  Elam has begun "reading" to Daddy and the girls with his little Thomas books and reader, where he pushes the button that corresponds to the page.  He thinks it's pretty great!

Saturday was beautiful and the kids played outside nearly all day.  The trampoline was loaded with static which offered plenty of laughs.

Saturday also began a new venture for us - making Maple Syrup!  The girls had collected sap from dripping branches for a while before they dried up and when they told Uncle Don they wanted to use it to make syrup he contributed a few gallons of his sap to the cause so the end result would be more than a taste.  We started the morning with a little over 3 gallons between the girls' collection and Uncle Don's contribution.

First we strained the sap to get out any bits floating in it.

Then the boiling began.  Little by little, more sap was added into the pot as it began to cook down.

The color slowly started to change during that process.

Once all sap was added and the liquid was more brown, it was time to let it boil down farther.  We knew the ratio of sap to syrup was 40:1 so our end result would only be a little over a cup.

At 215 degrees, we ran the sap through a filter again to get out any sugar sand that had collected.

Then it was back to a smaller pot to boil down farther.

At bedtime that night, we turned the burner off and put the finishing on hold until the following day.  Sunday morning we got back to it, re-heating the sap again.

As the time got closer to it being syrup, we had to really watch temperature and bubbles for the cue that we were done.  

A about 218 degrees it was time to bottle our syrup!

One final time through the filter to get any remaining sugar sand...

Then straight into the jar before the temperature got below 180 degrees.

Of course we had a taste before we closed the lid!  It was a little over 11 hours of work between the 2 days, and many things were learned about the process, as well as a much greater appreciation for what it truly takes to make and enjoy syrup!

Spring Fever: Coronavirus Week 52

 We have reached the 1 year mark of the Covid-19 virus directly impacting our lives.  While much is still unknown and there are many things still not back to normal, we are largely used to wearing masks everywhere and maintaining distance and avoiding large gatherings.  We don't know what the year ahead will bring, but we know we can handle it together!

We have reached a point of spring fever here, everyone wants to be outside and soaks up the sun greedily.  

While temps have dropped back into an early spring level, the kids are outside regularly. One afternoon, we spent a long time playing in the parking lot across the street, where the kids rode bike, scooters and skates around with glee.

Thursday was very exciting as each of the kids got a new (or new to them) bike!  Ezri and Alora, having outgrown all the bikes we have in our arsenal, were given brand new bikes from Daddy & Mommy.  Tierney got Ezri's bike, which was nearly new when she got it not too long ago, and Elam was finally big enough to ride a "new" orange bike we were given by the Sebrights.

Friday night, we were joined by our friends.  Elam, having already fallen asleep once earlier that night but woke when he was put into bed, crashed later after a bit of a fuss.  This kid sleeps nearly anywhere!

Saturday afternoon, we were able to participate in a fun yearly tradition for us - a visit to Uncle Don's Sugar Shack!  The kids each got to help reset the timer, add things to the syrup being cooked and watch Uncle Don load the fire every 7 minutes.  

For a special treat, we brought along some vanilla ice cream and Uncle Don poured some fresh, hot syrup on top - it was delicious!!!

We were glad to do some fun things together this week!