Inspiration & Resources: New Books for Spring 2014

On my birthday I took a much needed bookstore shopping spree so I could add some new resources to my personal library. Gardening books are especially wonderful because you can take them right out into the garden without a cord or batteries, sit out and picture yourself following the plans, implementing the designs and being inspired to grow-on.

I've read lots of books and scanned over many blogs. Since graduating university, I've thought a lot about how over 4 years you may only read two dozen or so books (maybe even less) and do a bit of thinking and earn a degree and become an expert of sorts. Keeping that attitude in mind, I think it's very important to read many books on farming, gardening, and homesteading in order to be a true master and be a successful edible gardener. I love finding new information, new designs, and tips on plant varieties, plant combinations and even recipes.

Groundbreaking Food Gardens
(73 Plans That Will Change the Way You Grow Your Garden)
by Niki Jabbour

Farm Anatomy
(The Curious Parts & Pieces of Country Life)
by Julia Rothman

40 Projects for Building Your Backyard Homestead
(A Hands-on, Step-By-Step Sustainable-Living Guide)
by David Toht

Updates from the Micro-Farmstead: April 2014

Spring seems to be here. Soon, the fresh green and new life will be back! Eggs are coming in more frequently after a long spotty period where I only got a few eggs a day, and they've been able to forage in the yard on the warmer days.

Maple syrup season is coming to a close, strong winds and low sap flow have knocked my sap bucket off the tree in the strong winds and crazy storm weather. Twice I had to run after it, rolling down the sidewalk or stumbling against the tree base. I got about 2 cups of syrup and a cup of maple sugar! Operation Urban-Tap a success!

I hatched my first batch of chicks over at Summer Girl Chicks! The hatching is well underway for the season and I excited to be adding a few breeds here on the micro-farm. I seem to be more drawn in by egg colour verses the breeds rarity or special looks. The new chicken run will be going up soon and the soil is nearly warm enough for the earliest plantings and direct sowing. I hope to be posting more on chicken keeping, it really is one of the easiest and most sensible homesteading acts one can achieve.

Green eggs from my "Greenie" hens. 

Easter Egger chick that will lay a blue egg.

Olive Egger and a "Greenie" chick

Its official, I'm done buying seeds for the season! Aside from maybe a lettuce or a greens mix "re-fill" in the near future, I have what I need for the season, more then I need really, but growing a little bit of everything can be so fun. Yard clean-up and seasonal prep continues, I always have new plans and ideas, I can't wait to share. It's going to be a great season, I can feel it! A busy one, but a great one.

On a sunny day this week, I'll be going around checking out the local "big" stores for those little garden centre gems and edible garden ideas. As much as I hate to perpetuate consumerism, I also understand that we have to make the best of what resources we have, and for many beginner or thrifty gardeners, buying supplies from a Canadian tire or the reduced section of a grocery store chain garden centre is a great way to change spending habits for the better. Companies sell what the people will buy... and as a trend that seems to be more and more edible plants!

So much to see and do, for a second there I thought winter had me.

Urban Tapping... Adventures in Syruping

This year I got bold, and "tapped that" on my front lawn. For the first time in over 4 years I had access to some maple trees during the "Maple Syrup Season" or sapping season. I took advantage, got myself some free supplies and decided to give it a try. I've got chickens and vegetables, wouldn't it be "sweet" to make syrup?

Sapping season usually begins mid-March when the sun starts to shine and daily temperatures start to rise and fall below freezing at night. At this time, the amazing happens, trees begin to pump super sweet sap, stored deep below, up from their roots and into the branches, signalling the creation of buds, blossoms and new life. Sapping season can last a few weeks into early April, or until the night time temperatures allow the freezable sap to say in the branches, and after the risk of damage has past. If the sap remained in the tree, it would split and snap as the freezing sap expands. Making syrup takes advantage of this process by syphoning sap from small drilled holes in which only a small amount of sap can be collected throughout the "run". This does not hurt the tree.

I have one traditional sap bucket, and a secondary tube tap also leading into the bucket.

Traditionally maple syrup is produced solely from Sugar Maples (Acer saccharum). They only grow along the eastern border of Canada and the US. Canadian Provinces such as Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia make over $145 million dollars in export profits from maple syrup. 27 million litres are produced annually, Quebec accounting for 75% of the total production. Sugar Maple xylem sap is about 2% sugar, which is much higher then other varieties of maple and trees.

Other trees that produce a sap that can be turned into syrup include; black and red maples. Birch trees can also be tapped, they have a sugar content of about 1.6%. Birch syrup can be sold at specialty stores and markets, directly from the producer. Unfortunately, there is only one tree on my property, and it's a Norway Maple (Acer plantanoides). Slightly discouraged I hunted the web for more information. Turns out, a small bit of research and chatter has been going on about making syrup from Norway Maples. Many hobbyists use a combination of maples in home production, they have written about how many Norways are actually better producers and have a sugar content of 1.9 or even higher.

View of the tube tap on the other side of the tree.
Larger trees can be tapped twice for my sap collection.

The Norway maple is actually perfect for the suburban experiment for a number of reasons. Given the little bits, here and there that I've read; Norway maples can exceed production expectations if the tree is "spoiled". In many cases, Norway maples are planted in urban landscapes for decoration and as such, have very little competition from other trees. They receive plenty of even sun exposure and are never crowded from water and nutrients, some get an extra boost from the heat and light reflected off buildings. The history of the Norway maple in urban areas is unique, known for it's many showy cultivars, the species was selected for use in suburbs because it could withstand the abuse of traffic, root compaction and other conditions created by suburban landscapes. Tough trees make for excellent producers. Noway maples are prolific, sending out hundreds of babies, making them an invasive species in some areas.

The tap holds both the bucket and lid to keep out the rain.
The tap is about the size of a small pinky finger. 

When the sap is running well you can see a steady drip coming out of the taps.
Even when it freezes you can see it running. Here you can see the formation of a "sapcicle".

Starting the boil inside. It's important to do most of the boiling outside because the steam contains sugars that can destroy your ceilings. Traditionally sap is boiled off atop a wood fire in building known as "Sugar Shacks".

Sap collected on the first big run. About 3.2L.
The sap to syrup ratio is 40 to 1. I'll be needing much more sap.

I've slowly been collecting sap and even more slowly been "boiling it off", soon I'll have a decent amount of syrup to show off and pour on my local produce (and pancakes). Culturally as a Canadian it's been a great experience learning to make my own maple syrup. Next year I'm going to tap some trees off my back fence and have even more syrup to enjoy. Check back soon for updates on my maple syrup! The season continues for about one more week and I'll be finished boiling off!