Sap Collection Day

We collected sap this afternoon from our small acreage. Jesse and his best friend, Jose, bundled up, and completed the process quickly.

They dumped the sap from the blue collection bags into their blue

buckets, and carried them back to Pa's (Grandpa) pickup truck.

Jesse held the funnel with an automotive cone filter inside, and Jose poured his bucket of sap through the filter into the waiting jug. Then they reversed jobs.

Considering our less than ideal weather conditions, we are pleased with nearly 15 gallons of sap from our 20 collection bags. If we collect at least that much more in the next few days, we should realize about a gallon of delicious maple syrup. Forty gallons of sap usually produce one gallon of syrup.

Sap rises in Indiana

Signs of spring are sparse right now, but we have enjoyed three days in a row with temps above freezing! So one of the best signs of spring for us is tree sap rising.

Jesse and his grandpa tapped 15 sugar maples on our little acreage yesterday after school and then tapped five more after school today.

This is our third February/March to boil sap. Each year, we have increased the number of taps. Our methods are a little more sophisticated each year and my husband says he plans to construct a "sugar shack" on the other side of the barn during the summer. Right now, we set up in the barn.

The boiling process takes lots of patience since we don't have the commercial equipment used by the big processors. We use two large, shallow stainless steel pans over a gas fired "stove" and boil away for about nine hours. Forty gallons of sap yield one gallon of incredibly delicious maple syrup. We usually make pancakes for supper after the boil is completed and soak them in beautiful golden syrup.

This evening, eleven year old Jesse came in and said, "Pa, I drank all of the sap out of the trees. It's the most delicious water there is and the freshest!" He had stayed outside after the tapping process and when I looked out the kitchen window, I saw him taking the bags off the trees and letting sap drip on his tongue.

His Pa (grandpa) said, "Well I guess we'll have to boil you down to get to the syrup."

Do you have a sugar maple? Boiling your own sap for syrup is fun. Just Google, "How to Make Maple Syrup" and you will find a simple set of instructions to follow. Ten gallons of sap will yield a delicious quart for you.

Give it a try.

Pileated Woodpeckers and Bald Eagle "Fly Over"

Spring? Not yet, but it is coming. In the meantime I'm still feeding the birds. They consume all the sunflower seeds and empty the feeder every day. After four more inches of snow in North Central Indiana, we settled in to another day indoors. The Lord proffered two rare treats.

At least two pileated woodpeckers live in our woods. Being the shy creatures they are, a sighting is a thing of joy. Last year we saw both at the same time. Two days ago, we saw one hammering enormous chunks of wood out of a dead tree. He chipped away at it for several minutes.

Earlier, my husband plowed the drive one more time, parked the equipment in the barn, and drove his truck up to our mailbox at the end of our very long lane. When he returned to the house he told me that he had caught a glimpse of something large as it flew over him and disappeared behind the barn. He thought it was probably a stray goose or a blue heron. Then he had talked to our son and grandson at the mailbox and Jesse was so excited he could hardly speak. Aaron said that they had just seen a bald eagle! That's what my husband had just glimpsed, too!

Exciting for all of them. I was in the wrong place. Several years ago the DNR released several pairs of eagles in the large reservoir area a few miles north of us. It's exciting when they increase their range and do a "fly over" our property.

As a result of DNR release over the years, we now enjoy seeing turkeys, coyotes, and red foxes on our property. Now we can add bald eagles to the list.

Punxsutawney Phil, prognosticator of spring.

Punxsutawney Phil, harbinger of spring in cold climates, saw his shadow on Groundhog Day. Ugh. I'm ready for spring but guess it will come again this year on March 21, like always. Of course, that doesn't imply warm weather, but I can sure start in the flower beds ridding them of winter debris.

My hellebores have been blooming for three weeks! Right now they are under four inches of snow that fell overnight.

So what's an impatient gardener to do if you live in a cold climate? Browse those catalogs. Tool around the Internet and search out sites featuring enticing plants. Draw plans to revamp a garden. Find those must have plants for that revamped garden. Then order.

Proven Winners has launched a new buddleia for spring 2009, Lo and Behold Blue Chip Buddleia. Lo and Behold promises continuous blooming, a true dwarf with an attractive habit, drought tolerance, deer resistance, and fragrance. What more could a gardener ask for?

Pruning in cold weather.

Pruning trees and shrubs during cold weather provides an opportunity to get outside for a while. Dormant plants also afford a clear view of limbs, so pruning properly is easier. Be certain to use super sharp pruners for clean, clear cuts.

We prune for several reasons. Among them are:
1. Improve spacing of the limbs and to open up the tree (Fruit trees need light "inside")
2. Remove damage
3. Increase stem and foliar density
4. Create different or unusual shapes like espaliers
5. Stimulate new growth
6. Protect people and your property

How to prune trees.
1. Trim while a tree is young to produce the kind of mature tree you want.
2. Make narrow crotch angles.
3. Create the smallest diameter wound possible.
4. Do not leave a stub.
5. Locate the branch collar where the trunk stops and the limb starts. It is a slight bulge. Make
your cut at the outer edge of the collar (limb side).
6. Use a double cut method to prevent tearing the bark.
7. Make your first cut about 12 inches from the tree trunk.
8. Make an under cut first, and then a cut on top t remove the limb to reduce the weight of the limb. This method prevents stripping bark from the tree when the limb falls.
9. Place the blade of your pruners next to the trunk or remaining branch.
10.The hook part of your pruners is next to the limb being removed.
11.Then make your final cut.

2. Rejuvenation
Trim 1/3 of the oldest stems each year at ground level. Do this every year and after three years you have a new plant. It improves the shape and density of the plant.

3. Renewal
Cut the plant off about two inches above the ground.
a. Bloom time determines when you complete this pruning job.
b. If the plant blooms on new growth, then cut in early spring before new growth appears.
c. If the plant blooms on old wood, then cut it after the bloom fades. The plant will put out new growth before dormancy and it will be ready for bloom in the next season.

What about topping trees?
Besides embarrassing trees, why top?
The problem in topping trees is a little botanical issue called Apical Dominance (the actively growing and dividing tissue at the tip of a root or shoot). When we cut, we remove the apical bud and the growth hormone that prevents growth in the lateral buds.

Those lateral buds produce growth and our topped trees look like fat limbs with many skinny shoots popping out the top and around the cut. Growth at this point is weak and susceptible to damage from storms. Hold your hand up with your fingers and thumb upright. That is a decent visual of what topped trees look like, Topping creates ugly trees.

If power lines or some other obstacle requires topping, just take the trees out and start over. Plant good trees in spaces that allow them to grow naturally and train them while they are young. Then they can grow to maturity naturally.

When should we prune evergreens?
Prune evergreens when new growth extends and matures before freezing temperatures.
Prune pines well before Labor Day. Pruning after Labor Day removes next year's buds. If you prune after Labor Day and go far enough back into 3/4 year old wood, they will never put out new buds again.

The best choice is to choose the right tree for the right place and let it grow.

So, if you must prune, don warm duds, sharpen your tools, and reshape some plants today.