Oregano, Thyme, Sweet Basil.
Tuesday, May 24, 2022
Saturday, May 21, 2022
Reflection: #27. Tap a tree for maple syrup
I'd say this was a success. I learned a lot. Box Elder maples produce more sap water than a lot of other maples, but the sugar content is lower, so boiling takes a realllllly long time and the yield is less. The colour is much lighter than with, say, a sugar maple and the taste is different -- fruity and interesting. It kind of reminds me of cider. In Toronto, if you want to avoid citation, you want to make sure you're not tapping the city-provided (owned?) trees at the base of the lawn. We tapped only our backyard Box Elders.
There was a lot of trial and error and waste and I hope next year will be slightly more productive. I overboiled one yield waiting for it to darken in colour, before I learned that Box Elder syrup stays almost a white-yellow. I accidentally dropped my thermometer in the first yield and boiled it while tending to a fussy toddler, so that one had to go (along with the thermometer). I lost an entire sap sack of sap water when I waited too long to empty it and the bag broke (which was almost worth it to hear my then-19-month old point at it on the ground and emphatically yell "Ohhhh nooooo. It ripped!!"). All in all, we got about a 500ml mason jar of syrup, which we've been enjoying.
The bigger success story is that I bought my dad an early birthday gift of a sap bucket, tap, to-do guide, cheesecloth, etc. They have a BIG backyard sugar maple that my sister planted as a kid. It must be over 30 years old. He had a LOT of success - and dare I say, fun? - with his syrup creation.
Progress: #12. Do more foraging
Garlic mustard is a tasty invasive, easy to identify, and spreading like a wildfire in a lot of backyards. If you can't beat it, eat it. It makes a really easy pesto; recipes are plentiful online and easy to veganize with nutritional yeast in place of parmesan (I also think vegan parmesan exists?).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)