Conversation Chewing: Day Two at Ossabaw

Today I said something about how I like to be prepared for anything, plan for most things. Of course, life happens and you cannot be prepared for everything.

But I don't mean stockpiling groceries in a basement room, or carrying a years worth of band aids in my glove box.

I mean, if I can prepare myself mentally for the inevitability that unexpected things happen and be mindfully adaptable. I often run though my mind accident scenarios and escape strategies when driving and I used to think that if I could imagine it first, it couldn't happen. Silly, but I was a child. 

What would you do if a bear was in your path? Or an alligator? Or your car broke down in a blizzard? Or your family was 1000 miles away and something happened? What if?

I used to fight this mental exercise and get anxious. Now I use it, flex the muscle, use it for fodder in fiction. So when I say I am preparing for anything, this is what I mean. I am preparing to be mindful and adaptable.

With that thought? Here are the pictures for day two:

Day One on the Island in Pictures

Maple Tapping Part Two, Let's TAP This.

Supplies. Temp outside for flow needs to be above freezing during the day, below freezing (33 degrees F) at night. These are the days that sap flows. The warmer and sunnier the day, the faster the flow. We can sometimes get 3 full buckets from one tree in a day when it is 60 degrees in daylight and freezing overnight. Thank you Iowa! Flow starts today!

Read here for getting supplies ready.

This is the diameter of the trees nearest our home that are suitable for tapping.  If a tree has more than a 21" diameter, it will support 2 taps, which we've done in a few places.

These are the leaf buddings. When the tree buds out for real, the sap takes on a really, really bad taste, called bud taint. Sap will keep flowing, but you DO NOT want this sap to contaminate your syrup boil. It smells fine as sap too, but when boiled down is tastes like dead mouse smells. NOT KIDDING. So, trust me, pay attention to these buds as the tapping time goes along. We usually get about two weeks of flow.

The leaf buds are also the best way to identify maple species in winter time.  I'll do another post on that in the future.

 This is so easy, our nine year old can do it. Chad is helping though.  Drill the hole at a good height for you to reach, a few inches away from last years taps, and about 2-3 " deep.  Be sure to tilt up so the sap runs out.  Best place to drill is the south side of the tree under a big branch - south side warms up fastest, sap will be moving to the branch.

 This is a good bore hole.

This is the spile.

 Push it in with your fingers.

Hammer it. Lightly on the flat part, not the end of the spout.

 These hooks were put on by the folks who mailed them backwards from how I like them, so I had to take it out and re-orient the hook.  If using a bag you can leave the hook off entirely.

Perfect.

 Hang bucket, attach lid.

 Ta da!

 Or hang the bag. It doesn't need a lid (and is WAY cheaper!)

Bonus picture: this tree? Glorious maple that it is, it is a bad choice for tapping. First, part of it is rotten and actually smashed down and broke things. Second, ALL sap from it is tainted. Gross. Any of it will ruin the pot of syrup. The taint tastes like Ritz crackers with a chaser of spoiled Brussels sprouts.