Signs of Spring

Just checking in.  The weather has been warming up quite a bit lately, melting off the snow and stirring the garden to life.

Sometimes it's just nice to walk along and look for their little faces peaking up through the parting snow.

For those who are curious: the second batch of eggs are coming along.  Little wiggly feet can been clearly distinguished in several of them.  We're getting close.  The babies will grow considerably the next few days.  Still we patiently wait and listen for those first few peeps.

Hatching !!, candling and waiting

As snows blow once again, fiercely about us, today looked like a nice day to hunker down and talk to the eggs in the incubator.

About two dozen eggs were initially were set in the incubator a little over a week ago.  These were checked on day seven for development.  Those that absolutely looked like nothing was going on, were removed.  Those that were questionable and without doubt looked like a chick was forming were placed back into their warm cradles. 

So far it appears that we have 18 eggs that show some signs of life.  I never cease to be amazed as I watch  the shadow of a little pea wiggle and turn in front of the light.  I imagine the little chick saying, "please turn off the light! I'm trying to get some sleep."

Maple Sugaring weekend

I almost let it get by!  This is the first weekend of Maple Sugar Weekend in New York!  What does that mean?  It means that the air is filled with the lovely aromas of maple sap being boiled down to make maple syrup, maple spreads, and maple crystal candies.  This last winter was perfect for the sugarers in our area.  We had deep snows, slow melt, and a long cold spell for the trees to rest and recover from last summer's drought.

The Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) is a native tree of North America.  Trees were tapped by Aboriginal tribes well before Columbus arrived by inserting a hollow wooden tube into the side of the tree.  As the sap rises in the Spring, some of it is deverted to come out the tube.  A similar principle is used today using more modern materials.

  

 Once the sap is collected, the water is boiled off and syrup bottled for use.  A sealed bottle of fresh maple syrup will keep for about six months.  Maple sugar will keep quite a bit longer if stored in an airtight container in the freezer.

Including Canada, Northeast America provides the majority of the maple syrup to the world (also see: http://www.canadianmaplesyrup.com/maplehistory.html). 


For more information about next week's events including places where you can see and purchase NY maple products: http://www.mapleweekend.com/locations.php
For more interesting facts about maple sugar: http://maple.dnr.cornell.edu/FAQ.htm