Finishing Off -- Sweet!

The sap is flowing well and we have made over four gallons of syrup so far!  I think it's exciting to go out and gather sap from the collection buckets every couple of days ...one of life's simple pleasures.

Having a safe system for boiling down the sap water is extremely important and I've found some great resources around the farm.  The most critical piece of equipment is the evaporation pan.  The pan I'm using is the one Daniel had for his maple syrup production some years ago.

These pictures are from last Saturday when I made about two and a half gallons of "sugary goodness".

This is the set-up I have for boiling sap.

The pan is full and starting to heat up!

We boiled off about 75 gallons of water the day I took this picture.

Steam coming off the pan with the firewood in the background.

 I finish the syrup inside on the stove where I have more control over the temperature.

Two jars filled with the final product.

The day's work yielded over two and a half gallons! Pancakes here we come!!!

It's Sugaring Time!

Well, here in the valley winter has certainly been unpredictable these last couple of weeks.  First we have cold, then 65 degrees, next it's back down into the single digits followed by two and a half inches of rain! Crazy!!  All these changes have made it more of a challenge to know when to start taping the maple trees. Sugaring has become a satisfying spring hobby for me in the last several years. 

The sap begins flowing as cold nights and warm days start to become the norm.  The nighttime freeze and daytime thaw signals to the tree that spring's arrival is close at hand.  I set out my collection buckets last week on a warm day when the sap was running .... but then we had a cold weekend and it is taking a little bit for things to thaw out again.

Below are some pictures of the set up process. I will post photos of the evaporation and syrup finishing soon.

Supplies for collecting the sap

Two taps collecting into one bucket 

In many parts of the country sugaring is a big community event.  I had great help from friends on the farm, Travis (the little guy in the branches) was checking out the trees with a climbing inspection.  His father, Daniel (far right) was our tree scout helping us locate suitable maples.

It felt strange to be wearing short sleeves at the end of January.

I am figuring out where to drill the hole. I drill about and inch and a half deep either below a branch
or above a big root to have the best chance for good sap flow.

Some of the taps and connectors I use

Sap is dripping out of a fresh hole.

A tree tap before the tubing is attached

"I'll be home for Christmas......"

    So goes the line of that well known Christmas song. What a fun time! There's something so special about going back home for the holidays. This was the first time in my life that I had not seen most of my family for a whole year! To say the least, I was pretty excited to get home. It was also great to see friends, catch up on news from the last year and visit with some of my former landscaping clients.
   
    A December highlight for the entire family was my older brother's graduation from the University of Illinois in Electrical Engineering.  Seven diligent years of study and two degrees is no small accomplishment.  Mom's birthday was the day after the graduation ceremony .... a pretty sweet gift for any mom. While I was home there was also a wedding of a special couple from our church, (for which my sister made a beautiful wedding cake).  And, deserving of special mention, was the huge surprise awaiting me the night I arrived home.  My brother, Daniel, had purchased a very big pickup truck! For the better part of 2 weeks, my siblings had taken great delight in scheming up ways to surprise me with its unveiling.  Surprised I was!!!
     
    So much has happened in 2012.  Looking back over this last year, I am humbled and thankful for what God has done in my life and how He has both stretched and blessed me.  This past October was the one year anniversary of my full time staff position as apprentice manager at Polyface Farm. I am grateful for the many friends I have at the farm to work with, laugh with, and learn from.  I've also enjoyed a wonderful church family and have been able to participate in a number of special events with them.  Three of my brothers were able to come and visit me. We had fun just hanging out and even more fun working together.  Another highlight of this summer was being part of a small group Bible study that a friend hosted.  My Heavenly Father continues to show me more of Himself and the unconditional love He has for each one of us. I am so thankful for the relationship I have with Jesus and the strength He makes available each and every day to walk in His power.

     I hope you also have reason to be filled with gratitude and joy over the blessings of  last year.  Whatever may be happening around us, there is a sure foundation in Jesus Christ that we can hold on to and cry out to for salvation.  That is a promise available to anyone who will humble themselves and express their need for a Savior.

May you have hope and excitement for this new year!      Eric



A few pictures from my time back home...

A family picture at my brother's graduation.

I'm proud of you Christopher!!

All six Barth Brothers in front of Daniel's new truck!

First load with the new ride!

I got to enjoy some time on the ice while I was home.

Man, I had stiffer competition from my younger brothers than I expected.
Time sure changes things!

My hockey buddies!

I'm "Polyfacing" more of my family, one sibling at a time. ;-)

"The Family Table"  I think it is such a blessing to see a sight like this.

Rebekah is showing Grandpa the new ipad she purchased for her nutrition coursework.

The last ride as a family in the ole' fifteen passenger. We went looking at Christmas lights!

Sorry for the blur on this shot.  Those of you with memories of hours spent in the back
of the family's big van will understand why I included it anyway.

Autumn, hunting, and another visit from my brother!

     Yes,...... I know, you look at this post title and think, "Isn't this a little late Eric"?  I guess "better late then never" is my only defense. Being home for Christmas has given me some time to catch up on little fun things ..... like blog posts! :)  November and December seem to have gone by really fast. Anyone else agree?

      Although we were busy getting the barns and hoop houses ready for winter, November seems to be the most non-rushed month on the farm.  We start to enjoy the longer evenings and not-so-early mornings that come with the time change.  White tailed deer hunting is a big thing in the valley and I certainly enjoyed my third season of participation ..... pictures below. :)  Thanksgiving dinner at Polyface is something to see. Almost all of the deliciously prepared food came right off the farm, and the fellowship is always a great part of this special day.  Another highlight for November was having my brother Daniel visit again.  We spent many hours hunting together and just hanging out with the rest of the Polyface team.

      December's big event occurred during the first two weeks of the month. We had about forty-five intern check-outs come for their two-day working interview for next summer's team. I enjoyed getting to know many of these great people and hearing about their backgrounds. I think anyone passionate about sustainable agriculture should be proud of the many individuals pursuing this path in life. On a personal note, because I believe that the world was created by God, and that stewarding the earth was the first "job" given to man in the Garden of Eden, it encourages me to see such a flood of people coming to the farming "battle front".

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Christmas and is looking forward to a Happy New Year!

Enjoy the pictures!

Loading up the herd that I had charge of this fall.

We made a make shift corral with pipe gates and used it to load the cattle into the trailers.

Daniel and Sheri celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary in November with a night out while the team had fun watching the children.

Travis and Jonathan are fighting it out in a game of Battle Ships.

We dug a trench to lay electric and water lines for the hunting camp.

 Target practice on Thanksgiving Day

Daniel and I jamming with Ralph. (He was getting his first guitar lesson.)

A special thanks to Rachel Salatin for the brother's photo shoot

Yes, he's too handsome; I couldn't leave out this photo!

My first buck!!!  A nice seven pointer.

We went bowling while my brother was visiting and had a ball!! ... ha, ha.

One of the many projects we did with the 'check outs' was pour concrete and rebuild walls in the main barn.

It looks so nice!!

Home grown lumber! ... Just a little chain saw work.

Another December project was to move the frozen chicken that had been stored off-farm during the summer back to our trailer freezers at Polyface.

Each box was passed along 'military-chain-style' into the freezers.  We moved about fifteen TONS of chickens.