Wed/Thurs Posts

[MapleRidge]

Hello everyone...

I have been at a trade show the past 2 days and following posts on my BlackBerry, and just getting a chance now to view the images on a full screen. A great selection of work, and I want to congratualte everyone for their successes. I don't want to overlook anyone, so I simply wanted to acknowledge the great work posted and thank everyone for sharing.

I have just come back from the bush after collecting maple sap in the dark (cold and wet hmy: ) and need to finsish up chores around the house...and then call it a day. They are calling for sun on the weekend here, so I hope to get back at imaging as soon as mother nature permits.

Take care,
Brian

P.S. Alexandra, I hope you are feeling better!

[swisswalter]

Hi Brian

welcome back from the bush. How much maple sap do you collect on such a trip?

[Montana]

Yes, I was wondering this too, now I understand the 'Mapleridge'. We became addicted to maple syrup after visiting Canada 10 years ago, now it is a special weekend treat to have pancakes and maple syrup yumm!

Alexandra

[MapleRidge]

Hi Walter and Alexandra...

Making syrup is one thing I have continued to do each spring since I learned to walk. I halped my grandfather as a kid, and when he retired and moved off the farm I kept it up.

What I have is pretty small scale now...put up about 80 taps (pails) and on a good day I can collect on average 10 litres of raw sap per tap. I need warm days and nigths below 0C (but not too cold). The sap will run when this freeze/thaw cycle is present and go until it warms enough to have the trees start to break buds...then you photosynthate sugars in the sap and it does not make good syrup :sick: The trees store carbohydrates in the trunk and roots for a food supply to kick the sprign off, and an enzyme converts the carbs to sucrose. The sap averages 2-3% sucrose which you have to boil for hours to get rid of the water to bring it to 66% whcih is considered finsihed. Takes a lot iof time and work, but it keeps me off the front page of the paper :silly: In a typical year I finish around 60 litres of syrup...target 1 l/tap but I can't usually keep up with it at the peak. If you like, I can post a few pics.

Alexandra, you are right in associating the name of my observatory with maple syrup. It comes from that in part beacuse as a kid it was a source of funds to buy telescope accessories, and there was a line of maple trees to the west of the first observatory I built on the farm back in the early 80's.

Hoping for clear skies...
Brian

[solarchat]

Liquid Sun!

[MapleRidge]

Hi Stephan...

Yes indeed, it is liquified sun at the most basic level!

Brian

[Montana]

Oh yes! please do post pictures

As a plant and tree lover, what species of Maple do you tap or can it be any?

(sorry if this is off topic Stephen )

Regards
Alexandra

[MapleRidge]

Hi Alexandra...

There are two maple species suitable for syrup. The most common is the Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) and the Black Maple (Acer nigrum)...The sugar maple is wide spread in the US N.E, states, plus Ontario and Quebec (the black is less common).

I will grab some pics over the weekend...can e-mail if I can't get the sun in the frame to post here to keep on topic., LOL.

Brian

[Montana]

Thanks Brian. I've just had a look in my tree leaf collection (I know I am sad!) I have 32 different species of Maple and I have a specimen of the Sugar Maple, but no Black Maple . I have 157 species and 6 unidentified in my collection (OK everyone can laugh). This is fascinating!

Regards
Alexandra