My.... Conversion, of sorts...(Pet lovers, read and enjoy!)

While growing up, I was never one of those kids who dreamed for hours, of having a dog....Oh, sure, I went through a brief "dog phase", as well as a brief "pony phase", but all I really wanted was my very own cat.


At thirteen, my parents obliged me.... and, then we went on to adopt 2 additional cats before I moved out and married Don.

 Don, on the other hand, grew up without pets....well, maybe a few frogs, but.....no furry friends.




Shortly after we moved into our first apartment, he adopted a kitten....for me, supposedly.  But, that would not satisfy his long-suppressed desire to own a dog.  I could not understand this, as I thought cats were just wonderful!  Who needs the responsibility of a dog, anyway... Right?

C.J., 4 yrs.

Well, less than five months after purchasing our first house, with our twin boys at just 8 months old, we began scanning the classifieds (no social media or thousands of websites at our fingertips in 1997!) for our first dog.

Being the detailed-oriented, cautious one, I researched breeds and checked out books on puppy training and care.  One evening, between feeding, bathing and diaper-changing my very active babies, while Don worked 2nd shift, I found an ad placed by a local breeder of golden retrievers.... I called... 

There was one pup left - a male.  We would just go "meet him" on Saturday morning.

Little did I know.... that 9-week old puppy would melt my heart and turn me into a lifetime dog lover!

Oh, sure, we made a lot of mistakes with him.  But, dogs are so forgiving.....He matured into an awesome companion for both Don and me.  A terrific hunting partner, an eager playmate, and a sweet comforter, sticking by my side when I was going through some really tough stuff!

C.J. was our first, but definitely not our only dog.  Of course, he holds a special place in my

Ginger, age 2, with her litter of 11 pups

heart...but, then again, so do each of them.  There was Scooter (who died tragically, quite young), Ginger (who is almost 10 years old, now), Buddy (my faithful German shepherd who passed away 4 years ago), and Mac (our silly almost-4 yr. old pup).

We raised a litter of pups, courtesy of Ginger and Buddy (Oops!), and we also helped in the raising and training of several service dogs.


Yes, it is safe to say that my "conversion" is complete. 

Mac, 3 mos., introducing hunting with chukars.

While I still enjoy cats and even feed three....one doesn't own cats - cats choose to grace you with their presence!).....I can't imagine my life without my dogs!

Mac, 1 year

Ginger, 9 yrs.

Smelly, hairy, slobbery, messy and sometimes loud and destructive.  Yet, so very entertaining! They are also playful, sensitive and comforting companions, with unmatched devotion and loyalty.

Earlier this week, thanks to my new friend, Brianne, I had the privilege of playing with a litter of 4-week old pups, whose mama, Rozy, is as lovely as her owner.

photo courtesy of Brianne Good

Hmmmm, could there be another canine companion in my near future???  {wink, wink}
We shall see.....








Visit my blog posts next month to see how our garden develops!

Now, Spring Has Arrived...For Real!

With the maple season wrapped up, we are soooo relieved that springtime is fully here.



We've had many days with temps in the 50's and low-60's this week, but today was the best spring day, yet - 65 degrees.....AND SUNNY!  All day sunshine, too.  It was wonderful!







 In the morning, we popped the rest of the taps from our sugarbush, and did some yard work.

The boys moved the last of our wood pile and we prepped the area that will become our family garden (more on that in an upcoming blog...). 

Then, we each spent the afternoon doing whatever we wanted. 

 Grace soaked in the sunshine reading her book, then worked on her painting. 

Rosie took a bareback trail ride with Lexie, and spent time with her friend, Jalyn.

Nate sat outside with his i-pod before visiting his friend across the street, and Will got some much-needed rest, as well as a walk in the woods. 

I did my favorite thing - took a long, relaxing hike around our property with the dogs and my camera....

Mac found the last of the snow.....




















I enjoyed listening to the various songbirds....

 

Ginger enjoyed a vigorous roll in the grassy field...











And, I had the opportunity to talk with my God in one of my favorite spots, overlooking this valley we call home for now.

Yes, spring brings with it, not just relief, but hope and promise.  

Very soon, these fields will be a sea of tall green grass - that makes me smile!

Wrapping Up The Season...

Well, it is April 10th, and our first maple sugaring season is coming to a close today.  Only random, stubborn piles of snow in the shady areas of the woods remain, and the trees are just about to bud.

It has been a fun, highly educational few

Lady, enjoying a roll in leaves today!

months.  Although we are a bit weary from our crash course (It feels like we completed Maple 101, 102 and 200 all in the last 6 months!), we are already thinking ahead, planning our improvements for the next sap season.


Ultimately, we tapped and collected from only 270 of our well-over a thousand maple trees.  Next year, we want to take that up to 500+, and hope to update our evaporator.  But for now, we'll focus on popping out the taps, cleaning up and storing our equipment, and, of course,  selling the approximately 30-35 gallons of syrup (packaged mostly in quarts and pints) sitting around our dining room!  Actually, we've already had several customers, for whom we are most grateful.  And, we've been enjoying our tasty delicacy with pancakes, hot cereal, coffee, and in a few recipes.  I'll post recipes as I perfect them!
(This summer I'll post photos and info about our woodlot management process, as we strive to keep our maples as healthy as they can be.)


One last run of the releaser......














One last sap collection trip for the tractor.....

In the house, we're finishing up with bottling....

                                                                         ...and labeling.


I'm so proud of my teens for consistently pitching in, sticking with it to complete the job even when the hours were long, and giving up was very tempting.

In fact, since Don began his new job last week, William has been taking the lead in this adventure, with the rest of us supporting him!

Will loves the solitude and peace of the woods, as well as the taste of maple syrup.... on just about anything - this may be the perfect career for him!  Time will tell...


Please keep following our blog.  Our dear, "tech-savvy" friend, Josh, is working on our website's product page as I type.  I'll post an announcement when it's ready!

Also, I'll share photos of the improvements we'll be making to Westbrook Farm throughout this spring, summer and fall.  As always, we welcome visitors.....but I must warn you....

...it's quite muddy here right now, so wear your muck boots!

A Matter of Preference

Grading systems prior to this year

Okay, Friends.  We've had some folks ask us about the "grades" and colors of maple syrup, so I did a bunch of research, both on-line and talking with sugarmakers who've been at this for 20+ years, and here's what I have learned:

At present, states are allowed to have their own grading system, but most use the USDA grading scale.  As of 2016, all US producers must use the newly-accepted USDA grading scale.  (Please note that the USDA grading scale is not the same as the Canadian system.)

This year, we had a choice of using the old USDA grading stickers or the new ones that will soon be required.  We went with the new system since we are just starting out as maple syrup producers.  That said, here is a comparison:




Currently:                                                        New:

Grade A light amber                                                 US grade A golden, delicate taste
Grade A medium amber                                           US grade A amber, rich taste
Grade A dark amber                                                 US grade A dark, robust taste
Grade A extra dark or Grade B                                US grade A very dark, strong taste                               

So, what's the difference?  What accounts for those colors?  Is one better than another?

Well, all grades, made by a quality producer, should have the same density and sugar content (66.9%).  We use a special hydrometer to measure each batch of syrup that we draw off of the evaporator.

The color has largely to do with when, during the 3 to 6-week maple season, the sap has been collected.  Generally speaking, the earlier in the season, the lighter the syrup.

However, this would be over-simplifying it a bit.  Let me explain:

There are a number of other factors that affect both flavor and color of maple syrup.

* soil type (acidity, mineral content, types of bacteria in the soil)
* tree genetics and age
* weather conditions (throughout the previous year, not just during maple season)
*processing techniques (wood-fired or oil evaporator, and how long the sap sits before it is brought up to boiling)

It is important for me to mention that no pure maple syrup is "refined".  No matter the grade, it has all come from simply boiling the sap from maple trees to the proper temperature until it reaches the proper density.  Period.

Basically, then, it is all a matter of individual preference.  

If you prefer a lighter maple flavor, or you plan to make maple candy and/or maple cream, go with the golden, delicate stuff.
If you like a stronger maple flavor, choose either the amber or dark grade or even very dark.
If you are going to use the syrup primarily for baking, get the extra dark stuff.

The grading system just provides a general guideline for the consumer.  I have heard other sugarmakers compare maple syrup to wine.  Many New York wine makers produce a "table red" wine.  In my nearly 19 months up here, I have tasted the "table red" of  4 or 5 different finger lakes wineries.  Not one of them tastes the same!!   

You can visit several different maple syrup producers, sample their US grade A medium syrup, and each one will have a slightly different taste from vanilla -ish to caramel -ish to buttery.  Basically, only the really large producers (tens of thousands of taps) strive to make every bottle of one grade taste exactly the same through the blending of their "batches".  Even at that, they will taste a bit different from season to season.

samples from each week of syrup production so far

As for this year in Central NY, the producers we've spoken with have not gotten much light syrup, due to weather conditions.  In fact, everything we have for sale will be amber, dark, and hopefully, we'll get some very dark as we wrap it up late this week.

Note:  Round jars such as these make your syrup appear darker due to how they refract light.

Stay tuned for ordering information.  And, please, if you live in our area, don't hesitate to stop by!

A Matter of Preference

Grading systems prior to this year

Okay, Friends.  We've had some folks ask us about the "grades" and colors of maple syrup, so I did a bunch of research, both on-line and talking with sugarmakers who've been at this for 20+ years, and here's what I have learned:

At present, states are allowed to have their own grading system, but most use the USDA grading scale.  As of 2016, all US producers must use the newly-accepted USDA grading scale.  (Please note that the USDA grading scale is not the same as the Canadian system.)

This year, we had a choice of using the old USDA grading stickers or the new ones that will soon be required.  We went with the new system since we are just starting out as maple syrup producers.  That said, here is a comparison:




Currently:                                                        New:

Grade A light amber                                                 US grade A golden, delicate taste
Grade A medium amber                                           US grade A amber, rich taste
Grade A dark amber                                                 US grade A dark, robust taste
Grade A extra dark or Grade B                                US grade A very dark, strong taste                               

So, what's the difference?  What accounts for those colors?  Is one better than another?

Well, all grades, made by a quality producer, should have the same density and sugar content (66.9%).  We use a special hydrometer to measure each batch of syrup that we draw off of the evaporator.

The color has largely to do with when, during the 3 to 6-week maple season, the sap has been collected.  Generally speaking, the earlier in the season, the lighter the syrup.

However, this would be over-simplifying it a bit.  Let me explain:

There are a number of other factors that affect both flavor and color of maple syrup.

* soil type (acidity, mineral content, types of bacteria in the soil)
* tree genetics and age
* weather conditions (throughout the previous year, not just during maple season)
*processing techniques (wood-fired or oil evaporator, and how long the sap sits before it is brought up to boiling)

It is important for me to mention that no pure maple syrup is "refined".  No matter the grade, it has all come from simply boiling the sap from maple trees to the proper temperature until it reaches the proper density.  Period.

Basically, then, it is all a matter of individual preference.  

If you prefer a lighter maple flavor, or you plan to make maple candy and/or maple cream, go with the golden, delicate stuff.
If you like a stronger maple flavor, choose either the amber or dark grade or even very dark.
If you are going to use the syrup primarily for baking, get the extra dark stuff.

The grading system just provides a general guideline for the consumer.  I have heard other sugarmakers compare maple syrup to wine.  Many New York wine makers produce a "table red" wine.  In my nearly 19 months up here, I have tasted the "table red" of  4 or 5 different finger lakes wineries.  Not one of them tastes the same!!   

You can visit several different maple syrup producers, sample their US grade A medium syrup, and each one will have a slightly different taste from vanilla -ish to caramel -ish to buttery.  Basically, only the really large producers (tens of thousands of taps) strive to make every bottle of one grade taste exactly the same through the blending of their "batches".  Even at that, they will taste a bit different from season to season.

samples from each week of syrup production so far

As for this year in Central NY, the producers we've spoken with have not gotten much light syrup, due to weather conditions.  In fact, everything we have for sale will be amber, dark, and hopefully, we'll get some very dark as we wrap it up late this week.

Note:  Round jars such as these make your syrup appear darker due to how they refract light.

Stay tuned for ordering information.  And, please, if you live in our area, don't hesitate to stop by!