Last Week: A Challenging Week!

My original "plan" for this blog post was to show and tell all about our day of educating folks about maple production and selling our products at the Tractor Supply Company in Cortland, about how nice our on-line store turned out and products we hope to introduce this summer. 








However,  last week presented a few challenges, a bit of drama, and a test of my faith and fortitude.

It began with my dear dog, Ginger, becoming very ill. 


On Monday, she just seemed off.  During the course of the day Tuesday she began vomiting and had severe diarrhea.  By Wednesday morning, I thought I might lose her.  Our vet appointment produced few answers, but IV fluids were administered, as well as intravenous medication, and we were sent home with a couple of medications.

Thursday was horrible and I cried because I wasn't ready to let her go...not like this.  She's 10 years old, but until a few days ago, she was still rather spry and jovial. 

Finally, on Friday she seemed to be coming round. 

Phew!


So, we left the house at noon on Friday for our ethics and civics class that we are doing with another homeschool family.

As always, we had a terrific afternoon of fellowship and learning.  We left, picked up Rosemary, who'd been helping a friend paint a shed, and headed down to Walmart for some shopping.  Before we even got there, a family friend, who used to serve with the Homer Fire Department, called us on my cell to say that he'd heard our address on his scanner. 

What?!  "He's got to be kidding?" I thought. 

It became apparent that he was not kidding, so we headed home immediately - of course, we got every single red light between the Walmart and Route 41 - it was the longest twenty minutes of my life!! 

We arrived to discover our barn on the ground, consumed by flames. 

However, the kids and I collectively sighed with relief when we discovered that it was NOT our house on fire, and none of our animals sustained injury....in fact, they were all just doing what they normally do - the chickens were contently ranging around the yard, pecking and scratching, the horses were calmly grazing towards the back of the pasture, one cat was sleeping in the bushes next to the house, while the others had temporarily disappeared to escape all the commotion. 

My dogs, safe and sound in the kitchen, were barking furiously at the firemen crisscrossing our driveway.

PHEW!

Sadly, however, we lost all of our farm equipment, with the exception of the sawmill that sat out in an open corner of the pasture.  While we were so thankful that no lives were lost and no one was injured fighting the fire, we were a bit distraught and overwhelmed at the magnitude of our loss of equipment and everyday items we use on this farm, not to mention half of our maple syrup equipment. 

What's left of our western saddle

This was one of our English saddles.

Ride the horses?  Nope.  No tack.  How about groom them?  Nope.  No grooming tools, no halters, no lead ropes.  Thankfully, the farm that Nate works for donated enough hay to get us through the weekend.

Work in the yard?  Nope.  No rakes or shovels or lawn mower or pruners.

Chop wood?  Nope.  No chainsaws, axes, log splitters.

Our cool, fully restored tractor that we used for many things.

No tractor.

And, our display for TSC?  Thankfully, we had most of that in the house, but we did lose a few things.

Despite all of this, we decided to head down to TSC on Saturday as planned.  It was a lovely day, we talked to lots of folks and sold more products than expected!  Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, and Grace only took two pictures, so there's not much to show.  The sweet folks at TSC gave us a gift certificate so that we could replace a couple of the items lost, like feed for the horses and chickens, halters and brushes for the horses.

Friends provided meals for the weekend, so we could rest and work on our inventory list for the insurance company. 



I am anxiously awaiting for their "go ahead" to begin cleaning up.  I realize the process will not happen overnight and rebuilding will likely take a few months - inconvenient, but in the end, we will have a brand new barn.  Stuff is just stuff - it can be replaced, little by little.


Stay tuned as we share the transformation with you. 



In the meantime, I think I'll buy a bunch of flowers...annuals, like impatiens and pansies and violets, this Mother's Day weekend to "pretty up" our property around the house, at least!
Pray with us for an uneventful clean-up - lots of nails to step on and sharp objects to get cut on out there -  we don't want ANY injuries! 

What Is Maple Cream, Exactly?

I've had several people ask this question recently, so I thought I'd address it for everyone.  It is referred to as "maple cream", "whipped maple", or "maple butter".  All of these nomenclatures imply that dairy is an ingredient....but it is not! 

In fact, the only ingredient in maple cream is 100% pure maple syrup!



Maple syrup contains sucrose, fructose and glucose.  The levels of those different sugars can vary based on a variety of environmental factors present as sap is collected, concentrated and boiled.  If a batch of maple syrup has the correct level of glucose compared to the other sugars, it is suitable for making cream.

The syrup is heated to 22 degrees above the boiling point of water (which will vary based on your elevation, the air pressure and humidity on the day the cream is made.)  Once it reaches this temperature, it is allowed to cool, undisturbed, to between 62 and 68 degrees.







The next step is agitation, which breaks up the sugar molecules to make the thick, sticky taffy-like syrup into a spreadable cream.  It is possible to do this by hand, with very small batches.  Last year, when our good friends from Pennsylvania visited during maple season, we made about 2 and half pounds this way -It was tough work and took a long time.  I think we even broke one of my wooden spoons!

Phew! 

             

                Last year's tiny batch is a darker color because we used Grade A Very Dark syrup.

Helping Barb with hers before we try our own!

Nowadays, the maple industry relies upon "cream machines" for the production of this product.  This $1,300 machine uses a motor to turn an agitator and pressure forces the thickened syrup through the agitator over and over until it transforms from a rich, dark amber color to a creamy light tan.











Its all about "feel".  One has to carefully watch the movement and consistency of the product as it changes to know when to begin filling jars - too little agitation or too much will affect the "spread-ability" of your cream and how much it will separate in the jars after a few weeks.

Rosie and I are a fabulous team for making maple cream - apparently, we have great "feel" because our batch is.... luxurious!

Our limited supply is available in our on-line shop or in person for $18 a pound.   

The shop is now open, so check it out!

Coming To A Close (My best blog this season...)

 Well, Folks....tonight is it.  The snow is nearly gone, our trees have that pinkish hue as buds begin to form.....


And, thus, the last night of boiling is upon us.  

The 2015 maple season has been very different from last year in many ways, but another fabulous learning experience, nonetheless! 

We believe God's hand is in everything we do, and that He orchestrates our experiences, the people we meet, etc. for His purposes and our good. (By "good" I do not mean the absence of trial and hardship, for the challenges and difficulties are often our best teachers!)

Five months ago, we discovered our own evaporator pans were not going to be suitable for boiling syrup this year, and we weren't certain we'd be able to make syrup at all.  Then, Don and Will met Barb at a maple conference.





We were able to go ahead with our plan to increase our taps from 267 to 400+.  Becoming part of this co-op, we've been able to gain hands-on experience with all the latest equipment used in the maple industry in exchange for half of our sap (and MANY hours of labor).

As of this moment, we have nearly 30 gallons of gorgeous Amber and Dark syrup to call our own and share with you. 


We've also had the opportunity to observe, first-hand, the maple business practices of others - both good and bad. 

Don and I have had many "teach-able moments" to share with our children throughout this maple season, and I am confident that Will and Rosie, especially, are more business-savvy and discerning than the average teen. 

I have been blessed to observe the excellent work ethic of my children, again this season.  They rallied and supported each other in the face of numerous challenges, from navigating through 3 feet of snow in the sugarbush, to equipment break-downs, to working with other producers in a professional manner.  I am a proud Mama, indeed!   As we market our products locally, participating in several special events at our local Tractor Supply Company and local farmer's market, I'm sure they will amaze me even more.

She's exhausted!

 Will we do it again next season?  Well, we really hope so!  

However,  the Westbrook's are a "DIY" kind of family.  Ultimately, we have come to realize that this co-op is not the best fit for us. 

We plan to take all that we've learned this year, research grants, loans and other financial avenues, and grow our maple operation on our own property - family-operated from beginning to end.

We've learned that the biggest, newest, most-expensive equipment is NOT what makes a quality maple business, but rather careful, prudent, hard-working individuals with an eye for detail and an appropriate love of the forest and its Creator!







Finally, Friends...(drum roll, please)...our on-line store will be open for purchases on Monday, April 13th!! 

Thanks so very much to our friend, Josh, for his diligence, creativity and attention to detail! If you like his work, please let us know.  He's started his own business in web design!

Go to www.westbrookmaple.com.  Register and receive e-mails about special offers and new products!

Picking up Momentum

Well, it's almost April 1 and we're finally getting a bit of traction this maple season....

We collected and concentrated enough sap to have our first boil, and, collectively, our little co-op bottled about 12 or 15 gallons on Saturday afternoon - not as much as we hoped to have by now, but it's a good start! 



Unfortunately, the temperatures dropped this weekend...again...and we didn't collect much sap - Bummer. 









However, we had quite a few visitors for the final day of the Maple Weekends Open House, and....Rosie and I learned to make maple cream!

We also had an opportunity to take a walk along Otisco Lake on Sunday afternoon - lovely, though still quite frozen.  I am looking forward to seeing how it changes as maple season continues!

If the weather predictions for the next two weeks are accurate, we'll be very busy boiling sap and bottling syrup well into the middle of April....and maybe longer depending when the trees bud.

Watch for our 2015 products and pricing on our Facebook page later this week!











We plan to have a stand at the Homer Farmer's Market, May thru September for local folks, but you can always contact us directly for your "maple needs".  We love visitors!

In just a few weeks, our on-line store should be ready for purchases as well.

As for our Pennsylvania family and friends, we're hoping to visit yet this spring and hand deliver your maple products, so stay tuned!