I just finished a tasty meal of Corned Beef and Cabbage.
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Our last 5 days weather wise couldn't have been nicer. I sure hope the Arctic blasts of winter are gone for good. The fact that it is Michigan I know we aren't done but a girl can dream, right?
Over the weekend we raked leaves and...
...demolished the old crate coop.
You served us well for 3 years but it was time to go.
We couldn't justify keeping you and your leaky roof when I have this "new" beauty.
Nothing left but the foundation.
Our yard looks less trashy now. We still have a bit of trashy left but that's how we roll.
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I collected sap until I almost got tired of it.
All of this 8 gallon container.
Plus all these.
About 22 gallons worth, and the sap is still flowing.
I had to get our propane tank refilled so I could do this again.
Melissa asked for a close up of our hook system. Our taps had built in hooks so it made hanging the jugs easy.
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Not all good news though.
The winter was a hard one for us but it was even harder on our pond. The inhabitants of our pond actually.
It looks like all of our large fish have been wiped out. Bass, large mouth and small, and our stripes. All of the big Bluegill and Sunfish.
Both of our carp too.
The ice hasn't melted all the way yet so I'm not sure if any small ones are left.
We were stocking up as a future meat source and had only eaten a few last summer.
We were hoping to have a fish fry with our camping guests this summer. Sorry ladies.
I'm bummed, I had caught and brought home most of these fish myself.
Of all the years we have been here we have never lost fish over the winter.
Looks like I need to renew my fishing licence.
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The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain. Dolly Parton
16 comments:
Wow that is one heck of a lot of sap. You really have your work cut out. Poor fish. But at least it gives you a good reason to go fishing. I love to fish. Nothing better than sitting there with a pole.
That is too bad about the fish! Wow you have lots of syrup. I did a post on our expereince. How long did it take you to boil down the sap? We plan to do it this weekend.
Oh No....thats not good news about the fishies in your pond. Im sorry. They looked really big.
So, do you have any containers left in your house that dont have sap in them?
I had no idea you had all those fish in your pond - and that you had caught most of them yourself! You never cease to amaze me with all that you can do.
That's so sad that the fish didn't make it. Do you think it was because it just got too cold? Or that the pond was frozen over for too long? Or that the pond was too shallow? Or? That one guy was almost the size of T-Bone!! Kinda scary.
Gosh girl, I'm so sorry about the fish! That really, really sucks.
Your yard doesn't look trashy, mine does! Good job with all the work your doing!
Im seeing the new header on your blog.....So very cute. What do you have there? Whatever it may be...Im not seeing it on your Etsy site yet....
Oh....and for some reason my kitchen smells like dill. Good thing I love that smell!
What?!! Horses and not donkeys? sigh....
Nothin' wrong with a little trash! ;P
Sorry to hear about your fish.
We roll trashy and I am proud...just thought you might like the support!
love the top photo - looking out of the barn. is that something that's coming? darling.
Oh, I am dying to make my own syrup. I wonder if it works in Virginia.
I landed here from another farm-y blog. I love your posts :0)
Oh, no--I'm so sorry about your fish!
Best of luck with the boiling. It's a ton of work, but at least you get liquid gold when you're done!
Hi Egghead, I ended up giving about 15 gallons of sap to my Dad, he was thrilled.
Fishing is my favorite thing to do, I just wish we had stocked the freezer before winter hit.
Country Girl, thank you. I didn't keep track of the boil down time. If it got late I put a lid on and started it up in the morning. It did seem to take forever though.
Frugalmom, that carp was the biggest in the pond. They help keep the weeds down.
The more containers I used the funnier it became. ;-)
Farmgirl, I love fishing and even carry my pole and tacklebox in my truck just in case.
I think it is because of all those things, the cold, the pond was frozen for over 3 months straight plus had a thick blanket of snow on it. We never had a winter this bad before.
Carp can get quite large but they are fraidy cats (fish) and only eat veggies. So no worries there.
Farmmom, thanks for the empathy.
Patrice Farmer, we still have tons of trashy spots that get overlooked when my camera is out.
Frugalmom, Yes I was horsen around with the sewing machine and it will be on etsy soon.
I love the smell of dill!
Farmgirl, soon my friend, soon.
Thanks Amy!
Warren, this time of year is the worst as far as yard looks, we need the spring green to make it all pretty. Thanks for the support!
Joanna, you guessed it!
Carolyn, you may have to start earlier than we do up here, but it is worth it!
Kathryn and Ari, thanks.
I gave my dad a taste and he said it was like ice cream topping.
Lots of work with the sap!
Do you know what happened with the fish? Did they freeze? Too little water??
Jeepers, that was some big fish! What a shame, I am sorry. :(
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