Maple Syrup

I am getting really frustrated....tried 3 different times to get pictures on here. I am so not tech savvy! LOL

Well my husband and I have decided it is time to try to make our own maple syrup. We have plenty of trees to do it and Mr. Smith is out there installing the spout now. I will take pictures of the completed task! (If I can get them later on ERRRRRRrrr.)

We have also been really really trying to cook only with things we grow/raise/collect around here. There are not much foraging options right around here...but I am hoping to explore more when it gets warmer to see if we ca get lucky. This past week we have done just that. Deer pot roast, Chicken pot pie, Ham & Potato soup, Stuffed cabbage, homemade pizza pockets, hamburgers and french fries. They were all amazing, now as of right now not all of the ingredients were grown here....but they can be and we hope to explore more of this seasonal cook what we grow kind of lifestyle that we have been working towards. Well one more thing we are going to be trying is using less granulated sugar and using more natural ingredients that we can collect. Like the maple syrup and honey.

I am looking into getting into the local beekeepers association around here to see what it all involves and my main concern...how often I will get stung! LOL We will not be getting bees this year, but I am hoping for 2014! Baby steps!

Lastly we are hoping and praying we can build and successfully use a solar oven this summer. Our electric bill is overwhelming and we need to cut it back...we are still also looking into hand washing our clothes.

Well that is all for now. Going to see if Mr. Smith is successfully tapping our maple tree!