Finally, with all the food-bearing plants we are growing, it will
be helpful to have a local source of pollinators. While it might
seem we know a thing or two about bees, we really don’t know
much more than anyone else when it comes to caring for them—
hence, the importance of the class.
As of this writing near the end of February, we began harvesting
sap for a popular winter staple: maple syrup. The rising sap
of sugar maple trees in late winter is collected and boiled down
to make syrup and sugar. Today, most sugaring operations boil
the sap down to syrup as it comes in. Indigenous peoples had
a method of making maple products slightly different: when
possible, they would let collected sap freeze across the top,
then discard the ice. The sugars would naturally precipitate
towards the bottom. This meant there was less water to boil
off, and it saved both boiling time and fuel. We are going to try
out this method this year.
We purchased a variety of fruiting trees and shrubs and await
their arrival when the weather warms. There will be American
persimmon, paw paws, tart cherry, sea buckthorn (omega-7
source), Ohio native plum, filberts and a few more we can’t
remember! The idea is to create multiple growing tiers throughout
the homestead, placing plants where they would naturally grow:
for example, Paw Paw trees grow under the forest canopy
and prefer dappled sunlight, while berries prefer hedgerows.
Our berries will include black raspberry (highest natural-occurring
source of ellagic acid), red raspberry, blackberry, Saskatoon
berry, blueberry and a few different types of strawberries.
These long-lived perennial plants will take some years before they
bear significant amounts of fruit, but it is well worth the wait.
We will be starting our plants for our vegetable garden from
seed in the near future. Late February and early March is
when many sow seeds for plants that they will later transplant
to their garden, especially those that like heat and are slow
to get going, such as peppers. Cold weather plants can be
direct-sown in the early, chilly spring as they like it best and
need those temperatures.
We are happy to announce every one of our chickens happily
and healthily made it through the coldest days of Ohio’s
classically frigid winter, but ol’ Roo did get a touch of frostbite
on his comb. We were a little surprised by just how many eggs
we collected over the cold and dark winter months! There
were quite a few and the numbers are ever-increasing as the
days lengthen. The chickens have also fulfilled their other
job admirably—contributing to compost-making with all their
manure! It’s a good thing, because we need a lot of it.
Happy gardening! The Hunolts