Ohio Country Journal: April 2015

Who We Are

The past few years, the area where I live, Crawford County, Ohio, has seen a wonderful explosion of younger families who are embracing the joys and challenges of living off the land. Because of them, amazing things are happening which have been embraced by our community. Farmer’s markets have been created and on-farm stores have opened. Families dedicated to growing organic produce and naturally raised meats are meeting the public’s needs for locally raised foods. And at the heart of this movement are the women.

Ohio Country Journal is my attempt to share the essence of farm life, focusing on, but not limited to, women. My goal is to bring you into our circle of friendship by inviting you to share your stories and experiences with us. You don’t have to be a full time country woman to benefit from joining us; you just have to be you.

The full-time country women featured in Ohio Country Journal are an inspiration to anyone who dares to follow her dreams, whether it is to live in the country or to bring the country life-style to their urban neighborhoods.

Friday, April 3, 2015

Oh! How Sweet it Is!

Ohio's abundance of Sugar Maple trees makes for a sweet "crop" of syrup come early Spring, Oh, how sweet it is!

Making maple syrup is labor intensive work; beginning with cutting down enough old trees and chopping wood to keep the fires in the syrup evaporators going. Next, trees are tapped, which means drilling holes for spigots to drain the sugar water that is rising in the trees and collecting it in buckets, pipes, or plastic bags. Long hours are spent boiling the sap down and bottling the syrup.

Sugar season is coming to an end because the trees are claiming the sap for their own use by leafing out. A leafing tree yields ucky syrup, so I imagine it is nature's way of preventing having the life drained right out of them, literally.

One of the things that I love best about March is going to Maple Syrup festivals and pancake breakfasts. We especially love the festivities at the Lutheran Memorial Camp in Fulton, Ohio. The pancake breakfast is a real fest; served family style and loaded with fruit, sausages, OJ or coffee, plenty of pancakes and, oh yeah....pure Ohio maple syrup!

There's always a live band filling the air with (mostly) old-timey music (with a few modern twists thrown in just for fun).

Outside horse drawn wagons take visitors into the woods to see the tapped trees and watch the sap being boiled down into syrup.

For a refreshing treat that helps warm up cold hands and chase away the chill air, hot, homemade Sassafras teas is made.

The end result is fresh syrup, ready for consumers to enjoy. For those who did not make it to a festival, no worries. Area farmers markets are getting set to open the first week of May, where one can purchase the fruits of the maple producers' labors. :)

Marcheta *Savoring the Sweet Things in Life