Creek and Palette

09/10/2015

I found this very interesting article today showing the comparisons of Honey verses Maple Syrup. I love using both for cooking and sweetening. It is so good to know that they both have so many great benefits. It helps when you process your own syrup and supply many plants and flowers for the neighbors bees to produce their honey. That is our next project someday... honey bees... :-)

http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/nutrition-pure-maple-syrup-vs-honey-1756.html

Pure maple syrup and honey are commonly labeled as healthy and natural sweeteners -- often as an alternative to sugar or sugar substitutes. Contrary to what some believe, there are few similarities ...

15/03/2015

Filtering, sealing and storing your maple syrup

This is the last step in your syrup production process, finally...

When you're done evaporating all your sap and ready to finish, it is now time to filter the syrup.

I use cheese clothes for this process. The clothes get very dirty and I have to change out very often...

(read more...)
http://creekandpalette.com/2015/03/15/filtering-seal…ng-maple-syrup

12/03/2015

Boiling Down our Sweet Maple Syrup

We use the largest stainless steel pans that we could find. These pans worked great and hardly looked used at the end of the season. They are surely put to the test over a HOT fire for up to 10 hours a day for at least 5 days at a time. The little black boiler pans work great also and are a far better price. I have used them for 2 seasons and...

(read more...)
http://creekandpalette.com/2015/03/12/boiling-down-o…et-maple-syrup/

11/03/2015

Our Maple Syrup Burner

Last year was our first year using our new homemade boiler for syrup. It was constructed out of an old fuel oil tank that was no longer needed. It worked fantastic! There are a few things that we...
(read more)
http://creekandpalette.com/2015/03/11/our-maple-syrup-burner/

10/03/2015

Time to Tap the Trees...

And so it begins... maple syrup time.

I can hardly wait to be riding back to the woodlands with buckets in tow, eager to check on the nights flow. Walking from tree to tree, laden with gallon jugs, with the anticipation that they will be full with sweet syrup makes me smile. When the syrup is running heavy it will take a trip in the morning and another in the evening to collect. It is definitely the first sure sign that spring has sprung.

Read more about our process...
http://creekandpalette.com/2015/03/10/time-to-tap-the-trees/

27/02/2015

Growing Gourds

You may want to give growing your own gourds a try this upcoming summer. There are so many uses for gourds, but my favorites are growing them for bird housing and suet feeders. I like to grow mine on a fence that lines my garden....
Read more...
http://creekandpalette.com/2015/02/27/growing-gourds

28/01/2015

Saving Your Poinsettias
If you are nursing your poinsettia plants left over from Christmas go ahead and try keeping them alive for the next Holiday Season! We all like a challenge right?
http://creekandpalette.com/2015/01/28/saving-poinsettias

Although poinsettia plants are relatively inexpensive, it can be a satisfying challenge to keep the plant alive over the summer and coax it into bloom by the next holiday season. The first step is ...

18/01/2015

Creating Heart Felt Gifts

Nothing touches the heart more than receiving a gift from the heart. Money just can’t buy the thoughtfulness that goes into a gift like this.

I wanted to share a gift that I received, and yes, I did okay this with my son to share.

This past Christmas I received the wood plaque below from one of my sons. We had visited him at his home last summer and went on a bike hike. Along the way, he gathered items from our excursion. He gathered freely with me not having any idea of what was in store for these little treasures.

He strategically placed the items on a large piece of driftwood with a picture of our day. I will treasure this forever.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to give and receive these types of gifts. I guess the old saying is true… “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”

These are the gifts that touch us so deeply. The low, to no cost does not reflect the reasoning behind the giving of these gifts. It matter's not what it is, as long as your heart was a giving heart and had created something for another.

Priceless…

http://creekandpalette.com/2015/01/18/creating-heart-felt-gifts

17/01/2015

Pine cones anyone?

Have you ever had lots of pine cones that fall around your yard and wish that you could resource them in some way? Below are just a few ideas to get you started. One good thing you could do...
(Read more...)
http://creekandpalette.com/2015/01/17/pine-cones-anyone

14/01/2015

Save Your Parmesan Cheese Lids!

Did you know that you can use your Parmesan cheese container lids on your canning jars for storage?

Works like a charm!

http://creekandpalette.com/2015/01/14/save-your-parmesan-cheese-lids

12/01/2015

A Simple Suet Recipe for the Birds

Here is a super simple recipe to make your own suet for the birds this winter. This recipe makes at least 20 large blocks and is so much cheaper than purchasing in the store. Another benefit is that you know exactly what is in your suet, no preservatives, etc...
Read more... Get recipe here: http://wp.me/p4bpgd-BS

11/01/2015

Making a Suet Feeder From Gourds

A few summers ago I grew a few gourds to hopefully be new homes for my purple martins. The gourds did not get as big as I would like for the housing so I had to come up with a new plan for these little beauties.

I made suet feeders for the birds. It was trial and error but I think they turned out well. Hopefully the birds think so too!
Read more... http://creekandpalette.com/2015/01/11/making-a-suet-…er-from-gourds