This Week's Warm Temperatures Generate First Sap Flows of Season
The 2010 Maple Sugaring Season began last week in the Upper Hudson region, with warmer temperatures generating sap flow in area maple trees. The season is off to a very strong start.
"This is what we wait for all year. The sap was running hard last week, kicking off a new maple season," said David Campbell, a Salem producer and president of the Upper Hudson Maple Producers Association.
Sugarmakers are reporting excellent quality syrup. Ideal sugar making temperatures are forecast for the next several days.
Meanwhile, sugarmakers are preparing for the fifteenth annual Maple Open House Weekend, expanded this year to two weekends, March 20-21 and March 27-28.
A ceremonial first tree tapping with State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker will be held at Dry Brook Sugarhouse in Salem at 12:30 p.m. Friday, March 19.
This year, there are more sugarhouses than ever participating in the self-guided tour.
For a complete listing of sugarhouses and a guide map, click on www.upperhudsonmaple.com.
Prime sap flow temperatures are 40 degrees or more during the day and below freezing at night. Maple season generally runs through early April.
The Upper Hudson region is among the biggest syrup producing regions in the country.
A visit to the produce isle in any supermarket this time of year is, in effect, a trip around the world. While we are freezing up here in the great white north, folks down in Argentina, Chile and Brazil are growing the produce for our winter salad bowls. To remain healthy throughout the winter months, we need to eat veggies daily. But must we support the intercontinental food transport system, just to get our RDA of vitamins and minerals? You'd prefer to buy local, but with snow everywhere, that's not possible, right?
The Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY) announces Circles of Caring, their 28th Annual Organic Farming and Gardening Conference in Saratoga Springs, NY. The conference, which attracts more than 1,000 people each year, will take place from January 22- 24, 2010 at the Saratoga Hilton. Over the three day event, attendees can choose between more than 80 workshops which explore all types of organic farming, gardening, value-added processing, cooking and policy issues. Workshops are of interest to farmers, gardeners, educators, environmentalists, foodies, and more. A special focus this year is on Beginning Farmers. Starting with a reception for young farmers on Thursday Jan 21st, there is programming throughout the conference to help people who are just starting out in farming or are considering becoming a farmer. New this year, NOFA-NY will offer 75 scholarships to beginning farmers.
The Saratoga County Fair is wrapping up this weekend, so if you haven't had a chance to go yet, now's the time. The rain has passed and the sun is out, so head on down to Ballston Spa and check it out! The Fair may conjure up images of cheese fries, dizzying Midway rides and tractor pulls, but the Fair is also a showcase of the locally made and locally grown. I went into the Townley building and found displays featuring an amazing array of food and other products made right here in our region.
By Amy Stock, Contributing Writer Photos by David DeLozier
As an individual, one of the simplest and perhaps most gratifying steps you can take to 'go green' is to buy local grown produce and locally made products. Fortunately in the Capital Region we have plenty of options to access local produce and products, including shopping at local farmer's markets, joining a CSA (Community supported agriculture), buying fresh produce from a local farm stand, or shopping at one of the many locally owned grocers.
Chef Dave Pedinotti of The Mouzon House recommends this great early summer Salad. It brings together the two best flavors of the season - Strawberries and Arugula. The Mouzon House on High Rock Ave., is just up the street from the Saratoga Farmers Market, so Chef Pedinotti can simply walk down to the market and get the freshest ingredients for his entrees. Talk about eco-Local!
Imagine a restaurant that recycles its glass, cans, and paper products, uses biodegradable take-out containers, purchases all its green produce locally, composts every kitchen scrap imaginable, serves only fair-trade coffee and made-from-scratch, cooked-to-order food, uses no trans fats or chemical additives, delivers its customers' plate-waste to families with pet pigs, gives its leftover bread to folks raising chickens, changes its cooking oil frequently, and donates its discarded oil to a local man who processes it and uses it as fuel - to power to his car!
Mary Beth McCue RD, LDN, CDN Integrative Nutritionist
There are many methods and opportunities to eat healthy while being penny-wise and "green" during this time of positive reflection on how we impact our environment, our pocketbooks, and our health.
Convenient and instant foods are normally more expensive, always less nutritious and leave you feeling tired and lifeless. Many have no whole foods and therefore natural nutrients; many contain non-food items. You will begin to be healthier, happier, more energetic, and more capable of living your life to your fullest potential by practicing the suggestions below.
I have never been a fan of turf grass. For starters I hate mowing and on top of that all 3 species of grasses used in lawns (Bluegrass, Rye and Fescue) are native to Europe. They are cool-season grasses which means that they look their best when temperatures are cool and conditions moist. This is why your lawn looks nice in spring and fall, but not so hot in summer. In their native habitat these grasses go dormant during the hot months of summer. Here in North America to keep turf grass looking good when it's supposed to be resting we waste phenomenal amounts of water: 30 to 60% percent of residential water used outside is used on grass which amounts to more 7 billion gallons of water used per day for lawn irrigation. To fertilize all of this grass and kill the pests common to the unhealthy practice of growing monocultures we use 3 million tons of fertilizers annually. Over 30 thousand tons of synthetic pesticides are used on lawns annually. $2.2 billion (2002) or more is spent annually on pesticides for home and garden use. The average homeowner per acre uses 10 times the amount of pesticides that farmers do (Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, 2008). Many (if not all) non-organic fertilizers and pesticides are organo-phosphates or carbamates meaning they are made from petroleum further increasing our dependence on foreign oil.
Looks like the long Winter has finally broken and Spring is here. One sure sign that Spring has Sprung is the return of the Maple Weekends. We are fortunate to have the producers of the finest sweetener on the planet right here in our backyard. Of course, I'm talking about the annual ritual of Maple sap collection to create Maple syrup. Checkout the article "March Maple Madness" in my previous blog post here at Saratoga.com and read about some of the characters involved in this right of Spring.
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