Check out the 10 Green Garden Programs offered by MSU Extension this summer in Leelanau County. All programs emphasize environmentally friendly, sustainable garden practices, and are intended for backyard gardeners. Programs range from Home Fruit Production, to No-Til Gardening, to Garden Maintenance and Tools. Contact Pam Schmidt at MSU Extension-Leelanau, 231-256-9888; or schmi345@msu.edu.
We hear the sap is running, it is "Maple Syrup Time" at home. First made by the indigenous people, maple syrup is now a business in the northeastern US, but for my husband, Dennis Lautner, it is a hobby. He makes 15 to 20 gallons each year to share with family and friends. When we left Traverse City in 2003, we stocked the boat larder with numerous pint-sized jugs of "Wild Denny's" - nature's finest sweeter. Our intent was to share the bounty with people along the way who helped us out in various situations. All along the US waterways people were grateful; a little note thanking them for whatever, indicated that it was "homemade." In the Caribbean, Denny always had to explain what it was, how it was made and what one used it for. Most of the locals had not experienced maple syrup before. Now that we are never home in the spring we've relied on friends and family to take over the production of our maple syrup. When they visit in the spring and when we come home for hurricane season our boat supply is restocked.
Students from The Children's House in Traverse City watch as maple syrup farmer Tom Casier prepares to tap a sugar maple. What a process! The children paid a visit to Casier's woodlot near Empire last week, where they meandered through the woods identifying sap-giving trees, followed the tap lines to the pump and delighted in the process that gives us maple syrup. Delicious!
The idea started with the bounty of another CSA pickup from Sweeter Song Farm overflowing my kitchen counter. What was I going to do with all these greens? Any ideas for arugula? I anticipate the weekly pickup with excitement and a tinge of guilt knowing that I don't always use up everything before the next Monday rolls around, despite my best intentions. I thought, wouldn't it be great to be able to ask other CSA'ers what they're doing with this week's pickup and have a place to share those suggestions?
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