February is the Month for… Tapping?

This is the time of year when I really miss having fresh, garden-grown food to pick from my yard. The jars of homemade pesto and spaghetti sauce are almost empty. The last butternut squash is sitting on the chopping block. And I am left with nothing else to look forward to, except spring.

 

This is when I like to call up one or two of my gardening friends, and invite them to bring over their seeds and a sketchbook to start planning our spring vegetable garden beds. For folks like me, the act of planning and anticipating the new ways I’m going to make my garden more productive this year is almost as much fun as digging my hands in the warm summer soil.

 

One year, I was pining over heirloom seeds with my friend Jeremy, talking about hoop houses and his garlic crop, when another friend stopped by. I didn’t know Jeremy’s friend (and I actually cannot remember his name), so let’s call him Matt. Matt came by to show Jeremy how to tap the maple tree in his front yard. I was intrigued…

 

As someone who strives to avoid processed sweeteners, and especially white or brown sugar, I have come to rely a lot on the natural sweetness of maple syrup for most of my baking needs. Maple syrup also boasts lots of minerals, and is simply made with one ingredient: tree sap. As simple as it seemed, the thought had never occurred to me to try to make my own!

 

What I quickly learned is that you don’t have to have a sugar maple to make maple syrup. In fact, it doesn’t have to be a maple at all! Lots of other trees are suitable, including box elders. The main difference is that the sugar content will vary, so the volume of sap you have to boil to make one gallon of finished product will vary. Of course, when I tell you that means 40 gallons instead of 30 gallons, does that really make a difference to the novice homesteader?? That’s a LOT of sap!

 

Back to Jeremy’s house: Matt brought over a drill bit that was about the same size as the metal tree taps he had purchased at Downtown Home and Garden. We looked at the size of Jeremy’s tree- about 16” in diameter. Matt said it could probably handle 2 taps for a tree that size. He looked at the branches to make sure none would obstruct the flow down, picked a seemingly arbitrary spot at about chest level, and drilled a hole with an ever so slight upward angle. The second he removed the pulp-covered drill bit from the tree, a clear liquid began to pool up, then a steady stream trickled down the bark! It felt like we struck gold! Matt then placed the metal tap in the hole, tapped it in gently with a hammer, and we watched it flow for a second. I leaned my head down sideways and stuck out my tongue. “It kind of just tastes like water,” I said. “But a tiny bit sweet.” Then he showed us how to attach a milk jug to catch the sap. (Years later, I’ve upgraded to a clear tubing that flows down to a 5 gallon bucket that rests on the ground).

 

Within 20 minutes of meeting Matt, I had learned a valuable skill, and I could not wait to go home and try it! He gave me two spare taps to use back home. I promptly identified at least three trees in my yard that would work- 2 red maples and several box elders. I decided to just start with the maple closest to my house. Mine was a much larger tree, and could have easily had 4 taps, which I eventually did work up to.

 

After 8 years, I still LOVE making my own maple syrup! I’ve had some hilarious ‘learning experiences’ along the way, but they only add to my love of being able to say, “I made this.” (Perhaps there will be a future post to share my maple syrup horror story). Boiling sap into syrup is one of those miracles of nature, like watching a tiny plant sprout up from nothing but dirt, water, and light. Making your own maple syrup is something I wish every child could experience!

 

Now that my yard is significantly downsized for my urban lot, I no longer have any trees of my own to tap. I’m still looking for a nearby neighbor to coerce into letting me tap their trees, or possibly resorting to guerilla tapping in the nearby park. In reality, though, the peak season generates tremendous flows of tree sap, sometimes 4-5 gallons a day! This is why proximity is key, to get that liquid gold home quickly, and start boiling it down, down down.

So… what are you waiting for? It’s February, and the sap will start flowing soon, but only for a few precious weeks. Go learn something new!

Let’s Talk About Sugar, Baby

Let’s talk about you and me. Let’s talk about all the good things, and the bad things that may be. Let’s talk about sugar. (Thank you to those who get the reference).

Seriously, though, Americans consume on average 156 pounds of added sugar, per person, per year.That’s a lot of the white stuff. Sugar is in everything- I mean, EVERYTHING- we buy. It’s added to cereals, breads, rice at fast food restaurants, spaghetti sauce, ketchup… you name it. There’s a good reason it’s everywhere. It’s highly addictive. In numerous studies, over 90% of rats who were allowed to choose mutually-exclusively between cocaine and sugar water, chose sugar. Those rats who were addicted to cocaine switched their preference to sugar. Sugar is more addictive than cocaine. Now THAT is saying something!

It should come as no surprise that sugar is in things like soda pop or fruit drinks. The actual amount, however, may surprise you. Even seemingly healthy breakfast choices like oatmeal can pack a sugar punch. Quaker Instant Oatmeal, Strawberries & Cream or Peaches & Cream contains 12 grams of sugar in just one packet. Or Kellogg’s Smart Start Strong Heart, Toasted Oat? In 1 1/4 cup you’ll be eating 17 grams of sugar!

One could argue that sheer addictiveness is not cause for alarm. My wife was ‘addicted’ to coffee, but she seems fine. I will admit I’m addicted to dark chocolate too. We all have our vices, right? But here are a few things you may not be thinking about when you enjoy your sweetened soup. Sugar is linked to:

• Suppressed immunity
• Weight gain
• Premature aging
• Various cancers — breast, ovary, prostate, rectum, etc.
• Diabetes
• Digestive problems, including chronic indigestion
• Fatigue and low energy
• Heart disease
• Hyperactivity and concentration problems
• Loss of muscle mass
• Nutritional deficiencies, including decreased ability to absorb calcium and magnesium
• Osteoporosis
• Tooth decay and gum disease
• Yeast infections

I have personally experienced several of these negative side effects to consuming refined sugar, and it opened my eyes. I wanted to learn more. I could tell that I was addicted to sugar, and I didn’t like it.

I grew up a Barkham, and we are known for having a dessert table equal in size to our Thanksgiving day meal spread. We have a wicked sweet tooth, and are excellent bakers. When I was a kid, I had zero self control when it came to sweets, and it caused me a great deal of mental anguish as I struggled, silently, to figure out how to deal with my insatiable cravings. I was a binge eater, often hoarding and hiding sweets from my brothers to make sure I would have enough. I was a sugar junkie.

It’s not like it’s easy to kick sugar. It felt like it was omnipresent in my life. I didn’t even realize how much I was consuming just in buying normal meals. Now that I am aware of how many of the foods I was eating contained added sugar, it’s no wonder I struggled for so many years.

For most of us, the solution starts with reading labels and doing homework. Ideally you would be making your own food so you really know what’s in it. But even prepackaged starter mixes can contain sugar as well.

Once you are ready to cut the addiction, be prepared to identify the symptoms of withdrawal:

• Fuzzy thinking or foggy mind
• Fatigue or sleepiness after meals
• Gas, bloating or extended stomach after meals
• Headache
• Joint pain
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Skin problems
• Allergy symptoms
• Mood swings

Kicking the habit can take more than willpower. Your body will trick you into thinking you are hungry, when all it’s really trying to get is another fix of dopamine. Sugar hits the pleasure center in our brains, and, just like lab rats, we want to keep going back and pressing that magic button over and over again. There are a few tips you can use when trying to cut out sugar:

• Be wary of ‘sugar-free’ foods. These often contain synthetic sweeteners like sucralose, saccharin and aspartame. Although these taste sweet, they don’t help curb a sweet tooth so they tend to send confusing messages to the brain, which can lead to over-eating. There are also lingering concerns about cancer risks for some artificial sweeteners too.
• Eat sour foods.  Sour foods, like apple cider vinegar, will naturally curb your cravings for sugar.
• Eat fermented foods and probiotic beverages. They are  full of beneficial bacteria, which drive out disease-causing bugs that increase our desire for sugar.
• Drink plenty of water. Your body may confuse thirst for hunger, and staying well hydrated will help to know when you are truly hungry.
• Eat nutrient dense foods. Learn what’s high on the ANDI index and fill your plate with these foods that pack a lot of what your body needs into fewer calories.

There are lots of places where sweetness belongs, but it’s important to keep it in its place. There are numerous alternatives to sugar out there, and each will have its own good and bad points. A few ideas to get you started:

• Maple Syrup is a great sweetener (my sweetener of choice), also packed with beneficial minerals! It’s a very simple process to make it- simply boil down tree sap- and minimal processing makes it a plus in my book. It can be expensive, especially if you rely solely on this for all your baking.
• Dates are a great way to get intense sweet for desserts. Puree the pasty fruits and thin it down as needed.
• Agave is another very sweet alternative, derived from plants.
• Honey is a product made by bees in order to keep their hive alive all winter long. Vegans do not consume honey because stealing it from the hive means that they are at risk of dying through the cold winter months.
• Stevia is an herb found in Central and South America that is up to 40 times sweeter than sugar but has zero calories and won’t cause a jump in your blood sugar. It’s granulated form makes it a nice substitute for recipes that depend on the crystalline structure for texture (like many brownies).
• Xylitol is a naturally occurring sugar alcohol, found in foods such as beets, berries, and corn. Sugar alcohols aren’t digested well by the body, that’s what keeps xylitol from raising blood sugar, but it’s also what can give you gas or stomach aches.

As with everything in life, moderation is key. I’ve re-trained my taste buds by cleansing my body of high sugar levels. Now that I eat much healthier, I don’t even like the taste of some of my favorite childhood junk foods. They are SO sweet, that’s pretty much all you taste! I rarely eat things with processed sugar in them anymore, and when I do, I can tell from the telltale withdrawal symptoms that come afterward. I am so glad the my days of sugar hangovers are long gone. Good luck in your own path to healthy!