Recent content by HawkinsHollow

Well its too late, I forgot to pluck the flowers and now they are full of blueberries. So I am just going to let it ride.

This is our second season with Blueberries. Lost 3 of our 6 bushes last year, probably didn't water them enough in the fall when it got so dry. I am going to try not to repeat that this year. They say you are supposed to pick the buds off them the first year so they grow less berries to allow...

You're not the only yankee living in maple syrup country to turn their nose up at this. Don't knock it till you've tried it!

My kid has one like in post #10, it is called an Owala Flip sip. You can drink from it like a straw OR drink out of it like a cup. He likes it. I use a big 32 oz insulated mug I got at Costco. It has a flip top lid to keep the dust and dirt out of my water. It comes with a sissy stick, but...

Yes, pollen cones. There were just a few needles in there from collecting.

OK!! I canned batch #1! I got about 3 pints out of a quart jar of sugar and Virginia pine pollen cones. I like it! I tried it on some vanilla ice cream. It is a delicate mix of woodsy, floral, and citrus notes. I bet if I let someone try it and they did not know it was pine syrup they would...

No, I sold the stump bucket. Still have the Branson, I have worked it hard for 340 hours, no other issues. Knock on wood!!

It broke mine, or maybe I should say WE broke mine. It takes 2 to tango. It was too dry and I was being too aggressive, I was a relative noob. I broke the SSQA plates, bent them down. In my defense they were bad welds that broke and I got the part replaced under warranty because of it...

Here is just one of the VERY complimentary explanations of Pine Syrup with a recipe. Mugolio: Pinecone Syrup You Can Put on Everything | Wild + Whole And another EXCELLENT write-up about this culinary treat. https://foragerchef.com/mugolio-pine-cone-syrup/

What was the last piece of a pine tree you tasted?

Yep, one more day!! I am pretty excited too! I have 3 batches going, I plan on letting at least one of them go for 2+ months see how it changes the flavor. Stay tuned! Might take me a couple days to finish it into syrup form.

JUST started. He has a trailer out there with a Genny right now, but running a generator every time you need power is annoying. So I figured I will lend him this system that has been sitting in my container until he gets electricity run.

The good news is wintertime calls for a more aggressive angle at northern latitudes already.

LiFePO4 batteries are getting MUCH cheaper. Definetely the way to go now-a-days. I have 400 watts of panels, 200aH of batteries, a solar charge controller and an inverter/charger for my container I have not used a lot. I am about to lend it all to a buddy that is living off grid right now. I...