Newsletter #246 2024 Feb 16 Friday
We are back on track with Pure Maple Syrup production after my blunder last week.
Primal Woods and Homestead Rebel Farm
There is a bit of DIY work going on at the moment, replacement of the F150 starter, which has not been working properly for a month or so.
The front of the truck is to the left, at lower center is the solenoid, some call it a “bendix,” and the starter motor is above the solenoid. One of the mounting bolts is immediately atop the motor, which was not visible from underneath of course, and made removal more problematic.
I did manage to get it out on Tuesday, but naturally the replacement I ordered and had on hand is not an exact duplicate. An exact duplicate arrived Wednesday afternoon.
I got to the reinstallation after bottling Thursday, while Elmer, Andrew, Sean and Monte were collecting. Back in action.
Pure Maple Syrup
The sap has been right at or about 2% sugar content, which means that it takes about 43 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup; it is an energy intensive process, which is one reason why real pure maple syrup is so expensive.
The evaporator has been performing well, and we have made 12 gallons of Pure Maple Syrup so far. My plan is to do the first filtering and bottling Thursday morning. We have collected approximately 1,052 gallons of sap to this point. Collecting will resume Thursday afternoon, after a warm, sunny day Wednesday; I expect a big haul.
Getting started Thursday morning…
After feeding the oxen Thursday morn, bottling syrup was at the top of the agenda. Amber syrup for the first time since 2020! The haul was 46 x 8 oz. bottles of syrup, and 31 x 12 oz bottles; I’ll have these on the website by the time you read this. I also added our Primal Woods branded ball caps to the store, you’ll see a straw-colored version (as Andrew is modeling below), and a camo version (camo is the new black, ha!)
Andrew has been with us literally since Day 1, when we scaled up to 500 taps from 50 in 2018; he was 12 years old when he started. Now he is off to make a life. We thank you Andrew for your years of service, and we will be praying for blessings as you move on.
News
There’s been a lot this week, but I’m only going to hit the high points, or low points depending on your point of view. Tucker Carlson interviewed Vladimir Putin for two hours; you can find that interview here. For some reason there has been a lot of “gnashing of teeth" on the left, as if a reporter has never interviewed an un-allied foreign leader. Go figure. Glenn Greenwald discussed some of the key points in a separate video here. Believe what you will of and from Putin, but he’s no madman as most in the press would have you believe. And, much of what he says is verifiably true, as Greenwald points out. I think both videos are well worth the time I spent watching them.
I’ve been working on a Substack post regarding the military recruiting situation, which is ugly at best. After getting bogged down, I decided to break it into parts, simply because it was going to take me too long to do it all at once.
Part 1 of Military Recruiting Failure was published this week. This problem is not going away anytime soon, and we might be in it for the duration. In my opinion, the underlying issues causing the recruiting problem cannot be solved by the military, and won’t be solved by our elected “leaders;” I will be detailing why that is my belief in at least a Part 2, and maybe a Part 3.
I mentioned in last week’s Newsletter that I had been traveling the weekend before; I traveled to South Dakota to celebrate the birthday of my Uncle Mike, and to enjoy time with his wife Nancy, my sister Melinda and her daughter Elizabeth, and my Mom. The visit exceeded all of my expectations.
You can probably see the family resemblance! Anyway, we spent every waking hour in conversation; that is characteristic of being with great friends and family.
While in SD I went to visit a high school classmate, Doug Hansen, and his business, Hansen Wheel and Wagon Shop. Doug started this business the year after we graduated high school, and it is a truly remarkable story; here are just a couple of examples:
“Hansen Wheel & Wagon Shop provided an authentic Western Stage coach and historically accurate harness for the filming of the epic film the Hateful8.” And,
Hansen Wheel & Wagon Shop provided "repair services" on location in South Dakota for the movie "Dances with Wolves."
That’s what I’m talking about!
I am particularly interested in a Sheep Wagon, as part of our farm Airbnb enterprise. I intend to build this myself; we’ll see where that goes, or doesn’t!
Last minute update; I just filtered the second batch of 2024 syrup, about 5.5 gallons, and it also tested as Amber! That should result in at least another 80 bottles. It’s been a full week, and a good week. All the best, and may God bless you and yours,
John & Geri