LysmachiaMoon's blog: Snow, sparkly stuff, and sugar

We got about 3 inches of heavy wet snow Saturday. The temps went into the mid-30s to low 40sF today (Monday) so a lot of it has melted. I estimate we're still at about 40% coverage. Our area is right on the line between "you're going to have a rainy day" and "You better start building an ark." Areas to our southeast (southern Maryland, along the Chesapeake) are already under flood watch and high wind warnings. So far, here, it's sunny, calm, and mild.

It's very odd. We here in south central PA and northward are still below normal in total rainfall, but just yesterday we heard that areas to our immediate east and south are at 200% OVER their normal rainfall. Even after the snowfall this weekend, still not a glimmer of water in Marsh Run.

I needed something to get me "in gear" so I bought a big bag of potting soil today at Lowe's. I never knew you could buy a double-size bag (64 quarts); I got a rather inexpensive kind for $11 a bag. I find that using regular potting soil (instead of seed starting mix) for seed starting works well for me if I lighten it up with perlite or vermiculite. A friend gifted me a bag of vermiculite last fall so I've got the fixin's for some good seed starting mix. I also have a bucket of crushed glass that I can use to add "grit" to the mix for things like lavender seeds, etc. That crushed glass is amazing stuff. You'd think it would be deadly but it's like coarse sand. You can handle it with your bare hands (I still am hesitant to do so, but it's purely psychological!). I can't wait to use it in my concrete work next spring to add some sparkle to walkway pavers.

The sap is beginning to rise in the silver maples. I was surprised to hear a steady drip, drip, drip coming from one of the trees even after the snow had melted off it. Investigated and saw that sap was dripping from a freshly broken small branch way up in the tree. This year I'm going to try to tap a couple of my trees; purely experimental. I have the spouty things (there's a special name for them but I'm....no wait, they are called "Spiles" I think...) and I need to sterilize a couple of small plastic buckets. I think I know how to insert the spiles...I have an old-fashioned brace-and-bit that I think will work to drill holes in the trunks. With luck, I'll be swimming in maple syrup!

Speaking of "native" sweetners. Buy local honey whenever you can. I used to think this was purely a dietary thing but now I've learned that buying and using local honey and maple syrup is one of the good things you can do for the environment. Sugar-making manufacturing (from sugar cane) is a horrendously environmentally damaging process. Sugar cane requires enormous amounts of water and fertilizer, sugar cane fields are huge mono-cultural areas and they are usually sited in environmentally fragile areas like rainforests, which are cleared to make way for them. In addition, shipping sugar worldwide adds to pollution and the use of fuels. Reducing sugar consumption is not just good for our health, it's good for the planet's health too. (The carbohydrate content of sugar and honey/maple syrup is about equal so simply switching to honey instead of sugar isn't going to cut calories or reduce blood glucose levels.) OK, I'm getting off the soap box....

( No account? Join now! )