Welcome to Wild Raccoon’s podcast for the month of April 2018.
If you have any feed back on the show or ideas for upcomming episodes, please let us know in the comments below.
Welcome to Wild Raccoon’s podcast for the month of April 2018.
If you have any feed back on the show or ideas for upcomming episodes, please let us know in the comments below.
Comments are closed.
Hello
Morning, Garf. How are things?
Things are not bad here, how are things with you?
Good morning!
COME ON, SPRING!
Garf, I’m a bit like Russ (was even before I saw his post), champing at the bit. Spring is being very slow coming.
As I suspected, someone confirmed on the radio this morning that this year has seen the BEST maple sap run in (her) memory. In addition to a first run, before it turned cold again for a spell, we’ve now had (seems to me) 2-1/2 weeks of perfect sap weather: freezing at night and above zero/32 by day.
Good for producers! It’s a lot of work, reducing sap by a factor of 40!
It was only some years ago, thanks to one of Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Café shows, that I learned how Canada’s Indigenous peoples reduced maple sap into a syrup without metal pots or pans.
Very simply, maple sap left outside would freeze and separate, so that skimming the ice off the top, several mornings in a row…
Saskatoon’s finally due for maple sap weather. Too bad maples aren’t that abundant there.
https://meteo.gc.ca/city/pages/sk-40_metric_f.html
I did not know that (5:59).
I also learned that you can make syrup from *silver maple* sap, but that it takes even more than 40 to 1, as it contains less sugar than…
The old man in the story-within-a-story (told by Stuart) said it tasted finer than sugar maple syrup.
I’ve never had any. Do like my maple surple though.
I’m not fussy, I like anyone’s maple syrup. Unfortunately so does the housemate, and he eats it quicker than me, so I don’t buy it very often
Ah, you need a secret syrup stash. Also, to make pancakes when he’s out of the house. (“Smell of pancakes? What smell???)
I hid the last tin in my room until it was almost gone before handing it over to him so he could have a taste (I’m not that selfish/evil)
Good. Charity begins at home.
(The French version of that goes, translated: “Well-ordered charity begins with oneself”)
Hello hello!
Love me some maple syrup! Headed to the motherland at the end of the week and intend to replenish our supplies!
My sister sent me this (short bit, about 1:30): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkDvqQKGgDA&feature=youtu.be
@Janet, take me with you… Please!
@Garf if you can make your way to DC, I’m happy to bring you with me! If that won’t work, I’m happy to replenish your maple syrup supplies too!
hang on and I’ll check google flights
I only need about £400 to £500 for return flights
Morning all! My heart is heavy and my mind consumed with the bus crash here in Saskatchewan. So tragic.
It’s nice to turn my mind back to work and music. Especially the healing effects of music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAsrsMPftOI
Hi DBS
I have fond memories of finding out how maple syrup was made when I was in Quebec while in Katimavik. We saw the process from start to finish and did the maple syrup in the snow trough thing. It was a fun day.
@DBS, I learned about the process from watching “how it’s made”
dar, slight correction: that’s maple *taffy* on snow. Syrup would run through it. You have to reduce the sap a little more than for syrup for it to congeal into that sticky, delicious maple taffy on top of the snow — “de la tire” in French, pronounced “teer”.
I think it’s around the same point that, if you stir in some air, you make soft maple sugar. (All these points would be marked on your sugar thermometer.)
It was 35 years ago. My memory isn’t that good. Ha! But noted.
dar, also, with kids, sugar shack operators aren’t fully technical and precise.
We should arrange an OurBasement field trip to a sugar shack for maple taffy.
I like that idea Janet, our first vlog episode maybe?
We get ours from one near Belleville, ON.
sounds like fun!
That’s a great idea!
I just need to find funding
I wonder if a sugar shack will sponsor us?
Not enough for me to get to Canada for filming
before I forget again
why not show the world just how bad you are at predicting the Stanley cup playoffs
https://bracketchallenge.nhl.com/leagues/cbc-r3-community?share_league=1
Yummy, love me some maple syrup.
I would love a cross Canada road trip in our VW Westfalia. I would pack all the cupboards with maple syrup for the drive back west.
that is an ominous time stamp i just got there!
thankful for a Wild Racoon tape today.
I need to make some of my seedy crackers and I know this will keep me happy while i measure, mix and bake.
Hi Morgana
Hi Garf.
I like the cookie recipe;)
@ Garf did you know that Jill Barber is performing at this years Kaslo Jazz Etc festival?
I did, but I am still looking for someone that wants to buy a lightly used human kidney
@garf I hear ya. I have not worked in six months and the medical EI’s 15 weeks was over quite some time ago.
I am not sure I will be able to go this year anyway given my continuing concussion symptoms. I have a B&B booked and everything but that may have to be cancelled.
I hope you get better soon
Sorry to hear that morgana. I was seriously thinking about going but had decided this wasn’t the year.
g’night folks
Night night Garfy
I managed a pot of soup as well as the seedy crackers but it took me that long and now I am ready for a nap.
Thank you for the well wishes. I feel like I am doing everything I can and getting no where so encouraging messages are appreciated.
@darbar when you posted about a different summer festival (was it Regina Folk?) I assumed as much. Honestly I am disappointed by the choice in headlining act, Shaky Graves but there are a lot of other acts I would be sorry to miss. Time will tell!
I enjoyed Shakey Graves at Interstellar last year. He will be at RFF as well. Those concussions have some very long lasting affects. I know it must be frustrating but take it easy on yourself. Maybe next year I will make it to Kaslo.