French Collection

I don’t have a fancy evaporator, I have a 12’ x 12’ sugar shack with a flat top wood stove. There is room for 3 large stainless steel pans on top of the stove. It takes me about 12 hours to boil 30+ gallons of sap. I just keep feeding wood (approx. 1/2 cord of wood) and adding fresh sap to the starter pan. I get it down to 80% syrup and then finish it on the electric stove in the house. We can get better precision and not burn it with the electric + hydrometer to measure water content. Filtration at the bottling stage takes a while as well. One can have a few beers over the course of a syrup day. No driving required as the shack is 300 yards from the house.

I plan on having some birch sap this year. I read that people in the northern parts of Europe drink it as a health supplement. It is best fresh and spoils in a few days.

It is darker and has a taste more like molasses. It is mainly fructose, where maple syrup is sucrose. Boiling it is more difficult, it can burn more easily. It is a lot more work to make, requiring 100 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup. Maple is 40 to 1. A lot of firewood is burned, but there are a lot of dead trees on our property plus scrap wood from projects.

It is still winter here so I am going to make some maple syrup. We usually tap about 40 trees and make about 2 gallons. We collect it by hand so it is exercise and a few 12 hour days of boiling sap. I have some firewood to cut and split as well. Once maple season is done I switch to birch syrup. The dogs love being in the bush all day. I am off of work for at least three weeks so I should have plenty of time.

There are many to choose from but... Lead vocals: Freddie Mercury Lead guitar: Eddie Van Halen Rhythm Guitar: Malcolm Young Drums: Neil Peart Bass: John Entwistle Keyboards and backup vocals: Burton Cummings

1976 Canada Cup ad: If you were Russian to Czech out the Finnish of the Canada vs USA game what would you say? How Swede it is!

My son and I were going to the Raptors game on Saturday. Mixed emotions but I am happy it is cancelled. We got the tickets for Christmas and were looking forward to this trip. I was getting anxious over the last few days of being in a big crowd like that as cases were increasing in Toronto. Be safe folks!

CHL rookies are 16, playing against 17-20 year olds. NCAA freshman are 18 playing against 19-23 year olds. There are challenges in both leagues from a physical maturity standpoint.

I’m happy for Kahun, he’s made a difference. Ullmark is part of the solution, get him some help.

Try Kahun

Yeah, he is a guy you want when there is extra space.

A goalie to share the net and make it competitive with Ullmark. I think a 1A-1B scenario could work.

I am listening on WGR so I have a very limited feel for this game. SS comments are much appreciated.

Yeah, he seems to have a message the players like but he needs help with tactics and special teams. Unfortunately he probably keeps his staff due to loyalty and sticking with the plan.

I find Max Domi skates that way too.

I watched Ottawa play today, their offense was in sync. Rossi is small but stocky, kind of like Brad Marchand. He is quick and shifty, seems to prefer being a playmaker. I did not see a 200’ game, but the puck was in North Bay’s end for most of the game. I was impressed by Quinn. He got the first two goals of the game, his 50th and 51st of the season. He is on a different line than Rossi but they are on PP1 together. He seems like your classic sniper. He’s got good size for a winger, 6’1 195. He was on PK1 and set up a beautiful short handed goal.

Leafs lose two in a row, it’s really sad how no one is putting any heat on them, they will coast into a playoff spot. Could have been Buffalo....

Well, I’ve given up as far as the playoffs are concerned. The first two losses on this trip were the fatal blows for me. I will continue to watch and cheer because it’s what I’ve done for 45 years. I even flew into Winnipeg for last night’s game. Oh well, the management decisions are out of my hands, but there has got to be way into the playoffs next year. It has to be traded because the UFA group sounds lean. Use that cap space as an asset!

Yeah, we may not be the beneficiaries of a team in cap hell giving the Sabres a deal.

Melnyk also fast tracked a liver transplant for himself a few years back, so his “buddies” are probably drinkers.

TSN was saying he’s OK

I like his game. Once he puts on muscle, gains more confidence and maturity he will be a dominant D in this league. He can stick handle in a phone booth and his skating is elite. He makes mistakes but he’s only 19. He lacks a sense of urgency sometimes, but that is probably what gives him a coolness under pressure. He may amass points like Brian Leetch but won’t be a defensive liability like that guy was. He reminds me more of Salming than Lidstrom.

En route to this game, when I booked it, I thought this would be an important game. Oh well, first time at MTS plus my son’s first commercial flight. Hope they put some effort into this one and Jack is healthy. Let’s go Buffalo.

I’m flying into Winnipeg on Tuesday, I hope he’s OK and plays.

Show me some effort and let the chips fall where they may. Let’s go Buffalo!