Christopher Weeks

master gardener
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since Jun 24, 2018
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Biography
I steward 20 acres of Cromwell Sandy Loam in the north woods of Minnesota. I clear birch and aspen as needed to plant food sources.

I always have more projects going than I can keep up with which isn't really awesome but I don't know what to change.

I vote for Libertarians and Socialists because they know what it means to have principles and that matters more to me than the exact details of what they believe in. I'm a gun-toting vegetarian. I write code for cash and grow food because no amount of cash will buy real food these days.

I have a wife, two kids, two grandkids, and three cats. I've never had a dog, but I'm thinking about changing that. I hike, garden, read, play games, code, cook, spin and knit, putter, and play at arting.
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Carlton County, Minnesota, USA: 3b; Dfb; sandy loam; in the woods
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Recent posts by Christopher Weeks

Because we have freshly boiled syrup, it’s breakfast for dinner night. Scrambled eggs and raspberry pancakes with maple syrup.
1 hour ago
It looks like it's still owned by the WVDNR so you can make a good case for exploring public land!
6 hours ago

Daniel Andy wrote:
Bamboo growing has a forum
Bamboo woodworking has a forum
Bamboo composting has a forum
Reusing bamboo products has a forum


Can you explain what this means? I'm not finding them right off.

Judith, did you mean in the Growies category or something else?
Some premium blenders have both wet- and dry-bladed cannisters. The wet ones have sharp blades -- similar to (but less so) the food processor. The dry blades have flat edges that pulverize instead of slice. If you use the dry blades on grain, it busts them up. The produce is less good than using a stone or burr grinder, but maybe it's acceptable. If you use the wet blades, you get similar results to a first approximation, but the blades are quickly worn to garbage. Same with the food processor blades. Unless you have a steady supply of free or very cheap food processors, I bet you're not saving money.

OTOH, if you were using a grinder, everything you said would be a great tip. Additionally, hand-crank grinders are quite normal while hand-crank food processors are pretty niche -- this is a concern if you're planning for the lights to go out.
1 day ago
Anyone have experience with freeze-distillation? Seems like it trades sugar waste for energy savings.

https://harvestsavvy.com/freeze-concentration-in-maple-syrup-production/
2 days ago
I got five gallons of sap yesterday and just under one gallon today.
2 days ago
Maples (the wrong kind) are running here in northern MN and the almost syrup on my stove is delicious -- way better than the birch syrup I made (and burned) two or three years ago.
2 days ago
Is there any reason not to keep topping the syrup off with more and more sap as long as it keeps flowing, instead of processing batches?
2 days ago
Last night was leftovers frittata. (Hash from a previous meal and egg whites left after a big batch of custard.)
2 days ago