You can make maple syrup with just about any variety of maple tree, but the most popular kind to use is the Sugar Maple or Acer Saccharum.

Generally around mid-March to the start of April is when most people start tapping their maple trees. This can vary as the weather has been a little flaky lately for many of us, but generally the ideal conditions is a freezing cold night followed by a 40 degree day the next. If you jump the gun and you tap the trees too early and another cold spell hits, your tap will be cut off and you will have to wait it out until the thaw starts again. Spring thaw is the best time to gain some sap from your maple trees although you can get some in the fall or on a warmer winter day.

How to Tap Your Maple Trees

Step 1:Mark off the trees to be tapped

Take some twine or construction tape or a can of spray paint and mark each tree you plan to tap. When choosing maple trees, make sure that the tree is at least 10" in diameter. For each 6-8" in diameter more than 10" you can add another tap to the tree. For some old maple trees, they can have as many as 4 spouts in one!

Step 2:Drill It
Now that your trees are marked, take a cordless power drill or a hand drill and bore a hole in the tree 2 feet up from the ground and about 2" deep. Try and angle the hole in your tree upward so that the sap will flow out more freely. You can get a specific bit for tapping trees from sugaring suppliers that are 7/16-inch bits. This matches the size of the commercial tapping spouts exactly, but you can also get a standard 1/2" bit or 3/8" bit to work.











Step 3:Hammer the Spout

Gently hammer in your metal tapping spouts, making sure not to crack the bark of your tree. If you crack the bark, sap will start to leak out of that and you will lose precious sap! So hammer the spout in lightly in bursts to make it go in far enough so that the spout won't fall out and so that you can hang your sap bucket from it.

Step 4:Buckets of Sap
Manufactured spouts for tapping maple trees usually come with hooks so you can attach your sap buckets easily. When I say sap bucket, you can really use any container, as long as you keep an eye on it when it starts to get full. You can use plastic milk containers, coffee cans, plastic buckets, etc. Really whatever is sanitary and free to be filled is game. You will need to either make a lid or have a bucket already with a lid to keep out any debris from the trees and animals who may be attracted to the sweet sticky sap.

Step 5:Boil 'er Down!
Start boiling your sap in 6 gallon or 8 gallon pots on an outdoor fire or stove. You can do this in your kitchen, but it does take a lot of time to cook the sap down, and it produces a lot of vapors and steam. Boil the sap, skim off any foam that starts to produce, and make sure that you don't leave the sap in there too long. You can leave the sap boiling away unwatched for the first couple hours where the sap is reduced to half it's size. Then as it cooks down more, you need to be watchful to make sure it doesn't boil over, get too dark, or boil off too much so that it will crystalize once put into jars. You can test your sap for density with regular sugaring tests or a hydrometer, sugaring thermometer or candy thermometer. Boil your sap until your candy thermometer reads 219º F at Sea Level. For every 550 ft. above sea level that you are located, add 1 degree.

The age old test to see if your syrup is finished, is taking a spoon scoop of the liquid and pour back into the pot. If the liquid sticks to the bottom of your ladel, you have syrup!

Canning Instructions for Maple Syrup

It's not recommended to just have your syrup in containers in the fridge without canning first. They can still get moldy and go bad and yes you will cry when realizing you spent 5 hours cooking down something that now looks absolutely putrid.

So instead, can it!

Instructions:

Heat your syrup back up to a boil and then immediately pour it boiling hot into already hot sterile canning glass jars. Pint jars are a good size to use and just fill them up to 1/4"just below the top. Seal tightly with heated canning lids. Your jars will seal themselves up tight, no need for the water bath. This is a completely sterile, tried and proven way of canning maple syrup that has been done for over a century.

Save Those Seeds

Step 1: Go to your local farmers market or neighbors garden when they are vacation, and pick out some ripe strawberries.

Step 2: Woof down the perfect, large, and luscious ones. Save the gnome looking strawberries as what you will use for seeds.

Step 3: Using your finger nail or a spoon, gently flick off the seeds from the strawberries outsides. An easy way to remove is to cut the skin with the seeds, and then let everything dry together on a papertowel, and then remove the seeds easily once dried completely.

Planting Your Strawberry Seeds

Step 1: Use fertile soil well manured or composted, or buy specific seed starting soil from your local greenhouse

Step 2: Strawberries like slightly acidic soil. Place your seeds on top of the soil in your containers. Sprinkle with enough soil to lightly cover the seeds.

Step 3: Lightly spray with water so you do not move the seeds to the surface of the soil

Step 4: Place in a warm window with adequate light ( at least 6 hours of full sun a day is recommended), and cover with some plastic seran wrap or a plastic lid (I use egg carton covers from the supermarket and also the egg containers to start seeds in). This will make a mini-greenhouse, trapping in moisture and warmth which your seeds need.

Step 5: Have patience, strawberries grown from seed take a bit of time, up to several weeks or about a month to germinate. So do not huff and puff and throw your dirt in the back yard muttering obscenities. Its a good idea to write on your containers the date you planted your seeds, and then give it about a month- then pitch it out the window.

Step 6: Hopefully by now the first seedling leaves have grown, two identical healthy green leaves. Wait until the 3rd leaf appears before you can safely transplant your strawberries to individual containers.

Step 7: The first fruits that appear on your new plant may be small and minimal the first season. Next year your strawberry should thrive completely.

Strawberry Recipes



Overnight Strawberry Preserves:Wash and hull choice strawberries that are nice and firm to the touch. On your stove top, combine in a small sauce pan 2 c. sugar with 1 c. water. Boil this until the solution can spin a thread when a spoon is dipped in and lifted out. Now add to this about 4 c. of strawberries, 1/4 c. lemon juice, and 2 c. more of sugar. Boil this altogether for 12 minutes with no stirring. If any scum forms on the top of this, skim it off. Pour out the mixture into a shallow non-aluminum pan and let set for 24 hours. Next put into jars cold and seal with paraffin wax. The berries will hold their shape and their color.

Strawberry Punch: Take 1 qt. of cleaned and hulled strawberries and mash. Add to this the juice of 1 lemon, 2 T. orange juice, and 6 c. water. Let stand for a few hours. Strain. Add sugar to taste and serve.

Strawberry Shortcake:

Ingredients

2 (16-oz.) containers fresh strawberries, quartered

3/4 cup sugar, divided

1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

1 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons sugar

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup cold butter, cut up

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 (8-oz.) container sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnish: fresh mint sprigs

Preparation

1. Combine strawberries, 1/2 cup sugar, and, if desired, almond extract. Cover berry mixture, and let stand 2 hours.

2. Beat whipping cream at medium speed with an electric mixer until foamy; gradually add 2 Tbsp. sugar, beating until soft peaks form. Cover and chill up to 2 hours.

3. Combine flour, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl; cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender or two forks until crumbly.

4. Whisk together eggs, sour cream, and vanilla until blended; add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Drop dough by lightly greased 1/3 cupfuls onto a lightly greased baking sheet. (Coat cup with vegetable cooking spray after each drop.)

5. Bake at 450° for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden.

6. Split shortcakes in half horizontally. Spoon about 1/2 cup berry mixture onto each shortcake bottom; top each with a rounded Tbsp. chilled whipped cream, and cover with tops. Serve with remaining whipped cream. Garnish, if desired.

Strawberry Jam Shortcakes: Prepare recipe as directed. Before topping shortcake bottoms with strawberry mixture, stir together 1/4 cup strawberry jam and 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint. Spread cut sides of bottom shortcake halves evenly with jam mixture. Proceed with recipe as directed.

Strawberry Tart:

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup cold butter or margarine, cut up

2 tablespoons cold shortening

3 tablespoons cold water

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 cups half-and-half

5 egg yolks

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 quart fresh strawberries, sliced

Garnish: fresh mint sprig

Preparation

Pulse first 3 ingredients in a blender or food processor 3 or 4 times or until combined.

Add 1/3 cup butter and shortening; pulse 5 or 6 times or until crumbly. With blender or processor running, gradually add 3 tablespoons water, and process until dough forms a ball and leaves sides of bowl, adding more water if necessary. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, and chill 1 hour.

Roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Press into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch tart pan. Line dough with parchment paper; fill with pie weights or dried beans.

Bake at 425° for 15 minutes. Remove weights and parchment paper, and bake 3 more minutes. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan.

Whisk together half-and-half, egg yolks, and, if desired, rose water. Gradually whisk half-and-half mixture into sugar mixture in saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Remove mixture from heat.

Stir in 3 tablespoons butter and vanilla; cover and chill at least 4 hours. Spoon into prepared pastry shell; top with strawberry slices, and serve immediately. Garnish, if desired.

In Spanish, the tree is known as guayabo, or guayavo, and the fruit, guayaba or guyava. The French call it goyave or goyavier; the Dutch, guyaba, goeajaaba; the Surinamese, guave or goejaba; and the Portuguese, goiaba or goaibeira. Hawaiians call it guava or kuawa. In Guam it is abas. In Malaya, it is generally known either as guava or jambu batu, but has also numerous dialectal names as it does in India, tropical Africa and the Philippines. Various tribal names–pichi, posh, enandi, etc.–are employed among the Indians of Mexico and Central and South America.

The exact origin of the guava is unknown, but it is believed that it came from an area extending from Southern Mexico into Central America. It is common in warm tropical areas of Mexico, South and Central America, the West Indies, Bahamas, Bermuda and Southern Florida. Through the global market is has now spread to places all over the world that are able to cater to its environmental requirements.

Qualities of Guava

I had never tasted nor known about guava until I rented this one small ranch house in Mexico. We had two trees that were just covered in apple sized guavas and produced it in the bucket loads. At first it was fantastic, but then we grew quickly sick of the taste as it was basically guava with every meal. Guava pancakes, guava empenadas, etc.

It’s fruit is very aromatic, almost floral or perfume like, and the taste is amazing. Some people find the aroma too much, but I think it is wonderful. Not to mention this fruit has an excellent source of vitamin A so it is very healthy for you. The wood itself from the tree is gorgeous and very easy to recognize. The bark is copper colored and flakes off showing a greenish hue beneath it. The trunk itself has a “bony” like quality. The fruit is yellow skinned with some pink blushing on it when fully ripened and has a musky sweet odor. The flowers are small, white, and sweetly scented. The wood is yellow to reddish, fine-grained, compact, and moderately strong. It is durable indoors for use in carpenter work. Though it may warp on seasoning, it is much in demand in Malaya for handles; in India, it is valued for engravings. Guatemalans use guava wood to make spinning tops, and in El Salvador it is fashioned into hair combs which are perishable when wet. It is good fuelwood and also a source of charcoal.

Types of Guava and Related Species

There are several different kinds of guava, some have yellow flesh and some are pink toned. There is the Brazilian guava, Guisaro (Psidium guinense Sw.), Cattley Guava, Strawberry Guava (P. cattleianum Sabine- and yes it actually tastes like a strawberry), Costa Rican Guava (P. friedrichsthalianum Ndz.), Para Guava (P. acutangulum DC.), Rumberry, Guavaberry (Myrciaria floribunda Berg), and Pineapple Guava (Feijoa Sellowiana)

Medicinal Uses

The roots, bark, leaves and immature fruits, because of their astringency, are commonly employed to stop gastroenteritis, diarrhea and dysentery, throughout the tropics. Crushed guava leaves are applied on wounds, ulcers and rheumatic places, and can also be chewed to relieve a toothache.

The leaf decoction or extraction is taken as a remedy for coughs, throat and chest ailments, gargled to relieve oral ulcers and inflamed gums, taken as an emmenagogue and vermifuge, and treatment for leucorrhea. It has been effective in halting vomiting and diarrhea in cholera patients and is also applied to help remedy skin diseases. The leaf infusion is prescribed in India in cerebral ailments, nephritis and cachexia. An extract is given in epilepsy and chorea and a tincture is rubbed on the spine of children in convulsions. A combined decoction of leaves and bark is given to expel the placenta after childbirth.

Growing Guava



Seeds from guavas are scooped out and cleaned of the flesh of the fruit. Take the seeds and the flesh attached to them and place them in a bowl and cover with either foil or plastic wrap with holes poked in the top. Let this sit for a couple of days in a warm area with filtered light. As the bacteria grows it will cause the fruit to ferment and the gelatinous sacks to let go of the seeds.

Rinse the seeds off and let dry on paper towels or on coffee filters where the paper won’t stick to the seeds as they dry.

Once dry, nick each seed with a knife and place them in warm water to soak for 1-2 days until the seed is about double in size. Place in seed starting trays with a light covering of soil and keep them moist with a covering of plastic in a warm place (75-85 degrees) in your house or greenhouse.

Transplant when they have sprouted at least two sets of leaves in full sun or partial shade. Guava trees need good drainage and to be fertilized well with organic manure or compost. 2 years after planting, your guava tree will start to bear fruit.

Guava seeds remain viable for many months. Most varieties of guava are self-pollinating, but a few are not so be sure to check ahead of time. They can germinate when planted in about 2-3 weeks but sometimes may take as long as 8 weeks. The plant may not germinate true to seed so vegetative propagation from a guava tree is highly recommended.

Guava can also be grown from root cuttings that are medium sized (avoid the very small and large roots) and are cut in 5-10” lengths. Place root cuttings in a prepared soil bed and cover it with 2-4” of dirt. Keep the soil nice and moist and warm.

Guava Recipes



Guava Cake

Original recipe makes 1 -13x9 inch cake

Ingredients:

2 cups white sugar

1 cup butter

4 eggs

1 cup guava pulp

1/2 cup guava nectar

3 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 13x9 inch pan.

2. Sift together flour, nutmeg, soda, cinnamon, and cloves.

3. In another bowl, mix together guava pulp and juice.

4. In another bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Add flour mixture and guava mixture alternately to creamed mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan.

5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30-35 minutes.



Rose Sangria with Pineapple and Guava

Ingredients:

* 1 750-ml bottle rosé

* 4 6-ounce cans pineapple juice

* 2 11 1/2-ounce cans guava nectar

* 4 cinnamon sticks

* 2 cups 3/4-inch cubes fresh pineapple

* 2 oranges, halved through stem end, thinly sliced crosswise

* Ice cubes

Preparation:

* Mix first 5 ingredients in large pitcher. Set 12 orange slices aside for garnish; add remaining orange slices to pitcher. Cover and chill at least 6 hours or overnight.

* Fill tumblers with ice. Pour sangria over. Garnish with orange slices and serve.



Guava Jelly

Ingredients:

* 12 very ripe guavas

* 5 cups water, enough to cover the fruit

* sugar

* lime juice or lemon juice

Directions:

Dice guavas into one inch cubes.

Place in a large saucepan and cover with just enough water to cover the fruit well.

Cover and cook till guavas are very tender, about half an hour.

Cool.

Cover a large bowl with a muslin cloth and invert fruit onto the cloth taking care to catch the liquid that drips through the muslin, into the bowl.

Gather the four ends of the cloth and tie a knot and hang this'bag' for about four hours and collect all the drippings into the bowl.

LIGHTLY squeeze out any juice left in the cloth.

Discard pulp.

Measure the liquid.

For every cup of liquid add one cup of sugar and one tablespoon of lemon juice.

(Eg. if there are four cups of liquid you would need to add four cups of sugar and four tablespoons of lime/lemon juice.) Put this mixture back on fire and bring to a boil.

Lower heat and cook, stirring constantly (as the liquid tends to boil over), till the liquid starts coating the spoon thickly and the juice/jelly drips from the spoon in jointed drops.

Let stand for half an hour and pour into jars while still warm.

Cover and seal.



Gauti guava paillard by Chef Gautam Mehrishi

Ingredients:

Sifted flour: 125 gm (about 1 ¼ cups)

Softened butter: 50 gm (3 tbsp)

Sugar for the tart pastry: 25 gm (5 tbsp)

Milk: 5 tbsp

Egg yolk: 1

Guava: 2

Flaked almonds: 30 gm

Sugar: 20 gm (4 tbsp)

Butter: 20 gm (4 tbsp)

Brown sugar: 15 gm (3 tbsp)

A pinch of salt

Method:

For the tart pastry, combine the butter, flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add the egg yolk and milk. Do not over work the pastry. Wrap in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for several hours.

For the guava palliard, roll out the pastry to a thickness of 2 mm. Using a round cutter cut out 4 discs of 12 cm each in diameter. Place on a baking sheet. Arrange thinly sliced guava in a rosace (like the petals of a rose) on each disc, leave a 1 cm border. In the centre, place chopped guava combined with brown sugar. Sprinkle on a few flaked almonds, a little sugar and a knob of butter. Bake in a pre heated 220 degree Celsius (450 degree F) oven for 15- 20 minutes. Serve warm, accompanied with an ice cream scoop.



Guava Rum Cheesecake

Crust

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup melted butter

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Filling

1 cup guava paste

1/3 cup rum

2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

Glaze

1/4 cup guava jelly

1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9−inch springform pan.

Crust: Prepare the crust by combining the ingredients and pressing onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake until dry − about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Filling: Melt the guava and beat constantly two to three minutes until very smooth. Add the rum and let it cool. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese. Add the sugar, eggs one at a time, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Gently fold in the melted guava mixture. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 1/4 hours. If top starts to brown, tent with foil.

When done, turn heat off, open oven door a few inches and let it cool inside oven for 20 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Glaze: Mix glaze ingredients together in a small saucepan until melted and it is the consistency of heavy cream. Let it cool and brush on top of cold cake. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes to set.



Guava Custard Pie

4 eggs

1/2 can condensed milk

2 cups fresh whole milk

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

6 medium guavas

Peel guavas, remove seeds. Cut into small pieces. Combine ingredients in order given: egg, milks, sugar, lemon juice and guavas. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees F and bake 30 to 40 minutes longer until knife comes out clean.