Spring break and look back
I hope you’re taking some time to enjoy the changing of the seasons.
Today, the spring equinox, I’m following my seasonal routine of taking time off, making space for a screen-free day, and spending time outside day and night to experience this shift into spring. I’m also taking a break this week from writing a new post. Instead, I took a peek at which posts were the most popular over the winter. Here’s what you may have missed out on:
#1 Food labels
5 food label resources to make better decisions
Mass-produced food labels fall short when it comes to my own standards, and potential industrial changes could create more gaps in labels. I curated a handful of food label resources that help educate consumers about these gaps. These are resources I regularly consult when making decisions about which ingredients to bring into our home, or what I’ll order at a restaurant.
#2 DIY maple syrup
Several folks have told me that it’s not possible to tap maple trees in North Carolina. They claim our climate doesn’t allow for the sap flow needed to harvest the sap. However, I stay fairly in tune with the weather for my bees and the garden, and I’ve seen the conditions needed for a sap flow happen here. The time to shoot for here is usually late January through early March. The length of the sap flow varies each year and can be just a few days or last several weeks. Last year it spanned about two weeks in the Piedmont.
Update: I tapped the trees too late this year. Hopefully third time’s the charm in 2025!
#3 Grow nutrient-dense food
7 nutrient-dense plants I’m growing in my garden this year
When going to the effort of growing food, I wanted to make sure my time and the space were used in the best way. If a few square feet could produce a certain volume of tomatoes, why not leverage that space to produce some of the most nutritious tomatoes?
#4 Reasons for beekeeping
Why keep bees? Health from healthy hives
Reasons for keeping bees can change. Personally, my top goal has always been hive health. I don’t sacrifice the colonies’ well-being for honey harvests or any other products (or services) from the hive. Recently that goal evolved. I’m still managing the hives with their health as the priority, but now I’m exploring ways of maximizing products from the hive for our own health.
Tied for #5
Preventing cedar apple rust on apple trees
After learning about cedar apple rust, which produces itself as yellow-ish spores on the underside of apple tree leaves that can spread through the leaves and appear on the top side, I started to research different types of apple trees that show resistance to the spore. What’s the downside of cedar apple rust? Apple trees will still grow if they have rust, but they won’t produce as much fruit and they will struggle growing the rest of their lives. When I researched apple trees, I found these varieties showed promise at resisting rust in the Piedmont area of North Carolina.
Winter harvest dessert: Rosemary-honey ice cream and orange shortbread skillet cookie
I wanted to make something inspired by the winter garden for our Valentine’s dessert, and the garden inspired our dinner too.
Happy Equinox
Take some time away from screens and get outside this spring!