“Despite”

Oil on Canvas • 48"x 60" • Royce Deans

In This Issue: Maple Tapping, Sour Sap, Good Design, and Seed Swapping.

Wagbo Farm—A Virtual Tapping Tour

Curious about maple syrup production? Click the video above to join Jennifer Lewis, Wendy Warren and Nick Paxton for some winter work.

The Warp — Ideas and Inspiration

|| 1 || Last year, some family members cooked down some late-season maple sap into syrup that ended up tasting a bit acidic. It seemed like a shame, but the slightly off flavoring led to them dumping a fair amount of it. We nabbed some, and although you could detect the tinge, we made use of it.

Months later I came across Sean Sherman and Beth Dooley’s book, The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen. The book’s racked up accolades, and Sherman’s Minneapolis venture Owamni has been described by the New Yorker as “the best new restaurant in the United States.” You won’t find “European staples such as wheat flour, dairy products, sugar, and domestic pork and beef” in it. But you will see something called “maple vinegar.” And not just a fluke inclusion—maple vinegar, or “sour sap,” is listed as one of the ten indigenous pantry staples that pepper the recipes throughout the book. You can use the fermented sap in just about anything to add a dash of sweetness and some acidity.

If you’d like to try it, here’s an experimental home-scale approach, informed by Dooley, to take a look at. And if you’d rather avoid it, here’s part of a production oriented land-grant write up aimed at keeping maple syrup clean, consistent and non-acidic.

|| 2 || Permaculture analysis calls for good and slow design. For instance, if you arrive at a new spot, wait to try and shape things as you like. Instead, observe for a couple of years, or at the very least, seasons. This is the sort of time and reflection that leads to things like the Wagbo sugar shack’s existence at a lower elevation, central to the taps and tubes. Gravity does the bulk of the moving, as Wendy points out.

This means less work, and less energy required. It’s like the best of machine automation, except it stems from patience, observation and thoughtfulness.

|| 3 || We made it to the seed swap in Midland last weekend—the largest of its kind in Michigan. We were on a mission to help add to the offerings at the Bellaire Public Library’s seed library. The crowds, live music, and camaraderie at the barter event were all heartening. Seed-swapping, and care for generational plant genetics, is alive and well in this state.

And it wasn’t just plant materials on offer. Old stories, time-tested observations and instructions were passed ear to ear. There’s a similar dynamic in spots here in Northern Michigan. Make it out to assist the Friends of the Wagbo Sugarbush with any one of their year-round tasks, and you’ll likely do some learning. You might learn a new practice, find yourself encountering muscle-memory you once had, or grow a bit in your understanding of this region. And you get some syrup… That’s a sweet deal for supporting your community, and creating space for your community to support you.

The Weft — News and Events

|| 1 || If you have the means, please consider supporting the Pierce family. Tim, Stephanie and Hazel experienced a tragedy: Their shop—a place of craft, care, and creativity—was destroyed by fire. Please join us in supporting them as they recover from this loss. Aside from being a lovely family, Tim has led workshops for XH in the past, introducing people to hand tools. Find their Gofundme here.

|| 2 || Maple Syrup Masters Workshop Series. Are you interested in learning more about maple syrup production? Whether it’s large-scale tapping techniques, bottling procedure, running a small-scale operation, or any other facet that might have you curious, a series of hands-on demonstrations and workshops is being offered by East Jordan’s Wagbo Farm & Education Center, in partnership with several other farms and sugar shacks in the area. Registration is recommended. Find out more by downloading the flyer available at wagbo.org.

|| 3 || Parallel 45’s Reading Series continues at the Alluvion. Find out more about four upcoming performances held at the Alluvion here. Each play reading concludes with an engaging conversation on a topic relevant to the piece, and society today, ranging from “climate change, LGBTQIA+ and immigrant rights, justice, death, spirituality, and more.” Tickets are available for a suggested donation of $20, and purchasing them ahead of time is recommended.

|| 4 || You might be wondering what’s happening with the Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference. There’s too much to detail here, but we will say that we’re excited! Click here for an update, and watch for more news in upcoming months.

|| 5 || Grant Opportunities
a.) Value-Added Producer Grant. Click here for dates, locations and registration notes for informational workshops on the USDA Value-Added Producer Grant. The MSU Product Center & MSU Extension/USDA Rural Development collaborations offer an opportunity to learn more about the specific requirements for the funding, which “focuses on planning for and conducting farm-based activities to create new products, expanding marketing opportunities, and increasing grower income.”

b.) Are you a farmer, rancher or forest manager? Share your vital feedback with USDA by taking a nationwide survey here. The survey is completely anonymous, will take about 10 minutes to complete, is available in multiple languages, and will be open until March 31, 2023. Also note, 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture responses are due February 6th. To find out more about the five-year questionnaire, visit the USDA’s Census of Agriculture page.

c.) If you are a farmer, or work with an organization that works with farmers, here’s an opportunity for small, short-term grants aimed at mental health and stress efforts in agriculture. Farmers can apply for this funding directly to support stress work with their employees. If you caught Remington Rice’s Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference presentation, you know how important this work can be. Learn more here.

The Whole Field • Volume 2 • No. 5 • Full Moon • March 7th, 2023