Become an Outdoors-Woman

The annual Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program will be held June 2-4 in Big Bay (just north of Marquette). The Michigan DNR is sponsoring this event at Bay Cliff Health Camp. Over two dozen types of activities will help women learn and further enhance their outdoor skills. A small sampling of the classes shows - rock climbing, kayaking, hiking, fishing, and much more. Registration is $155 (includes lodging, meals, and equipment) and more information can be found through www.michigan.gov/dnr.

Today is Beautiful, go Outside!

If you haven't been outside yet today, you had better get out there now. It is the best day of the year as far as the weather goes. Temperatures are hovering around the 60s (downstate anyway) and there is plenty of sunshine. I was actually able to do some gardening with my 19-month-old son this morning. He was even saying he was hot. I tried to find a photo on flickr.com from Michigan that did justice to today's weather, but so far I have come up empty.

Daffodils and Tulips had to have their winter covering of leaves pulled back. They should be blooming in another week or so. It would appear that we have finally shaken the shackles of winter from our lovely state and can begin to embrace the warmth of spring.

Go outside today and at least go for a walk! It is just too nice of a day. :)

Is Your Green Thumb Itching to do Some Gardening?

Is your green thumb itching to get back to work in the garden? Then we have some interesting tips for you to have a great gardening season in Michigan. Vegetables prefer a full day of sun, but if you live in a shady suburb you don't have to give up the idea of growing vegetables. Here are some minimum sunlight requirements:

• Fruiting Vegetables - 8 hours of sun. This includes tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and vine crops such as cucumbers, melons, and squash
• Root Vegetables - 6 hours of sun Carrots, beets, etc.
• Leafy Vegetables - 4 hours of sun. These are your "greens" such as lettuce, spinach and collards

*Keep in mind that these are minimums. Increasing the amount of sunlight your vegetables receive will increase the yield and quality of your crop.

The benefits of manure await your garden. Behold the mysterious powers and follow the suggestions below:

• Don't use dog or cat manure. These manures often carry diseases that can be spread to children
• Never use fresh manure, since it contains soluble nitrogen compounds and ammonia that can burn plants and interfere with seed germination. Manure that is well composted or has aged for about six months is best. When added to the compost pile, manure will speed the composting process.
• Manure tea can be used for periodic feedings or diluted and used every time you water. Do not allow undiluted manure tea to come into direct contact with foliage. To make manure tea, simply place a shovel or two of manure in a large container filled with water, and after a week or so, strain out the manure. To make the straining process a little easier, you can tie the manure in a burlap bag before placing it in the water.
• Horse manure may contain a good many weed seeds, so compost it in a hot compost pile before adding it to your garden.

Getting Sappy Makes me Happy

I love maple syrup. My pancakes become rafts floating in a carmel colored pool of sweet sticky goodness. You can keep your jams and other fruit-flavored syrups. I'll take mine with maple, thank-you. Call me old-fashioned or plain. I don't mind. To me, nothing tastes as good on pancakes as pure Michigan Maple Syrup. Yum!

Another breakfast use for maple syrup that I enjoy is putting it on my oatmeal with a little brown sugar. You can probably call me old-fashioned for eating regular oatmeal, too.

Did you know maple syrup was the sweetener of choice for Michigan's Native Americans? They had figured out how to boil it down and concentrate the sweetness. It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup. So, in case you thought you could go out in your yard and tap a couple of your maples to save some money, you better think again. You need a large grove of sugar maple trees (called a sugar bush) to collect enough sap for making maple syrup.

Here are some maple syrup facts courtesy of the Michigan Maple Syrup Producers Association:

• Michigan produces about 80,000 gallons of maple syrup each year
• Michigan ranks 6th in the nation in maple syrup production
• Maple syrup is one of the few agricultural products where demand exceeds supply
• When trees bud out the sap becomes bitter, this is what makes production cease
• Pure Michigan maple syrup has 50 calories per tablespoon and is fat-free

Hartwick Pines is holding their annual Maple Syrup Day this Saturday, March 25. Read about it in the Traverse City Record-Eagle.

Read about a Milford family that makes their own maple syrup in a suburban setting.

Looking to Buy State Land?

Our state Senate voted to allow our Legislature to oversee any proposals for selling state land and state parks. The DNR has been holding meetings trying to figure out what land to sell, what to keep, and even what to buy. Somebody has to watch what is going on here. Otherwise we have a situation where the fox is guarding the chicken house. I previously wrote about my thoughts on Michigan selling off state parks so I won't go into that again. I am glad that any proposals to sell off state land or state parks must face a public hearing. Although, perhaps the public hearing won't have much bearing on the outcome. Maybe it is just the Legislature throwing us a bone.

Information courtesy of the Lansing State Journal