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Tapping Time The correct time to tap walnut trees to make syrup is the same as for maple trees. The temperature needs to be below freezing at night and above freezing during the day. The temperature fluctuation causes the sap to rise up the trunk as the trees are coming out of dormancy. We have had several days of these temperatures but have also had several feet of snow in drifts in places. At the end of our most recent cold spell, we received close to two feet of snow followed by strong winds. This caused drifts of four or five feet to accumulate in random places, such as my driveway. When the days warmed up, I wanted to go tap some trees, but was unable to get to even the closest ones, unless I trudged through snow over my knees for a quarter of a mile. I do not want to do anything bad enough to do that. By Sunday, enough snow had melted, I felt fairly confident I could get the Ranger up to the Morman Trail where a group of (Outdoors cont’d on pg 3)
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(Outdoors cont’d from pg 1)
walnut trees grow. I loaded all of my tapping equipment in the back of the Ranger, put on my tall rubber boots in case I had to walk back, and threw in a shovel, just in case I had to dig myself out of a snowbank. Putting the Ranger in four-wheel drive, I headed out on my big adventure. The ditch closest to the house Specializing in Barn & Pole Barn was not bad. It was Repair and Restoration a bit muddy and slippery under a couple of inches of snow, but passible. Surprisingly, the top of the first hill See more is where the snow had restorations! settled. I had enough speed going into the first drift, I was able to WAGLER BUILDERS (641) 777-5000 • john@waglerbuilders.com @waglerbuilders plow through. It was all downhill from there of them all seemed to to the top of the dam. I figured there was no sense in pushing have a slow trickle. I I did not slow down my luck by going any know it is early in the as I hit the slush and farther than absolutely tapping season but it snowdrifts. The top necessary. I attached will be interesting to of the dam had been blown clean of snow. bags to five taps and see if all of the trees buckets to the other pick up production. I could really get up five. I like to use bags Following some speed by the as a person can easmy tracks back to the time I hit the hill on the ily view the amount of house was a lot easier opposite side. If I was sap collected. Buckets than getting out to going to get stuck, I are nice as they are the timber. Now I just would be well stuck. not affected by strong need to wait to collect To my surprise, I made it to the top gate winds. After a week or enough to boil and we an into the edge of the so, I will decide which will again have deliworks best and put all cious walnut syrup. timber where there of them up the same was very little snow. way. While attaching With no further probthe collection devices, lems, I drove down I noticed the first two the Morman Trail to the first group of wal- trees were not producing any sap. The next nut trees. I drilled and two were running sap like it was coming out Advertise With Us: tapped the first ten Walter Scott 641-208-5505 of a faucet. The rest walnuts I came to. Christi Post 641-799-4209
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Welcome Nathan Nicholson, MD, FAAOS Pella Regional Health Center is pleased to welcome Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon Nathan Nicholson, MD, FAAOS to the medical staff. Dr. Nicholson has more than six years experience specializing in orthopedic surgery, including hip, knee and shoulder replacements, fracture care, sports injuries, joint injections and more. “My passion is to improve the quality of life for my patients by treating their musculoskeletal pathologies through both nonsurgical and surgical interventions in the field of Orthopaedic Surgery” said Dr. Nicholson. “I believe in patient centered care and going above and beyond for my patients to get them the care that they need.” An Iowa native, Dr. Nicholson graduated from Ottumwa High School and went on to attend the University of Iowa where he completed his Bachelor of Science in Integrative Physiology. He obtained his medical degree at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and performed his residency at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Department of Orthopedic Surgery.
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