Our Cabin Neighbor

Thomas "Thunder" Thornton



Our cabin, Summer 2002

Following the rules of a saying, The 5 Pees, while making maple syrup, got me thinking about the old Military guy who taught it to us. 

My husband and I have a little cabin in the woods in the Hocking Hills area, outside of Logan, Ohio.
A small primitive cabin when we purchased it, we have since added a well and shower.

Bill and I, (and me way before I even met Bill), have always loved the outdoors, hiking, camping, campfires. You get the idea.

Well, one morning, I'm not sure how it happened, but we climbed, (barely and slowly) out of our tent and realized:  It hurts to sleep on the ground!

Something had happened, the Earth had stopped rotating, or something, but we had grown old enough that sleeping in a tent ON THE GROUND, hurt with a capitol H!

So, slowly we stopped sleeping in our tent as often. But we missed the nights in the woods something awful!
We decided to shop around for a permanent "camp site" or woods to call our own, and maybe build something to sleep in, off the ground.

After months of searching, nothing.
Everything we looked at was a house with a yard to mow.
We already had one of those.

One day, after traveling to the southern part of Ohio near the Ohio river to look at a so called "cabin in the woods" (it wasn't)we drove home through the Hocking Hills area and stopped at a local watering hole (tavern with food) called Jimbo's.
We had been in Jimbo's a time or two after hiking the trails at Hocking Hills State Park.
Jimbo and Joy (the owners of Jimbo's) just happen to know of a little cabin for sale in the area and gave us the directions.

We were so discouraged from looking at houses with yards called "cabins" that we didn't hold out any hope for this one.
We were wrong.
It was exactly what we were looking for!
The cabin was a little over 2 miles from Jimbo's, 2 miles from Ash Cave, on top of a hill, in the middle of the woods and up a very winding road. Alexis was 11 years old and Daniel 8 when we pulled up to the roped off lane leading to the cabin. As we parked, the kids jumped out of the car and we all starting talking at the same time, commenting on how beautiful the cabin was and that it was just what we were looking for.

Our excitement was interrupted by a very loud and deep voice yelling:
HEY!    HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!     WHO IN THE HELL ARE YOU!

Bill had heard from Jimbo that an old ex-military guy lived in the cabin next door and that he was mean and grouchy. This day he was packing (as in a loaded pistol!)
With the hair standing up on our arms (yes, scared) Bill yelled back across the ravine: "Don't shoot Tom, it's me Bill, Jimbo sent us to look at this cabin for sale."

Eleven days later, the cabin was ours.

Tom slowly began to like us, well tolerate us is a better description really. He tells everyone, while sitting at our cabin or having dinner with us, that the day we bought the cabin was the worst day in his life.  We know deep down he likes us.
We soon discovered that under that gruff exterior was a really nice guy, most of the time.
He has sat many a nights with us around the campfire, retelling of his youth and many adventures and scraps he has gotten into.
For example: He had a tattoo by the age of 6!

Gradually we learned a lot about Tom, but his heroic deeds he kept pretty close to him.  We did learn that he was an Army veteran, had been an Army Ranger, an instructor at a college in Dayton, and went to barber school, even owning his own shop.
He has 5 children, and had continued to pay his ex-wife alimony until her death, just a few years ago.
He never attempted to stop the payments, because he said, he felt she deserved them, since he was gone most of the time they were married and the kids were little.
Tom also did two tours in Vietnam.
Which brings me to his heroics:

Tom is a pretty private man, but that is nearly impossible for him be with Bill and the kids bothering him every time we go to the cabin.


An old photo of Tom
(far right receiving a medal)


Over time we learned he had been awarded many metals, and has been written about in a book. But after learning what the metals were for, particularly the Bronze Stars with the V Device for Valor, (Tom has 3 Bronze stars);

I got to thinking he should be in the Military Hall of Fame.
I don't think our military men and women get enough credit for what they do and are doing for us.
This guy especially, not only once but many times risk his own life for his men. And I think he would do that for me, for my kids, and for Bill.

There's not many people I believe I can say that about.

Tom was willing to allow me to submit an application, and that application was accepted. In order to be accepted documents had to be submitted with the application.

Tom was inducted into the Ohio Military Hall of Fame in a ceremony held in May of 2005 on the Veterans Plaza at the Ohio Statehouse. The ceremony included a reading of Tom's citation for valor and the formal presentation of the Ohio Medal of Valor.

Platoon Sergeant Thomas W. Thornton Class of 2005


United States Army


Bronze Star with "V" Device


Citation


For heroism in connection with military operations against a hostile force. Sergeant Thornton distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 21 November 1967 during the battle for Hill 875, near Dak To, Republic of Vietnam.


On this day, Company A, 4th Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry engaged an estimated regimental sized force of North Vietnamese during the initial assault for the hill and almost immediately suffered ten to twelve friendly casualties from enemy mortar fire. Sergeant Thornton immediately volunteered for a patrol with the mission of moving over three hundred meters into enemy territory to rescue the wounded men.
Moving through dense terrain Sergeant Thornton and his patrol came under sporadic enemy automatic weapons fire. They kept moving and finally reached the wounded men at a point between the enemy bunkers and the friendly perimeter.
Sergeant Thornton immediately helped to administer medical aid to the wounded men and supervised their removal to the friendly perimeter. By now the enemy automatic weapons fire had increased and on several occasions Sergeant Thornton protected the wounded men with his own body, while at the same time placing effective suppressive fire on the enemy positions.
After the last wounded man had been successfully rescued and returned to the company perimeter Sergeant Thornton moved to the point of heaviest contact and continued to inspire the men and direct their fire upon the enemy.

The battalion surgeon later said that if Sergeant Thornton and the patrol had not rescued the wounded men many of the more seriously wounded would have surely died. Sergeant Thronton’s outstanding display of aggressiveness, devotion to duty, and personal bravery were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

Thomas "Thunder" Thornton, in front wearing the medal.
(That's me in the back with the "Hollywood" glasses and looking goofy, as always)

Thanks Tom, for all you have done for our great country,

Elizabeth

SATURDAY MORNING BREAKFAST

Easy Homemade Waffle Recipe 



My homemade syrup
with our maple trees in the back ground

 Making all that homemade syrup got me thinking about recipes using fresh maple syrup! Waffles and pancakes are always a hit at our house, but I have never been a big fan of waffles.

And listen, I am guilty. Until recently, if you searched my pantry, you would find a box of Hungry Jack Instant Pancake and Waffle mix. That may be the cause of my attitude towards pancakes and waffles, the coming from a box taste.

I admit, I've never really read the ingredients on instant pancake and waffle mixes except the directions.
I had no idea what the ingredients even were!
We have been trying to eat healthier in the last few years and reading more and more labels of the food we buy. The fewer the ingredients (and ingredients I can actually pronounce) is at the top of the list for me.
But for some reason I overlooked store bought pancake and waffle mix. YIKES!

Ingredients:

ENRICHED BLEACHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, NIACIN, IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), SUGAR, DEXTROSE, BAKING POWDER (BAKING SODA, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE), BUTTERMILK, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: SALT, POTASSIUM BICARBONATE, CALCIUM CARBONATE, EGGS, CORN STARCH, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, COLORED WITH YELLOW 5 AND RED 40, IRON, NIACIN, VITAMIN B6, RIBOFLAVIN, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, FOLIC ACID, VITAMIN B12.




And I got to thinking, are all those ingredients really necessary to make good pancakes or waffles?

I learned that throwing together a waffle recipe at home is not much more involved than making the store bought mix. Most box mixes have the dry ingredients, then you add oil, egg and water.  The difference between box and made at home is, of course, the taste, (so much better) but also losing all the dyes and unnecessary ingredients.

And if I want, I can mix the dry ingredients of this recipe ahead of time, and store in a sealed container or glass jar. Just add the eggs, milk and oil when I’m ready to make waffles! Just like most store bought instant mixes, only better.

I found a recipe in The Farmer’s Cookbook by Marie W. Lawrence. A back to basics guide to making cheese, soups, stews, curing meat, preserving, making bread, fermenting, baking pies and cookies and much more.
I found a copy at Half Priced Books for $12.95.  Retails for $24.95.  I am loving this book so far.
Yum, good-old-fashioned-from-scratch recipes, and now WAFFLES!

This is an easy recipe and bakes up nice and fluffy, with a crispy golden exterior just waiting for butter.


When using a waffle iron, the single most important thing to remember is to spray or brush the waffle grids before and maybe in-between cooking waffles. This is true even if your waffle iron is supposed to be non-stick.

The waffle iron I have is an inexpensive model, sold at K-Mart or Sears I believe and still available on a few websites for $10 to 15.00. 
I received it as a gift?
I can't remember where this thing came from! but it works great.
The Essential Waffle Maker has been sitting in my pantry for a while.
If you have a large family or regularly have relatives visiting you may want to purchase a larger waffle iron.

Serve the waffles hot with butter and maple syrup. For a special treat, cover with fresh strawberries (or blueberries) and whipped cream. Or top with homemade jam.

Homemade Waffles:

Ingredients:

2 eggs, separated
1 Cup milk
¼ corn oil
1 ½ Tablespoons sugar
½ Teaspoon salt
1 Cup flour
2 Teaspoon baking powder


Preheat waffle iron. It should be really hot for waffles to cook properly. Most new waffle irons have a temperature control indicator feature that will let you know when the waffle iron is ready to cook and let you know the waffle is done.

Directions:

Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Set aside
Combine the egg yolks, milk and oil in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth.
Combine flour, salt and baking powder, and then whisk into milk mixture.
Once the batter is smooth, fold in egg whites until they are well incorporated.
The less mixing you do from now on the better.

Pour out enough batter to cover the inner part of the iron while leaving an uncovered edge perhaps ½” wide. The batter will expand while cooking. Lower the top and cook.
Remove the waffles by their edges with a fork.

Hint: Add a little cinnamon or ginger for a little different taste

This recipe should produce 4 large or 8 small waffles, depending on your waffle size.

The recipe can be doubled. Since you have the waffle iron out go ahead and cook up a few extras waffles, cool, place two together in a freezer bag, then freeze. The kids will love simply popping them in the toaster!
Elizabeth


Websites:


-Back to Basics


-Waffle Iron Reviews

-Waffle History

Turning Maple Tree Sap Into Syrup

Making Maple Syrup:

I have read that many people and cultures believe that drinking maple sap is a way to energize the body after a long winter. I decided to have a little glass to start the morning off. 

Maple sap is regarded as a medicine, a Spring tonic, by most American Indian nations where maple sap is gathered.  In South Korea, the drinking of sap is linked to a wide range of health benefits.

After collecting enough sap from our maple trees I started early this morning getting everything ready for the boiling process.







How I decided to go about this process:

I have read on almost all websites that the syrup needs to be boiled outdoors. There seems to be numerous reasons why, three of the most important being:

1. Boiling the sap will produce a ton of steam and humidity which is enough to peel wall paper off the wall!

2. In each little molecule of steam vapor there is an even smaller molecule of sugar attached, so all that steam in the house will make everything sticky.

3. Cooking the sap over an open fire or campfire imparts some of the smoky flavor into the syrup, which, from what everyone is saying is great!



I have a dilemma. I have baby chicks to keep an eye on, 2 dachshunds that can not stand being cold and would not want to sit for hours with me next to the campfire when it is only 45 degrees or so outside. And I don’t think I have the patience to sit for hours and hours next to the campfire to watch sap boil.

I decided to improvise.
One of friends, Tom “Thunder” Thornton taught our family a phrase he used while an Army Ranger:

The Five Pees’:  Prior Planning Prevents Pisspoor Performance

So, keeping the 5 P’s in mind, and thinking through the whole process needed and lots of planning I came up with this.
The first step was to get everything together before the boiling was to begin.

I set up our Camp Chef grill on the back Porch. This is a camping grill / griddle and runs on a propane tank. We purchased the Camp Chef grill to use when our son Daniel was in Boy Scouts. This will work great to do the majority of sap boiling. Setting it on the open back porch will be safer and not allow the sugar laden steam in the house, but I will be only steps from the kitchen. 


I washed two large pots and set them on the grill. These are the pots I use when making soup to can, so they are as large as or larger than canning pots.
I do not have a very large shallow pan to boil the sap so I improvised.
Another saying Tom taught us:  Improvise, Overcome and Adapt.
The larger the area boiling, the more steam that will rise (water evaporation) and the quicker the process will be.

I strained all the sap with cheese cloth, and then continued to strain with a small tea strainer while the sap was cooking.


I carried our Weber smoker grill to the back porch, and then collected small twigs and sticks to start an actual wood fire. If smoke is one of the best ingredients for maple syrup making I will make a wood coal base in the Weber grill. I will then pour the nearly finished boiling sap into a pot that will fit inside the Weber grill with the lid on. Slow cooking for a half hour to an hour should put a nice smoky flavor into the syrup.

Now that I had everything in place, I started boiling the sap.


My outdoor work station

 I started with about 2 gallons in each pot and I kept the sap at a low boil all day. As the sap cooked down I added another gallon or so. Just so you know what you are in for should you decide to try sugaring at home, this was an all day process. I was able to get work done in the house, but only short bursts. I had to keep a constant eye on the sap boiling making sure it was not too hot, but hot enough to boil and that it did not cook completely down and burn.

One of the most amazing things about the sap boiling is this: It had a delicious slightly sweet, slightly woodsy smell and sometimes it smelled like a wonderful stew cooking.

Oops, break here, all those delicious odors made my stomach growl so bad I had to go inside and make a sandwich! Chicken with aged cheese and spicy mustard and a glass of raspberry iced tea.

I’m back.
This I also noticed about the sap: When a batch cooked down and right before I added more sap, the aroma coming from the pot was more like taffy candy cooking! Yum!
After using around 10 gallons of sap (it took all day) I decided to let this batch finish boiling down on the grill. According to all websites on the subject, about 10 gallons of sap is needed to make a quart of syrup.

While the last of the sap was slowly boiling I start a wood fire with sticks and twigs in the Weber grill. I then added a few small pieces of wood and allowed it all to burn down until I had a nice bed of hot coals.
Oh No, another food attack. It is nearly impossible for me to be around a campfire without an over whelming desire to roast something! This time a nitrate free hotdog hit the spot and stopped the loud (nearly a roar) tummy growling. 

I placed the grill rack back on the grill to support the sap pot, and then (very carefully, this stuff is HOT) moved the sap pot to the grill and covered with the grill lid.

I kept a close eye on the sap, removing the grill lid and stirring the sap every few minutes to make sure it was slowly boiling and not burning.

I left the pot on the grill, which was smoking as I had hoped, for about an hour.
Now to move the sap into the kitchen to finish it into syrup!
The sap from the maple trees comes out clear and looks like and has the consistency of water. As the sap cooks down it turns slightly yellow.

Once on the stove top I started the sap to boil again. This is the hardest part of the process. Not enough heat and the sap will not turn syrupy. Too much heat and the sap will burn or crystallized.

As I boiled the sap I kept adjusting the heat. Finally the sap began a very bubbly boil and began to rise up in the pot. At this point the sap is a golden yellow and begins to turn a beautiful amber color. I kept the heat just high enough to keep the sap from boiling over. At this point I can not tell you how long I cooked, nor what the sap temperature was. I read and re-read all the articles I had printed off the internet, but the closest anyone could say about this step is that the sap needed to boil at a certain temperature over the temp of boiling water. Yikes!

I decided to think of the sap like making candy, and getting the candy to a sort of "soft ball" stage.  I stirred the sap constantly and kept testing to see if it was turning into a thicker consistency. It was! The whole house smelled of smoky maple syrup.  All that was missing was pancakes and bacon!

With a spoon, I tested the syrup's flavor.  I poured a small amount onto a small piece of bread to taste it:  It has a light smoky maple flavor. Perfect!

Again I followed the information found on the internet and poured the very hot syrup into 2 clean hot pint canning jars, wiped the rims, and screwed on the caps and bands. (2 pints equal 1 quart)
Once the lids were on the jars, I turned the jars upside down to seal and cool.

I will collect enough sap in the next couple of days to make another batch of syrup, maybe 10 to 12 gallons of sap, then I will remove all the spiles, thank my wonderful trees for all their hard work, and begin looking up recipes which use fresh maple syrup!

Hello Saturday morning pancakes and waffles!!

Elizabeth

Homemade Maple Syrup

Making Syrup From Maple Trees

I am so excited about having the baby chicks, that the other morning I decided to walk across the street and tell our neighbors. Rachel and Tad have 5 beautiful children they are home schooling, so I thought seeing and holding the chicks would be fun and educational for them.

After inviting Rachel and the kids over to see the chicks and then staying to talk for a few minutes, Rachel said” oh, I have something for you, homemade maple syrup.”
Rachel handed me a pint of golden brown syrup and she and the kids took me outside to see the maple tree taps and to watch the sap dripping into buckets.



Large Maples in my own back yard

 I got really excited because I realized we have many maple trees in our own yard!

I hurried home and after scouting out which trees I was sure were maple trees, I started doing an internet search.
I goggled how to tap the trees, where to purchase the spiles (tree taps) and the whole process of making maple syrup.
I found that Ohio is ranked in the top 5 states in maple syrup production.



There are quite a few websites offering spiles for sale, but most are not local, so mail order, which would take a week to two for the spiles to arrive.

From what I had read on many websites, the tree tapping period for Ohio maple trees is in its final stages, so I needed spiles ASAP!
I decided to call our local Tractor Supply store, who then called other local Tractor Supply stores until they found taps in their Heath store.
My husband Bill just happened to be out in that area, so he stopped and picked them up for me.

Me at Slate Run Historical Farm

We went on Saturday to Slate Run Historical Farm to watch their late 1800's style tree tapping and maple syrup process.  It was a fun and educational day, and great to find out a little more history on the subject.

History of Maple Tree Tapping:

The production of maple syrup has been an activity of early spring since the pre-Columbian era in America.
American Indians would gash the maple trees, collect the sap and boil it down. There is no record of who actually invented the process of making maple syrup, but one Iroquois legend tells of Woksis, an Indian chief, pulling his tomahawk from a maple tree and going off on a hunt. The weather was warm and the gash dripped sap into a bark vessel under the tree.


Which Maple Trees To Tap:

Three species of maple trees are predominantly used to produce maple syrup and related products:
The sugar maple, the black maple, and the red maple, because of their high sugar content.
The sap of a maple tree comes out clear and very watery. It only contains a little sugar, about 2 to 4%.  It usually takes about 10 gallons of sap to produce 1 quart of syrup.

If you are not familiar with trees or how to identify a maple, I suggest you do an internet search, purchase a tree book from a local book store or check one out from the local library.

Trees should be at least 10 to 12 inches in diameter (across) but in recent years many syrup producers have gone to a more conservative tapping guideline using trees that are 12 to 18 inches in diameter.
Measure the width of the tree about 4 ½ feet from the ground.

Does Tapping Hurt The Tree


Old tree tap and new

Tapping a tree does create a wound, but it is a wound from which the tree can readily recover and does not endanger the health of the tree. Commercial syrup producers are able to tap trees for decades without adversely affecting the health of the tree. A vigorous tree will heal, or grow over, a tap hole in one year.


When To Tap:

Sap flow occurs during the dormant season, after the trees lose their leaves and when cool nighttime temperatures are below freezing followed by days when there is a rapid warming above freezing, ideally to about 40F.

Tapping for maple sap is generally done only in the spring when sap sugar content is highest.
Tap when suitable weather is predicted or watch the weather. Tapping can begin as soon as the end of January in some areas, if weather conditions are ideal.

In central Ohio, the best sap for maple syrup flows during February and early March.  The sap of a maple tree comes out clear and very watery.
Remember:  Sap contains a sugar content of about 2 to 4% and usually takes about 10 gallons of sap to produce 1 quart of syrup.

How Bill and I Tapped Our Maples:



 


We have 10 sugar maple trees, maybe more if I search behind the barns. 
I started with a tape measure to make sure the trees were big enough to tap.

Next we found a smooth spot on the tree, (as smooth as a maple can be) so the buckets would hang better.

We used a portable battery operated screwdriver with a 7/16 inch bit to drill the hole.

The hole needs to be drilled at a slight upward angle so the sap will flow down the spile into the bucket.

The hole also needs to be drilled about 1 ½ to 2 inches deep.

Make sure to clean the wood shaving out of the drilled hole as much as possible.

Next insert the spile into the hole, (it will barely go in). Use a hammer and tap the spile firmly into the hole so it's snug.

Hang a clean bucket, milk jug or container under the spile to catch the sap, and make sure to cover your container so leaves, debris or rain do not get in the sap.





Containers:

This is our first year to do the tapping, so I started out pretty cheaply.

The spiles cost us $2.99 a piece at Tractor Supply.

We copied our neighbors and purchased inexpensive (cheap) buckets at the Dollar Store and also used clean milk jugs.

In all honesty, the milk jugs so far work the best.
The first couple ones we used, we cut a large hole in the top. Not a good idea. Once the wind hits the milk jugs (and buckets too) they swing all over and some of the sap is lost or doesn't even make it into the containers.
This is a trial and error operation, haha.

We decided to place a wire around each bucket to secure them to the trees and prevent movement.
I also covered the buckets with plastic.

The next couple of milk jugs we used, I cut a much smaller hole and secured the jugs very close to the spile. Although milk jugs do not look as nice nor as "romantic" I suppose as the common metal sap buckets,  they works perfectly!

It is an amazing site to go out first thing in the morning, like this morning and see the buckets and jugs nearly full! And the sugaring coming in February helps get me outside and gives me something to look forward to this time of year.  February and March seem so long as I wait for Spring and gardening, this will help move time along for me.
So far we have gotten 5 gallons of sap in a little over 24 hours.

After going to the 1800's farm, I couldn't resist hanging an old canning jar to one of our trees!

 I am keeping the sap cold and tomorrow I start the boiling process!

Elizabeth

More info: 

Tap My Trees

How To Tap A Tree

Ohio Maple Syrup

Chiot's Run Maple Syrup

National Maple Syrup Festival

“A sap-run is the sweet good-by of winter.

It is the fruit of the equal marriage of the sun and frost.”
~John Burroughs, Signs and Seasons, 1886~



Ohio Thoughts: Ash Wednesday: Significance and History

Ohio Thoughts: Ash Wednesday: Significance and History