February 2022 Newsletter
Along the shoulders of Spunk Creek.
Of all the natural beauty in our little corner of the Avon Hills, Spunk Creek is clearly the crown jewel. It gurgles, surges, babbles and flows for nearly a half mile bisecting the northwest corner of the 64 acres we call home.
While we certainly spend our fair share of time on the banks of Spunk Creek, and in it, most of our time is spent along the “shoulders” of Spunk Creek. And every season has it’s highlights.
Each year from late February through early April we enter the woods to tap the Sugar Maples and perform our annual ritual of making Maple Syrup. “Making it” simply means removing water until the sap becomes syrup, about 66% sugar content.
We have the indigenous people of northern North America, from modern day Minnesota and Ontario to the east coast, to thank for this sweetest treat from the woods as they have been practicing this ritual for many hundreds, maybe thousands of years.
Watch for our invitation to come on out to the Avon Hills Folk School for a visit to observe the making of Maple Syrup or to help out. We’ll also be posting opportunities to help us collect the sap.
This year we will set aside a number of days for small groups, up to 12 people, to reserve a 3-4 hour time frame for a full immersion and Maple Syruping experience along the shoulders of Spunk Creek.
We can't wait to see you in the Sugar Bush.
Reflections on Intro to Pewter Casting with Shane Mahon
Saturday, January 29, 2022
Special thanks to Shane Mahon who taught the class attendees the process of melting solid pewter to a molten liquid at 500 degrees fahrenheit! Wow! Each of the participants learned to cast an item with the sand casting model as well as a two part silicone mixture they used to make a mold for an item of their choice. It was show and tell time each time an item was removed from the casting mold. All the participants were wowed with the process and it is unanimous that they all want to return for Pewter Casting Two now that they have learned the process. Attendees were sent home with all the materials and casting equipment to cast pewter at home. Yes, pewter can be melted on a kitchen stove in a stainless steel pot. Fascinating new hobby with many possibilities.
We also want to do a shout out to Lily Brutger at Art in Motion for hosting our first Avon Hills Folk School Class at the awesome Art in Motion studio. Lily was a wonderful host and the studio was perfect for our Pewter Casting class. Thanks Lily!
Upcoming Classes and Experiences
Construct your own Garden Hod with Tom Wicks, February 19
Maple Syrup Experiences at the Avon Hills Folk School
Making a Traditional Frame Style Drum with Gary Barrett, April 1 & 2
Creating a Memory Shade Garden with Karen Schellinger, May 2022, date tbd
Upcoming Classes with Dates to Be Determined
Introduction to Beekeeping with Jamie Jensen
Introduction to Timber Framing with Clark Bremer
Being in the Woods: Practices to help you ground and grow with Betsy Johnson
2nd Annual Youth Hand Camp
Mushroom Foraging in the Avon Hills
Upcoming Class Sneak Peek!
Interesting in keeping bees? We have a tentative date on the calendar of March 26th for Beekeeping Class with Jamie Jensen!
The Beginning Beekeeper Course provides instruction on the basics of beekeeping. It covers the two main areas each beekeeper should know before getting started. They are bee life cycle and bee equipment. The bee life cycle part will contain some beekeeping history, honey creation and other hive products, pest and disease control, and other common colony management issues that beginning beekeepers will face in the first few seasons of keeping bees. The equipment part will introduce the Langstroth hive, as well as the Layens Hive, personal protection equipment, including costs and other options.
Beekeeping is a very rewarding pastime and occupation. Honey bees are dynamic creatures that intrigue inquiring minds. Honey bees provide services and produce products that make beekeeping a respectable and productive trade, and beekeepers find pleasure in working with bees.
The class instructor is Jamie Jensen. He has been a beekeeper for many years, first in Washington State and then in Minnesota. He builds his own hives and extracts honey each year. In addition to beekeeping, Jamie is a woodworker, disc golf and racquetball player, baker, and pilot. In season he makes maple syrup and raspberry jam. Jamie also develops residential real estate and is one of the official scorers for the St. Paul Saints.
