Moving Day - Not What You Think!

I got the idea for today's topic from a book I read in which a thief chose July 1st as the best day to steal a couple paintings from a museum due to the chaos Montreal experiences traditionally every year.

Most of Canada celebrates Canada Day on July 1st but in Montreal, citizens move from one apartment into another. The tradition began back in 1750 when Francois Bigot designated May 1st as the beginning date for all contracts including leases.  The government did this to keep people from being evicted in the middle of winter.

In 1866, the government incorporated this officially as par of the Civil Code of Lower Canada and set May 1st as the beginning of all leases consequently people changed apartments on this day and it became known as "Moving Day".

The biggest problem with May 1st is it made life inconvenient for parents who had children in school.  If they needed to move, they had to do it before school was over for the year so in 1973, the Quebec government moved the date for all leases to begin on July 1st.

The new date ensured all children were on summer holidays and it was warm outside because any last minute cold snaps were over.  So now "Moving Day" is the official day that renters vacate the current premises to move to new apartments.  Unfortunately, this can create a huge problem because of the number of moving vans, boxes, and people trying to get their stuff from one place to another.

Montreal is a city in Quebec with the lowest home ownership of the province and the most people who rent.  The advantage to Montreal is the city has tenant laws that are extremely friendly to renters including the fact most apartments are rent controlled.

It is estimated that around 250,000 people moved across the province and between 70,000 and 130,000 people changed domiciles in the city of Montreal in 2018.  Imagine a city of moving vans double and triple parked on the narrow streets, people hauling refrigerators up the stairs to the top floors, and every professional moving company is booked.

In addition, people who prepare for the upcoming move produce 55,000 tons of garbage and discarded household items in the weeks before "Moving Day".  This means the city has to pick up everything from appliances, to couches, and dead plants.  Furthermore,  moving companies and do t yourself truck rental places double and triple their rents for the day due to the huge demand.  Since July 1st is Canada Day, all movers are to be paid time and a half which can contribute to higher costs.

Unfortunately, this day also opens up people to being scammed.  Companies have been known to accept bookings and then not show because they found someone willing to pay more or others accept contracts who are not even registered movers and they often leave belongings behind including people's animals.  Many people rely on friends to help them move or build rolling wagons to attach to bicycles, or compact cars with roof racks filled to capacity with goods including mattresses.  In addition, a pizza chain and Coca-Cola team up to offer free pizza and soda to all the movers in certain areas to make moving a bit easier especially in light of the stress associated with this day.

I think I like the American way where leases can begin and end at anytime of the year rather than trying to have everyone move on the same day.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.

So High

They say the sea is 8 to 10 feet above normal due to the incoming storm.  The waves are headed towards my house but there is a high road between them and me.

So Hard.

Storm blew in.  I heard the rain pounding the window as it hit.

The 11 Best Herbs To Grow Indoors

Summer has ended and fall is coming and many parts of Alaska have experienced the first frosts of the season.  With the frosts, we see many plants either go into hibernation or they die because they are not cold hardy.  The good thing is that many herbs are easy to grow indoors so you can continue adding fresh basil to your spaghetti, or oregano to your eggs.

Why not grab a few seeds and start some plants in your kitchen.  Most grow well in pots on your windowsill. There are 11 herbs that are easy to grow inside and each ones add a bit of something to your meals.

1.  Lemon Balm provides a light lemon flavor for things and is best grown for one year.  Begin it indoors in the fall, let grow through the winter and then transplant outside for spring and summer.

2. Chives provide an oniony flavor without bulbing.  Chives grow in clumps and can be harvested by cutting no more than a third of the clump at a time.

3. Mint is best grown in a container because when it's planted in the ground, it spreads all over the area.  Besides, when its grown in a container in the kitchen, its easy to cut a few leaves off to add to tea, or add to lamb or just flavor.

4.  Parsley is a great herb to grow indoors.  If you start it from seed, soak the seed to allow it to sprout.  With parsley grown indoors, its easy to finish your meals as you plate dinner.

5.  Basil is great to grow indoors but it's better to use the smaller varieties otherwise they might take up too much space.  its possible to grow both the Italian and the Thai varieties indoors so you can make a variety of dishes.

6.  Bay Laurel or Bay Leaf can be grown in a larger pot indoors.  Its good to bring it indoors inside during the winter but take it out when the warmer weather begins.  In addition, it is best to keep it pruned so it does not get too big.

7.  Cilantro for that great flavor in Indian and Mexican foods.  Since Cilantro is short lived, it is best to sow new plantings every two to three weeks so you have a continuous supply.

8.  Thyme is a great herb to grow over the winter in small pots.  In general thyme doesn't get very tall and it is great in spaghetti and other Italian dishes.

9.   Oregano is easy to grow because it can be propagated from cuttings or by division from an already established plant and have a plant or two indoor for cooking.  Fresh oregano is wonderful on pizza.

10. Rosemary with its wonderful pine smell is easy to grow from a cutting taken off of an outdoor plant.  Once its established, you'll have a constant supply to add to your Italian cooking.

11. Sage is another herb that is easy to start from an already established plant. There is the standard version but there are also several other interesting types that all add an interesting flavor to your cooking.  The standard version is also used in Italian cooking or in tea.

Plant these to grow inside and enjoy using fresh herbs in your cooking to make it just that little bit better.  Let me now what you think, I'd love to hear.

Birch and Walnut? Really?

Yesterday, I spoke about getting sap from maple trees to make into syrup for pancakes and other foods.  Today, I'll share which birch and walnut trees can be tapped for sap.  As I said earlier, it is easier to get birch syrup up here than maple.

1.  Butternut or White Birch sap is about 2 percent sugar, about the same as Sugar Maple.  In addition, these birch trees are ready to be tapped about the same time of the year as Sugar Maples and produce about the same amount of sap.

2.  Black Walnut, the same tree whose wood is used in building.  These trees are best tapped in fall, winter, or spring but they are more common in the mid west.

3.  Heartnut has a sweet sap almost the same as Sugar Maples but produces less sap.  It is also a cultivator for the Japanese Maple.

4.  English Walnuts produce the nuts found in the baking section of supermarkets.  These trees also produce a sap especially after being subjected to a freezing winter or spring.  Most English Walnuts are found in California.

5. Paper Birch is the best birch tree to tap. Although its sugar content is about half of a Sugar Maple, it is the sweetest of all birches.

6. The Yellow Birch produces a sap that has a higher mineral content, more antioxidants, and a lower sugar content than the Sugar Maple.

7. Black Birch can be tapped for sap but it is more often used to produce birch beer.  It is more often found in the eastern part of the United States.

8. River Birch is planted more often as an ornamental in the northeast but if found naturally in the southeastern part of the United States.  This tree can be successfully tapped.

9. Grey Birch is usually grown as a shrub but it can be tapped if it grows large enough.

10. The European White Birch is planted in the United States as an ornamental but is a native of Europe.  This tree can be tapped.

11. The Ironwood is a birch tree that does produce sap in late spring but it produces less sugar and less sap than any other type of birch.

To tap them, you need to drill a hole in a tree that is at least 14 inches in diameter, put in a spout, hang a bucket and let the sap drip into the bucket.  Be sure to collect the sap everyday and when you have a decent amount, boil it down to a syrup. The bottom line is that it takes about 40 gallons of sap to boil down to produce one gallon of maple syrup.  It is suggested you boil the sap outside because things can get sticky.

So if you have access to any of these trees, go ahead and collect the sap, and boil it down. Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.

Which Maple Tree?

  There is nothing better than real maple syrup and butter on freshly made pancakes, waffles, or French toast.  Unfortunately, we do not have  maple trees in Alaska so we make syrup from other types of trees.

I didn't realize it, but there are 22 different trees that will provide sap to make into syrup to be used on pancakes, French toast, and waffles. Today, I'm looking

1.  Sugar Maple is the tree we usually associate with making a thickened syrup because its sugar content is 2 %.  It also produces the highest volume of sap.

2.  Black Maple is similar to a Sugar Maple but the main difference is the Black Maple has three lobes on its leaves while the Sugar Maple has five.  Otherwise, the Black Maple produces as much sweet sap as the Sugar Maple.

3. Red Maple is also tapped for sap but the amount of sap produced is lower than for the Sugar Maple but some outfits only tap Red Maple.  In addition, this maple tend to bud earlier in the spring resulting in reduced sap production.

4.  Silver Maple sap has less sugar content than the Sugar Maple.  It is 1.7 percent vs 2 percent and the silver also buds earlier in the spring just like the Red Maple.

5.  Norway Maple is a European Tree that was brought over to the United States and has become invasive here.  Although they can be tapped, they are not as sweet as a Sugar Maple.

6. Box Elder or Manitoba maple sap is used in the prairie area of Canada for syrup but it is not that sweet but this tree is found in Urban areas.  Furthermore, the amount of sap produced is about half of that produced by the Sugar Maple.

7. Big leaf Maple which is found from California up to British Columbia and has been used by Native Americans for centuries. Although the sap contains less sugar, it is still a viable source for commercial production in the Pacific Coast.

8.  Canyon Maple or big tooth maple lives in the Rocky Mountain region and Texas.  Although the sugar content is similar to the Sugar Maple, the amount of sap produced is  quite a bit less.

9. Rocky Mountain Maples are found in the Western United States. Although they are not currently used, they have been used historically by Native Americans.

10 Gorosoe is a Korean maple most frequently tapped for sap.  In Korea, the sap is not boiled down but served as a drink.

11.  Sycamore is not used that much as a sap producer but it has a lower sugar content than a Sugar Maple and it produces a butter flavored syrup.

Tomorrow I'll be reporting back on various walnut and birch trees that produce sap used to produce syrups.  Let me now what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.

Why Do Americans Refrigerate Eggs and Europeans Do Not?

  When I visited my niece in Germany a couple summers ago, I had difficulty with one thing they do that we do not.  She had her eggs out on the counter rather than stored in the refrigerator.  I was taught to always keep eggs in the refrigerator because they'd go bad otherwise but in Germany, my niece told me the eggs do not need to be kept in the refrigerator.

In fact, most of the world does not refrigerate their eggs.  Only the United States, Japan, Australia, and Scandinavians refrigerate eggs.

I wondered why things were so different.  Americans and Europeans treat the possibility of getting salmonella poisoning differently.  Salmonella is a common cause of bacterial poisoning and it is often found on the outside of chicken eggs due to deposited there via dirt of feces. Occasionally it ends up on the inside of the egg due to the salmonella ending up in the hen's ovaries.

Back in the 1970's the Americans developed egg washing so as soon as the egg is laid, it is sent through a machine that shampoos and rinses them so they are totally clean.  In the process of getting rid of potential salmonella, the egg is stripped of a thin coating called the "cuticle". Without the cuticle, eggs can no longer keep salmonella out and water and oxygen in so the eggs are sprayed with an oil and immediately have to be refrigerated to keep them safe.  Japan didn't wash their eggs until they experienced numerous cases of Salmonella and as a result they began washing their eggs.

On the other hand, Europe took a totally different position.  They require chickens to be vaccinated against salmonella, and they prohibit egg washing so eggs retain the cuticle.  They also discourage refrigerating eggs because when eggs come to room temperature, mildew can grow or become contaminated with bacteria.

It appears both methods keep eggs from spreading Salmonella but which ever method is used, everyone from the producer to the consumer must follow guideline consistently.  When eggs are properly refrigerated it can extend shelf life from 21 to 50 days. There are many countries where having refrigeration is expensive and nonexistent so they have to store them at room temperature.

Which is better?  Well, it is recommended eggs be brought to room temperature when used for baking.  In addition, eggs can absorb any flavors or aromas from other foods stored in the refrigerator but its easy to combat this by keeping the fridge cleaned but all in all, it is what ever you are comfortable with.  If you want eggs that have not been washed, check your local farmers markets for eggs which still have their cuticle remaining.