sap skimmer

Grandpa Ingalls used a basswood ladle to skim his boiling kettle of maple sap in Little House in the Big Woods (see Chapter 7, "The Sugar Snow"). When boiled, the maple sap produces a sugary foam which contains impurities that must be removed. These impurities might be insects, twigs, dirt, or even mold. The longer sap is boiled, the more foam will be produced, but it will contain fewer and fewer impurities. It takes thirty gallons of sap to produce just one gallon of maple syrup; that's a lot of boiling and skimming!

Basswood comes from the American Linden, about thirty species of trees in the genus Tilia. The tree is native to most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere, in Asia, Europe (where it is known as Lime), and eastern North America; it is not native to the western United States. The Linden is a large deciduous tree reaching a height of around fifty feet. From the trunk outward, its branches get smaller and smaller; the leaves are heart-shaped, and after flowering with wonderfully fragrant blossoms, the tree is covered with tiny fruit resembling green peas. Linden is an important honey plant, and the flowers are also used to make herbal tea.

Basswood is both tough and light and is not apt to split while being worked, so it is a favorite for cabinet work, boxes, broom handles, butter bowls, and other kitchen items. Perhaps Grandpa Wilder carved his own ladles out of basswood. THIS might inspire you to try carving one for yourself.
- posted by pioneergirl at 6:30 PM