A bit too early

for the leaves to turn red — isn't it. This is one of my red maples that I smuggled into our country 26 years ago. I had five small maples in my hand luggage. At that time we thought it was sugar maples but now I have learnt that they are red maples. But I also have learnt that you can make maple syrup from any kind of maples.

So some years ago I tried it in a very small scale, tapping one of our Swedish maples, Acer plantanoides. Our Swedish trees seldom get the bright and vivid colors as in the States. They turn yellow and brown with a hint of orange.

I too am a bit like a snail — I move forward in a very slow but steady pace, rest when I need and then continue until I reach my goal. My goal today is to find out if I need to prepare any more dishes for the island. Since we want life to be very simple I make several dishes at home, which I freeze and bring. That means that I don't have to cook very much which saves time, energy and water. The latter not the least important as we have to carry the water to the house. It also helps slimming the packing as I only bring exactly what we will eat.