QUICK UPDATE: On the Popcorn Scale, weather that’s good for munching popcorn is a 10, and weather that’s suitable for non-popcorn pleasures – let’s say opening one gate valve and closing another, or hosing down a sap tank, or trotting up and down stairs to and from the sap shed to monitor the sap run – translates to a Popcorn 1. This past week rates as follows:
Monday 3/24 Popcorn 10: Darkly overcast, too cold for a sap run.
Tuesday 3/25 Popcorn 10: Ditto.
Wednesday 3/26: Popcorn 5, meaning popcorn before 6pm. The trees let loose after that.
Thursday 3/27: Popcorn 1. Sun! A NW breeze! Get to work! The sap gushed and fire-hosed; it hammered and belted.
Friday 3/28: Popcorn 1: Ditto.
Sat and Sun? A snowstorm is coming. It could mean a hectic 1. Snow in the air can aid a run. We’ve sometimes had good runs at 33 degrees and snowing.
Maple Trout Lilli writes:
On the trail or on the couch, this spiced maple corn is a winner.
Maple Spiced Popcorn
½ cup raw almonds
½ cup raw cashews
½ cup raw sunflower and
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
7 cups plain, unsalted popcorn – popped
1 teaspoon mild chili powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- Preheat oven to 300F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, toss the almonds, cashews, and sunflower seeds with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Add the popped corn and drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Use your hands to toss well.
- In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, cinnamon, turmeric, salt and cayenne. Sprinkle the seasoning over the popcorn mixture and toss well to evenly combine. Be sure that some of the seasoning coats the nuts.
- Spread the popcorn mixture over the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, then stir and bake for 10-15 minutes more, until the nuts are golden. While still warm, taste and add another sprinkle of salt if needed. Cool completely before serving.
—MTL
Syllable Play
Popcorn
In the ’50’s
Once a week, Sunday nite
On the rug watching Walt Disney
Small bowls.
Popcorn
In the ’20’s
Weekends by the woodstove
After a backcountry ski jaunt
Large bowls.
Popcorn
Brought just this week
By Maple Trout Lilli
No one here but me, I ate the
Whole Bowl.
The Nebraska Knoll Blog 
Love it ! ❤️Have a great week end !
On Fri, Mar 28, 2025 at 9:46 PM The Nebraska Knoll Blog < comment-reply@wordpress.com> wrote:
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It’s good to hear from you, Carol. I like imagining you in your beautiful home above the bay reading blog posts. Audrey
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Your photographs and texts show and speak about the beautiful forested hillsides in snow, and about your producing trees. I know that Maple trees provide by removing water from sap. But producing Maple syrup is not easy. Many steps are required. Nature has its own say about getting to the end result. The effort is huge and sustained over weeks and months. Boiling or waiting depends on day and night temperatures. The work has its rhythm. A starry night and no sleep can be welcome because you are boiling!
Thanks for providing this delicious food!
On Fri, Mar 28, 2025 at 8:16 PM The Nebraska Knoll Blog < comment-reply@wordpress.com> wrote:
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You’re welcome, Richard. Regarding “nature has its own say…,” the sap is running well today on this cloudy, 34-degree day with 6″ of new snow blanketing the terrain and apparently weighing down some of the tubing lines since the vacuum-gauge reading is down from yesterday. I’m guessing the sap is running in the Newport area this weekend. The season is NOW. Audrey
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