Thursday, March 26, 2020

Closed Until Further Notice

Maple syrup making lends itself to social distancing -- the sap continues to run, we continue to work in the sugarbush, and Jesse is putting in long hours into the night watching over the evaporator as the sap steams and boils into fresh maple syrup. 


And while we will carry on producing syrup, upon reflection we have decided to close our farm to the public until further notice. We do this in response to Covid 19, to ensure we are doing our part in maximizing social distancing. Orders that have been placed will be held until further notice, and we will be monitoring the situation closely with everyone else and will reopen if possible. 

Thank you very much for understanding. We hope these efforts will help level the curve and allow for a quicker return to the sweet parts of life that we are all missing for now. Enjoy this slowed-down time, an opportunity to simplify, and we will be seeing you all soon in good health.

Friday, March 20, 2020

Opening Weekend

Happy first day of Spring! We are so lucky to live where we do and to be immersed in the natural beauty that surrounds us. Even in these uncertain times, the natural rhythms of spring continue -- we have seen a robin, the snowdrops are popping out, and the sap has been flowing very well. 

We have been able to make and bottle some exceptional maple syrup, and we will be open FOR SALES ONLY this Saturday and Sunday from 1pm - 5pm. Unfortunately, we will not be able to offer tours, samples, or sugar-on-snow at this time. Our walking trail is marked, and you are more than welcome to take a self-guided tour through the sugarbush and enjoy some fresh country air.

For the safety of our customers and our family, we ask you to respect social distancing etiquette and stay home if you are feeling ill, and to substitute safe-distance smiles for hugs when visiting. We realize that many friends will be looking forward to visiting with Ken after his hip surgery, but to ensure his optimal health while healing he and Rene will be remaining in the house and not accepting visitors at this time.

Customers who have placed orders will be contacted individually. Your orders have been set aside and you are welcome to pick them up during our open hours or we are happy to hold onto them indefinitely until arrangements suit you later in the season. If you would like to place an order, you may do so via phone (705) 835-5780 or Facebook -- Please include your name, order, and contact info in your voice messages. Unfortunately, we have not had time to make maple sugar or maple butter yet this season and so these products will not be available this weekend. 
Please contact us if you have any questions at all, and we so look forward to seeing some familiar faces!

Monday, March 2, 2020

Some Different Challenges in 2020



The 2020 Maple Syrup Season is just around the corner, and we McCutcheons have been busy working the woods tapping trees, repairing tons of squirrel damage, and making sure that all of the equipment in the sugarhouse is in working order in preparation of those first runs of precious maple sap. 

Unfortunately, we have had a few stumbling blocks to contend with this year and we are grateful for your understanding and patience as we work through them. The work in the bush has been extra challenging this year, as we have two injured team members -- as some of you know, Ken has been waiting for a hip replacement surgery since last spring, and in a stroke of unfortunate luck, Colette managed to fracture her tibial plateau while kiteboarding in February. Nevertheless, thanks to Jesse's boundless energy and Carley and Rene's assistance, all of our trees are tapped and ready!

We are so thrilled that Ken will finally be receiving his new hip on March 10th. Obviously this is very tricky timing for Maple Syrup producers and as such we are going to to remain closed to visitors for a little while. The remaining members of our team will work on producing and bottling syrup while Ken is recovering, and we anticipate opening for visitors after the March Break. 

In the meantime, we would be very happy to reserve syrup for our loyal customers, so if you would like to place an order please either call (705) 835-5780 and leave a message with your request as well as your name and phone number, or private message the same information through Facebook. 

Once again, thank you so much for your continued support and patience. Look forward to seeing you all later this spring!

Sunday, April 14, 2019

Last Day of 2019


Do we look happy?? We made it through another maple syrup season!
Yesterday was our last day of collecting sap and boiling syrup for 2019. We will remain open from 1pm - 5pm daily for sales, and will do so up to and including Easter Sunday. After that, please call (705) 835-5780 to confirm hours or make arrangements. 
It was literally a short and sweet year, will post more on that later but for now, a big thank you to all of our friends and loyal customers who stopped by over the past few weeks. Now bring on that summer weather!!

Saturday, April 13, 2019

End Is Near!


You just can’t second guess mother nature! We thought the maple season was ending yesterday afternoon with the very warm temperatures. We even started emptying tanks and washing up but the sap wouldn’t stop running! It ran slowly all night and we’ll be boiling again this afternoon. 
For those who have been patiently waiting, we now have delicious ‘Dark’ grade maple syrup available for sale in 1L, 2L, and 4L sizes. The sun is going to shine all day today. It will be a beautiful day to visit the sugarbush, and it might be the last chance to see the evaporator in action this year. Hope to see you between 1pm - 5pm!

Sunday, April 7, 2019

Midnight Boil


The sap doesn’t punch a clock — if the temperature does not freeze at night it continues to run. Makes for a tired syrupmaker, but what a beautiful scene ๐Ÿงก
Hope to see you today between 1pm and 5pm.

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Lots To See And Learn On A Visit To The Sugarhouse!



Fresh syrup being drawn off the evaporator while Jesse and Ken keep a close eye.

We are hoping for a busy weekend with very mild temperatures predicted. The end of the season is drawing near, come out and visit between 1pm - 5pm!

Friday, April 5, 2019

Lots Of Sap!


It has been a happy week for sap lovers! Lot of very large runs this week. There has been a high concentration of sugar in the sap this year and it is producing beautiful maple syrup.

Come on by any day, we are open from 1pm - 5pm!

Friday, March 22, 2019

Opening Weekend!



We’ve got all hands on deck this snowy morning! After a busy week with big runs of sap we are finally working at bottling up our first batch of 2019!

Tomorrow will be our opening day, and we will be here from 1pm - 5pm with delicious, first-of-the-season Maple Syrup for you. Come for a visit, enjoy some sugar-on-snow, and stock up on liquid gold. We will be open every day now until the end of the season with the same hours, 1pm - 5pm.

Can’t wait to see you! ๐Ÿ๐Ÿฅž


Friday, March 15, 2019

Finally Some Action In The Sugarhouse!



The trees eventually thawed out yesterday, and the sap began to run very well through the night and into today. So much so, in fact, that we overflowed our storage tank! It is an extremely busy time for a syrup-maker trying to keep up with a heavy run of sap and getting the evaporator fired up for the first time since last year. Every bit of attention must go into the operation to ensure that no precious sap goes to waste, and that all of the equipment is running smoothly. 


The weather this weekend looks too cold again for sap, and so we should be able to work at filtering and finishing our first-run syrup and bottling it up. We anticipate that we will be able to open next weekend with fresh syrup for sale, but we will confirm the day and the hours closer to the end of next week. Please check this page or call (705) 835-5780 to hear a recorded message regarding our opening day. We can’t wait to welcome you to our sugarhouse soon!