Getting Ready

We finished stretching out the lines last week, and we've been taking advantage of the warm weather over the past two days to begin tapping. The sap was actually running today it was so mild! As soon as we drilled a hole, the sap would start dripping from it, running all the way down the tree. However, the forecast for the weekend is for another deep freeze, so the season is not quite upon us yet. We can feel it just around the corner though, so we're eager to finish tapping in order to be ready when it arrives. I think the anticipation is what makes this such an exciting time of year!

Back to the Bush!

Well, it's that time of year again! The past four days have been beautiful, sunny, and mild enough for us to get out in the woods, laying out and stretching our lines in preparation for the 2009 maple season. We've been able to get lots of work done in a short time so far, as the walking in the sugarbush is relatively easy; not too much snow, and it's almost crunchy enough to walk on without snowshoes.

The long term forecast predicts another two weeks or so of cold, wintery weather before warming up at the beginning of March. If that forecast holds true, we should be right on track! We're hoping for a good season this year so we can re-stock our empty shelves! Wish us luck, and keep checking back for updates as the season gets underway.

Royal Winter Fair 2008

We were very lucky to have another successful year at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, placing first in four out of seven categories! As such, we were awarded with the Corbett Trophy for the highest points in the maple sugar categories, and we also won the Premier Exhibitor Trophy for the highest points total overall. A true honour!

Outstanding Honey Crop!

Despite the rainy summer, the bees have been very busy and we have lots of fresh and delicious wildblossom honey for sale. The wet weather means lots of nectar in the flowers, and so on the sunny days the bees have been able to work very hard collecting it all and turning it into wonderful honey. To quote one happy customer, "It's like eating a bouquet of wildflowers!".

Honey is one of the purest and most natural foods available and is reputed to have many health benefits including boosting the immune system, increasing energy, soothing sore throats, and more. And it's a delicious treat besides! McCutcheon's Wildblossom Honey is available at the Orillia Farmers' Market, Gaudaur Natural Foods store in Orillia, and at our farm. Please call ahead before visiting!

Finished At The Brickworks For Another Season...

I would like to thank all of the wonderful customers at the Brickworks Farmers' Market for another great market season. Unfortunately, due to the small crop this year, I have run out of syrup a little earlier than usual. My Mom and Dad will continue to take syrup to the Orillia Farmers' Market up until Thanksgiving, but the supply is getting low. We currently have only one-litre sizes and smaller available. If you're hoping to stock up for the winter, or put aside some gifts for Christmas, now is the time! Thanks again for the great summer, and I hope to see you at the Brickworks next year!

Season's End

Well, it was a drawn-out season this year, with the syrup gods testing our patience many times along the way! We had to wait for it, but we did wind up with a reasonable crop, just slightly below average in terms of quantity. We are boiling our final batch of syrup today, and then will begin the (less exciting) job of cleaning up for the season. The first step in the process is to wash our 30km of tubing! We do have some delicious fresh syrup for sale at the farm, but please call ahead to assure someone is home, as we will be working out in the woods frequently for the next couple of weeks.

This weekend marks the annual Elmvale Maple Syrup Festival, which we have been attending for over 35 years! Come taste some fresh syrup, have a delicious pancake breakfast, and enjoy the festivities! You can obtain further details at http://www.elmvalemaplesyrup.ca/

Great Sap Days

We've had some excellent runs of sap this week, and have produced just over a half of an average crop of syrup for the season. With these beautiful sunny days the sap is running well, we just need to continue to have the frost at night.

We did get a touch of frost overnight last night, and so the sap is running today and we hope to be boiling later this afternoon. Again, it's a beautiful day to get out and enjoy the sunshine! We spent the morning bottling up another batch of fresh syrup, so come out this afternoon to pick up a jug while it's still warm!

Promising Week Ahead

We were able to collect a small amount of sap over the weekend, with the temperature climbing just enough to cause the run. The forecast for today and the rest of this week sounds very promising, and we're hoping for some ideal sap days. The next two weeks will be crucial for us as generally by mid-april the season is over.

It has been brought to our attention that the map provided by Google Maps for our address is incorrect. We are located on the 9th Line of Medonte, off of the Horseshoe Valley Road. We are open daily from 1:00pm - 5:00 pm. Hope you can find us, and we'll see you at the farm soon!

Signs of Spring!

It got very cold overnight last night, -14 degrees, but the thermometer is steadily climbing. It is not quite warm enough yet for the sap to run, but the sun is shining strong and it may run later this afternoon. It is a beautiful day to visit the sugarbush. We have the fireplace burning in the sugarhouse and as always will be making some sugar-on-snow. Come out this afternoon and enjoy the first signs of spring!

Slow Start

Well, it's late, but I think the maple season has finally arrived! Easter weekend and the beginning of this week were too cold for any sap to run. However, yesterday and today the thermometer finally climbed high enough for us to produce some syrup. The weather report this weekend predicts a high of +1 degree for both Saturday and Sunday. If the sun shines on us (literally!) we may get sap both days. However, there is no guarantee and if the forecast is off by a degree, and it is cooler than expected, we'll be out of luck. We will be open this weekend regardless, from 1:00pm - 5:00pm with fresh maple syrup for sale. I will update this site again tomorrow to let you all know if the sap is running...