Maple syrup season

Maple in the County set for last weekend in March

While all the County’s maple syrup producers are busy this season turning maple sap into sweet syrup, only two sugarbushes—Fosterholm Farms and LOHA Farms—will take part in the 22nd annual Maple in the County Festival. Founding member Ron Hubbs is not harvesting sap this year, and both Roblin Maple Syrup and Vader’s Maple Syrup are taking a break from the Festival, but are still producing syrup. The Maple in the County Festival will take place this year on March 28 and 29. Fosterholm Farms at 2234 County Road 18 will be open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will serve their fresh maple syrup with a pancake and sausage breakfast. They will also have maple candy, maple butter, baked goods and maple syrup for sale. LOHA Farms at 153 Lucks X Road will be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will serve a pancake, sausage and baked beans breakfast with plenty of maple syrup. They will have maple and honey products for sale, and there will be animals in the barnyard—bring your rain boots. At both locations, visitors can take a walk through the sugar bush and see how the sap is collected and turned into maple syrup in the sugar shack.

Last Friday, both Festival participants invited guests to a kick-off event at Fosterholm Farms. Dean Foster said it has been a great start to the maple syrup season. They started tapping in early February, and were making their first batch of syrup on February 21, with another batch a week later. They had several days in a row of syrup making in early March, and he said he was grateful for a below-freezing day on Friday when the sap wasn’t flowing so that he could take a break and get a little rest. At peak collection, he said he could fill a 7,000-gallon tank twice in a day.

He added that last year’s drought had led to a higher concentration of sugar in the sap, 2.8 per cent versus a typical 2.4 per cent. This means less water has to be removed from the sap and Mr. Foster thinks this could be a record year for syrup production.

Mayor Steve Ferguson was one of the guests and he thanked the producers for continuing to hold the Festival. “It’s a great opportunity for people to come out and experience some of the culture of Prince Edward County,” he said. Councillors Phil St- Jean, Bill Roberts and Sam Grosso were also there. Nicole Kleinsteuber was there on behalf of MP Chris Malette. She thanked the producers for carrying on a tradition that is important to many families in the County, and said she was under strict orders to bring home some delicious maple syrup. Ron Hubbs had a number of antique implements on display. He had several “sugar devils”, which were used to make granulated sugar from the large solid blocks of maple sugar that was produced in until the early 1900s. He also had some “sugar nippers” that were used to make sugar cubes, and a smaller set that were used to make dainty cubes for a ladies’ tea. Switching to the modern era, Mr. Foster showed a drill template used to ensure the tap holes were drilled at the precise depth and angle for the most efficient sap collection. His son, Rylan, then led to group outside for a demonstration of the process, and then asked Councillor Grosso to give it a try.

Rylan Foster explained that by drilling the holes accurately and at the right depth, and installing the taps correctly, it prevented leaks in the vacuum system used for sap collection and improved efficiency. He said they are now using small diameter taps and only using two taps per tree, regardless of size. At the end of the season, the smaller holes heal more quickly and help to ensure the long-term health of the tree. “We try to follow the guidelines and best practises. Really it’s all about keeping up with the times and trying to follow what the research is saying in keeping your trees healthy versus getting yield. We have trees in this sugar bush that are over a hundred years old and still producing,” he said. They are now at about the midway point of the harvest, and Rylan anticipates they will have produced about 15,000 litres of syrup by the end of the season.

Heal With Horses at 997 Danforth Road will also be taking part in Maple in the County. They will offer pony rides, face painting a petting zoo and maple treats on March 28 and 29, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.