A sweet start to Spring

Maple in the County launches its eighteenth season

Shannon Coull, executive director of PECMHF, tries her hand at installing a maple spile.

Deep under the frozen ground, the roots of the County’s maple trees are working their alchemy spinning moisture and minerals into liquid gold. This year, though, Mother Nature is being less generous with her bounty. The cold days and downright frigid nights have meant that the sap is yet to flow in earnest, but that did not stop the County’s major maple syrup producers from launching their 18th season last Friday at LOHA Farms, just outside Picton. Representatives from 13 sugarbushes were on hand to start the celebration of the first and definitely the sweetest harvest of the year. The Maple in the County Festival is set for March 30 and 31, and by that time producers expect to have their operations in full swing with an ample supply of maple sweetness for the thousands of visitors. In addition to maple syrup and maple-inspired treats, many of the sugarbushes will also offer pancake breakfasts, wagon rides and walking trails. This is a family-friendly festival, with plenty of activities for little ones. Nyman Farms will have a play date with baby animals, Waupoos Estates and Walt’s Sugar Shack will each have a petting zoo, and the friendly animals at LOHA are always a popular attraction. A new addition this year is Jubilee Forest Farms, which will be offering a gluten-free pancake breakfast, using organic buckwheat grown on the farm, for a complete farm-to-table meal. Three Dog Winery is offering a complimentary wine tasting to anyone who donates to the County Food Hub, and they will have a mobile sauna on site to banish any lingering winter chills.

Ron Hubbs is the chairperson of the maple syrup producers association, and he welcomed everyone to LOHA Farms. He said that the County has provided great support for the festival over the years, singling out Ashley Stewart, Destination Development and Marketing Coordinator at Shire Hall. He also noted the attendance at the kickoff of Mayor Steve Ferguson and six councilors. “This is the largest festival in Prince Edward County,” said Hubbs. “Last year we drew up around 15,000 people, and I think that’s conservative because there was up to 17 hundred people at my pancake breakfast and the other sugarbushes were talking about big crowds too. This maple festival was the first driving festival in the province, where you went from bush to bush. It’s been great for the County and the producers. We have discovered that by holding this festival we all sell more syrup, and we can all help one another.”

Chris and Jessie Armstrong operate LOHA Farms, and they are one of the newer producers, having been part of the festival for just three years. Jessie is a nurse in the emergency department at Picton Hospital, and she and Chris have every year donated part of the proceeds from their pancake breakfast to the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation(PECMHF). This year the proceeds will be going towards Back the Build, to help fund the community portion of the cost of the proposed new hospital in Picton. Shannon Coull, Executive Director of PECMHF was at the kickoff and expressed her gratitude for the continued support.

“This is the third year that we will be the recipient of the proceeds from their pancake breakfast,” she said. “Our hospital receives over 40,000 patient visits each year, and we provide a service that some people refer to as being the heart of the County. We’re grateful to be here today and we hope to see a new hospital by 2025. We’ve raised $11 million so far towards a $16.5 million campaign.”

The festival has attracted increasing numbers of visitors over the years, although it is very much weather dependent. “If you get good weather you get lots of people, otherwise you get the die-hards,” said Hubbs. With a potential for large numbers of visitors on the smaller County roads, traffic and parking can be a challenge. “We’ve put up extra signage to warn drivers that they need to slow down and drive with caution,” added Hubbs. “Parking is a bit of an issue in some places. We just ask people to bear with us and slow down and be careful.”

Event information is available on the Maple Map, available at various County locations, and in The Times on March 27. For more information, please visit mapleinthecounty. ca.