Sweet, sweet season

Successful return of Maple in the County

Despite the inclement weather on Saturday, Maple in the County had a successful return this past weekend. Thousands of people visited sugar bushes across the County for a taste of pancakes and maple syrup. The griddle at Fosterholm Farms had a continuous workout on both days with many hundreds of pancakes being flipped. The pancake recipe has been unchanged for four generations, and batter mixer Jessica Heard said they are the best pancakes ever. The secret is in using the original recipe, and mixing by hand to get the light and fluffy discs that drink in the sweet maple syrup. The patrons in the Fosterholm sugar shack most certainly agreed with Jessica’s opinion.

Over at Hubbs Sugarbush, the line of cars stretched almost the full length of Pulver Road around noontime on Sunday as visitors enjoyed the pancake breakfast provided by the Ameliasburgh Masonic Lodge. Gary Foster said the Lodge has been doing these breakfasts for 45 years, and he figures they’ve served over 45,000 people. Part of the proceeds from the breakfast sale will be going to the Belleville Dialysis Clinic. Ron Hubbs said that Saturday was a bit of a slow day because of the weather, with just around 275 people showing up for breakfast, but there were four or five times that number on Sunday. “We’ve had a fantastic crowd come out today. The people are really glad we’re back, and it’s been a really positive experience.” Hubbs has been making maple syrup since 1975, and he remembers the date precisely due to a fine scar at the base of his left thumb. He was chopping kindling to get the fire started in his evaporator when his axe slipped and he almost severed his left thumb. Fortunately, he didn’t slice through the major tendon or blood vessel, and his thumb was successfully reattached, leaving him with a visual souvenir of his first season of syrup making. He said that this season has been one of the best, thanks to an early start and cooler weather, plus a higher than usual sugar content in the sap. “It’s the best quality maple syrup we’ve made in years and years,” he said.

(L-R): Clifford Foster and Barb Reed show some of the maple products available at the Fosterholm sugar shack.