It's nearing spring time, the weather is warming and the sap is flowing through Maple trees all over Ontario. What better time is there to visit a good ole'fashioned sugar bush?
This past weekend Alain and I met his family at Stanley's Olde Maple Lane Farm http://www.stanleysfarm.com/ for an all you can eat Maple themed buffet (think pancakes, waffles, french toast, maple baked beans, maple glazed sausages and all the maple syrup you can consume in one sitting), a sleigh ride and some good old fashioned maple snow taffy. MMMMMMMmmmmmmm.
Alain and I are so addicted to maple syrup, it is definitely a staple in our household.
Stanley's farm was okay... It wasn't great, but it didn't suck either. The breakfast was decent, and the sleigh ride was fun. The taffy portions were a little on the small side, and although we didn't see one maple tree on the property, we were assured that there were indeed some "way out back"... although they weren't tapped yet. Maybe our disappointments had to do with the fact that it was the first weekend of the "maple season" and the staff at Stanley's wasn't as informed or prepared as they could have been.
We didn't actually even end up buying any maple syrup there either, because, although we love supporting local farmers and tradespeople, the syrup (from last years crop) was just too expensive to justify it. Surprisingly we buy the real stuff for cheaper at Loblaws...
Regardless of all the mediocrity, we did enjoy ourselves and spending some time with Alain's family. I've included a few photos of me in the barn petting the livestock, although for some crazy reason Alain and I were most charmed by the barn cats...
1 comment:
I have been to Stanley's often. But I must let you know that there are maple trees everywhere. In fact, the entire main laneway is lined in century old ,maples. On your sleigh ride you would have driven right through the maple plantation. The entire front lawn is spotted with them. It is gorgeous there in the summer because of all the maple trees. Now onto the cost of syrup. It takes 40 buckets of sap to make ONE bucket of syrup. Plus the manpower to collect, boil and bottle it. Plus the last few years have been very poor for production. For those reasons people should be buying local instead of supporting large corporations who can buy large quantities from lord knows who and blends them. I suggest you try Stanley's again, just not the first weekend,
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