March 21, 2010
Mainly clear and cool this morning. We are open and have light,
medium and amber syrup for sale. Also back orders are ready for pickup.
Some spring migrant birds have returned and the red shouldered hawks
are also back. The hawks return each year within a day or two of the
the 22nd. This year they were two days early do to the warm weather. We
usually see them first thing in the morning and later this month or
early April they will be doing their courtship flight, which is
spectacular if you are fortunate enough to catch them in flight.
March 20, 2010
Not much sap today We hope the frost in the forecast will recharge the trees.
We currently have some light and amber syrup for sale Our medium syrup
is sold out until we can make some more. The Kettle Boys and Shanty Men
are in full operation.
March 19, 2010
A small run of sap last night so we will be boiling
today. Syrup is dark due to the warm weather. Saturday weather looks
favourable and all activities will be underway.
March 18, 2010
The warm weather
continues which is not very favourable for our operation. We are managing to coax some sap from the trees with our
vacuum system. We hope the cold weather in the forecast will help the
situation. Still snow for taffy-on-the-snow and the trails are now
easier to walk.
March 16, 2010
The life of a sugar-maker is not easy. This year is
turning out to be a real challenge. Fortunately, we were ready for the
early start and have made some nice syrup. The warm weather this week
will not help as it will melt the snow and reduce the quality of the
sap. We are only half way through our target production so we hope the
cold weather in the forecast will prolong the season.We do not have any
special activities this week but we do have taffy on the snow and our
trails are open.
March 14, 2010
In spite of the rain showers several people have
visited the camp this morning. The sap is not running very hard today
so we are not boiling at the main camp but the Kettle Boys and Shanty
Men are busy. a good day to pick up your syrup if you have it on order.
Call ahead to be sure it is put aside.
March 13, 2010
The sap is running and we are in full production.
Although showers are forecast for Sunday, we will still be operating and
we expect the sap will continue to flow. By the way there is no charge
for a visit to Fortune Farms and you are under no obligation to buy any
of our products. But after a taste you may be tempted.
March 12, 2010
We are getting ready for the weekend. The weather looks favourable
so we expect to be in production both days. Today we are making maple
butter, maple candy and maple tarts so all our special maple treats
will be available.
March 11, 2010
Another good run of sap yesterday and it is continuing
today. We now have light and medium syrup for sale.
March 10, 2010
The fine weather continues and the sap continues to run.
We have now had a week of almost unprecedented good weather for maple
syrup production and we are working hard to take full advantage of this
opportunity.
March 8, 2010
Another beautiful day and we expect another good run of sap. So far
we have made extra light and light but expect it will turn to medium as
the weather warms.
March 7 2010
Sap has been running steadily each
day and we are in full production. We now have early season syrup for
sale at the camp as well as maple butter and maple candy. The first
visitors arrived at the sugar bush yesterday and watched the Kettle
Boys and Shanty Men set up and start operating. the trails are open but
there is still almost a foot of snow in the bush.
March 5, 2010
First boiling went as planned on March 4 and we made
some very nice first run syrup. We have a backlog of sap and will be
boiling again today. The Kettle Boys and the Shanty Men are setting up
shop today so on Saturday and Sunday all our activities will be
underway.
March 4, 2010
Sap ran well on March 3rd and we expect sap today. We will be
boiling for the first time today. Weather looks promising for the
weekend so we expect to be in full operation.
March 2, 2010
We have completed tapping our main bush and busy working
to complete the second bush at Clayton. The sap has started to run and
expect today to be a good run of early sap. Boiling will start this
week.
February 12, 2010
You can see the Kettle Boys and enjoy some Taffy-on-the-snow
at Winterlude at Confederation Park.
January 28, 2010
Preparations underway for the upcoming season. Tapping will start as soon as the weather warms up in late February or early March.We look forward to seeing you at the camp during the sugar season.
2009 Season Updates
April 20, 2009
The season is over and we are now washing up. The lines need to be flushed and the equipment cleaned. We have medium and amber syrup for sale. The camp may not be open all the time so call ahead to arrange a pickup. 613 256 5216
April 9, 2009
The cold weather and snow has restarted the maple season We are boiling today and expect further runs of sap on Friday and Saturday and maybe Sunday. The Kettle Boys may operate but the Shanty Men are finished for this year The trails are wet but open and we may still have toffee on the snow. We now have a fresh supply of syrup and should be able to fill your orders.
April 5, 2009
It was a surprise this morning to find a skiff of snow on the ground. No rain or snow in the forecast, but it may be cool. A good day for a brisk walk in the woods then a warm up around their boiling kettles or the camp fire. This will be the last weekend we will be operating for this year, as the season is rapidly drawing to a close.
April 4, 2009
What a wet day. In spite of the weather a few hardy people came to the camp to pick up their syrup. Tomorrow promises to be much dryer and all our activities will be underway. The sap is still running a bit but the syrup is now dark with late season flavour.We still have medium and amber syrup for sale.
March 31, 2009
The sap continues to flow and we are making amber syrup today. Current orders are being filled and we are still accepting new ones. The weather looks good for continuing to make syrup the remainder of the week. There is very little snow left in the bush and the trails are in good condition for hiking.
March 27, 2009
It has been a good week of syrup making with ideal weather and good sap runs. However, no amber syrup yet but due to the warm weather it may turn to amber either today, or on Saturday. We will be running our usual weekend activities and the Kettle Boys are already here getting ready. On Sunday afternoon weather permitting we will have some fiddle music around the camp fire or boiling kettles. Also on Sunday you can stop at Union Hall 1 km east of Fortune Farms on Wolf Grove Rd for pancakes and maple syrup.
March 22, 2009
A bright but cool Sunday morning. It is unlikely the sap will run today as the forecast high is zero. However, the sap ran all night due to the low pressure ahead of the cold front and our tanks are full of sap. We will be boiling most of the day. We now have an ample supply of syrup,candy and maple butter for sale and the syrup quality this year is very good. We have a bonfire area for a warm up between visits to the Kettle Boys, the Shanty Men and the Sugar Camp. So don't let the cool weather dissuade you from a visit if you were planning to come to Fortune Farms today. Photos from Today: Loading Fudge Woodshed
March 21, 2009
Photos from Today: TankCrowdFire 3 PotsEvaporatorMarch 20, 2009
Its been a good week for making syrup. Our best sap run was on March 18. The syrup continues to be of good quality and we have a small quantity of early season medium. There is still six to eight inches of snow in the bush so good boots are needed for walking on the trails. The weekend weather looks favourable with sunshine both days and all our activities will be in full swing.March 16, 2009
We have had two good syrup days and the balance of the week looks favourable. So far the syrup is light in colour with that early season maple flavour. The outlook for a good season is promising, as we still have 10 to 20 cm's of snow in the sugar bush. We are open every day from 10 to 5 for hiking on the trails, syrup tasting and taffy on the snow.
March 15, 2009
Its a bright sunny Sunday morning and it looks like a very good sap day. So far we have made a small quantity of light syrup and expect to make more today. All our activities are underway so the season is finally in full swing. Photos from today : Lunch Taffy Kettles Shanty Sugar Camp
March 13, 2009
We finished tapping on March 10 and collected a small run of sap on March 11. We had considerable difficulty starting our large evaporator which delayed our first syrup production. Finally at 4.00 pm today we solved the problem and as I write this note we are boiling and making syrup. So we will have fresh syrup to taste this weekend as well as maple candy and maple butter.The Kettle Boys and Shanty Men will be in operation and there is not too much snow on the trails so a walk in the sugar bush is possible. The weather forecast is for mild weather so we may be collecting sap and boiling as well.
March 8, 2009
We are busy tapping this weekend. No syrup yet, in spite of the warm weather. The sap did not run very much on Saturday. It may take a day or two of warm weather for the trees and roots to thaw. There is no one at the camp as we are in the sugar bush.
March 1, 2009
We are still waiting for a sustained warm spell which will signal the start of the maple syrup season. The long range forecast indicates a warming trend on March 6, and if this happens, we plan to start tapping our trees. One team of two people can insert up to 800 taps per day and even with three teams it takes four or five days to complete our 7000 taps.The cold weather should help increase the sweetness of the sap as the starch produced in the leaves turns to turns to sugar below 5 degrees Celsius. Judging by the phone calls ands emails we are receiving, the season cannot start soon enough, as everyone is looking forward to that first taste of fresh syrup.
Feb 7, 2009
The first mild weather of the season arrived for the weekend. It was a good opportunity to work in the sugar bush, repairing lines and getting ready to tap. We normally tap the first week of March but we have to keep an eye on the weather and if this warm weather continues we may tap earlier. We have made syrup in February .However, the closer we can tap to the actual start of the season, the better the sap production will be. In spite of cold weather the tap holes begin the self healing process as soon as they are made, which diminishes the sap flow.
Jan 1, 2009
A new season has begun. We are
looking forward to
another successful year.