Difficult maple syrup season, but still a lot of fun to be had

Farmers depend on just the right weather for good crops, and maple syrup is no exception.  We’re in the final days of a weak winter right now and the unpredictable freeze-thaw cycle is having its effects on “sugaring off” in eastern Ontario. At Stanley’s Olde Maple Lane Farm southeast of Ottawa, the sap didn’t start flowing until this Saturday. Fortunately, owner Earl Stanley has a backup plan. In addition to the sugar maples on the home farm, he leases woodlots in Lanark County west of Ottawa and near Waterloo in southwestern Ontario, both major maple syrup producing regions where conditions have been better this season.

The syrup coming in from the outside sites is keeping the visitors coming to the popular 200 acre farm, which started with a log cabin in the woods back in 1787. The stone farmhouse on the property was built in 1860, which was also the first year maple syrup was produced on the farm. Only one year has been missed since that time. The trees on the farm are still tapped the old fashioned way, with spiles and buckets that collect the sap which are then emptied and boiled into that golden goodness in the sugar shack. It’s here where Moe Lafontaine tends the evaporator. However, Moe’s job has been a bit unusual so far this season. On weekends, he’s been only boiling water to show visitors how the evaporator works. With the sap finally running now, both Moe and Earl are hoping they’ll soon be demonstrating real syrup making.

 

Earl Stanley is a clever businessman with the right personality for farming and serving customers. He knows how to give people a good time in the country with family and friends. He greets every customer and asks if they’re enjoying the visit and if there’s anything he can do to make it better. Even when it’s a sad sap season, there’s lots of fun at the farm. The pancake house serves up a buffet that does not send any customer home hungry. It’s the traditional Canadian sugar shack menu centered on pancakes and waffles covered with liberal amounts of maple syrup. An honorable mention has to be given to the amazing homefries—aka hashbrowns. Everything is prepared under the watch of chef Liam Parsons, who during the rest of the year prepares meals for the farm’s other major business: hosting weddings and receptions. Maple syrup and other maple sugar products are sold in a shop in the old stone farmhouse.

The Easter Egg hunts taking place in the corner of the woods are a big hit with young families, and so are the sleigh and wagon rides. A warm Saturday sun gave a promise of spring going through the forest, gently gliding along on the remnants of snow, towed by the brother and sister team of Glen and Susie, just two of the Belgian horses who live on the farm.

In addition to the four-footed employees, anywhere from 10 to 55 people work at Stanley’s during a syrup season. Although maple syrup, just like any other crop a farmer grows, can have its good and bad years, farmer’s like Earl Stanley have been wise to diversify and offer an experience all ages can enjoy. Stanley’s Olde Maple Lane Farm is located on York’s Corners Road between Metcalfe and Russell, southeast of Ottawa. It’s easily accessible from Highways 416, 417, and 31.

Tags: canada, eastern Ontario, farming, history, local food, Maple syrup, ottawa, tourism