{"id":16287,"date":"2016-03-13T10:00:18","date_gmt":"2016-03-13T14:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/?p=16287"},"modified":"2020-03-26T04:09:18","modified_gmt":"2020-03-26T08:09:18","slug":"difficult-maple-syrup-season-but-still-a-lot-of-fun-to-be-had","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/2016\/03\/13\/difficult-maple-syrup-season-but-still-a-lot-of-fun-to-be-had\/","title":{"rendered":"Difficult maple syrup season, but still a lot of fun to be had"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>

The sugar maples are tapped at Stanley’s Olde Maple Lane Farm. Photo by James Morgan<\/p><\/div>\n

Farmers depend on just the right weather for good crops, and maple syrup is no exception.\u00a0 We\u2019re in the final days of a weak winter right now and the\u00a0unpredictable freeze-thaw cycle is having its effects on \u201csugaring off\u201d in eastern Ontario. At Stanley\u2019s Olde Maple Lane Farm southeast of Ottawa, the sap didn\u2019t start flowing until this Saturday. Fortunately, owner\u00a0Earl 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.<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n

\"JUST<\/a>

JUST A DROP IN THE BUCKET: It’s been a slow sap season so far at Stanley’s.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u00a0time. 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\u2019s here where Moe Lafontaine tends the evaporator. However, Moe\u2019s job has been a bit unusual so far this season. On weekends, he\u2019s been only boiling water to show visitors how the evaporator works. With the sap finally\u00a0running now, both Moe and Earl are hoping they\u2019ll soon be demonstrating real syrup making.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The sugar shack at Stanley’s. A family enjoys maple toffee on a stick. Kojak never had lollipops that good. Photo by James Morganrunning now, both Moe and Earl are hoping they\u2019ll soon be demonstrating real syrup making.running now, both Moe and Earl are hoping they\u2019ll soon be demonstrating real syrup making.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"earl\"<\/a>

Earl Stanley (left), chats with some visitors. Photo by James Morgan<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u2019re enjoying the visit and if there\u2019s anything he can do to make it better. Even when it\u2019s a sad sap season, there\u2019s lots of fun at the farm. The pancake house serves up a buffet that does not send any customer home hungry. It\u2019s 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\u2014aka hashbrowns. Everything is prepared under the watch of chef Liam Parsons, who during the rest of the year prepares meals for the farm\u2019s other major business: hosting weddings and receptions. Maple syrup and other maple sugar products are sold in a shop in the old stone farmhouse.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

A lot of work goes into making maple syrup. This is where sweet success is tasted. Photo by James Morgan<\/p><\/div>\n

\"A<\/a>

A horse-drawn sleigh ride with Glen and Susie in the hitch. Photo by James Morgan<\/p><\/div>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Damon<\/a>

Damon is happy to get a hug from Stanley the Bear. He was looking forward to it after meeting him last year too. Photo by James Morgan<\/p><\/div>\n

In addition to the four-footed employees, anywhere from 10 to 55 people work at Stanley\u2019s during a syrup season. Although maple syrup, just like any other crop a farmer grows, can have its good and bad years, farmer\u2019s like Earl Stanley have been wise to diversify and offer an experience all ages can enjoy. Stanley\u2019s Olde Maple Lane Farm is located on York\u2019s Corners Road between\u00a0Metcalfe and Russell, southeast of Ottawa. It\u2019s easily accessible from Highways 416, 417, and 31.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Farmers depend on just the right weather for good crops, and maple syrup is no […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[880,15817,159,7,5943,5468,996,4868],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16287"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/112"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16287"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16287\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22095,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16287\/revisions\/22095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}