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.
March 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.
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.
Fortune Farms 