In need of a sugar high?
The sap is running at Stanley’s Olde Maple Lane Farm,
Why the big smile?
I’m on a sugar high, after a sweet outing to Stanley’s Olde Maple Lane Farm in Edwards, a half-hour’s drive south of downtown Ottawa. The sap is running now; I was keen to chase it.
No need to sell me on maple syrup, but why this farm in particular?
Stanley’s sits in an attractive setting that’s easy to get to. It’s set up to show youngsters — and oldsters like me — the historic way of making maple syrup. It offers plenty of activities to entertain those young ’uns. And it has been featured on Rick Mercer’s television show. What’s good enough for Rick is good enough for me.
What did you learn?
Here’s a sample: Sap runs only when daytime temperatures soar above freezing, but nights fall below zero. It’s boiled at 105 degrees Celsius; that evaporation raises the sap’s sugar content to 67 per cent from its original two per cent or so. This process takes about five hours, though barometric pressure can affect the precise timing.
On average, it takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. Hard maples produce sweeter sap than soft maples do, but it’s possible to craft syrup from other species as well; for example, the Russians make one from birch trees.
Who knew? How did you learn all this?
From the men tending the picturesque sugar shack, tucked away down a knoll from the property’s 19th-century fieldstone farmhouse. No one’s certain when the shanty was built, though the big brick firebox that boils the sap is at least 80 years old. The sap is collected by hand. (That’s labour intensive; Stanley’s farms some 5,000 trees on a nearby property where sap is collected via a maze of pipes.)
You said the farm had lots of activities for kids.
Yes, and judging from the number of three-generational families I spied, lots of folks already know that. You can wander through the grove and show youngsters how spigots are driven into the trees and sap drips into buckets. You can treat them to a sleigh ride ($4.75), led by the caramel-tinted Belgian horses Susie and Glen. You can check out the barns and come close to a range of farm animals, including pigs, cows, ducks and peacocks. You can photograph the kids in an oversized Adirondack chair or behind plywood cut-out murals. And you can check out the wee museum for “old” stuff I remember as a kid: Findlay stoves, a wringer washer, an Underwood typewriter.
If energy flags, you can ply the tykes with maple taffy on the snow ($2.50).
Is there anything other than taffy to eat?
You’ll get full fast at the pancake brunch served buffet-style in a banquet hall, built of maple of course. I enjoyed pancakes, French toast, waffles, baked beans, ham, sausage and frittata for $16.95 (less for seniors and kids). Second helpings are permitted, but I didn’t have room. The downside: lineups can be a half-hour or more.
Speaking of food, can I buy maple products there?
Of course. A gift shop sells syrup, butter and candy — even original paintings on maple leaves from local artist Josie De Mer. It has other goods as well — from Christmas ornaments to pretty watering cans to artisanal soaps.
When should I go?
The farm is open Saturdays and Sundays, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., until April 7. Until Mar. 30, they’re hosting Easter egg hunts five times daily. Online reservations are required for that, and several time slots are already sold out. See www. stanleysfarm.com for details.
How do you get there?
From Ottawa, head south on Bank Street, which becomes Highway 31, to a turnoff for the village of Metcalfe. (The turnoff, onto Victoria Street, is marked by good signage and a traffic signal.) Turn left and proceed about seven kilometres to Yorks Corners Road, which is marked by a flashing light. Turn left; the farm is another kilometre, at 2452 Yorks Corners Rd. Alternative directions are provided on the website.