sugar bush? [General]
2011 Mar 23
We went to Proulx Berry Farm Sugar bush and we were very happy with it. There is a wagon ride, animals, play structures, an operational boiler where they tell you how everything is made, taffy on snow, maple cotton candy, and a brunch where they serve local bacon and local homemade sausages. You're free to walk around as you please, taste sap from the buckets etc.
2011 Mar 23
This thread (linked) always delivers when it comes to discussing all things sugar bush:
Forum - Sugar Shacks
We haven't been to any yet this year but have talked about going back to Auberge des Gallant this year, and Fortune Farms is always our standby.
Forum - Sugar Shacks
We haven't been to any yet this year but have talked about going back to Auberge des Gallant this year, and Fortune Farms is always our standby.
2011 Mar 24
There is that sugarbush in Vanier for people who do not have a car.
hopefully someone wants to go with me this year....
If not I guess I have my maple taffy in the fridge right now...bought some in the byward market-they sell it year round there..but always run out on weekends.
Well I guess if i can't get to a sugarbush I can always have my organic maple syrup bacon I have here, chicken maple breakfast sausages, maple taffy.
all I need here is some homemade pancakes or waffles :)
hopefully someone wants to go with me this year....
If not I guess I have my maple taffy in the fridge right now...bought some in the byward market-they sell it year round there..but always run out on weekends.
Well I guess if i can't get to a sugarbush I can always have my organic maple syrup bacon I have here, chicken maple breakfast sausages, maple taffy.
all I need here is some homemade pancakes or waffles :)
2011 Mar 24
Hey HHF, we just showed up on Saturday, around 11:00 am. There was a bit of a line up for the food, but it wasn't anything too crazy. There are a lot of people there and our son found some playmates pretty quickly.
Zym, the food is on paper plates and plastic cutlery... but I'm sure you could bring your own if you are so inclined. The kitchen/dining room is in a old converted shack/barn.
Zym, the food is on paper plates and plastic cutlery... but I'm sure you could bring your own if you are so inclined. The kitchen/dining room is in a old converted shack/barn.
2011 Mar 25
The sap is running in Cantley !
Ever tried drinking maple sap? It's pretty good.
Consider that bottled water sells for a couple of dollars a liter and maple syrup sells for $15 a liter. But you have to boil down the sap 50x to make a liter of syrup. Why not just bottle the sap directly? Uses less energy and more yields more revenue $100 instead of $15.
I haven't had any problems drinking the sap directly and I think it tastes great. I read somewhere that when it come out of the tree, maple sap is sterile. But a guy at work said it could have bacteria in it. No problem - boil it just a bit to sterilize it. In commercial quantities you could sterilize it by using a strong UV light without boiling.
I think people would drink more sap overall than they would use syrup. Syrup is only used on pancakes. Sap can be drunk anytime as a new, unique, organic drink.
Ever tried drinking maple sap? It's pretty good.
Consider that bottled water sells for a couple of dollars a liter and maple syrup sells for $15 a liter. But you have to boil down the sap 50x to make a liter of syrup. Why not just bottle the sap directly? Uses less energy and more yields more revenue $100 instead of $15.
I haven't had any problems drinking the sap directly and I think it tastes great. I read somewhere that when it come out of the tree, maple sap is sterile. But a guy at work said it could have bacteria in it. No problem - boil it just a bit to sterilize it. In commercial quantities you could sterilize it by using a strong UV light without boiling.
I think people would drink more sap overall than they would use syrup. Syrup is only used on pancakes. Sap can be drunk anytime as a new, unique, organic drink.
2011 Mar 27
francis i just read your post and i disagree on your 'syrup is only used on pancakes'. syrup is an excellent substitute for sugar in cooking and baking. infact i use more of it in other cooking than i do as a topping on pancakes. it's canadian, it's all natural, and the same trees will generate it year after year. maple syrup is a perfect food :)
2011 Mar 27
I believe there was a guy on Dragon's Den trying to pitch birch sap products, like flavoured water and alcohol distilled from birch sap. The Dragons didn't like it at all. Birch syrup & sap are of course very different than Maple syrup... maybe maple sap is more palatable to Canadians? I think birch sap drinks are already popular in Eastern Europe, maybe it will just take the right marketing campaign for birch or maple sap products to take off here at home.
2011 Mar 27
Well, I should have said that I mainly use it on pancakes. But when I was a kid growing up in Toronto a teacher from Quebec made poached eggs in maple syrup for us once. He said in the area he grew up in, it was common. You just put some syrup in a pan and when it's hot enough crack an egg into it. You can then either turn the egg, or spoon hot syrup on to the top.
2011 Mar 27
Wheeler Pancake House (www.wheelersmaple.com) has gluten-free pancakes upon request. We go almost every year and really enjoy it. There is a museum, play area for the kids, little farm and wagon rides as well as trail walks.
2011 Mar 28
so my follow-up. we were warned not to go to proulx by friends who had recently gone, so off we went to stanley's instead. i was disappointed in the farm itself. there was one tiny shack demonstrating how maple syrup was made, but there was no explanation or information plaques explaining it. it was so dark it was hard to actually see anything in the shack. i tried to find someone in charge to give us a little talk, but had no luck. the wagon ride was a lovely trip around the farm showing us the excavation and the dump area, plus a spot that looked ready for burning old barn boards. there was no explanation or tour guide to tell us anything and nothing at all about maple syrup gathering. the gift shop was packed, they had hot chocolate and tea for sale, lots and lots of made in china dust collectors and 1 bookcase of actual maple syrup for sale. last stop was the farm house museum. this was one room. the guide said these are antiques, don't touch anything and wandered away.
overall a big disappointment.
we didn't go for the pancake brunch, the prices seemed high and since only one of our group eats pork products, it didn't seem worth it.
we went back to ottawa and had a nice lunch at the peace garden on clarence.
overall a big disappointment.
we didn't go for the pancake brunch, the prices seemed high and since only one of our group eats pork products, it didn't seem worth it.
we went back to ottawa and had a nice lunch at the peace garden on clarence.
2011 Mar 28
Its probably in one of the older threads on sugar bush - but there is a great place just across the Quebec border if you are on the 417. The guy who runs it also has a wood fired bakery, a wolf he keeps as a pet, and looks like he stepped out of the 1800s. Highly recommended if you've got the time/energy to do the trip. The name of the place is something like "caban a sucre de la montagne" or something like that. There are signs off the highway.
2011 Mar 28
The place Sourdough is referring to is called Sucrerie de la Montagne. Here is their website.
www.sucreriedelamontagne.com
www.sucreriedelamontagne.com
2011 Mar 29
Maple Syrup only for pancakes?
that's sad :)
it is really good as a ice cream topping, in your tea-adds some flavor-I use the maple crystals in tea sometimes.
maple syrup on cereal, vegetable glaze, for making fudge and candies :)
I never thought of a cabane a sucre being gluten free.
that would be a good idea thesedays.
For gluten free pancakes ,not a sugarbush-but I did have some really good regular pancakes at Todrics,I saw there was a gluten free choice on the menu too.
I'm sure they would be really good.
My pancakes had a lot of real maple syrup that had a bit of cinnamon it in and came with nice fruit slices on the plate.
or there is a gluten free restaurant on Bronson-not sure if they have breakfast stuff though
that's sad :)
it is really good as a ice cream topping, in your tea-adds some flavor-I use the maple crystals in tea sometimes.
maple syrup on cereal, vegetable glaze, for making fudge and candies :)
I never thought of a cabane a sucre being gluten free.
that would be a good idea thesedays.
For gluten free pancakes ,not a sugarbush-but I did have some really good regular pancakes at Todrics,I saw there was a gluten free choice on the menu too.
I'm sure they would be really good.
My pancakes had a lot of real maple syrup that had a bit of cinnamon it in and came with nice fruit slices on the plate.
or there is a gluten free restaurant on Bronson-not sure if they have breakfast stuff though
2011 Apr 7
Trying to make some Spanish Torrefacto coffee, but for a Canadian twist, with maple syrup instead of sugar.
Right now I'm the proud owner of one pound of raw Peruvian Pangoa coffee beans, Cantley maple sugar glazed. I'm not sure I want to roast them in my corn popper though. They were pretty sticky when hot in the glazing pot. Right now they are hard shelled, like beer nuts.
Right now I'm the proud owner of one pound of raw Peruvian Pangoa coffee beans, Cantley maple sugar glazed. I'm not sure I want to roast them in my corn popper though. They were pretty sticky when hot in the glazing pot. Right now they are hard shelled, like beer nuts.
2011 Apr 9
We went to Proulx because it was relatively close and we were short on time. What a mistake!!! We waited an hour outside - no coffee or anything to help pass the time - and then 20 minutes inside waiting to get a ticket for the food. Well, the food was little better than a cafeteria spread. And it was pretty sad at that.
The pea soup was tasteless. Even a pinch of salt would have made a difference. The baked beans were syrupy-sweet, which appeals to some obviously. The sausages were overcooked, as was the ham. The thick-cut bacon, was deep-fried, but tasty. I skipped the pancakes - should have done the same with the coffee - but rest of the family said they were very good. Pass on the icky pies, which are store-bought and more pectin and artificial flavouring than anything else.
The taffy (tire) was delish, but for $20 and tax, pretty pricey.
We usually go to the Sucrerie de la montagne, in Rigaud. Well worth the drive and the price. The food and ambiance are excellent. You don't feel as if everyone is watching and waiting for you to finish eating, like vultures hoping for some pickings. Next year, we will forego trying to find something close and will head back to Rigaud for our fix of maple fixins.
The pea soup was tasteless. Even a pinch of salt would have made a difference. The baked beans were syrupy-sweet, which appeals to some obviously. The sausages were overcooked, as was the ham. The thick-cut bacon, was deep-fried, but tasty. I skipped the pancakes - should have done the same with the coffee - but rest of the family said they were very good. Pass on the icky pies, which are store-bought and more pectin and artificial flavouring than anything else.
The taffy (tire) was delish, but for $20 and tax, pretty pricey.
We usually go to the Sucrerie de la montagne, in Rigaud. Well worth the drive and the price. The food and ambiance are excellent. You don't feel as if everyone is watching and waiting for you to finish eating, like vultures hoping for some pickings. Next year, we will forego trying to find something close and will head back to Rigaud for our fix of maple fixins.
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