Sugar Bush Weekend
It was Sugar Bush weekend on Mar. 21st and 22nd this year. Special events were held at the Kings Landing Historical Settlement, which generally opens to the public only during the summer and fall seasons.
The busy crowd has taken me by surprise when I arrived with a group of friends around 10 a.m. last Saturday. There were long lineups to purchase admission tickets. After standing in line for fifteen minutes to pay for the ticket and breakfast, it was an hour later before we were being seated for breakfast. The busy crowd was unbelievable. I had been there in the previous years and it was usually quiet in the morning. Everyone decided to be there early to beat the crowd this year, I supposed. Unfortunately, things are unpredictable sometimes.
The pancake and maple syrup breakfast is an annual fundraiser event organized by the York Sunbury Search & Rescue. A hearty and delicious breakfast. It was worth the wait!
The volunteers in orange shirts were busy serving the crowd.
A generous serving of breakfast; two pancakes with maple syrup, toast, two sausages, two strips of bacon, baked beans, and scrambled eggs. Yummy!
Horse-drawn wagon rides were offered to visitors.
Maple sap was boiled in iron cauldrons over an open fire, as a demonstration of maple and sugar making 150 years ago. A lady in costume was scooping out some piping hot maple syrup to make maple candies.
A sweet treat of candy-on-the-snow was sold for $2/stick.
The making of candy-on-the-snow: pour hot maple syrup on snow, and roll the slightly harden candy with a stick when settled.
The super sweet maple candy. It was a nice treat!
How much maple sap is required to produce pure maple syrup? The ratio of maple sap needed and pure maple syrup produced was a stunning 40:1!! The making of maple syrup is highly weather-dependent; slightly above freezing point during the day and a few degrees below overnight is perfect for maple sap flow. The harvest season again, is weather-dependent; usually about three weeks. Pure maple syrup is costly.
A demonstration of wool processing with a spinning wheel.
An iron cooking stove/oven in a farmhouse.
A close look at the ancient cooking stove/oven.
A sampling of buckwheat cake was offered.
Subsequently, we made our way to the Joslin farm to visit some animals; sheep, chickens, pigs etc.
Sheep in the barn.
The grist mill and frozen stream.
Winter view at the waterfront.
I’ve been participating in the Sugar Bush weekend for the past few years and truly enjoyed it. It’s a must-see for those who like to experience the welcoming of spring in a traditional New Brunswick fashion.
Tags: Culture, Experience, Life, Winter
