As March is synonymous to the traditional Canadian experience of enjoying maple syrup, Prince Edward County’s sweetest tradition Maple in the County has officially come and gone. Eagerly awaiting all winter long I had the pleasure of attending the weekend event once again this year, marking the 15th anniversary of the award-winning festival.
I always find such joy and relaxation in taking road trips from Kingston to clear my mind and of course explore local food. So when it involves visiting a sugar bush or learning how sap is transformed into luscious maple syrup - count me in! From a dash of maple sugar in my morning coffee to maple glazed salmon or drizzled over vanilla bean ice cream - maple syrup is the perfect sweet treat to brighten your day.
This year's event featured participation from nine local sugar bushes: Sweetwater Cabin/Hubb’s Sugarbush, Fosterholm Farms, Vader’s Maple Syrup, Nyman Farms, Sugarbush Vineyards, Waupoos Estates Winery & Sugarbush, Walt’s Sugar Shack, Strictly Maple and Three Dog Winery & Sugarbush. That's not all folks, several wineries, local restaurants, producers and organizations participated with maple themed food, drink and events. It's a County wide event so you best have a car to get around from spot to the other. Whether you want to visit a sugar shack, buy maple syrup, go for a walk through the woods, hop on a wagon ride or are simply hungry for pancakes - there's something for everyone. This perfect family-friendly event is also a great way for locals and visitors to explore a new region and take in the picturesque gem of Prince Edward County. Side note: Want to unwind? Then click that link to get inspired to take a trip to the County - you won't regret it!
This year I was joined by some friends on my Maple in the County adventure as my foodie partner-in-crime was away. While we got a late start to the day which meant cutting our plans short, we sure did enjoy ourselves overall.
Our first stop of the journey was visiting one of my many favorite spots - Three Dog Winery.
To celebrate the spring season, they collaborated with Seed to Sausage and offered a variety of delicious dining options, one of them including a waffle cone with walnut sausage glazed with a heavenly hollandaise sauce.
Before my adventure (and my morning routine), I stumbled upon a Pyramid Fermets post on Instagram - it mentioned that they were now offering maple kombucha, so naturally I had to get my hands on a bottle. And boy oh boy was I impressed and best part - they had a stand along with The Pink Lunch Pail Bakery. Maple glazed bacon donuts anyone? Yup I'm pulling a Homer right now - mmm donuts!
We hopped into the car and ventured to our next stop - Vader's. This was a must as they had maple taffy - an essential to every maple event and no different at Maple in the County. But with lack of snow which was quite unfortunate, locations were still able to make people smile.
Our final stop of the day was Black River Cheese. I simply had to cover all my basis of having a maple inspired dish, maple taffy and wait for it - maple cheddar cheese! This gal just had to indulge in a few samples - honestly I could have had the entire serving platter. Did I actually say that? Well I'm a cheese lover if you didn't know that already.
Maple in the County had another successful year and many more to come.
See you next year - next on my list is wine season in the County!
For more information, visit www.mapleinthecounty.com
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