By Susanne Wussow
Meaford Maples is a boutique organic maple syrup operation that uses gravity-fed tubing to bring sap from the trees above on the Irish Mountain hill. On April 2 and 3, they had a weekend of fun and education planned, to visit their Sugar House and to see how maple syrup is made and bottled.
Steve and Karen Smith have tapped over 700 trees on the property, and Steve said that this year looks to be a good harvest, with the trees giving up so much sap that extra storage bins are needed to store the overflow.
Their property was available to explore and hike through the maple trees, and we sampled different grades of maple syrup and maple candy, although they had run out of maple cheesecake by the time we got there. Karen supplied me with the recipe, so I can make it at home.
Steve said that his favourite drink is club soda mixed with a couple of spoonfuls of maple syrup, which I will try. And, bonus, maple syrup is good for you. It’s high in antioxidants, and every spoonful offers nutrients like riboflavin, zinc, magnesium, calcium, and potassium, and it has fewer calories than honey.
Their Facebook page mentions that they are planning another couple of pop-ups, so if you follow them you’ll be able to check on the dates.
I bought a couple of bottles of maple syrup, one for us, and one to pass along to our daughter, and I plan to visit their roadside stand when I run out. Which won’t be long, as we are maple syrup fans!
Maple Cheesecake
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
8 oz. whipped topping
1/2 c. maple sugar
1 pre-made graham cracker crust
Mix all ingredients together and pour into the pie crust. Let chill overnight. Sprinkle top with maple sugar before serving.
