Barrie Through The Seasons - March 2016
Thank you to Penelope Morrow, for continuing our joint venture of 'Barrie Through The Seasons.' Below is Penelope's article for March 2016.
Barrie Through the Seasons; March 2016
From the Barrie Farmers Market to the white washed belly of
a barn but a few years younger than Canada’s confederation, John Williams of
Williams Farm makes maple magic.
Combining new technology with centuries of tradition he
harvests the harbinger of spring, turning sap into sweet maple syrup, maple
sugar, maple butter and more!
Newcomers or longtime residents of Barrie I highly recommend
you check out the Saturday shop local institution that is the Barrie Farmers
Market. The longstanding tradition of going to market for shopping and social
connections on a Saturday morning is deeply rooted in the history of our city
and in Barrie, the market predates confederation. This is where I first met John
Williams, tasted the syrup he produces and purchased the organic vegetables he
grows.
Maple syrup production has changed over the years since John
placed his first taps into trees; set with twenty five buckets on the family
property when he was 13 years old. Under the watchful eye of his father Howard,
they boiled the sap to syrup over an open fire. While the yield was small, his
passion was not!
As with any crop, weather plays a predominant role in production
of a good yield. While many folks are eager to see a short winter with less
snow, followers of the local, organic farming and growing movement understand
that farmers need the snow; the ground must be sufficiently frozen and then wet
for a successful summer growing season. Maple syrup producers need specific conditions
for a good spring flow of sap, with warmer days and chilly nights. John
Williams told me this year is going to surpass their best, as the conditions,
while the weather has been unusual with ups and downs, have provided exactly what
they needed, literally turning on the taps!
This year production numbers are astounding; the flow on
Easter weekend of ¾ a litre per hour per tap meant that tanks that usually fill
in 12 to 24 hours were filling in 4 hours! They are presently at 4000 litres of
syrup, the barn filled with barrels holding 150 litres each; their 2016 season
a resounding success.
All that sweetness is available for tastes and take home
purchases too. From traditional maple taffy on snow, or ice as was served in
the barn, to delicious jars of maple butter, maple sugar, which makes a great
substitute for the white stuff, maple candy and of course syrup. The International Maple Syrup Institute spent
ten years working to create consistency of names for grading the colours; the
deeper the colour the more intense the flavour becomes. It is a matter of
personal preference and John Williams happily pours samples at market or at the
barn.
John Williams’ products and produce are available in Barrie at
the Barrie Farmers’ Market, Local Foods Mart, and is used at RIPE Juicery. There are numerous other locations for you to
shop and support local including; Nicholyn Farms, 100 Mile Store Creemore,
Mariposa Bakery, Grounded Coffee, Mama Earth Organics and the Foodland stores
in Craighurst, Midland and Penetanguishene.
Barrie is perfectly situated for mini road trips, with ease
of access by highway or country roads for those that prefer to meander. As all roads radiate out from our downtown
core, it is a valuable experience to explore our farmers and producers in their
local habitat. When children have the opportunity to see how food is grown or
made they develop a genuine appreciation for what they eat.
In his own words,
John Williams shares; “it’s very important for people to support local farmers,
growers and producers. Not just to know what you eat, but to help preserve the
landscape and economy of our rural areas. If you don’t do this, a drive through
our countryside will look very different in twenty years, large farms with huge
fields and very few farmers. It costs more up front to buy local, but it pays dividends
in the long run. We need more people to buy local and single estate products,
more people to support our investment in the food we grow and the land we
work”.
In our ongoing collaboration in support of local; Erin Corcoran, Re/Max Chay Realty Inc., Brokerage Sales Representative and enthusiastic owner
operator of Barrie’s Simcoe County Shop Local and I are pleased to share our
finds with you as we continue to bring you Barrie Through the Seasons.
March 2016 was a sweet month; please join us to see what
spring brings for April!
Written by http://www.penelopejmorrow.com/
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