Our tradition of visiting The Maple Store in Sweaburg continued this past weekend
The Trillium Woods is a wonderful backdrop for family memory pictures, the pancakes drenched in maple syrup are picture perfect
By Mark Schadenberg
Maple syrup and bacon are Canadian traditions.
At Jakeman’s Maple Farm (The Trillium Woods) near Sweaburg, it’s all
about authentic maple syrup, pancakes, sausages and maple baked beans.
Our family’s annual sojourn to The Maple Store at Jakeman’s took place
this past weekend (March 23) as the provincially-recognized Trillium forest is
part of the back drop of tall maples with pails catching sap and then processed
into products including syrup (plastic or glass jugs, or traditional tins),
candy (toffee, mints and even lollipops), maple popcorn, cookies, ice wine
syrup. . .
Directly from their home page at www.themaplestore.com, you can
quickly note that Jakeman’s has existed since 1876. The rustic barn should be deemed a historic site. The store
on the second floor is converted into a breakfast destination in the month
of March as many area 4H clubs serve up the fare as a fundraiser. (Ends March
29 and 30, 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.)
Nicole and I have been making the short trek out to Sweaburg every
year, including before we were parents (see the picture of Nicole expecting in
the series of photos below). If you’re on the 401, it’s Exit 230 with the large
230 Truck Stop visible. Drive south on the Sweaburg Road and right through the
village of Sweaburg before turning right on Trillium Line.
Growing up in Woodstock, the Trillium forest has been a destination
for me on several occasions, including during a visit of an aunt and uncle from
Germany approximately around 1975, and in high school (WCI) a class trip with
Mr Harvey (See: 2 links below) and a hands-on science biology lesson to
literally grid off a large area to count Trilliums and then prepare a report
submitted to a provincial ministry of forests.
For a family to mark a March tradition, such as pancakes and maple
syrup at Jakeman’s, is important to creating a fabric with the four of us.
Maeghan is now 7, so this was her 8th trip, while Spencer will soon
turn 5.
Part of the interest in discovering The Maple Store, which is open
year-round, is the artifacts on display and a wall mural which depicts the
syrup-creating process. The person who created the sap flow chart (puns again
from me) had impeccable penmanship. I wonder if it was Mary Jakeman. She was
working the till (yes, they do have Interac there for those who want to make a
bulk buy for all their aunts and uncles – near and far).
As you will quickly note from the below photo gallery of shots from
the Trillium forest, we have been greeted with various weather conditions over the years. This
past Sunday it was -8C on my car’s thermometer. Some years, there has been zero
snow remaining on the trails and a horse carriage ride was added to the morning
outdoor spirit.
I share this story to point out that Oxford County has a lot of
treasures to discover and my family believes Jakeman’s is truly a place not to
miss. I guess you could say it’s on my bucket list every year – bucket of sap
dripping from a tree which is all about Canada – the Maple (leaf).
()()()()()()()()
In making natural maple syrup, naturally Jakeman’s Sugar Bush has a
company promise:
Jakeman’s pledges to produce maple syrup and
maple products of the most exceptional quality. We aim to impress through taste
and innovation.
On August 29th of 2012, Jakeman’s received the Premier’s Award
for Agri-Food Innovation for the introduction of their Maple Ice Wine Syrup.
Pictured are: Left to Right: Dave Hope from the Ministry of Agriculture,
Mary Jakeman and Devin Jakeman
More Jakeman’s Contacts:
Email: info@themaplestore.com
Call: (519) 539-1366 or 1-800-382-9795
()()()()()()()()
John Harvey Links:
Since this is free advertising, it’s the best advertising: work of
mouth.
When you’re thinking of an Oxford County Realtor, think of me
Mark
Schadenberg, Sales Representative
Senior
Real Estate Specialist (SRES designation)
Royal
LePage Triland Realty
757 Dundas
St, Woodstock
www.wesellwoodstock.com
(519) 537-1553,
cell or text
Email:
mschadenberg@rogers.com
Twitter:
markroyallepage
Discussion
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