After a long Canadian winter, there’s nothing sweeter than a day in the sugar bush! Barkleyvale Farms has a rich history in sugarmaking. The maple season for us is a chance to connect with family and friends and share our passion for creating great maple products. With over 600 taps, our sugar bush combines timeless traditions with new technology. The restored, 1860’s log building was moved here b
y our family in the 1970’s from the Nation Valley. Inside the sugar hut, we have a high efficiency modern evaporator where we boil our sap. Heated with wood fire, the evaporator’s antique arch is original to the sugar bush, from the early 1900’s. The original stone fireplace used with iron kettles by early sugar-makers can still be found in the sugar bush. At Barkleyvale Farms, we honour, respect and safeguard the forest and the traditions associated with it. Our 200-acre forest is under the care of knowledgeable family members, a Professional Forester and specialists in forest ecology and wildlife. A forest management plan has been in place since 1979. Maples are only one part of this special forest -resident pileated woodpeckers, nesting barred owls, and towering white pines are present, as well as a provincially-significant wetland that feeds into the St. Lawrence River. We tap carefully and use new technology to ensure the forest remains healthy. We use pipeline for sap collection to minimize soil disturbance and small tap-holes that heal within one season. We keep several buckets around the sugar hut to maintain the tradition. Making syrup is a family affair- from tapping trees to gathering buckets, everyone pitches in. Owners, Brian Barkley and Trisha Barkley, began producing maple syrup with Brian’s father, Egerton, in 1974. Brian Barkley is a Registered Professional Forester. 4 generations of Barkley’s have now been involved in making maple syrup. Extended family members and friends have pitched in to help with production and sales over the years, and it’s not uncommon to have visitors collect a bucket of sap (or two!).
