Madawaska maple products

Golden rod in full bloom here in south Algonquin !!! Bees are loving the first nice day after about a week of straight rain. #beekeeping #farmlife #bees #ontariobees

Got a new go pro to shoot some cool footage of the everyday things that happen here on the farm. Bee keeping is just one of those things ! Made a short little edit to get the ball rolling, hope you enjoy.

Planted some rhubarb root stalks from a friends land up the road. They are growing amazingly fast with all this lovely rain !!

Gotta love when my honey bees are working in the garden probably more than me. The neighbours also tell me that their garden pollination and production has sky rocketed the last few years since Ive been keeping bees. One of my favourite things about living here is learning how all things in nature work together in a symbiotic relationship than many humans only dream to understand. Ive always loved and respected farming as a kid, but now being a.......bigger kid lol and actually making a living working off the land, its a feeling of freedom and self expression that you must experience to understand. I feel the forest is my home,my friend,my freedom, my escape from the real world my safety net, my happy place. Wishing you all well as we start to get back to a somewhat normal life. Just remember, Dont worry happy

Tonights bee keeping adventure brought to you by my trusty Argo 8x8, theres a lot of things on the farm this bad boy makes a lot easier. One thing is hauling bee boxes to my bush bee yard. Honey is looking great !!!! I will be pulling some any day now. @argo_xtv @argolifestyle

First fresh potatoes from the garden ! And a bunch of fresh herbs, basil, dill and oregano. Pairing this with a venison steak and this dinner is 90% from my land !!! Its taken me a few years but Im finally gaining some food security here on the farm. Exciting stuff !!! Planting fall crops any day now !!!!! Its not too late to garden!! Plant something today !!

Have you ever wondered how a baby bee hatches ??? Well I caught the awesome process on camera yesterday! It takes a worker bee 21 days to go from egg to hatche...d bee. Once the egg is laid by the queen it turns into a larvae after about 8 days the larvae is capped with wax and 13 days after the the bee hatches. Worker bees feed the baby bees pollen to help them grow. Bees dont actually use pollen to make honey, they collect nectar to make honey, collecting from 2 million flowers just to make 1 pound of honey. Fun fact ! Bees are the only insect in the world that make food humans can eat, and boy is it tasty !!! We wont have much honey for sale this season but next year we will be selling honey as well as our delicious maple syrup. Both 100% organic. Thanks for following along on the journey. #honey #farmlife #beekeeping #canada #algonquin #maplesyrup #entrepreneur See more

Madawaska country store is now selling Our maple syrup!!!. If youre driving along hwy 60 and dont feel like making the 7km drive down hwy 523 to see me you can just pick up your syrup from our good friends Bob and Lisa at the Madawaska country store and gas station. Signage coming soon !!

Breakfast of champions!!. Check out our friends @bbirdco for online delivery of our maple syrup in the GTA make sure to grab some of the other great products they have, including their world famous bread ! Pairs perfectly with maple syrup. Stay safe and stay hungry friends.

Enjoy some knowledge dropped by elder, Dr Duke Redbird of the Turtle clan. I love learning new things about the history of the land and the things that make it beautiful. Maple syrup has a great history with the Anishinaabe and all indigenous peoples of North America. Theres lots to learn about the land and the way we treat the earth, Im blessed to have Dr redbird and his family as a neighbours and friends. Syrup season is now over !!! Let the frogs sing !!! Video of the frogs will be next, I know you guys wanna hear them lol

Shes a frosty one today !!! No sap means catching up on some much needed sleep ! Will this season ever end !!! Find out on the next edition of Madawaksa maple news!! Any day now the trees will start to bud and the season will be over. This sugar bush consists of pretty much 100% sugar maples and this allows us to have an early start and usually an extended season. That plus all the extra measures we use to keep the sap free of any organisms that will cause bitter or ropey syrup. Reading all those Vermont university papers is paying off this season big time!!! Just about to pass 3.5lbs per tap ! Not too shabby for a city boy hahaha

Steam hits the cold crisp air and the smell of maple syrup drifts off into the night. Making maple syrup is one of my earliest memories I have, I used to get forced go to bed as my grandfather stayed up all night long to tend his makeshift syrup pan perched up on cinder blocks, using an old school bus and tarp as a wind break. Now in my third year of becoming a young farmer, im on the night shift feeling the magic and Im on track for a record season !!! Mother Nature is blessing me this year with mass amounts of sap !!!

Boiling the night away !! Lots of sap still coming in so its gonna be a long night ! Mother Nature dictates my work schedule during syrup season. And as the warmer days approach I must boil everyday to keep the sap from spoiling. Walk the bush and Collect sap all day, boil all night, this is the life of a maple man. Were finally into amber syrup and boy is it tasty !!! @ South Algonquin

Boiling heavy now !! Syrup season is in full swing here in south Algonquin !

Come check us out at Busketfest Toronto !! Woodbine park !

Honey! Honey! Honey! Im excited to announce I finally have honey for sale on the shelf at the sugar shack! Soon to be a store near you ! This summer has been a huge learning experience and a lot of work but its all payed off in the form of sweet wildflower honey ! The taste is unreal!! Pure nature in every bite! because of my location there are no pesticides from surrounding farms at all in my honey which makes me super happy!! Just 100% natural organic goodness !! Ove...r ten years ago when I stared organic gardening on my parents roof I realized my squash werent doing well because there were no bees. I wanted to get hives going in the city but our small lot and city bylaws prevented me from doing so. But now after two years of hard work Im finally seeing my dream come true ! Thanks so much to everyone who has supported me along the way By sharing posts and buying syrup ! And soon honey !! Without you all I wouldnt be able to keep my dream alive! Love you all !! Yours truly, Farmer Tom aka Maple Man See more

Another bee update !!! Because I was unsure of how my bees would do over winter I ordered an extra nuc colony just Incase. All my 3 hives actually ended up surviving the harsh winter so its just an extra bee hive to add to the yard. Cant have too many bees !! Ive done my splits my new queens are about to hatch any day now and if things go well Ill have 9 hives going into winter. Doesnt seem like a lot to some bee keepers but Im still learning everything as I go and I...m living in a quite harsh climate to keep bees. That being said things are looking good!!! Shout out to de Groots Apiaries/Farm for the bees. (This was actually the video I meant to tag you in yesterday lol i guess youll get two tags now) I bought this 4 frame nuc on June 8th and less than two weeks later they are already starting to draw comb on their 8th frame !!!! Unreal. I will Be adding a second box shortly ! See more

The honey flow has started in south Algonquin !!! Check us out for fresh honey coming up in the next little bit !! Also we have lots of award winning maple syrup still for sale so gets yours now before its too late !! Also Check out my friends de Groots Apiaries/Farm if you wanna order bees. Shes also hosting a bee education class this summer !

Still rocking out making some great maple syrup !! Its been a hectic season to say the least, between the 5+ feet of snow and just about every pump I own to give me problems this season, lots of people Would have stopped by now. but I dont give up easily and I just pushed through it all to make some of the best syrup Ive made to date. If you thought last years was good !!! With all the improvements Ive made this past season the quality of my syrup just keeps increasing. ...Looking forward to the upcoming tourist season here at the farm. A few good days left of sap and then its cleaning time, and then straight into bees!!! Lots will be happening this year in the apiary as Im planning a large hive expansion. Keep following along by sharing and liking my page ! Thanks so much to all the supporters and people who have helped me get this far. Without you all buying syrup and sharing my posts I would not be able to follow my dream. Big things coming this year !!! Stay tuned. See more

Excited to announce our maple syrup is now being sold Linkies General Store and Gas Bar in lake St. Peter. Stop by and grab some and pick up a sweet lake St. Peter T-shirt while youre there! If you wanna check things out in person you still have a few weeks to come by the sugar shack to see a boil ! Everyone is welcome !!! Thanks again to Linkies for supporting the local business in the area !!

Well the sap is flowing slow The last two days because its been fairly cold, so Im back on the firewood grind. Today was my dads maiden voyage on the backhoe and within no time he was calling me to get the axe to finish the job. We also have a wood splitter but I havent touched it once this year, hand split about 8 bush cords, most of which we will burn this season to make syrup. So far we have made about 50 gallons of syrup and the sap hasnt even really started flowing yet. Looking forward to a great season !!! Thanks to everyone following along. Please like and share

Part three In our boil, we have fresh maple syrup!!!!! Please follow along and feel free to ask any questions. I will try to answer them in my next videos. By the way fresh syrup is now for sale !!! And wow is this years batch amazing tasting !! Dont take my word for it, grab yours today!

Part two of the Boil update from last night!!

Last night was the first boil of the season. Things went super smooth, Im looking forward to the next few weeks of making the sweet stuff! Special thanks to Squirrel Creek farms for driving all the way up to us last minute to deliver the last piece to the puzzle. Stay tuned for syrup syrup and more syrup !!!

Quick bee update !!!! The bees are just starting to leave the hive for their cleaning flights, right after syrup season Ill be right into bee season !! Exciting things coming this summer at the farm !

The sap is finally flowing in South Algonquin!!! With all the snow weve had this year it made things extra fun while working in the bush getting ready for syrup season. However, once I see the first few drops of sap going through the lines it all makes it worth it !!!

Took this video on March 20th the first day of spring. This year has for sure been extra fun !! Small tasks turn into gigantic ones. Forgetting a tool means a 45 min snowshoe to get back to camp, digging out lines from under 4-6 feet of snow, sinking waist deep in snow even with snowshoes on !! These are the things a sugar maker endures to bring you the sweet stuff !! Its not easy but after its all done its one of the most satisfying things Ive ever been a part of. And its only year two !!!!! In a week or so it will mark the two year anniversary of me getting a young farmers loan and buying the sugar bush. Certainly feels like more than two years. Almost ready for syrup season to start !!! Now bring on the sap !!!!

March 16th at the sugar shack, Wondering if spring will ever arrive !! We have about 100 taps to go to get our 2000 trees tapped, then hoping to add another few hundred before the sap flows. Never a dull moment when youre battling against the force of Mother Nature. I wouldnt have it any other way !!

Well its that time of year again when the snow shoes come out and the real fun begins !! I will start tapping in the next few weeks, but for now its fixing lines and adding taps. Hoping to get another 500 or so put in this year. Currently sitting at 2000 taps. All in a days work being A sugar maker. Coming up on the Second year owning the land and the third maple season here. Something about working hard out in Mother Nature while the force of winter beats down on me, my b...ody is begging me to stay inside but my heart leads me into the cold frozen forest each day in search of the sweet liquid gold. Each step in the almost 4 feet of snow puts me that much closer to my end goal of living completely off the land. Its not an easy life but I Wouldnt have it any other way !!!! Also have some cool videos coming up showing in more details exactly what I do to get ready for sugaring season. Stick around ! Its gonna be fun I promise lol See more

MAIL CALL!!! Today I received my ribbon from the @theroyalfair just in time for Christmas !! After only owning the land for just over a year and a half and this only being my second syrup season, Im really happy with the outcome of everything so far !! Cant wait to see where things head in the next 5 years. Being a first generation farmer and moving from the city has been a wild ride, but its been a life long dream of line to work the land and make a living at it. Years ...ago I used to help my Grandpa make syrup for the family on a much smaller scale, its during this time I learned the true fine art of making maple syrup. Thankfully years later I was able to use his wisdom and a little of my own too and make some of the best maple syrup Ontario and the world has to offer !!! Thanks for everyone whos supported and bought syrup, you can now proudly say its award winning syrup sitting in your fridge !!! As for everyone else whos curious about what a really good syrup tastes like. We still have some syrup for sale !!! So get it while you still can !!! Msg or comment for details on location or delivery!! #maplesyrup #farmlife #entrepreneur #algonquin #ontario #canada #maplestory #awardwinning See more

We didnt have much of a fall this year in the Algonquin highlands and we are currently buried in three feet of early season snow!!! However the colours this year were extra special !!! I put together a short video edit of some drone shots I took this fall. Enjoy ! #drone #dronephotography #fallcolors #fall #farm #farmlife #maplesyrup #maplestory #entrepreneur #algonquinprovincialpark #ontario #canada

A special thanks to the Council General of Greece, Victor Maligoudis for all his help for this years Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon. What better way to be thanked than a Nice bottle of pure 100% maple syrup ! Im just here spreading the good word of the syrup one bottle at a time !!! @runcrs @vmaligoudis #maplestory #maplesyrup #ontario #canada #algonquin #farmlife #entrepreneur

Our good friends Blackbird Baking Co. helping us celebrate the 4th place victory at The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. Located in the heart of Kensington market at 172 Baldwin st, blackbird has legendary status and is internationally acclaimed for their sourdough. Stop by grab some award winning maple syrup and taste some of best baked goods Toronto has to offer !!! #maplesyrup #superfood #awardwinning #bestbakery #entrepreneur #farmlife #maplestory #ontario #algonquin #canada

SUPER EXCITING NEWS !!! Madawaska Maple Products has placed 4th at the Ontario Royal Agriculture Winter Fair !!! With this placing we will cement our self as some of the best maple syrup Ontario has to offer !! We also receive a yellow ribbon and our syrup was placed in the winners trophy cabinet !!!!! Unbelievable what Ive accomplished in just a year and a half. I took a huge leap leaving the big city and becoming a first generation boil-master aka maple man lol, all the hard work and countless hours of research is starting to pay off !! Cant wait to see where Ill be in 5 years or so. More pics and info coming up. Keep following along and see what the next adventure brings!! Please like and share our great news !!

This weekend over 40,000 runners will descend on Torontos streets to participate in the 2018 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Im super grateful to be working with such a great organization. Not only is my syrup being used as awards for some of the runners and gifts for the dignitaries, this year I was allowed to set up a small area at the marathon expo!! This is where the runners come the days leading to the marathon to pick up their race kit and time chip. You will ...also find several vendors selling fitness related goods. Im excited to share the great benefits of pure maple syrup to the athletes as a replacement to most of the energy drinks made with garbage white sugar if youre gonna enjoy a bit of sugar it might as well be full of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants!!. Honey is another popular item used by athletes, honey does in fact have double the amount of riboflavin that maple syrup does, however syrup has more mineral and trace mineral content than honey by far!!!(its not even close) With a staggering estimated 92% of North Americas population in some sort of mineral or vitamin deficiency its now more important than ever to make the right choices when it comes to how we fuel our body !!!! Come on down and see us at the Enercare Centre, hall D, Canada Running Series Foundation booth 11-8 today (Friday oct19) and 10-6 tomorrow @runcrs @alnbrookes #scotiabankwaterfrontmarathon #toronto #canada #ontario #maplesyrup #maplestory #superfood #runscotia #stwm #entrepreneur See more

Fall colours are in full peak here in the South Algonquin highlands!! I was blessed when buying this property that the old owner was very strict in only using hardwood or sugar maple trees. Not only does this produce the sweetest clearest syrup, but the colours in the fall are out of this world !!! If youre planning going to Algonquin park to see the fall colours, I highly recommend a stop by for a tour of the sugar bush. We are only 20 min from the east gate of the park just a few km south of hwy 62, on Hwy 523, Come on in and see us!! address is 4199 hwy 523 Madawaska on. #madawaskamaple #farmlife #entrepreneur #mapleleafs #maplesyrup #fallcolors #canada #ontario

Torontos Mayor Tory stops by to taste some of this years amber syrup. We are still at Buskerfest until the end of today! Come check us out !! #buskerfest #maplesyrup #farmlife #algonquin #canada #toronto #entrepreneur