PLUM HOLLOW - Golden Moment Farm is this maple syrup season's host producer of the official Tapping Out Party.
Farm owners Norma and John Banford are excited to have the public visit their historic homestead on Mother Barnes Road for the sweet event on Saturday, March 9th, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Visitors of all ages can enjoy maple syrup and candy demonstrations, samples, a bake sale with "Digger Delights," wagon rides and trail walking, a live band featuring Fred Brown as well as a Charity BBQ lunch ($6). MP Michael Barrett and MPP Steve Clark will help tap the first tree of the season at 11 a.m.
Tapping Out Party visitors are also encouraged to interact with John and Norma's pets - Golden Retrievers and Clydesdale horses. Algonquin College will have an information table on a new agricultural program starting this year. A Tackaberry Construction truck display is also planned.
"We think of our farm as a big park," Norma says of their 350-acre property with kilometres of scenic trails. Approximately 30 acres of sugar bush are tapped. The couple focuses on sustainable farming with every effort made to safeguard the environment.
Maple syrup production at Golden Moment Farm started on a small scale when the couple bought the property in 1997 preparing for retirement from the federal government. Today, their products are sold at locations in Kingston, Brockville, Smiths Falls and Merrickville.
"We started with 200 taps by bucket and we've gone to 1,200 taps on pipeline in 18 years," says John, adding they use reverse osmosis. "We will probably go up to 2,000 taps before we retire."
Initially they used their Clydesdales to gather sap but now they use a pipeline system and the horses have become a part of the Golden Moment family.
"This is a passion for us," adds Norma. After maple syrup, a second focus is Golden Retrievers. The name Golden Moment Farm was taken straight from a headline when one of their dogs delivered 16 pups, one of the second largest litters in the world at the time. They have bred nine generations of Retrievers with pups sold all over the world.
Learn more about Golden Moment Farm and their upcoming event by visiting their
website
and
Facebook
page. You can also send them an
email
or give them a call at 613-924-1661. The farm is located at 140 Mother Barnes Road.