We decided to take a trip to the OHara maple sugar festival and see what it was all about, and let me tell you, it can be described in one word, maplelicious... thats a word, right? In goodol Madoc is where you can find this feast of all things maple. Hankering for some pancakes laced in syrup, you gotem. Drizzed maple syrup candy-pops made over snow, gotem. Maple butter, candies, and syrup for sale, you betcha!. It all starts off on a horse drawn ride through the maple forest, then, a trip back in time through an old pioneer house to show you the instruments used to collect sap. They also have old knickknacks for sale, everything from quilts to cast iron hooks.
OHara pioneer house
OHara maple syrup festival
I just love these old pioneer houses, any log homes for that matter. These modern homes with steel beams and fake formaldehyde filled flooring just feels.... blah. Ive always wanted a fireplace like this, just right there, no safety, keeps ya on your toes I suppose, lol. The house was filled with treasures from yesteryear; wooden water buckets, snow shoes, old fashioned saws, candy presses, and all sorts of tools that were essential to life back then. To be honest, alot of the stuff they had there I would prefer to what we have today. Plastic this and plastic that, I see why they were healthier then my generation.
Old fashioned maple syrup supplies- OHara
I couldnt help but turn this photo in a vintage like feel. The wooden piece beside the wooden buckets was used to make candies, I think thats what the piece at the far left is too. There is a large screw beside the candy box that was used to drill the trees for sap and the wooden taps ( to the left of the screw ) were used to collect the sap from the trees, all of which dripped into wooden buckets. Wood, wood, wood, does a body good.
Old fashioned snow shoes
For some reason whenever I see stuff like this I always want to try it out; it takes every ounce of my strength to not ask, I know they never would let me, and I know I shouldnt because Id probably break them, but I want to, oh lord how I want to.
OHara Maple butter
I always thought maple butter was maple syrup and butter mixed, and since I gave up butter, I never tried it. Turns out, its just maple syrup made in a specific, scientific like way. Its almost like soft maple candies, but smoother, more spreadable. In fact, right now I am eating this on a piece of bread with a mug full of how water and maple syrup -Canadian to the bone.
OHara water mill
They have this neat watermill and log building, Im not sure if its functional but I will definitely be coming back to see this place in the summer as there are a bunch of festivals and things going on when the warmer weather arrives; fingers crossed the mill flows.
Pioneer cemetery
Along the drive there was this old pioneer cemetery intermixed among the trees. Ive never seen anything like this, some of the plots go back to the 1800s
