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Frequently Asked Questions about the Spring Season at Sugar Moon Farm
SUGAR MOON: the Native American name for the sugaring season, the month of freezing nights & warm days usually coinciding with March/April. (also called Maple Moon)
WHEN ARE YOU OPEN?
We are open every weekend (year round) Saturday and Sunday, 9 am to 5 pm, serving our Maple Breakfast all day. PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR RESTAURANT CLOSES AT 4:30. We don’t take reservations during these hours. We can sometimes book in large groups on weekends if you are able to come right at 9 am. Check our "On the Farm" page for dates of large group bookings coming up...so that you can NOT arrive when they do...! We do always appreciate a “heads up” if you are going to be a group larger than 10. Weekday reservation – whether you are two people or twenty or more - are always possible – just email or call Quita to ask for details.
If you unsure as to whether we are open because the weather is questionable or it’s a holiday, try calling our toll-free line to find out – we update it as necessary.
1-866-81-maple
WHAT ABOUT MARCH BREAK?
We are open Tuesday, March 17th through Friday March 20th from 1 pm to 4 pm for the Nova Scotia March Break. We have large group bookings in the mornings that week. We don’t take reservations in the afternoon. We always appreciate a heads up if you’re bringing a larger group (say 10 or more). We will be offering our regular Spring menu and free tours, as well as sugar on snow at regular intervals throughout the afternoon.
During March Break, Maritime Marionettes (an awesome Children's theatre company based in Truro) is putting on special performances of their newest show at their studio on Brunswick & Young in Truro. The show is called The Bremmen Town Musicians and is about 50 minutes long. Call 893-7626 to find out a schedule or check out their website (www.maritime-marionettes.com). I understand that they are timing their performances so that families could do that as well as come out here for brunch, tour, etc. I took three year old Samara to the show last Christmas and she LOVED it.
WHAT ABOUT EASTER WEEKEND?
We are open Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday of Easter Weekend, 9 am to 5 pm April 10, 11, 12 & 13. (Restaurant serves til 4:30).
WHEN DO YOU SERVE MEALS?
We serve our fully-licensed maple brunch anytime we’re open - 9 to 5 usually, with the grill closing at 4:30.
HOW BIG IS YOUR SUGAR BUSH?
We have about 2500 taps on about 35 acres. Our sugar bush is a quarter mile (15 minute walk) above our sugar camp. We collect sap with a "gravity-fed pipeline system". This means that each tree is connected to the others by a network of plastic tubing. This tubing in turn feeds into a "main line" that travels downhill to the sugar camp and the sap tanks outside. We boil our sap over a wood-fired evaporator - a craft that requires attention and skill as the syrup is actually finished over the wood fire.
WHEN DOES THE SAP RUN?
The sap runs in the spring, and usually whenever we get freezing and thawing weather. These conditions can start anywhere from the end of February to the end of March, and usually last no longer than the end of April. The "Sugar Season" typically lasts for around 4 to 6 weeks total. We consider the sugar season to be March and April.
HOW CAN WE TIME OUR VISIT SO THAT WE COME WHEN YOU ARE BOILING AND MAKING MAPLE SYRUP?
It all depends upon Mother Nature! It’s impossible for us to predict when the sap will run and therefore, when we are going to be boiling. However, we do keep our toll-free line updated (1-866-81-MAPLE) as well as our “Sap Update” (“On the Farm” Page) on our website.
WHAT WOULD WE EXPECT TO DO ON YOUR FARM IN THE SPRING (MARCH AND APRIL)?
You could hike up to the Sugar Woods to see the tapped-in sugar maples (15 minutes one-way); snowshoe through the woods on our high-tech snowshoes (rented by the hour - $5 for adults and $3 for kids 12 and under - reservations recommended); tour our sugar camp - free - every hour on the hour between 10 and 3 on days we are Open - it's a 20 minute tour; watch our 4.5 minute video on maple production; shop for maple products in our Maple Store; enjoy a traditional Sugar Camp Meal in our log Pancake House; treat yourself to Sugar on Snow – a classic sugar camp experience we are offering every hour on the half hour between 10 and 3 on days we are Open - $1 per stick; watch sap being boiled over a wood-fired evaporator (when we’re in production).
You could also hike the Rogart Mountain Trail - a 6 km wilderness trail that starts and ends at our parking lot. Check out the "On the Farm" page for more details about that hike. Maps are recommended and are available at Sugar Moon Farm.
HOW LONG SHOULD WE ALLOW FOR A VISIT?
Typically, folks spend around 2 to 3 hours at our place. If you arrive mid-morning on a beautiful warm day in late March/early April, expect to find lots of other visitors with the same idea!
We do not take reservations. During the sugar season (mid-March to mid-April) warm and sunny days are very busy here, and sometimes there is a wait to get into our pancake house, especially Sundays during the last week of March and the first week of April, between the peak hours of 11 am to 3:00 pm. In order to avoid these potentially very busy days, we suggest visiting before mid-March or after the second week of April (we are open year round), or visiting right when we first open in the morning (9 am)...except on those days when big groups have booked for 9 am which sometimes happens; check our "On the Farm" page for upcoming bookings.
If we are boiling, you are welcome to wait in the sugar camp and stay warm...but if we are not boiling, there is not really any warm spot to wait...except that we can now heat our interpretive area a bit - so do dress warmly!
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
There is no charge to visit our place, to have a tour and to hike or up through the sugar woods. Meals range from around $4 to $7 for kids 12 and under and around $8 to $13 for adults. Most beverages are between $1.95 and $3.29. Maple products come in a variety of forms and sizes and containers.
HOW FAR ARE YOU FROM HALIFAX?
Approx 90 minutes.
WHAT'S THE ROAD LIKE INTO YOUR PLACE?
Sugar Moon Farm is located about 1 kilometre from the pavement (Hwy #311) on the Alex MacDonald Road, a gravel road. The Alex MacDonald Road was built and is maintained by the Province of Nova Scotia. They have been doing an excellent job of plowing, grading, sanding and salting it so that over 13,000 visitors a year can get in and out safely and without incident. But weather can play havoc on roads everywhere in this part of the country...and especially during sugar season; the frost can come out very rapidly, and when coupled with heavy rains, it can create very rough and soft spots throughout rural Nova Scotia. No wonder sugar season is also known as mud season! So be prepared to negotiate your way through potholes and ruts and mud and rough spots in the spring. The rest of the year when we are open it’s in great shape.
WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE EXPECT IN TERMS OF CONDITIONS AND WEATHER?
Sugar season is also known as mud season...so dress accordingly. As well, we are near the highest point in mainland Nova Scotia, and consequently we are fortunate to experience more snow and much colder weather than elsewhere in the province. It means that sometimes you'll discover a winter wonderland here when the rest of Nova Scotia is out raking their lawns! We suggest always dressing for cold and snow.
IS SUGAR MOON FARM A GOOD PLACE TO BRING CHILDREN?
Definitely! We love having children here (and in fact are totally excited about having welcomed our own “sugar baby” - Samara - into the world at the peak of the 2005 maple season!) and we delight in the variety of sounds they make and questions they ask.
We have a baby-changing station in one of our washrooms and encourage breast feeding anywhere....anytime. Comfy chairs are found in the sugar camp...nice and warm when we are boiling.
We have crayons for children and a collection of beautifully illustrated children's books about maple sugaring to read as you wait for your meal or your tour. Our menu has children's portions and prices ($4 to $7).
The trails to the sugar woods are definitely "doable" for kids - we've had entire Primary classes and younger making the trek to the sugar woods, and we always gear our tours to any children listening.
Sugar on Snow is availalbe for $1 a stick - our traditional sugar camp treat that both kids and adults find memorable.
WHAT IS ON YOUR MENU IN SPRING...and HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM THE REST OF THE YEAR?
We serve a quality maple breakfast all day featuring locally sourced ingredients paired with maple.
During the spring we offer our Classic Menu that is what we've served since opening in 1995. It's a somewhat pared down version of the menu served the rest of the year. We do this in order to provide the fastest and best food for the thousands of customers coming to our farm in March and April. We also return to our original "camp dishes" - reminiscent of the traditional sugar camp meals served all over sugaring country this time of year.
Our pancakes are made from fresh buttermilk and eggs and the flour is from Red Fife wheat (a heritage grain)that is stone-ground at Speerville Mills in New Brunswick; our 100% pork sausages are made just down the road at the Bavarian Meat Shop by European sausage-maker Manfred Bauer and are gluten-free - they contain no fillers or preservatives; we make our own baked beans sweetened only with maple; our fresh-baked biscuits are famous and lovingly made by hand and served with maple butter; and we serve only fairly traded, organically grown Nova Scotia roasted coffee from "just us!" – a worker-owned cooperative in the valley.
Gluten-free pancakes are available for a small additional cost - just check with your server.
We also serve (and sell) our own delicious toasted granola with maple glazed pecans and organic hot cereal (Oatmeal, Rice and Quinoa) served with dried fruit and nuts and maple whipped cream.
Being fully licensed means that you get to sample such delights as Maple Cocktails, Maple Wine and our own Irish Coffee with a Sugar Moon twist (a maple sugar-rimmed glass filled with a shot of Irish Whiskey topped with dark roast coffee, maple whipped cream and maple sugar...mmmm!)
IS THIS SAME MENU OFFERED YEAR ROUND?
Yes, and more! Be sure to come back in May or any other time of year when we offer our expanded menu...and offer breakfast clubs, omelettes, fruit topping and more...
HOW LONG ARE THE SUGAR CAMP TOURS AND HOW OFTEN DO YOU DO THEM AND HOW MUCH DO THEY COST?
Sugar Camp Tours usually take around 20 minutes and offered at no charge. There is a tour guide available offering tours on the hour every hour between 10 and 3. Usually it's the same person offering sugar on snow! If we're otherwise occupied, you are always welcome to view the sugar camp - we have plenty of interpretive materials to guide you through the process - and someone should be able to answer questions at some point.
SHOULD WE MAKE RESERVATIONS?
We do not take reservations on weekends. If you have a group coming on a weekend that is bigger than 10 or so, we do always appreciate a “heads up” if possible. If you want to bring a group of 20 or more, get in touch with us - we will likely recommend that you consider booking a weekday, but if that is not possible we may be able to accommodate your group another way. If your group is smaller – anything from 2 to 19) - and you want to come during the week, please contact us as we welcome reservations during the week. Reservations of fewer than 20 would be "tacked on to" another existing larger booking. Check out our "On the Farm" page for other details about group bookings.
DO YOU TAKE GROUP BOOKINGS?
We welcome group bookings throughout the year.
In the spring season (March and April) we welcome group bookings of 20 or more weekdays by reservation. Sometimes we accept group bookings or reservations that are smaller than 20. If you want to bring a group of 20 or more on the weekend, get in touch with us - we will likely recommend that you consider booking a weekday, but if that is not possible we may be able to accommodate your group another way. If your group is smaller – anything from 2 to 19) - and you want to come during the week, please contact us as we welcome reservations during the week. Check out our "On the Farm" page for other details about group bookings.
WHAT KINDS OF GROUPS BOOK AT SUGAR MOON FARM?
Private parties, anniversaries and reunions, school groups, international groups, educational tours, visiting farmers on farm tours, corporate parties, seniors groups, church groups, youth groups, preschools, staff parties, 4-H’ers, business groups, etc. We offer educational tours of our sugar camp, sugar on snow, traditional Sugar Camp meals, hikes to the sugar woods. We also offer more "upscale" maple dining experiences for the corporate crowd - check with Quita for details.
DO YOU OFFER SCHOOL TOURS?
Yes! We love having schools at our farm year round. The cost is usually $6-$7 per child. This includes an educational tour of the sugar camp, a self-guided hike to the sugar woods, pancakes and juice (coffee/tea) and sugar on snow – a traditional sugar camp treat. Check out our “On the Farm” page for info about school bookings.
HOW LARGE A GROUP CAN YOU ACCOMMODATE?
Our dining area seats around 50. We can accommodate larger groups – especially school groups where they split the group up between touring and eating. Just email us and ask.
DO YOU OFFER SLEIGH AND WAGON RIDES?
Not in Spring...only in season, by reservation or by chance - which means Jan and Feb for Sleigh Rides. We need a pretty good base of snow to run our sleigh. And they continue until the sugar season (March 1). After March 1 we do not offer sleigh rides or wagon rides because conditions are not great and we are so wrapped up in the maple season.
ARE THERE ANY LOCAL ACCOMMODATIONS SO THAT WE COULD MAKE THIS A GETAWAY?
Yes, there are excellent accommodations in the local area. Please check out our “Links” page on our website, where we provide links to all the places you can stay in this area. Or call or email Quita for more assistance.
IS THERE ANYTHING SPECIAL GOING ON IN THE SPRING THAT WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?
Yes, Earltown (1 mile from Sugar Moon) has its annual Community Maple Supper on the last Saturday in March from 10 am to 6 pm. It’s a great slice of rural Nova Scotia life, with live music and volunteer-prepared and donated pancake supper and goodies. Sugar Moon sells product at that dinner and donates all the maple syrup they use on the tables. We’re open that day as well, so make sure you visit both of us.
Hope this answers most of your questions! Don’t hesitate to call or email if you need more information.
Best wishes,
Quita, Scott, Family and Staff
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