First Bites: March 2022 Maple Season is Here Again

Bring the Sugarbush Indoors
Laura Brouillette has loved making things for as long as she can remember. “I’m very hands on,” she says. “I was always just building things — shelves, a bike rack, picnic tables. I’m a maker.”

Thus it was no surprise to anyone when she enrolled in the woodworking program at Rosemount Technology Centre and opened Nightwood Studio soon after. Brouillette has a fondness for working with natural woods and products, eschewing plywood and synthetic substances as much as possible.

“I like taking my dog for walks in the forest. Using natural woods lets me bring the forest home to people who don’t have the chance to be in it, like I [am.]”

To that end, Brouillette has a line of simply stunning cutting and service boards, all of which are available in three types of maple wood.

“Sugar maple is the strongest wood of the three, that’s what I recommend for cutting boards and chopping blocks,” she says. “The Birdseye is also strong and gorgeous. And the Ambrosia is the most beautiful of the three, but it’s also the softest. I recommend that wood for serving boards because it’s so eye catching.”

All the wood that Brouillette and her team use is sourced locally and every piece is made by hand, respecting the natural product. Each piece is truly one of a kind and made to last.

Nightwood Studio
nightwoodstudio.com | @nightwoodstudio

Find it at: Plant & Curio, Maker House Co., LD Shoppe

A Truly Canadian Pairing
A locally made craft ale meets locally made maple syrup? Together at last? Thanks to Perth Brewery and its O’Canada Maple Ale, you betcha. One look at the branding, with colours and imagery so evocative of tinned syrup from a Québécoise cabane à sucre, tells you all you need to know.

Opened in 1993 by Terry Steeves as a brew-on-premises, Perth Brewery was making interesting, small batch craft beers before the label of “craft beer” was even a thing. “Dad started brewing his own beer back in 1973,” says Jeremey Steeves, son and co-owner. “He always liked the idea of something that didn’t taste mass-produced.

This train of thought is just one thing that led Perth Brewery to partner with local maple producer Temples Sugar Bush to create a refreshing ale with maple-forward flavour and just a kiss of sweetness.

“We debuted O’Canada in spring of 2014,” Steeves recalls. “That summer we brought it to the Ottawa Craft Beer Fest, and it won us both Favourite Brewery and Favourite Beer. We knew we had a keeper with this one.”

Steeves describes O’Canada as a mid-weight amber ale with light roasted-malt notes that keep the maple flavour well balanced. “It’s a really fun drinking experience,” he says. Pair this ale with sausages, strong cheeses, desserts — or just en- joy this uniquely Canadian beer on its own.

Perth Brewery
perthbrewery.ca | @perthbrewery

Find it at: Perth Brewery and online.

Syrup, Meet Pancakes. Pancakes, Meet Syrup.
In Westport, Ont., you’ll find about 100 acres of land where tapping trees and making syrup is truly a family affair. Blair Brothers Maples is relatively new to the maple game, but its products speak for themselves. The titular brothers are in fact the three young boys — Henry, Harvey and Archie — of Scott and Stacy Blair. They, as well as their daughters, Penny and Olive, are the clan behind some deliciously sweet syrups. Scott and Stacy have fond childhood memories of tapping trees, something they wanted to share with their young children. They have adopted new technology, such as a reverse-osmosis procedure to speed up the boiling time, which produces a sweet, delicious and uber maple-y syrup, sold in sizes from 500 millilitres up to a gallon.

Stacy, who is also featured on page 11, is a baker by trade, and when maple production ramped up, pancake mixes just seemed like a natural fit, each one perfectly paired with Blair Brothers syrup. The classic buttermilk mix is as simple as just adding liquid. But for some real showstopping pancakes, you’ll want to try the soufflé mix, available in classic or chocolate. Stacy uses the family syrup in many desserts at her bakery, The Pie Bar, and there are plans to release products such as maple granolas, maple mustards, and, as adorable Olive reminds us, maple candies.

Blair Brothers Maples
blairbrothersmaples.com | @blairbrothersmaples

Find it at: Cheerfully Made Goods + Markets, Freewheeling Craft, The Pie Bar (Westport)

You Got Your Maple in My… Salmon?
Since the 1970s, those in the know have been making the pilgrimage to La Boucanerie Chelsea Smokehouse for all manner of smoked fish and seafood. Nestled in the Chelsea forest, a mere 15 minutes from downtown Ottawa, you can find a myriad of delectable items, but one stands out. Delicious and craveable, it’s their maple smoked salmon jerky.

All salmon brought into the Smokehouse is sourced responsibly and ethically through sustainable farms in New Brunswick. And how about this? Owner, Elliot Gosselin, says that all the maple sawdust used to smoke the fish is sourced from Sam Bat in Carleton Place. They use the highest quality maple wood to make major league baseball bats. Top quality product all around.

To make the uniquely flavoured jerky, the fish goes through an eight-day process. It starts with a brine, then an air-dry, before an eight- to 16-hour cold smoke. After a rest, the smoked salmon is sliced thinly before marinating in maple syrup and chili paste and being smoked yet again for another eight to 16 hours. The double smoked salmon is then dehydrated into jerky.

The maple sweetness perfectly complements the rich, naturally buttery flavours of the salmon and the chili provides just the perfect touch of background heat. This is a jerky not to be missed, so get ye to the Smokehouse.

La Boucanerie Chelsea Smokehouse
boucaneriechelsea.com | @boucaneriechelseasmokehouse