October 2018 News

NOTE Our Off-Season Hours

After a fantastic 2018 maple season, the Pancake House Restaurant is now closed. The Maple Gift Shoppe remains open by appointment or chance.  Planning ahead? Call 613-256-3867 or email us at info@fultons.ca to set up a shopping date - we're always  happy to open the shoppe and help you find what you are looking for. 

Scribbles by Shirley

Looking forward to celebrate the past......It will be celebration time in 2019 as Fulton's marks '50 Flipping Years' of serving up pancakes. Fifty years ago our family had a meeting around the kitchen table and plans were put into place to build a pancake house. In 1969 my parents opened the doors with three tables and twelve chairs inside and a few picnic tables outside. Our kitchen was equipped with two electric household griddles, we called some local ladies to come in and help out, and Fulton's Pancake House was born.

The Pancake House has had four additions, the most life changing being the installation of indoor flushable toilets! Over the past 50 years our family, friends, neighbours, staff, business partners, suppliers, musicians, sleighride operators, outdoor event staff and celebrities have helped develop Fulton's into a true family business. 

So on Family Day weekend (February 16-18, 2019) we are going to celebrate all three days. On Sunday we are extending our hours for current/ former staff and VIP guests. CALLOUT to former Fulton's staff: We will be setting up a Facebook Group and email circulation list where the details will be shared. Please email marketing@fultons.ca to indicate your interest in the event and we will add you to the list.  We need your photos and stories! If you have any ideas of how you would like to celebrate 50 Flipping Years, please notify us. 

Sweet maple wishes to you,

Shirley Fulton-Deugo

4th Generation Owner

Fifty Acres in Fifty Days!

Scott and Triple Trouble's Incredible HOT Summer

Many of you know our long history (over 175 years of maple production and fifty flippin' years in the Pancake House). Our 400-acre sugarbush is the heart and soul of our business. 

Over the decades sugarbush care for future generations was a top priority. A large part of our organic certification is the inspection of our forest management practices. The Ecocert inspector spends time in our sugarbush checking tap holes, measuring tree size and ensuring a 10% diversification of tree species. Over the four years of organic certification we have had favourable comments from inspectors that included, "excellent forest management" and "superb forest management, very conservative tapping regime, with long term sustainability in mind". 

This summer Scott, with Triple Trouble (his sons Parker, Tyson and Logan) worked tirelessly to increase the number of taps here at Fulton's. It is exciting to reach trees in parts of our sugarbush that had been last tapped with buckets in the 1970's. With the improvement of pipeline installation we are able to connect these trees to our existing network. 

Before installing the pipeline Scott and the boys removed brush to make accessing future lines easier. They also cut any larger non-maple trees that were a threat to fall and break lines, or that provided too much shade for the pipelines to thaw on those cold spring days. Opening up the canopy allows more sunshine to reach our maple leaves. The sun is extremely important to our trees; in fact, they can't live without it, since they use the energy from sunlight for photosynthesis. The process of photosynthesis allows the plant to absorb energy through the chlorophyll in its leaves, which it then converts into food.  More sunshine equals sweeter sap! 

As well as sunshine our trees require water and nutrients from the soil in order to grow and flourish. We cut down the larger non-maple trees and underbrush and leave them on the ground where they provide warm and safe homes for animals now and will decompose over time to provide nutrients to the soil and support forest growth. Thinning trees means less competition for water and more water for our maple trees; water is important for production of volume of sap. 

So when you are skiing, snowshoeing or walking on our orange and yellow trails you will come across great heaps of brush and trees that have been cut down. Don't panic, it's all part of our plan. Sustainability is all about the circle of life.... birth, growth, decline, death and rebirth. 

When you visit during our 2019 season you will find Scott busily keeping up with his expanded sap flow, making more delicious syrup for you!

Congrats to Scott and Triple Trouble for their hot and hard sugarbush work this summer. 

We took some photos which we hope will allow our readers to see the magnitude of this project. The first task was to source materials and get everything delivered before the hard labour started. 

Scott and the boys needed to renovate the pumphouse before the lines were put up. In the spring sap will flow from the trees to the pumphouse, where it will be pumped to the Sugar Camp to be boiled and made into delicious maple syrup. 

The  pumphouse was finally completed, with the help of family and friends!

The next step was to clear trees and brush on almost fifty acres of sugarbush. Most non-maple species needed to be cleared to create room and allow sunlight to reach the maple trees. Creating an environment for strong healthy trees is key to managing an organic forest. Below are some examples of the large piles of brush and trees in areas of the forest on the orange and yellow trails.

It was a daunting task but the team pushed through the hot days in order to be finished before the installation of the new pipelines.

A company from Quebec was contracted to install the actual lines. Nine hundred metres of  large black mainline, 6,140 metres of secondary black pipeline and 13,700 metres of lateral lines were installed over 3-4 weeks; that's close to 21 kilometres of  new lines!  This required 10,300 metres (10.3km) of galvanized wire, 40,000 wire ties and 350 stainless steel hose clamps.

The workmanship and attention to detail is incredible. This project will allow Fulton's to significantly expand syrup production for many years to come. 

The droplines are in place ready for the new taps to be installed in the spring of 2019, just before the sap starts to flow. 

A Shout-Out To A Team Awesome Member

We get lots of nice reviews on social media as well as on our on-site feedback forms but this recent one was particularly good and we'd like to share it with you:

"A++ customer service! We were 4 days before flying to England when we realized we had no gifts to leave our hosts. Contacted Fulton's only to find out their gift shoppe was closed (off season), but RaeAnn (of Fulton's) stepped up to save the day. We were able to purchase the gift boxes over the phone, and get this, RaeAnn personally delivered them to our local Coffee shop for us to pick up at our convenience! I defy you to find better customer appreciation than this, it doesn't exist. "

Fulton's Honorary Staff Member

Introducing Phoenix! We are excited to welcome a new honorary staff member.  Fulton family/staff member Brenda along with Scott and their boys have agreed to raise a puppy for Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind.  This is a big check mark on Brenda's bucket list!!  Phoenix is a female German Shepherd and is almost 6 months old. She is very intelligent. She is learning to how to be quiet, well behaved and ignore many distractions. Learning that the family cats, chickens and goats are friends and shouldn't be chased is a hard concept for a dog from the city!  She enjoys visiting the grocery store, restaurants, and attending Parker's football games. She was a big hit at the Pakenham Business and Tourism meeting. And some days she just has to chill out at the office while Brenda is working. Phoenix will stay with Brenda (and family)  for the next  7-9 months, and will then go back to Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind in Manotick for further training and will hopefully graduate and be partnered with a visually impaired person.  Please remember,  when she is wearing her special red and beige Guide Dog jacket she is working and should not be petted or talked to.  "No Talk, No Touch, No eye contact."

Artist Sylvia Grantins

We LOVE to get shipments from one of our partners, artist Sylvia Grantins, as they are always full of fun stuff. Sylvia paints the lovely whimsical original art for sale in the Fulton's Gift Shoppe, which currently includes 4"x4" and 8"x8" paintings as well as fridge magnets.

This is what Sylvia has to say about herself:

"I started this business about 25 years ago when I made miniature log cabins out of driftwood sticks, bark, and moss.... Painting has always been in my life. My Mom paints, so it came naturally.

Nature inspires me. Quiet surroundings inspire me. The changing light of every day.... An awesome sunset, a sky of stars, a burst of flowers...

I've always painted on canvas, but this winter, I needed a new project... I wanted to make something small, sweet, cute, inexpensive, and easy to produce. So I cut some Alder branches from the swamp... sliced them into discs on a chop-saw, dried them slowly to prevent splitting, sanded, sealed... then, they were ready to paint on for making magnets! It may sound like a lot of work, but the prep work goes quite quickly, and the painting many multiples of each design is just second nature. I've always made everything by hand, not prints of any kind. Each and every piece is an original...until I smarten up, or get carpal tunnel syndrome.

Living in Northern Ontario surrounded by beauty makes me a lucky person. Being an artist makes me a lucky person. It takes dedication, but everything worthwhile does..."

We hope you will have a look at Syvlia's art next time you visit Fulton's. Or check Sylvia Grantin's Art Page on Facebook. 

Recipe of the Month

Chocolate Pumpkin Squares with Maple Whipped Cream

It's pumpkin season and the Farmer's Markets have lots of them for sale! We think this recipe for Chocolate Pumpkin Squares with Maple Whipped Cream would be ideal to serve for Thanksgiving. You can pick up Fulton's Organic Granulated Sugar and Maple Syrup in person by chance or appointment, or order it online and have it delivered.

Helpful hint: Instead of canned pumpkin consider making a batch of your own, it's very simple. To make puréed pumpkin: Pre-heat oven to 350F. Place the whole pumpkin on a baking sheet (yes, the whole thing!) and bake for 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the size of the pumpkin. It's done when you can stick the tip of a knife easily through the skin and flesh. Remove pumpkin from the oven. Once the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, cut into a few large chunks and remove stringy stuff, seeds and skin. Use a food processor or blender to purée the pumpkin. Deugo Pumpkins & Gourds now has locally grown pumpkins available at 5188 County Road #29, Almonte. Watch for the wagon parked near the road.

Upcoming Local Events

October 6-8- Thanksgiving Weekend. Don't forget to use Fulton's Organic Maple products in your Thanksgiving menu. Lots of ideas and recipes on the Fulton's website. 

October 6-8 - Crown and Pumpkin Tour, 10am-5pm daily.  This annual studio/ art tour takes place in the Almonte and Clayton area of beautiful Eastern Ontario  and includes 55+ artists at 20 locations. Five of those locations include lunch options. We hope you will visit some of the studios and support our many talented local artisans. Wander. Savour. Collect. More information available here.

Save the dates!

Thursday, November 22, 6:30-8:30pm - 2nd Annual Ladies Night at Cedar Hill Christmas Tree Farm- An old fashioned evening of Christmas hospitality and warmth. The first 50 ladies will receive a swag bag full of surprises. Shop for a wide array of indoor and outdoor Christmas décor, handmade wreaths and gift ideas. Tantalize your taste buds with samples of maple treats. Lots of door prizes. More information to come in a future newsletter. Mark the date now!

Sunday, February 17, 2019 (Family Day weekend) - Staff Alumnae Reunion at Fulton's as part of the celebration of 50 Flipping Years in the Pancake House. More information to come. Please plan to attend with your family. We will be launching a Facebook page. If you are a former staff and would like to be on the distribution list, please send a message to marketing@fultons.ca.