Hubbs Sugarbush & Sweetwater Cabin
332 Pulver Road, 1937 Rednersville Road, Carrying Place, Ontario, 613-966-8997
Ron Hubbs grew up on a dairy farm and once grew cash crops himself. Now he works in the municipality’s roads and engineering department, but this fourth generation farmer still produces one great crop a year – sweet maple syrup. He’s carrying on a family tradition of more than 100 years.
The family farm has an old established sugarbush with 14 kms of thoroughly modern plastic tubing to collect the sap. But as well as tending the old bush up the lane and over the hill from the farmhouse, Ron planted a new orchard in 1989. He dug out young maples that were struggling for light and replanted them on a sunny south-facing slope behind the house. With 100 trees per acre the orchard captures maximum sunlight to ensure the best possible yield of sap, it is now ready to harvest sap.
Janice Hubbs created their Sweetwater Cabin from a very old log cabin they rescued from Lanark County. Rebuilt and looking great, the little cabin welcomes visitors all year round to sample syrup and maple treats. A wonderful selection of maple themed antiques and accessories are on display, and a stuffed fisher, a furry little carnivore who met his fate on the road outside, now sits stuffed and watchful amid the maple paraphernalia.
Janice is curator of the Ameliasburgh Heritage Village and a fountain of knowledge about the history of the County and of maple syrup. Just as the Native Peoples taught settlers how to make maple syrup to sweeten their hard lives, Janice enthusiastically shares her love and knowledge of all things maple with schoolchildren, guests and her hundreds of Maple in the County visitors.
This year celebrate spring at Hubb’s Sugarbush. Enjoy wagon rides from Sweetwater Cabin to the Sugarhouse and Pancake Breakfast at Hubbs. We host a lumberjack show featuring Tom Mikel. Breakfast will also be served by Lake Lodge. Lake Lodge No. 215 celebrates over 40 years of their Annual Pancake Breakfast with proceeds benefiting many community projects. All activities are weather permitting. Full details at: facebook.com/sweetwatercabin
Hubbs Sugarbush / Sweetwater Cabin
- started in 1975 with 600 taps
- met Odie Grimm of the Grimm Manufacturing Company, added 200 taps on tubing, used a 3X12 Grimm evaporator
- 1977 hosted Lake Lodge’s first pancake breakfast
- 1980 built a new sugarhouse
- 1983 bought new pans
- 1985 installed tubing
- 1989 started planting trees in our maple orchard
- 1993 bought a new Hurricane evaporator
- 2003 opened Sweetwater Cabin Maple store and Museum
- 2008 bought new pans
- 2009 inducted into the Quinte Local Maple Hall of Fame
