Chimney Ridge Buckets and Blooms
The more you dig the more you learn!
Here is an interesting couple that have come to the area and added so much!
When our children were little we often read to them from our collection of Berenstain Bear books, written by Stan and Jan Berenstain (Random House, New York). Often the books would begin with a paragraph that included these words, . . . “down a sunny dirt road deep in Bear Country . . .” and then off we would go on another adventure with the Bear Family. Well, that line aptly describes our location too. At the bottom of a hill on a meandering gravel road (yes, in bear country) you’ll find Chimney Ridge Buckets and Blooms.
We fell in love with this idyllic setting when, wanting a lifestyle change for our family, we journeyed and relocated north in the late ‘90’s. It’s a decision we’ve never regretted. We enjoy the peace and stillness of the countryside – in fact, it’s so quiet here, we can often hear the drone of motor boats as they navigate Colpoys Bay some 6 kms away. Wildlife and songbirds abound and there’s always something going on at the wetlands – a donation left by our industrious beavers.
It’s here in this backdrop that we developed our maple sugar bush and tour gardens and we invite you to visit and enjoy this setting with us. Ten years in the making, with lots more projects to be developed, we now feature:
- Perennial sun and shade gardens
- A potager garden featuring vegetables, herbs and edible blooms
Future Projects
Old barn foundation to be developed with gardens which will likely be a three to five year project. Visit regularly and watch us progress.
Continued expansion of maple syrup business including a self directed bush tour and DVD of the syrup making process
. . . and a new garden or two may just appear along the way as well
Granny’s General Store When a friend from Tara, ON, heard that one of our goals was to open a General Store, she firmly announced, “Every General Store must have a pot-bellied stove!” With that she led me up the stairs, where, in a corner of the room, was the most beautiful pot-bellied stove I’d ever seen. It now sits in a corner of the store and we now affectionately refer to it as “Granny’s” General Store. Besides the pot-bellied stove there are also many other interesting antiques on display. The store features Nellie’s handicrafts including quilts, garden rustics, bucket lamps and, of course, our home grown Maple Syrup. Purchases may be made by Cash, Mastercard or Visa. Sorry no Interac.
Charity Quilt Stash Exchange Quilters take Note: If you’re a quilter then you likely have a stash of fabric stored away somewhere in your sewing room. Why not participate in a Charity Quilt Stash Exchange? Here’s how it works. Bring us any fabric you’re just tired of looking at or know you won’t ever do anything with. Pieces must be at least the size of a fat quarter – 20″ x22″. Donations will be cut into fat quarters and then added to “Granny’s Stash” at the store and made available to shoppers for a minimum donation of a toonie ($2.00 Cdn) per piece. In September, all proceeds collected will be donated to a local charity that supports a women’s cause. A great way to clear your own stash, find some new gems and support a local charity.
BLOOMS
When Chris or one of our children see me crossing a bit of grassy lawn with the garden hose in tow and a can of spray paint in hand, they know that it’s just a matter of time before another garden appears. They’re used to it now expressing idle curiosity at what might be up my sleeve (the kids) or wondering just how many rocks need to be moved into place this time (Chris). My passion for gardening is ignited by the design element of landscaping and for me, there is nothing more satisfying than to take a piece of barren land and create something beautiful.
before
after
For a number of years now, I’ve been “creating” and the result is a country garden that bursts into a riot of colour and attracts birds, bees and butterflies alike. Various rustic structures and pathways dot the gardens as does a garden pond and waterfall, much loved by frogs (one day we counted over 100) as well as a few opportunistic garter snakes (yikes).
While I’m not a collector of plants and prefer an eclectic mix of plantings I do have some favourite varieties including the ruffled and regal blooms of peonies, the varied foliage colours of Huchera (coral bells) and Oriental and Asiatic lilies including lily trees.
I was indeed fortunate to be planting new gardens at the same time that two other gardeners, whom I knew, were redesigning and downsizing their garden plots. I was very privileged to come away with literally carloads of plants and bulbs that really helped establish the gardens here at Chimney Ridge Buckets and Blooms.
A hit with visitors last year was our new potager garden featuring vegetables, herbs and edible blooms, companion planted for colour, leaf texture, etc. Come visit and see cucumbers and squash scrambling up trellises and how much can be planted in a small space.
BUCKETS
When taking possession of our house for the first time, our real estate agent left us a 4L jug of maple syrup as a house warming gift. Then, tucked in a corner of the basement we found a number of sap buckets left by the previous homeowners. That’s all it took to get Chris hooked and he began to research and develop our ever growing and expanding maple syrup business.
We began humbly, hanging buckets on trees and using sleds to collect and transport sap, trudging through knee deep snow, to a three sided, barely standing, ramshackle sugar shack on the hill. It was a family affair with everyone helping. Our youngest daughter was about five at the time and found it difficult to traverse the bush and in the course of collecting sap, spilled several buckets of it.
Impatient, Chris had words with her and in tears she came through the back door, explaining that the reason the metal buckets had slipped through her hands was because she was wearing two different coloured mittens.
That was the first and only year we used buckets. We now have a pipeline system in place tapping 1550 trees and hope to tap an additional 500-700 trees this summer. Each year we try to grow a little more and our goal is to expand to 3000 taps, enlarge our sugar house, replace and update existing equipment and develop a DVD of the syrup making process to show our summer visitors.
Come visit, see our current set up, learn how we make syrup and have a leisurely stroll through the sugar bush. Visit every year and watch us grow!
Syrup is available on location
Prices:
| 250mL | $ 8.00 |
| 500mL | $12.25 |
| 1L | $20.00 |
Selected specialty gift bottles and plastic containers suitable for packing and travelling are also available.
http://www.bucketsandblooms.com/index.htm
Come on up to the Bruce you will be glad you did!
Bruce
