Inside a sugar shack: an interview with a maple syrup producer near Ottawa

In the rolling hills north of Ottawa, near the village of Ripon in Quebec’s Outaouais region, Erabliere Lacombe continues a family tradition of maple syrup production that spans three generations. Jean-Francois Lacombe, who has completed twenty-six sugaring seasons, manages the 6,400-tap operation after completing training at the Institut de technologie agroalimentaire de Saint-Hyacinthe and maintaining membership in the Federation des producteurs acericoles du Quebec. The facility relies on reverse-osmosis equipment to concentrate sap before boiling, a method that has become standard across many commercial sugarbushes in the province.

During a conversation conducted at the sugarhouse in late March, Lacombe described the precise sequence of tasks that begins each season and the measurements that determine final product quality. Visitors planning excursions from the national capital will find the site roughly seventy-five kilometres from central Ottawa along routes commonly included in day trips from Ottawa. The discussion focused on operational records rather than promotional descriptions of the landscape.

Meet Jean-Francois: twenty-six seasons in the sugarbush

Lacombe’s first responsibilities on the property began at age twelve, when he assisted with tubing repairs and sap collection during weekends. By his mid-teens he was recording daily sap volumes and learning to adjust vacuum levels on the main lines. These early tasks established the habit of daily log-keeping that still governs the operation.

Question: What sequence of events led you from seasonal assistance to full management of the 6,400-tap sugarbush?

Jean-Francois Lacombe: My grandfather installed the first mainline network in 1978 on two hundred acres that had previously been tapped with buckets. When my father took over in 1992, he added a small evaporator and began selling syrup in bulk to a co-operative in Plessisville. I returned after finishing the two-year programme at Saint-Hyacinthe in 1998 and immediately took charge of sap monitoring because the older system was losing vacuum on several slopes.

Within three seasons we replaced the original lines with 7/16-inch tubing and installed a 1,200-litre-per-hour reverse-osmosis unit. The Federation des producteurs acericoles du Quebec requires annual calibration certificates for all concentration equipment, and we schedule that service each December. By 2005 the tap count had reached 4,800; the final expansion to 6,400 taps occurred in 2014 after we purchased an adjacent woodlot along Route 317.

Question: Which regulatory or technical changes since 1998 have most altered daily procedures at Erabliere Lacombe?

Jean-Francois Lacombe: The introduction of mandatory syrup grading based on light transmission in 2015 required purchase of a spectrophotometer accurate to 0.1 percent. We now test every batch before it enters the storage tanks. In addition, the Federation began requiring electronic submission of production volumes by 15 April each year, which replaced the paper forms used previously. Both changes increased record-keeping time by roughly four hours per week during the season.

Connecting paragraphs between operational changes and current staffing show that Lacombe employs two full-time assistants from February through April and contracts a third for tubing installation in October. All three hold current pesticide-applicator certificates because the Federation inspects for pest-management documentation during random audits.

The sugaring window - February to early April

Sap flow at Erabliere Lacombe is recorded from the first week of February through the second week of April in most years. Temperature thresholds remain consistent: daytime highs above 5 °C paired with nighttime lows below 0 °C produce measurable flow. Data from the on-site weather station, cross-checked with Environment Canada records for the Ripon station, guide decisions on when to open the main vacuum valves.

Question: How do you determine the precise start and end dates for tapping and collection each season?

Jean-Francois Lacombe: Tapping begins only after three consecutive nights below −5 °C and once the forecast shows at least four days of freeze-thaw cycles. In 2023 we drilled the first holes on 8 February and completed all 6,400 taps by 12 February. Collection continues until daily sap volume drops below 5 percent of peak or until the trees show visible bud swell, whichever occurs first. In 2022 that date fell on 9 April.

We monitor sugar content with a handheld refractometer calibrated to 0.1 °Brix. When average sap readings fall below 1.8 °Brix for three days, lines are closed and the vacuum pump is shut down. This threshold prevents energy waste on dilute sap that would require excessive boiling time.

Question: What daily schedule governs sap collection and storage once the season is under way?

Jean-Francois Lacombe: The vacuum pump runs from 06:00 until 20:00. Sap is pumped every four hours into a 10,000-litre stainless holding tank kept at 2 °C. Each load is weighed on a platform scale accurate to one kilogram and logged before transfer to the reverse-osmosis unit. On peak days we move 48,000 litres, which yields approximately 1,200 litres of concentrate at 18 °Brix. The concentrate is then fed to the evaporator at a controlled rate of 180 litres per hour.

A second internal link appears when Lacombe notes that producers farther west sometimes coordinate with Wakefield village day trip operators for joint visitor programmes, although Erabliere Lacombe itself does not host tours during the boiling period.

The boil ratio and grading scale explained

The evaporator at Erabliere Lacombe is a 1.2-metre-wide wood-fired unit manufactured by CDL. With reverse-osmosis pre-concentration, the effective boil ratio from sap to finished syrup is 25:1 rather than the traditional 40:1. Finished syrup must reach 66 °Brix at 10 °C before it is drawn off into 45-litre drums.

Question: Can you outline the exact boil ratio calculations used once concentrate enters the evaporator?

Jean-Francois Lacombe: We measure incoming concentrate at 18 °Brix and finished syrup at 66 °Brix. The mass ratio is therefore 66 divided by 18, or 3.67 kilograms of concentrate per kilogram of syrup. Accounting for the 3 percent average loss to foam and sediment, the practical input volume is 3.78 litres of concentrate per litre of finished syrup. At current fuel-oil prices of 1.12 CAD per litre, evaporating one litre of finished syrup costs approximately 0.84 CAD in energy alone.

Question: How is the final grading performed and documented before drums are sealed?

Jean-Francois Lacombe: Every drum is stirred for two minutes, then a 30-millilitre sample is drawn and tested on the spectrophotometer. Transmission values are recorded on the Federation’s electronic form: 75 percent or higher receives the “Golden” designation, 50–74 percent “Amber,” 25–49 percent “Dark,” and below 25 percent “Very Dark.” Drums are labelled with lot number, date, and grade before storage at 12 °C. In 2023 the operation produced 4,820 litres of Amber and 1,310 litres of Dark, with none falling into the Very Dark category.

Further details on industry standards are available through resources such as voyage-canada.com, which maintains updated summaries of provincial production statistics.

What a cabane a sucre meal actually serves

Question: How does the traditional cabane a sucre menu at Erabliere Lacombe differ from simplified tourist versions found elsewhere in the Outaouais?

Jean-Francois Lacombe: We serve a fixed sequence that begins with soupe aux pois prepared from yellow peas, salted pork, and carrots, followed by ham baked with maple glaze, baked beans slow-cooked overnight in maple syrup, and tourtière made with ground pork and spices. Each plate is accompanied by fresh bread and pickled beets. The meal concludes with maple taffy poured on snow and a choice of sugar pie or doughnuts.

The sequence reflects the order in which farm workers once ate during the sugaring season. We begin service at 11:00 and seat the final table at 14:30 each Saturday and Sunday from the second weekend in March through the third weekend in April. Groups larger than eight must reserve at least ten days ahead because our dining room holds only 92 places. Adult portions cost 32 CAD and include unlimited coffee or tea; children between six and twelve pay 14 CAD. We do not offer à-la-carte options during peak weeks because the kitchen runs on a single continuous production line.

Question: Which maple products made on site appear on the table, and how does the reverse-osmosis system affect their flavour profile?

Jean-Francois Lacombe: Every table receives a small carafe of our light amber syrup drawn from the final reverse-osmosis concentrate. The 6,400-tap system processes sap at 12 litres per minute through two 15-horsepower pumps, raising sugar content from roughly 2 percent to 8 percent before boiling. This shortens boiling time by 60 percent and preserves more volatile aromatics, resulting in a cleaner, less caramelised taste than syrup produced solely in open pans.

We also place a ramekin of maple butter and a small dish of maple jelly beside each setting. Both are made in the same evaporator room that processes the season’s first runs. Visitors who wish to purchase larger quantities can buy 500-millilitre and 1-litre tins at the on-site shop for 13.50 CAD and 24 CAD respectively. These prices have remained stable since the 2019 crop year because our membership in the Fédération des producteurs acéricoles du Québec fixes the bulk price each autumn.

The meal therefore functions as both sustenance and demonstration of the current season’s output.

We measure success when a family finishes the meal and immediately asks how the syrup reached that colour.

Visiting respectfully - rules of the season

Question: What operational constraints govern visitor movement inside the sugarbush during the March and April production window?

Jean-Francois Lacombe: The bush operates under a Québec Ministry of Agriculture permit that limits vehicle traffic to two designated gravel lanes once sap flow begins. Visitors must remain on the marked boardwalk that runs 1.8 kilometres from the parking area to the evaporator house. Off-path walking is prohibited because heavy boots compact the shallow root systems of the sugar maples and can damage the network of 1,200-metre lateral lines that feed the main collection header.

We open the bush to the public only between 09:30 and 16:00 on days when the temperature rises above 4 °C after a night below freezing. On days when the sap run exceeds 80,000 litres we close the trails at 15:00 so the crew can complete vacuum-line checks before dusk. Groups that arrive without reservations are turned away once the daily cap of 180 visitors is reached.

Question: How do noise levels and photography affect the daily work of the boiling crew?

Jean-Francois Lacombe: The evaporator room maintains an ambient temperature above 38 °C during peak boil. Flash photography triggers the optical sensors on the level-control valves twice per minute, forcing manual resets that delay the draw-off by several litres each time. We therefore request that visitors switch off camera flashes and keep conversations below normal restaurant volume. Cellular calls are asked to be taken outside the building so the crew can hear the steam whistle that signals when the syrup reaches 66 °Bx on the refractometer.

These measures have been in place since the 2008 season when a single loud group caused a 45-minute shutdown after an operator missed the density reading. Compliance has reduced lost production time to less than two percent of total boiling hours.

Practical: how to book, what to bring

Question: What are the exact booking channels and payment methods accepted at Erabliere Lacombe?

Jean-Francois Lacombe: Reservations are accepted by telephone at 819-427-1234 between 08:00 and 20:00 daily or through the online calendar on the sugarbush website. A non-refundable deposit of 10 CAD per person is charged at the time of booking and applied to the final bill. The balance may be settled by debit card, credit card, or cash on arrival. We do not accept cheques or electronic transfers for same-week bookings.

During March and April the driveway is ploughed only to the main lot; overflow parking lies 400 metres farther along Route 317. Visitors who require mobility assistance should mention this when reserving so staff can arrange a shuttle from the lower lot.

Question: Which items should visitors carry for a March visit, and how do temperatures inside the buildings compare with outdoor conditions?

Jean-Francois Lacombe: Outdoor temperatures at 10:00 often sit between minus 6 °C and plus 2 °C. Inside the evaporator house the air remains above 35 °C, while the dining room is held at 18 °C. We therefore advise layered clothing and waterproof boots rated to at least minus 10 °C. Hats and gloves are useful on the boardwalk but are removed before entering the dining room. Cash in small denominations is helpful for the retail shop, although cards are accepted.

A single internal link appears in the account of travel logistics: many Ottawa residents combine the outing with day trips from Ottawa that also stop at Wakefield village day trip. Additional planning resources are available at voyage-canada.com.

The interview shows that maple production near Ottawa remains a working agricultural activity rather than a staged spectacle. The constraints of temperature, equipment, and regulatory oversight determine the precise window during which visitors can observe the process. These same constraints shape the modest scale of the dining room and the fixed menu that has changed little over three generations. The result is an experience that rewards advance planning and quiet attention rather than spontaneous arrival.