Jeremy Yearwood of Pure 62 was the guest speaker at the Tweed and District Horticultural Society’s June meeting. Jeremy wears “many hats” in his life…..father, husband, son, firefighter (Markham), maple syrup producer, beekeeper and sawmill operator. His presentation was filled with interesting information about his many “hats”!
He credits his Dad for his love of the land. As a child he enjoyed a varietyof outdoor activities…hunting and gardening that helped to foster his love of nature.
In 2016, he purchased a place in Madoc on Highway 62 (hence the name Pure 62) at Crookston Road. Initially, he had 36 acres with a mixture of hardwood and cedar. After a consultation with the forestry planner and a forest walkthrough, the “Maple Bug” was planted. Jeremy decided to tap the trees to make maple syrup. Using a You tube video, he studied the process and thought, “I can do this!” He bought a small 2×4 evaporator, tapped 150 trees using the bucket method and collected sap using his ATV. He sold out of his maple syrup in 3 weeks!!!
He then decided to use the tubing method…more efficient in terms of time, waste, and production. He purchased a used evaporator and tapped 1000 trees. He uses the diseased and fallen trees on his property as hissource of heat. By using the “reverse osmosis” method, he is able to get the water out of the sap by cutting the boiling time by 80%….less wood needed…more efficient!
He now has 80+ acres with 2200 trees, 75,000 feet of tubing that leads to his sugarshack. He only uses the sap from the trees on his property in his maple syrup. Like wine, the soil plays a crucial factor in the taste of maple syrup…so maple syrup from his trees may taste different from maple syrup produced in the county or from another farm just north of his farm. Everything is packaged and labelled at the farm.
Using his maple syrup, Jeremy has started to make maple bourbon. The barrel needed to make the bourbon is imported from the States and can be used only one. It takes approximately 6-8 months from start to finish to make the bourbon.
When he is wearing his beekeeper “hat”, Jeremy looks after 20 hives. Although initially he had more hives, he finds that 20 is a good number for him. He gets more honey as he can pay closer attention to the care of the hives. Although he has no bear issues due to his proximity to the highway, he admitted that ants are often a threat to the hives.
As the owner of a sawmill, Jeremy does small jobs for local people. The bigger mills do production work and do not have the time for small orders.
Members eagerly purchased the honey, maple syrup and maple bourbonthat Jeremy had for sale at the meeting. Maple candy, maple butter and maple sugar can also be purchased at the store.
For more information about Pure 62, check out the website…
www.pure62local.com
Upcoming Events:
July 21-23…OHA Convention in Kanata
September 5….guest speaker will be Carson Arthur of Carson’s Garden and Market in the County. At the Agricultural Building (White Building) in the fairgrounds