Latest News, Recipes & Events

We’re not just in it for the pancakes! Read what we’ve been up to. Once our syrup season is done we move to the garden and get planting so we can provide our local Farmer’s Market with delicious salad greens, and eventually other veggies like beans, beets, hot peppers, tomatoes and squash (to name a few).

Syrup Season 2024 and Cheers to 10 years

If you read the news at all, or at least see the headlines then its no surprise we got going early this year.

2024 Kicks Off

With the winter having been so mild, we could be tapping syrup as early as February.

Summer Coming to a Close

We want to thank all of our customers, new and old, for your support over this past market season. This was our best market year yet and we look forward to the next.

Syrup Season 2023 a Success!

Mike and I are happy with the quality of the syrup this year. We finished up our Birch, Birple and Birch/Maple Water runs at the end of April.

February 2023 update

Maple syrup season is about to start and we're getting ready to tap.

2022 in a Nutshell

A quick roundup of what has been happening at Garside Gardens, from our market produce to our Facebook page closing down.

Contest Giveaway Update

We regret to inform everyone that our Facebook page is gone. After noticing very suspicious activity we decided to shut ‘er down.

CONTEST GIVEAWAY!!

Our first contest/giveaway has begun. Enter to win a One Litre of our delicious maple syrup!

Syrup Season 2022

We finished tapping in yesterday with a total of 310 taps. The line system is clean and we are collecting crystal clear sap today while we prepare the shack for boiling. Batch one should be bottled over the weekend!

Winter Solstice 2021

The darkest day of the year. The first day of winter. Also, the last day before it starts to get light again. A time to reflect and a time to look ahead.

Summer 2021

This summer has been a doozy. It started out with extreme heat really early on that allowed a lot of things to start growing sooner than normal.

Syrup Season 2021 Update: It's over!

Well like the many syrup seasons that have come before this one was a whirlwind. We tapped in early March and just finished up right before Easter Weekend.

Hello Maple Syrup Fans!

I am happy to report that Syrup Season 2021 is underway at Garside Gardens. Mike and I always hum and haw for a few days before we start tapping trees. This year was no exception.

2021 Update

We are grateful to be where we are. However, we miss our friends and families that we are unable to visit, and long for warmer summer days on the lake.

2020 UPDATE!!

With all adversity comes the potential for growth and we’re doing our best to focus on the positive in these crazy weird times.

Molasses Buns (Made with Birple Syrup)

What are molasses buns? They are not buns, no. They are not cookies, no. They are something in between.

Maple Walnut Muffins

Ah, Maple and Walnut. A classic combination. This recipe comes from a favourite book of muffin recipes called: Magnificent Muffins Cookbook.

Syrup Season 2020

Syrup Season 2020 is underway. We've made two batches of syrup so far. The weather has been up and down (more so then what is ideal).

Sweet Greetings Folks

It's that time of year again. The days are getting brighter and warmer. The sap has run a couple of times so far.

The Fall is our favorite time of year next to Spring

When the sun is out the colours of the trees just explode with beauty. 

Spring is here! Woohoo!!

Syrup season has ended and it was a great one! We made a whopping 270 Liters of syrup. Not bad for 300 or so taps.

Clean clean clean that maple machine!

When it comes to boiling maple, one thing that always needs to be dealt with is the sugar sand.

Spring is here!

Sap is flowing (intermittently). We've tapped 270 trees this season. Just enough to get a few good batches. We decided to leave out quite a few trees this year.

SNOW is the word

The news I've been reading online says that Syrup Season 2019 has begun in Ontario, but it definitely isn't happening up here.

Happy 2019 from Garside Gardens!

Well, here we are. Happy 2019!! There's 2+ feet of snow and more falling what seems like every other day. A real Canadian winter!

Happy Holidays from Garside Garders

Well it's finally December. The time of year where the daylight hours are few (in the North especially) and the cold season of Winter approaches.

Fall Has Arrived!

This time of year is lovely. No bugs, cooler weather, and eventually a variety of colours all around us.

Market Saturdays

Summer is winding down on the Island, and so are the days left for harvesting and selling at our local Farmers Market in Hilton Beach.

Website is Live!

‘Coming Soon’ were the words that used to meet you on our old site. ‘Soon’ turned into something like 2.5 years; some call it Island Time.

Summer Farmers Market

Visit us at the farm gate, or at the Hilton Beach Farmers Market between June and September.

Mike’s Sweet & Sour Venison Balls

For this recipe you can substitute beef for venison if you don’t have any, or don’t care for venison.

Our First Blog Post

Mike and I are gearing up for another syrup season on beautiful St. Joseph Island, Ontario, Canada.

Quality over Quantity at Garside Gardens.