1. Spring

MARCH

Maple Syrup Festival at Cunningham Falls State Park - Sweet and Sappy

Day Trip Destination: Thurmont, Maryland

While people tend to think of Vermont and New Hampshire as the maple syrup states, Maryland, Pennsylvania and even Virginia celebrate the transformation of the sap of the sugar maple tree into America’s favorite pancake topper. Step aside, Mrs. Butterworth; this is the real deal.

It’s maple sugaring season, and there’s still time to get in on the fun. On Saturday, March 20 and Sunday, March 21, Cunningham Falls State Park invites you to their 41^st Annual Maple Syrup Festival in the William Houck Area off Route 77 in Thurmont. See a demonstration of the traditional maple syrup making process, eat a stack of pancakes slathered with sweet goodness, and let the kids enjoy a bit of fresh air.

This trip has something for everyone and is perfect for young families, scouting packs and multi-generational groups. Demonstrations take place every hour on the hour around a cast iron kettle over a wood-stoked fire. It doesn’t seem to matter how damp or cold the day is when you’re full of pancakes and standing here.

The steaming cauldron is put on at 8:30 in the morning, and it takes all day for park staff to work their magic. The demonstration includes a ranger’s talk on the evolution of the process and a bit of consumer education, as well as local lore and legend about the discovery of maple sugar as a food product.

Kids are encouraged to pick up and examine wooden spouts and to ask and answer questions – guides are informative and interactive and keep it simple so most age groups can understand. But that’s not to say that adults won’t learn something, too.

Breakfast is served in the rustic stone lodge that is the park’s concession building, with its long dining tables for making new friends and fire pit in the center for central heating. Pancakes are offered with sausage and Maryland-made maple syrup for under $5, and coffee is a buck. The smell of a campfire and the nostalgic feelings it evokes are free.

Products from S&S Maple Camp in Corriganville – one of Maryland’s largest producers of maple syrup – are available for purchase. Stop by the stand located near the demonstration area for a free shot, and taste their U S Grade A Medium Amber. Syrup is sold by the half-pint, pint, quart and half-gallon, and bags of maple sugar and candies are also available.

Several heated tents offer shelter from unpredictable March weather, with more fun inside. Kids can join Slim Harrison’s Sunnyland Band and play along with him on spoons, jugs, washboards, skiffle boards, limber jacks, wash tub bass and Pennsylvania Dutch stumpf-fiddles. Best of all, they can become a card-carrying member of the band.

Slim’s folk music tells of lost dogs, rainy days and the jugland boogie, but make no mistake: He’s a talented artist sharing a significant slice of Americana with our kids.

And that is, after all, what this day really is all about.

When you go …

• Demonstrations are held every hour from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
• Breakfast is served from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
• Admission is a recommended donation of $2 per person.
• Pancake breakfast with sausage is under $5; beverages are available for purchase.
• Cash only, no credit cards or checks will be accepted.
• Pets are prohibited in the tents, dining and demo areas and are best left at home.
• A sign language interpreter is scheduled for Sunday.
• Proceeds go to the Friends of Cunningham Falls and Gambrill State Parks.

Enough to Make Your Teeth Ache
Gateway Candyland is located in the unlikeliest of places, wedged between a liquor store and a church – two vices and a virtue – in a strip mall tucked off Route 15 just north of the park. Here you will find a dazzling array of candies – childhood favorites, newfangled novelties and a few surprises – a well as jams and jellies to take home.

As you open the door, you can smell the sugar dust in the air – a sign of the sweet nostalgia that waits inside. Row upon row of penny candy, now $4.59 per pound, fills the store, and suddenly the inner child is unleashed. Mary Janes? Squirrel Nuts? Fire Balls? This store is both a dentist’s nightmare and a baby boomer’s dream.

Sour cream and onion crickets and BBQ larvets are interesting offerings that pack a protein punch, and 32 flavors of ice cream serve to cleanse the palate. Gateway is a great stop for kids of all ages.

Time to Eat Again … (If You’re a Hobbit)
If you are headed south on Route 15, Historic Downtown Frederick makes a great detour for its shops, restaurants and small-town charm. One stand-out is Brewer’s Alley, known for its hand-crafted brews and innovative yet reasonably priced cuisine.

Updated comfort food is the house specialty, in addition to pizza from a wood-fired oven. The two concepts happily collide in my favorite dish: wood-fired smokehouse macaroni and cheese with Dorsey’s country ham. The balsamic blue filet with creamy mashers is a good choice, as is the buttermilk-fried chicken with country ham gravy.

Desserts are big enough to share and include warm caramel apple crisp and a brewmaster’s draft root beer float. Sandwiches, soups and appetizers are also offered. This restaurant is family friendly, and high chairs are available; meals from the kids’ menu are $6 including a soft drink.

Settle into a booth in the comfy dining area, or sit out on the patio on a fine spring day. You may not want to leave.

Story copyright 2011, Elaine C. Jean.  All rights reserved.
Photos copyright 2011, Paul N. Jean.  All rights reserved.

APRIL

Organic Tulip Festival

Destination: Brightwood, Virginia

Responsible for widespread economic collapse in the 17th century, tulips bring only happiness to festival visitors. All photos by Paul Jean.

Brightwood is an aptly named little town – anyone who has stopped in at their general store – a community center and jam-session joint of sorts – knows that. This is a place where folks smile, welcome you, and don’t cringe when you say you’re from the city. Many of them are, too.

And many have come here, with their knowledge and eternal optimism, to follow their dreams.

Jeroen Koeman came all the way from Holland –in a rather circuitous manner – to start EcoTulips with his wife and partner, Kerriann. The two have been married for just a couple of years – they were wed in their Inspiration Garden – and that is when they founded their organic tulip business and eco-friendly flower bulb fundraising program.

The only organic tulip business in the country, EcoTulips, at 3320 Lillards Ford Road, marries their interests and passions, as well – his for the flowering bulb that is the ultimate sign of spring, and hers for the quest for a greener, healthier way of living.

On weekends in April, the couple is hosting their Organic Tulip Festival, now in its second year.

Here Jeroen, from a long line of tulip farmers, presides over his quarter-acre field of 60,000 flowers in an endearingly humble manner. The operation may be small in size, but it’s big in heart.

I caught up with Kerriann and asked her why we need organic tulips, since we don’t really eat them. At that, she grinned and whipped out a recipe for “The Perfect Eco Tulips Organic Tulip Salad,” proudly announcing that people are dining on the colorful petals at both Equinox and Eola in Washington, D.C.

Even if you don’t care to taste your tulips, Kerriann explained that, “It’s about the small picture, exposing yourself to fewer toxins in general, and the big picture, avoiding the damage that’s done to the planet with synthetic pesticides.” There’s more than one reason to go green.

The cost of their organic tulips is surprisingly reasonable – competitive with high-quality, online bulbs, and you are supporting a Virginia business and a heck of a nice couple.

Also at the festival, which runs through April 24, you can stroll among a handful of tables set up by local businesses and chat with the owners. Vendors may change weekly, but the quality remains the same.

Babes in the Woods sells rare breed, forest-fed pork that’s raised with medieval farming techniques and no antibiotics or hormones.  Their pigs are roaming the forest and foraging for food, living the good life for as long as it lasts. Products include pork tenderloin, baby back ribs and chops.

Greenie’s is a relatively new venture owned by former school teacher Kathy Zentgraf, who serves food made with sustainable, organic, locally made products whenever possible. Grab one of her lunches – eggplant and arugula, root veggie naan, or sesame noodles – and spread out your picnic blanket to relax and enjoy the scenery. And please note that, while you can bring your own picnic, pets are not allowed.

EcoTulips sets up a table for buying and ordering tulip bulbs, and of course you can cut your own flowers and take some home for $1-2 per stem. Bring a bucket, because the flowers will get thirsty. You’ll want to keep them fresh for your spring table – and your salad!

We met Scott Elliff, the owner of Ducard Vineyard, at the Tulip Festival, and he sent us over to his winery at 40 Gibson Hollow Lane in Etlan to taste the 2008 Norton. The ride took us across landscape that is a sampler of what is best about Madison County – through villages, surrounded by views and over to Virginia’s first solar-powered winery.

The building and its tasting room – nestled in the shadow of Old Rag Mountain — were created using local craftsmen and materials, and, along with note-worthy views and wines, they feature gourmet cheeses, meats and chocolates made by nearby artisans. Ducard is a testament to the Buy Fresh, Buy Local movement.

Elliff takes his role as steward to the land and the environment around it seriously, since his business is based in nature. And his wines – ranging from viogner to port — indicate that when you do good things, good things happen.

The tasting fee is $5, which is applied to the purchase of two bottles of wine. DuCard is open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. They’re dog and kid friendly, with plenty of room for everyone.

And a visit to Brightwood would just not be complete without a stop at the Brightwood General Store at 211 Ridgeview Road to see owner Dave Peake.

Brightwood is one of the oldest, friendliest, most musical general stores in Virginia. On Saturday, April 16, the Quickdraw Band will be performing on the outdoor stage from 7-10 p.m., and on Sunday The Shrine will be performing at 4 p.m.

Dave will be cooking up his pizza, sandwiches and grill items on Saturday, for folks to eat while they enjoy the music, and he’ll offer a BBQ sandwich special (including slaw, baked beans, iced tea and dessert) for $10 on Sunday. The cake of the week is Dawn’s Famous Chocolate Eclair.

The store offers two sound stages – one indoors and one out – with a variety of music to enjoy all year long.

When you go…

• The Tulip Festival will be held on weekends through the end of April.
• Admission and parking are free.
• Hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Koppie Doen (coffee break) is offered twice daily with the Tulip Man.
• Call (434) 242-6369 to confirm that flowers are still in bloom.
• Ask for information on EcoTulips’ fundraising opportunity for schools, churches, scouting groups and other non-profit organizations.
• And don’t forget to bring your own bucket for collecting your tulips!

Story copyright 2011, Elaine C. Jean. All rights reserved.
Photos copyright 2011, Paul N. Jean. All rights reserved.

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