My Seasonal Harvest blog is an effort to share my passion for the outdoors, nature and the environment with others, and connect with like-minded individuals. Here I share my experiences as a maple syrup producer, beekeeper and gardener.
I love good food. Moreover, I genuinely appreciate knowing where my food comes from. Knowing how my food got from its raw state to my plate gives me great satisfaction: knowing the trees my maple syrup came from, knowing the garden my vegetables were grown in, knowing my bees have access to food that hasn’t been sprayed with toxic chemicals, or pesticides. This is why I am a maple syrup producer, a beekeeper, and a gardener.
The maple syrup pursuits I share here are really family pursuits. A tremendous amount of work goes into the maple syrup season and I am thankful to everyone who helps out. The slogan of Julia’s Tree Stand Maple Syrup, From my trees to your table should really be ‘From our trees…’ or at the very least ‘From my family’s trees…’. I chose to use ‘my’ to emphasize that I am involved in every step of the process and know exactly what is in my maple syrup, that I am confident it is 100% pure.
My newest pursuit, beekeeping gives me great joy. I am thrilled to see my colonies grow and flourish. For me, beekeeping is a natural extension of my passion for the outdoors, environment and nature.
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Seasonal Harvest 
You would certainly be welcomed at our home! Feel free to drop a line at john dot espadero at gmail dot com so I’ll have your contact info.
That’s good to know. I’ve been reading a lot and have already committed to two nucs from Mahmoud as you had done. I am in Brockville, so Ottawa would be the closest big city. Perhaps I can pay your apiary a visit when the seasons change!
Mahmoud is a very nice man, an absolute gem. Yes please do plan a visit. As well I am in Brockville often over the summer and would be more than willing to get together sometime.
I just came across your blog and enjoyed your posts on starting your beekeeping journey. I am looking to do the same as well. How did you find the course at Algonquin?
I’m glad you liked my posts. I found the course at Algonquin very informative and it gave me the confidence I needed to take the plunge to get into beekeeping. The course provided me with an excellent foundation of knowledge to build on. From visiting other apiaries since then I have discovered that different beekeepers use different tactics to achieve similar results. I’m excited for spring to come not only for maple syrup season but also to see how my bees do over the winter. Are you located in the Ottawa area?