FARM RULES
Reaping the bounty in Prince Edward County
Wend your way along a country lane in Prince Edward County and you’re apt to find a roadside stand, its rustic shelves spilling over with sweet summer peas, amber honey, or farm-fresh eggs. The clincher: it may well be manned by nothing more than a blackboard listing the prices, along with a hand-lettered sign that reads, “Put your money in the can.”
Part of the charm of the place locals affectionately call ‘The County’ is the sense that you’ve somehow returned to a time when folks can be trusted to abide by the honour system. It may be just over two hours from Toronto, but it feels about a century away.
Oh, and then there’s the food. For the foodie, The County pretty much has it all. Vicky’s Veggies (81 Morrison Point Rd., Black River) may be the best known of the roadside veggie stands. Vicky Emlaw’s family farm produces a jewel-toned cornucopia of organic produce still
Cheese please
dusted with rich soil. The offerings change according to what’s in season but there’s often a tempting array of jarred pesto, sauces and preserves. Look for a little white building with green trim and a hand-painted sign in bright orange. Pop into Black River Cheese Company (913 Country Rd. 13, R.R. 2, Milford) for a crumbling wedge of hand-crafted knife-sharp five-yearold cheddar or a bag of squeaky-fresh garlic cheese curds made with 100 per cent pure fluid milk produced by local farmers. Founded in 1901, the plucky farmerowned cooperative managed to escape the fate of 26 other local cheese houses that shut down due to competition from industrial cheese makers. In fact, when fire razed its building in 2001, Black River deliberately chose not to modernize the production facility, tracking down replacements for its artisanal open-vat equipment in El Paso, Texas. In keeping with its roots, its cheeses are naturally aged and contain no artificial preservatives, modified milk ingredients and animal rennet. For a wider selection of artisanal cheeses from around the world, venture to Fifth Town Artisan Cheese (4309 County Road 8) about 20 minutes east of Picton. Try Capri Blu, a creamy blue goat’s milk from Italy’s Lombardy Region, or Hayloft, a sheep’s milk pecorino from Tuscany.
Sweet tooth
For something sweet, Slickers Country Ice Cream (271 Main St., Bloomfield) churns the flavour of fresh local raspberries, strawberries and pumpkin into its small-batch ice creams. Don’t even try to resist the apple-pie ice cream, chock full of homemade pie, pastry and all. A small scoop won’t be enough. Or check out Schroedter’s Farm Market (1492 Hwy 62, R.R.1, Bloomfield), which still pumps out its own cinnamon-sugar dusted, crisp-on-the-outside, melt-in-your-mouth on the inside doughnuts several times daily from a machine in the kitchen. (You’ll have to line up during peak season.) Proprietors Fred and Suzanne Schroedter also offer fresh-baked pies, a selection of organic fruit and veggies, and homemade soups and sandwiches.
Picture perfect
The lush purple fields of Prince Edward County Lavender (732 Closson Rd. Consecon) make a fragrant pit stop, particularly during peak flowering period (late June through July). Buy potted lavender plants and herbs, as well as sachets and essential oils. And try the delicately flavoured lavender shortbread. Can’t get enough of the purple stuff? Stay on site at The Lavender Farm B&B.
For a sampling of all the local bounty, check out the postcardpretty town of Wellington’s bustling Saturday market (243 Main St.), open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. You can get just about anything from freshly shucked oysters to homemade jams, farm-fresh veggies and fruit, artisanal cheeses and meats, yeasty fresh bread and pizzas baked in a wood-fired oven on the back of a wagon. You might even catch a glimpse of Toronto transplant Jamie Kennedy making his trademark sea-salt dusted hand-cut fries.
Home run
Or you could make it easy on yourself and book dinner at the Drake Devonshire Inn (24 Wharf St, Wellington), an outpost of Toronto’s trendy Drake Hotel. The menu showcases locally sourced ingredients and in-season produce from lake-caught pickerel to country-fried chicken with biscuits and slaw. You’ll find many local wines on offer — after all, The County now ranks as the second largest wine producing area in Ontario after the Niagara Region.
Want to take a taste of The County home with you? Check out the County Farm Centre (38 Cold Storage Road, Picton, Ont.). The sprawling general store carries clothing, work boots, garden and feed supplies and assorted items. But more to the point, you can avail yourself of fast-frozen local fruit and veggies, as well as pork, lamb, beef, cheese and honey, all from The County’s patchwork fields and farms. Check out the T-shirts, too, with tongue-incheek messages like “My Barn, My Rules.”