Southern Ontario Food Tour Part 2

Friday we decided to take in the Niagara region, mostly.  In terms of food finds, it wasn't as good as the first tour but we had a good time.  This time I used the Ontario Table and Niagara Cooks as guides, both written by Lynn Ogryzlo.  I bought the first one at Springridge Farm when I picked strawberries there a month ago.  I picked up the second when I went to a book signing by Lynn, also at Springridge.

Our first destination was Niagara-on-the-Lake which is always a nice spot to visit.  We stopped at Southbrook Vineyards, a place we have passed before but never stopped at.  They produce their wines biodynamically which means it is an organic farm but goes a step further to look at the farming process holistically - treating all elements on the farm - soil, plants and animals - as one living entity.  Their website explains it better than I.  And the wine is good.  We bought a couple of bottles of Chardonnay and a couple of Cabernet Merlot.  We will definitely return to Southbrook.

Our next stop, from the books, was Busy Bee Gardens, Ontario's only manufacturer of food grade essential oils.  They sell dried lavender, beauty products, food grade lavender and many other things.  I bought some dried lavender to make sachets, maybe for Christmas gifts, and some very nice lavender shave gel.

The Organic General Store was also worth a stop.  I bought some great looking dried cranberries and walnuts as well as some specialty flours that I've tried unsuccessfully to find locally in the past.

Other than a quick stop at Cheese Secrets, we didn't stop in the town itself but passed by to Kurtz Orchards which was ok but not my favourite kind of place.  They sell loads of different kinds of jams and other condiments.  While I'm sure a lot are really good, I've learned from One of a Kind Craft Sale experience that these tend to clutter up shelves in my house or, worse, get opened for an occasion and languish at the back of the fridge to be thrown out 6 months later when rediscovered looking less than appetizing.  That could be just me.

We continued on, picking up some peaches and plums at a road side stand, past Niagara Falls, to Ridgeway where we bought corn on the cob at Sexsmith Farm - thanks for the baker's half dozen - and then to Port Colborne.  Here we stopped at Muileboom Greenhouses, a hydroponic cucumber and tomato farm.  The tomato plants in the green house were amazingly tall and the tomatoes very tasty.  Our next and final stop was at Minor Fish for some fresh pickerel.

What did I enjoy about the day?  We saw some parts of Ontario we hadn't seen before, met some very nice farmers and enjoyed an outstanding dinner of fresh corn-on-the-cob, pan fried pickerel and Southbrook wine.  Simple and delicious.