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Prince Edward County in Ontario
Articles by
Michael Fagin Meteorologist, Travel Writer and Wine Enthusiast
A rich local harvest compliments the area's fine wines
It's hard to imagine that the rolling hills, charming townships, and bucolic countryside of Ontario 's Prince Edward County were once buried under a sheet of ice! Over 10,000 years ago a glacier nearly two kilometers thick shrouded this peninsula on Lake Ontario . Its southern terminus reached just beyond Picton , the county seat. It was the glacier's frosty hand that helped create the county's lovely geography; its deeply coved lakeshore, towering sand dunes, and rich agricultural soils.
And while the county's beaches, particularly the undeveloped dune lined ones at Sandbanks Provincial Park are a major draw to residents and tourists alike, Prince Edward's most enticing appeal to me is its tasty and refreshing bounty. The Ice Age left in its wake some of the most productive soils in the province; soils that support thriving dairy and wine industries.
Who needs France for fine cheeses with the Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Company ( www.fifthtown.ca ) providing delectable dairy delights? Located in Marysburgh, the fifth town to be settled in the newly formed Upper Canada, Fifth Town only uses milk from local farms and conducts its business following only the highest environmental and conservation standards. Fifth Town is the only industrial project within Canada to attain Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification for energy savings. The company utilizes geothermal energy to heat water and has their own environmentally sensitive wastewater treatment plant.
This was an important objective for owner Petra Cooper, who spent many years as an executive with a major publishing firm before becoming the big cheese at Fifth Town. During her vacations as an executive, Cooper studied and perfected cheese making as well as visited over twenty cheese making factories in North America and Europe . In 2005 she launched her new business.
And in Ontario , cheese production is big business. While still trailing Quebec , Ontario 's share of 28% (2008) of the country's overall cheese production equated to 63,065 tones. My wife Elizabeth and I not only got to sample Fifth Town 's wonderful wares in Picton's restaurants but also were treated to a wine and cheese paring with Cooper. We were particularly impressed by the Bedda Fedda and Lemon Fetish cheeses; both made from sheep milk. We also found the Crottin style Opretta Cheese tasty with its slight fruity aroma.
Two exceptional eateries for sampling Fifth Town cheeses as well as other local fare are the Blumen Garden Bistro ( www.blumenbistro.com ) and the Harvest restaurant . The Blumen Garden Bistro founded by Chef Andreas (Andy) Feller and his wife Melissa, offer dining in their outdoor garden. Blumen is German for flower, and you'll be surrounded by many in Blumen's garden. Feller apprenticed in St. Gallen Switzerland bringing his trade to Ontario where he met Melissa. My wife and I enjoyed a meal of Angus rib eye, lamb, and carrot soup, topped off with a parfait. All made from local ingredients and all mouth-watering. Blumen Garden Bistro partakes in Prince Edward County 's Countylicious ( http://countylicious.ca ), an annual promotion sponsored by 10 fine restaurants offering three course cuisine meals for just $30.
The Harvest Restaurant subscribes to a belief of using 100 products from with a 100 mile radius. Owned by chefs Michael and Karin Potter, both left Toronto in 2003 after working for twenty years at fine restaurants there. In addition to serving excellent locally grown meals, they offer cooking classes that rapidly sellout. Elizabeth and I had an opportunity to dine at the Harvest enjoying their duck and tender beef tenderloin followed by a tantalizing peach melba.
In addition to superb dining facilities, Prince Edward County has no shortages of wonderful places to spend the night either. Or in the case of the Merrill Inn —both! This 15-room grand country inn built in 1878 sporting gingerbread trimmed gables sits right in the center of Picton. Chef Michael Sullivan who also began his career in Toronto provided us an all out feast in the elegant dining room. We started with a salad consisting of feta, walnuts, currants and apples—then moved onto a rack of lamb and scallops. We made room for desert; cherry pie topped with blueberries and a pecan tort. Where to Stay when visiting PEC
You can easily spend days on end traveling throughout Prince Edward County to enjoy its delicious fares. And while it took the glaciers thousands of years to make the soils responsible for this delicious bounty, don't take a glacial pace getting out there to enjoy them!
PEC continues
Where to stay while visiting PEC Her Wineries
Additional Articles by Michael Fagin
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