This post is sponsored by SouthEasternOntario.ca. Cover photo of Harmony Farm by Gina Dragone Photography for South Eastern Ontario.
When you go on a road trip, are you eager to discover exciting new flavours, whether they’re new-to-you wines, delicious dishes, or local fruits and veggies? You’re not alone.
Agritourism—a catch-all word covering everything from visiting a farm to enjoying a food festival—is booming across Canada and around the world. People are increasingly interested in knowing where their food comes from and in supporting local producers.
Luckily for us, there’s a fantastic agricultural region right on Ottawa’s doorstep. South Eastern Ontario stretches from Prescott Russell in the east to the Bay of Quinte in the west. Recently, I helped write a new campaign called Farm to Flavours that is packed with ideas for food-focused day trips and weekend getaways to tasty destinations across South Eastern Ontario.
This post showcases just a few of the countless farms, restaurants, tours, family activities and more that are highlighted in Farm to Flavours. For your convenience, they’re grouped by region. At the top of each section, you’ll find a link you can click for lots more information about that region.
I hope the range of available adventures amazes you as much as it surprised me. I thought I knew South Eastern Ontario pretty well, but I discovered all sorts of cool places while researching Farm to Flavours. (I did an interview with the Kingston Whig-Standard about working on this campaign, if you’d like to read some of the behind-the-scenes details.)
Enjoy!
Prescott Russell
Tucked against Ottawa’s eastern edge, Prescott Russell offers day trippers quiet country roads, picturesque small towns and villages, and countless farms.
- Shop for duck, beef and eggs at Mariposa Farm in Plantagenet, which also hosts farm-to-table dinners.
- Take a self-guided tour of St-Albert Cheese in St-Albert. Don’t forget to pick up a bag of of their famously squeaky cheese curds!
- Enjoy maple season at Ferme Drouin Farm in Casselman, where you can dig into a maple buffet, try maple taffy and go tobogganing.
- Sign up for a floral workshop at Nested Acres Flower Farm in Russell or pick your own colourful bouquet at Vankleek Hill Tulip Fields.
- Shop for local sausages, eggs, cheese and more at L’Orignal Packing. Pick up farm-fresh produce at one of the eight stands run by Jardins Lamoureux.
- Pick your own fruit and sip fruit wine at Les Vergers Villeneuve and Blueberry Farm in Clarence-Rockland.
- Enjoy a duck festival in St-Isidore. (Kids won’t want to miss the rubber duck race!)
- Admire Popsilos, unique artworks painted on farm silos throughout Prescott Russell.
SDG Counties and Cornwall
South of Prescott Russell, you can enjoy farm adventures across SDG Counties and Cornwall. You’ll also discover lots of restaurants and cafés making delicious use of local ingredients.
- Savour flaky French pastries and stay overnight at organic Ferme Butte & Bine Farm in Williamstown.
- Eat pizza made in a wood-fired oven and topped with the farm’s own ingredients at Fraser Creek Pizza Farm in Summerstown. (Who knew that pizzas grew on farms?)
- Sip wine at a table overlooking the fields at Stonehouse Vineyard in Lochiel. The vineyard also hosts A Glengarry Affair, an elegant annual event that celebrates local flavours.
- Add some sweetness to your trip with local honey from Smirlholm Farms in Morewood or Stewart’s Honey in Green Valley.
- Taste the delectable difference in ice cream and yogurt made with organic milk at Upper Canada Creamery in Iroquois.
- Shop for local foods and enjoy treats in the café at The Glengarry Market in Alexandria.
- Snuggle with a baby goat or do goat yoga at Caprassion Acres in Martintown.
- Take a guided tour with See-Way More.
Rideau, Brockville and Gananoque
Throughout the Rideau, Brockville and Gananoque region, you’ll find orchards, farms, bistros and markets where local products hold pride of place.
- In Maitland, take a cooking class in a Georgian mansion at Maison Maitland, where you can also stay overnight in a luxurious villa.
- Pick your own lavender or enjoy a “soirée in the field” at Lavender Mills Farm in Oxford Mills.
- Sip craft beers made using the power of the sun at ArBrū Solar Brewery in Mallorytown.
- Smile as your kids pet donkeys and other animals at Berry Homestead Farm in Lyndhurst, where the whole family can also go kayaking and have a catered lunch.
- In Westport, relax with wine and pizza on a patio overlooking a lake at Scheuermann Vineyard + Winery.
- Dig into gooey barbecue at a summer ribfest in Brockville or Gananoque.
- Take a private guided tour with A 1000 Ways.
- Take a pig walk, visit the barnyard and pick your own bouquet at Harmony Farm in Brockville.
Kingston and Frontenac County
Together, Kingston and Frontenac County offer an excellent foodie destination just two hours from Ottawa. You can visit Frontenac farms by day and taste their products in Kingston restaurants that night.
- Pick up a wide range of local products at Food Less Travelled in Verona.
- During the growing season, tour Long Road Ecological Farm in Murvale, where you can also shop for produce (onions and garlic) and food (dumplings and steamed buns).
- Discover hyper-local dishes at Otter Creek Kitchen, which sources many of its ingredients within 100 kilometres of Kingston. (P.S.: You can save money at some of Kingston’s best restaurants during the popular Kingstonlicious promotion.)
- Have a hands-on—but safe!—beekeeping experience at Maple Ridge Farm in Sydenham.
- Hop aboard a free ferry from downtown Kingston to enjoy rural music and dance festivals on Wolfe Island, where you can also take in a plowing match.
- Get an insider’s perspective on the Limestone City’s restaurants and bakeries on a walking tour with Kingston Food Tours.
- Gather your own bouquet from some of the thousands of blooms at Sun Harvest Greenhouses in Glenburnie.
- Depending on the season, pick up fresh rhubarb, berries or pumpkins at Fruition Berry Farm in Kingston.
Lennox and Addington, Bay of Quinte, and Hastings County
Head west from Kingston and you’ll soon arrive in Lennox and Addington, Bay of Quinte, and Hastings County. On the shores of Lake Ontario, culinary adventures abound.
- Savour fresh ingredients from a wide variety of local farms during a farm-to-fork dinner at Oliver Farms in Napanee.
- Meet alpacas and buy cosy items made from their fibres at Ruby’s Acres Alpaca Farm in Odessa.
- Enjoy inventive prix-fixe menus at good prices during the Quintelicious restaurant promotion in Bay of Quinte.
- Treat your body to vegan soaps and other natural personal care products from The Soap Shack near Tamworth.
- You can’t miss the Loyalist Trading Company, partway between Bath and Adolphustown—just look for the shop with live goats on its roof! Inside the store, you’ll find lots of foods from local producers.
- Along with its tasty craft beer, Mackinnon Brothers Brewing Company in Bath serves up lots of live music events.
- Cuddle foster lambs at Topsy Farms on quiet, beautiful Amherst Island.
- Head to restaurants that strongly support local farmers, such as Tomasso’s Italian Grille and The Counter in Quinte West, and Capers, The Lark and The Local Social House in Belleville.
Prince Edward County
Prince Edward County is rightly known for its dozens of wineries, but that’s just the beginning of what this rich agricultural region jutting into Lake Ontario offers visitors who enjoy fine food and wine.
- Leave the driving to others by booking a public or private winery tour with one of the many tour companies operating in The County. Choose from many modes of transport, including limousine, bike or electric van. (You can also take a culinary walking tour of Picton with County Epicurious).
- Learn about ostriches during a tour of Struisvogel Ranch in Carrying Place.
- Take a sourdough baking class at The Elmbrook Farm in Sophiasburg, or don chef’s whites at the Waring House Restaurant and Inn’s cookery school in Picton.
- Unwind during an elegant al fresco lunch at Littlejohn Farm, where you can also take a farm tour.
- Give your weary mind some peace during a sessions with horses or small animals at Heal With Horses Therapeutic Centre in Hillier.
- In spring and fall, enjoy specially priced menus at a huge range of PEC restaurants during the Countylicious restaurant promotion.
- Pick strawberries and flowers at Blooms and Berries on East Lake, which also offers flower-arranging classes.
- Combine your visit with one of The County’s many culinary events, which include Élevage, Taste Community Grown, Terroir and Wassail.
