There are a few specialty stores in The County, and we have grown to love their products. Below are the places we adore and I have included a brief description for each and why we love it. It also is so fun to be able to meet and talk with the passionate owners directly. I'm breaking this selection down into general regions so it might help with mapping out your travels!
EASTERN REGION:
4309 County Road 8/Cressy (very close to Waupoos and the County Cider Company)
I love cheese, and Fifth Town Cheese makes me VERY happy. They have their own unique line of hard and soft award-winning goat cheeses and have even produced a goat cheddar cheese in partnership with Black River Cheese (see below). The dairy itself has been noted as the greenest dairy in Canada (possibly in North America). Before we discovered this place, the only goat cheese I knew of was Chevre or Norwegian Gjetost, but these are fantastic. The owner of Fifth Town is a prominant Italian importer from Toronto - so not only are we able to pick up wonderully unique locallly produced cheeses - but they also bring in fantastic cheeses from Italy that are to die for. They also sell wonderful Italian vinegars, pastas, olive oils, crackers and tea product amongst other gourmet items as well.
4 Lake Street (behind the LCBO)/Picton
The Agrarian is operated by the same people who own the Agrarian Bistro in Bloomfield, which also served as the former home for this market. It's new home is a hertitage house that was actually moved to it's current location to make room for the new Picton LCBO, and it is stunning. Gourmet items from across The County include packaged ice cream from Bloomfield's famed Slickers, Pyramid Ferments, cheese, freshly baked bread and their own prepared foods.
Available at The Agrarian as above
This is a husband and wife couple who also happen to be Syrian refugees who are making their home in Prince Edward County. We sampled four of their products, Hummus, Baba Ghanoush, Tabouleh and their Garlic Spread and they all are fantastic. For sure worth stopping by to pick some up! I admire these guys so much, I did added them to my County Characters :)
The Kingston Olive Oil Company
185 Main St/Picton
This just recently opened in Picton, and it is a terrific concept. Olive oil and aged balsamic vinegars available on tap! Good quality too, and you can bring back your empty bottles for a refill and receive a 10% discount. Very good quality, a solid selection and great for gifts too.
913 County Road 13/Milford
Black River Cheese produces great quality cheddar cheese. They don't have the range of cheese that Fifth Town has - but if you like cheddar, theirs is good. You can also grab an ice cream cone on your way out as well. Black River Cheese is JUST around the corner from my favourite produce stand, Vicki's Veggies.
705 County Road 24/Milford
Chocolate Honey, Ginger Honey. Need I say more? I love the products created by this company and have bought honey, tea, hand cream and lip balms from them in the past. They recently got their license to produce and sell Mead, which is basically a sweet dessert wine that is just delicious. While you can find their product in markets around The County (and in Toronto too), this cute little retail store on their property in Milford is worth the trip.
212 County Road 16/Milford (right around the corner from Black Creek Cheese)
This is a terrific stop on your way through Milford - Joaquim and Amor have a really interesting set up. In the barn, they have an nice selection of antiques - Amor is an interior designer by trade and has a great eye. In another building is a growing shop that features awesome county-produced food products, as well as their own line of delicious and very unique olive oils from Portugal where Joaquin actually oversees production. For sure stop by to taste and learn about these olive oils for yourself, or just say hello as they are super friendly!
WESTERN/CENTRAL REGION:
732 Closson Road/Hillier
This is a beautiful farm located in the heart of wine country that specializes in Lavender. Their store sells a number of their own products that feature lavender from soaps to herbs for culinary use, and one of my favourite products that they carry is lavender-flavoured nougat. You can pay for a tour of their lavender fields, and in June they have an annual Lavender Festival.
Wellington Farmers Market - 243 Main Street/Wellington
If you are in the Wellington area on a Saturday before 1 pm - be sure to stop by the Wellington Farmer's Market where you will find Humble Bread. Hand-kneaded and naturally leavened breads baked in a large custom-designed wood-fired oven. If you are lucky - you will be able to meet Henry Willis (owner) who is lovely to chat with and after you fall in love with the bread - if you are from Toronto - you can rest assured knowing that you can also pick up some of this delcious bread at the Brickworks Farmer's Market in Toronto most weekends.
Camp Picton/Loch Sloy HWY 22 Picton
This little authentic French "shoppe" started out as a wonderful farmhouse that the owners painstakingly converted into a B&B with a small French boutique/shop off of the kitchen. The owners, Christophe and Vincent recently sold it and moved their operations to Camp Picton. There, you can also buy unique imported goods from France (they carry cans of my favourite Soupe de Poissant!). The owner are from France (they loved The County so much, they decided to move here!) They also have recently opened a gorgeous gallery up in Loch Sloy (AKA, Camp Picton).
271 Main Street/Bloomfield & 232 Main Street/Picton
GREAT ice cream. Campfire Marshmallow (with real roasted marshmallows!) is probably my favourite, with Apple Pie (with real chunks of apple pie mixed in!) being a close second. It's an ice cream institution in The County, a must try!
NORTHERN REGION:
1428 County Rd 15/Northport
OK, I am a fairly adventurous eater, but for some reason - kimchi was something I had zero desire to try as a friend of mine eats it in the office let's just say it doesn't always smell that appetising. Then, a short while ago, I walked into the Agrarian Market in Picton, met Alex Currie from Pyramid Ferments (terrific guy!), and he convinced me to try his product. I was immediately won over. Pyramid ferments has a full line of fermented product including sauerkraut, kimchi and komucha and more. All are extremely rich in nutriants, probitics and enzymes, so basically they are really great for you AND are super delicious too. You can visit their Gut Hut in Northport (love the name!) or you can buy their products around town and they are available in Toronto and Ottawa too - check out their site for the full list of retailers!
