Each summer, a Rural Voice writer goes on a day-trip to showcase the rural-based sites one can visit in Huron, Perth, Bruce, Grey, Wellington or Oxford counties. This day trip took place in South Huron in June.

Driving into the southern part of Huron County, one could easily spend a day in the touristy towns of Grand Bend or Bayfield. There is lots to see, eat and the beaches are spectacular. If that isn’t your scene and you prefer fields, blue skies, cows, plants, produce and supporting local with a few food breaks, then some of these stops might be what you’re looking for.

This day started with a visit to Bayfield Lavender farm on Porter’s Hill Line north of Bayfield. Enter the wood-lined laneway, pass the new trailer and find your parking spot in this hidden gem of lavender gardens complete with a folksy store featuring lavender-infused products.

Jade Gingerich, who  was manning the store,  moved to Goderich from Cambridge to work on the lavender farm because it was a “beautiful spot to work”. She also helps maintain the gardens started by Gemma James-Smith who takes lavender from start to finish, using home-distilled lavender essential oil and lavender hydrosol, a floral water that’s a byproduct of the steam distillation process.

Gemma has no intention of creating a lavender empire.  Instead, she wants people to come learn, rest and create. She offers classes (wreath making, water colours, yoga), tours, and is open all summer, closing after Labour Day. I was a bit early and the lavender wasn’t yet in bloom, However, I did feel restful wandering around the gardens, taking a seat on the benches, enjoying the offerings in the store and the large chicken run with colourful hens. It’s worth a visit whether the lavender is blooming or not, but I do want to return in late June and July when the gardens are in their glory. Cost is by donation.

I didn’t want to enter Bayfield even though The Village Bookshop was calling my name. However, I did make a quick stop at the pier. It’s lovely there. People strolling. Boats bobbing. Birds diving. Just a minute to soak in the sun then I was off down Highway #21 then onto Bronson Line so I could visit the family-owned greenhouses called Huron Ridge Acres Inc. Truthfully, I visit here every year. The greenhouse is large and organized with an expansive  offering of annuals, vegetables and perennials.

Cows!

Just before I got there, I pulled over to take photos of some stocky Charolais bulls grazing on a Steckle farm. Cows are ALWAYS on my agenda when doing a day trip even if it’s nothing more than admiring the herd from the side of the road, camera in hand.

Greenhouse

A few minutes later, I arrived at Huron Ridge Acres and chatted with Brenda Steckle who started working here 33 years ago and has been full time for the last 15 years. She is in charge of the perennials and also helps with retail and wherever needed. After the busy month of May, things slow down just a little. Steckle said perennials are becoming more and more popular as some gardeners are choosing native plants and others are trying to save money with plants that return year after year.

Vegetables are still hugely popular and Steckle said many vegetable plants sold out early. “With food costs rising, people are growing their own,” said Steckle. 

I left with a few bok choy and swiss chard seedlings to add to my vegetable garden after enjoying the burst of colour in the annual greenhouse. I don’t plant many annuals either but I sure appreciate the bold hues of geraniums, petunias and pansies after a long winter and wet spring.

Pizza and Lemonade

When travelling in this area, you have to stop in one of the many breweries and wineries on Highway 21.  I decided to stop at Bad Apple Brewing Company Ltd. so I could eat a wood-fired pizza amongst the apple trees and see if any musicians were playing.

I was too early for a band but the speakers were belting out old-time rock and roll so I lingered with my dill pickle pizza (gluten-free crust available) and a blackberry lemonade. Bad Apple manager Erin Traqueair was serving today and she brought my pizza out to a rustic metal table with rocking chairs and the combo of warm sun, rocking motion, pizza and lemonade was most delicious.

Bad Apple Brewery serves beer, ciders and wines and has two new wines this season: a strawberry marquette and an apple vidal. Their pineapple blood orange cider is a fan favourite according to Erin as is the Cider-Wiss Apple Graf beer.

Bad Apple is open all year with seating inside for 60 but it’s hard to beat sitting outside, choosing what style of oddball table or chairs you’d like to settle into. It was hard to leave but hunger sated, I was off to the St. Joseph Memorial Park, also on Highway 21.

History

When I first got there, I was a little disappointed. It’s quite small and right beside the busy highway but I misjudged its intent. This is not a nature park to take a 10 kilometre hike. Rather it’s a testimony of the fortitude of St. Josephs’ early French settlers, with plaques describing how they farmed and lived. Following winding, cobbled paths, you read about the history of St. Joseph, including  Narcisse Cantin who grew up in the little community of St. Joseph. Narcisse, a grandson of one of these settlers, showed an entrepreneurial spirit by the time he was 17. He started buying cattle from local farmers and shipping them by rail from the Hensall station to Buffalo.

Narcisse envisioned St. Joseph as a port with hydro electric plants and an electric train system. He imagined docks, a warehouse and a summer resort area. First came the building of a sawmill, a tile and brick yard, a novelty factory, organ factory and winery. Next, Cantin created a spectacular building, the New Balmoral Hotel, a block-long, three-storey structure which sat at what is now the corner of Hwy. 21 and Huron County Road 84.

Completed in 1907, the Balmoral is said to have cost $250,000, and was to be Cantin’s centrepiece for his resort. However, the splendor of the Balmoral was never experienced. For more than 10 years, Cantin predicted the opening of a rail line from Hensall west. When that did not happen, the major means of travel for his intended clients vanished.

This park recalls the history of St. Joseph and Cantin’s dream at the intersection of Highway 21 and Zurich-Hensall Road (County Road 84) across from the site where the majestic Balmoral once stood. 

My belly digested my meal while I devoured the history in this park so I was ready to keep going into the town of Zurich. Zurich is witnessing a juvenation of its downtown and one place I wanted to visit based on the cheerful vibe of their online presence was Zielman’s Goods and Gifts owned by Anneke Zehr-Beyers in partnership with her mom.

Vendors, Crafters, Creators

Anneke was inspired by “David Rose”, a character on the Canadian hit, Schitt’s Creek, to open a store that offered natural products created by local artisans. A lifelong resident of Zurich, Anneke learned business skills from her mother who ran a floral shop and tea room in town years ago.

“I’ve seen the rise and fall of businesses on Goshen Line and these past three years, there has been a comeback,” said Anneke. Zielman’s is a large store, featuring coffee, bath bombs, clothing, towels, earrings and other gifts. Everything is beautifully presented and the spacious floor plan makes for a wonderful wander, as you pick up gifts for future showers and birthdays.

Anneke is good with her cell phone but a little frustrated (in a good way) that when she features husband Steve Beyers, the “likes” on her Instagram posts increase exponentially. But hey, business is business and Steve does help at the store when he isn’t farming.

Anneke’s vision is to support  local artists and creators who need a communal space to sell their products. “People depend on me because this outlet helps them pay their bills,” says Anneke.

When I close the door behind me after leaving Zielman’s I only have to take a few steps to meet another young entrepreneur, Bekah Pfaff of Havasu Coffee Co. It was late afternoon by this time and coffee was needed. So was the crème brûlée  donut, the lavender donut, the scones and gluten-free brownies but I stopped at two donuts – one for me, one for my daughter at home. She wasn’t pleased there was a bite out of hers, but hey, it was research.

Donuts to Die For

The coffee was amazing, the donuts even more so and Bekah served up both with a big smile and friendly spirit. Bekah is also a Zurich native and says starting a business in a  small town can be daunting but the local support has been amazing. “That’s what is nice about small towns,” she said. 

Havasu has been open for two and half years and is open five days a week, with Bekah hands on every day. She loves dealing with customers and has a fair hand at baking, which means I’ll be returning next time I’m travelling to Zurich.

There were many other places I could visit on my list to purchase some homegrown goods including The Whole Pig in Dashwood, Hayter’s Farm for turkey on Dashwood Road as well as Farm Little on Mill Road outside of Bayfield which is where I did stop on my way home.

Farm Little

Lucas and Kelsey Seeberger grew up in families who harvested and preserved their own food. After purchasing a stone mill, Lucas began milling locally grown, certified organic grain into flour. Kelsey focussed her efforts on growing vegetables and produce. They also grew two children and the family is grateful to be part of the local food economy in Huron County.

That was it for this daytripping tour. As always, there are so many places to visit but I like to stop at the small-town, rural-minded, agricultural-infused businesses and tourist destinations to celebrate our farming heritage, our farming present, and sustain our farming future. ◊