What comes to your mind when think of Thanksgiving? For me, it’s cranberries. I love cranberries – cranberry juice, cranberry scones, cranberry sauce…..
So when I heard about this cranberry farm nearby, off I went. The farm is the Johnston’s Cranberry, located in Bala, Muskoka area in Ontario. It’s about 2.5 hours drive from Toronto. It’s a cranberry farm and winery, with quite a lot of things to do and trails to explore. The place opened at 10 o’clock that day, but when I got there about 15 minutes early, they were already prepared and let me in.
I got the ‘package’ for $25 that included the cranberry plunge, wagon tour, wine tasting and access to hiking trails. Unfortunately they did not have the Bog to Bottle Discovery tour that day. As the staff advice, I first went to the cranberry plunge before more visitors came. It was what it sound – plunge into a pool of cranberries. They provided you with the chest wader (pants + boots so you don’t get wet). The water was colder than I thought, but it was fun. There was a staff that helped taking picture (they also took some pictures to be sold in their website later on).
The wagon tour took you around the area while the tour guide provide brief history of the farm and the family, as well as basic and fun fact about cranberries. It was short, but it was fun and quite interesting.
After that, I got to the wine tasting. I don’t drink much, and I haven’t had lunch that day, but it did not stop me. We had sips of their cranberry wine (my favourite), cranberry-blueberry wine, blueberry wine and the red maple dessert wine. Some of them are available at the LCBO, but some were only available at the farm. Their store sells the wines, as well as some cranberry products (dried cranberries, cranberry cheese, some soap and other items). You can also see the staff sorting the cranberries through a glass window in the store.
Well, after the wine tasting (did I mention that I don’t drink and I had not had lunch yet?) I needed to take some hiking. I was surprised with their hiking trails. They were pretty nice – not paved but very well maintained. If you go, you should take the Orville Lake trail.
Well, I had a nice time there. It was a different and fun experience. Friendly people and beautiful place.