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North Durham is organised around 4 primary rural routes:

• A Country Path (Clarington)
• Backroads of Brock (edge of Lake Simcoe)
• Leaskdale Loop (Uxbridge)
• Sideroads of Scugog.

These routes are organised and operated by local businesses and supported by the Durham Tourism Board. As such, every stop has a welcoming, homey feel. Along these routes, you will find animal farms, cideries, breweries, wineries, and other attractions but what brought them all together for me is the rural charm of sustainable agriculture.

Getting around

You can, of course, drive, but the more unique approach to this adventure is a local, family-owned transportation initiative, Town Trolley Tours Durham. The vehicle is a classic, recently renovated San Francisco trolley operated by Michael and Pauline. The duo operate a series of pre-planned tours and routes and offers custom experiences. Pauline is a skilled driver, and while she carefully manoeuvres the trolley through the streets of rural Durham, Michael shares stories, tells jokes, and plays music trivia with the attendees.

The Sunflower Farm

Separated from the main road by a wide lawn, the farm is an endless field of sunflowers reaching for the sun as far as the eye can see. The field is intertwined with walking paths, eventually coming into focus as two connected sunflowers if seen from a bird’s eye. Naturally, The Sunflower Farm is a popular location for photos which there are plenty of staged and organic opportunities for. The owner, Ursula Kressibucher, operates a “multigenerational family farm to you and bring you closer to agriculture in Ontario”. The farm hosts a range of events and workshops throughout the summer. Visitors can make their own flower bouquets, shop the market, and meet adorable farm animals, like Feta the baby goat.

Backroads of Brock, 24430 Side Rd. 17, Beaverton, Ontario

Lavender Blu

Lavender Blu is a family-owned, sustainable farm. The primary focus is, of course, lavender, and they have been offering lavender products since 2007. But this gorgeous field of organised lavender plants, loosely shaped wildflower fields and various resting stops is essentially an art gallery. Owner-operator Ludmila Haynos-Owen (Mila) works tirelessly to create an environment in which nature can feel comfortable. The wildlife is slowly coming to claim its place.

The complete Lavender Blu experience is a 12-stop nature walk through different stops and natural installations, self-guided with an informative booklet. One of the stops on this adventure is the Insect Hotel, taking inspiration from natural elements and shapes, this abstract wall is home to spiders, moths, butterflies, caterpillars, and ladybugs. Bees are, of course, full-time residents on the farm. Lavender Blu is also a creative artist studio supporting local artists of all media in various ways. Some of these pieces can be purchased at the on-site shop, while lavender products can also be found online.

Township of Scugog, 2375 Bank Rd, Seagrave, Ontario

Willowtree Farm

Another family-owned and operated business Willowtree Farm is a sustainable farm and orchard, fresh market, and cafe. “Home to multiple generations of McKay farmers” this is a future-proved, ecologically friendly operation producing food “the way nature intended”. On the property is a playground and an animal enclosure drawing families from across the region. Behind the lineup of attractions are sprawling farm fields and greenhouses. The berry greenhouses contain long, elevated strawberry tables and walls of raspberry and blackberry bushes. Lifting the berries from the ground and controlling their growth in this manner allowed for a longer harvest season, higher berry yield, and made it easier for berry pickers to work. And yes, all berries are hand-picked. In September Willotree will open its doors for the second strawberry harvest, inviting people to pick their own fruit, one of the many events the McKay family hosts on the farm.

Township of Scugog, 975 Durham Regional Rd 21, Port Perry, Ontario

Honourable mentions

• Montgomeryshire Orchard and Nursery. Located side-by-side in Uxbridge this is a young permaculture orchard and nursery growing organic fruit, berries, and vegetables.
• Forget-Me-Not Alpacas. Alpaca Farm in Beaverton offers tours and experiences, raising their animals in a very sustainable and gentle way.
• Archibald’s Orchard and Winery and Ocala Winery & Orchards for the scenic orchard views and a taste of fruit wine and cider.
• Tyrone Mills, a traditional water-powered mill (built in 1846) where you can buy fresh flour, grab a doughnut, or freshly baked oven pizza.

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Soon enough I boarded an overnight flight to Thessaloniki en route to join the Charming Taste of Europe*. On this trip to Europe, I got to travel with two phenomenal food writers and chefs. Being in the food capital of Greece with two people whose life’s passions are food was certainly a special experience. Our many conversations inspired me to share some recipes so at the end you will find two cocktail recipes. 

Note: If you are only here for the cocktail recipes please scroll to the bottom.

This article might contain affiliate links. Read the disclaimer about affiliate links & PR gifting here.
The trip was sponsored by the Charming Taste of Europe, which did not review or approve the story.

The Cherry on Top

This long, scenic drive through the Greek countryside is filled with fun conversation and silent lookout breaks. Out in the distance are blue ocean water, lush green fields, and impressive mountains with small villages at their foothills. Final destination: agricultural coop of  Rachi Pieria (“Agios Loukas”),  where the cherries are grown, sorted, and distributed around the world. The regions of Pella, Imathia, and Pieria are most important when it comes to fruit production in Greece and this cooperative has been operating since 1978 (250 members). Pieria (Region of Central Macedonia) consists of many beautiful small towns with miles of thick orchards setting them apart. 

Our main stop: Cherry Orchard. It has been raining heavily for a few days so the ground is soft and the wet leaves are glistening in the sun, tiny raindrops rolling off the plump cherries upon touch. In the background, the one and only Mount Olympus, just barely peaking through the clouds. Neat rows of cherry trees line this hill all the way down to its neighbouring orchards, branches heavy with ripe cherries reaching for the earth. We took some time to stroll through the orchard learning about the production.

All cherries are hand-harvested and hand-sorted at the nearby facility. Today a large batch of cherries were being prepared for their trip to Italy. I wondered if I could go with them, for the burrata of course. And the pasta. But I digress. Later this day we stop over at Litochoro for a traditional Greek meal with a view of Mount Olympus. You might not be able to visit the facility yourself but driving through the region of Macedonia will offer you plenty of orchard views and access to fresh fruit markets. 

As food cherries are versatile. You can eat them fresh, cook them down into jam, pickle them, brine them, stuff them in with the chicken, toss them in salads, and make a countless number of desserts with them. They also make a fun cocktail ingredient. Cherry dessert recipe recommendation from travel companion Aimée Wimbush-Bourque, the author of Simple Bites: a tasty Slab Pavlova for a Crowd. 

In the center is the machine that cleans the carries of leaves and other impurities, on the right is one of the facility workers double-checking to make sure all these impurities were in fact filtered out before the white boxes go into the sorting and boxing line.

Sweet on the Inside, Fuzzy on the Outside 

A different day and a different direction take us to Kavala (Kavala COOP) which includes producers from Kavala, Nestos, and Thassos (500 members). The Coop grows a range of fruits and vegetables but the main reason for our visit is kiwis. While the fruit is originally from China it traveled to Europe sometime in the 19th century and since then has become one of the primary exports for Greece. Kavala alone produced nearly 50,000 tons of kiwi 10,000 of which come from this cooperative. 

Greek Kiwis are harvested by hand in the fall. It takes quite a few months for them to come to fruition so during our visit in June we got to witness their early months. Sitting on the plane en route to Greece I realized I had no idea what kiwi plants look like. For the sheer purpose of surprise, I decided not to look it up. The plants are viny. Their thick trunks reach for the sun and then wrap around the supporting beams, reaching for one another across the path. I am surprised. The wait was worth it. 

These plants are gendered. For every eight female plants, there is one male and it does not produce any fruit. Much like grapes kiwis require some healthy rain and a lot of sun. Cold temperatures are highly undesirable. Once the fruits take shape they are groomed with all oddly formed fruits being plucked and returned to the earth to wither into fertilizer. When they reach ideal sugar levels the fruits are harvested and sorted by size with a 100g fruit being the ideal size.

Kiwis are best eaten raw or in desserts. They go well with yogurt and ice cream or as cheesecake toppings. This Greek Yogurt Parfait recipe from My Delish seemed like an appropriate recipe to share for this particular story. 

Kiwis that have a funny shape, like the one on the right, are trimmed and left on the ground to fertilize the plant roots.

Cocktail Recipes

When thinking through these recipes I wanted to create something simple, something you can make at home with zero experience and minimal ingredients so you will notice there are similarities in them. Both drinks are built on a classic Sour recipe and should be easy to execute. 

Quick note: The double straining allows for the fruit chunks to not drop into the drink creating a cleaner cocktail. 

Tools:
• Shaker tin, if you don’t have one use a 1L mason jar
• Muddler, use a fork if you don’t have one
• Jigger, replace with a 1oz shot glass or 1-2oz measuring spoons
• Hawthorn strainer (double strain through the mesh if you don’t have it)
• Mesh strainer, can be found at most kitchen or dollar stores

Kiwi Spritz

Ingredients 
• Kiwi, peeled and chopped 
• 1/3oz Kiwi simple syrup (see recipe below)
• 0.75oz Fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1.5oz Tanqueray gin
• 1.5oz Sparkling wine, my go-to for cocktails is Chateau de Montgueret Cremant de Loire Brut, $26.05 at the LCBO
• Kiwi slice to garnish
• Champagne glass

Method
1. Toss the kiwi in the shaker tin and muddle kiwi with simple syrup and lemon juice. 
2. Add the gin and ice and shake until the tin is sufficiently cold.
3. Pop it open and add the sparkling wine, swirl it around a bit to integrate.
4. Hold the mesh strainer over the glass and Hawthorne strainer over the tin and strain the liquid into the champagne glass.
5. Add the kiwi slice for garnish and enjoy!

Bourbon Cherry Highball  

Ingredients 
• 10-12 Pitted cherries 
• 0.75oz Fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 0.75oz Cherry simple syrup (see recipe below) 
• 2oz Bulleit Bourbon
• Soda water
• Highball glass (tall and thin, example here)

Method
1. Muddle the cherries in the shaker tin with simple syrup and lemon juice. 
2. Add the bourbon and ice and shake until the tin is sufficiently cold.
3. Add fresh ice into the glass, all the way to the top with an extra cube.
4. Hold the mesh strainer over the glass, Hawthorne strainer over the tin, and strain the liquid over the ice, add more ice if needed.
5. Add a reusable straw and enjoy!

Simple Syrup

As the name would suggest it is very simple to make. The basis of a simple syrup is one part sugar and one part water (ie. 1 cup sugar + 1 cup water). Heat gently bringing to a near boil and simmer for a few minutes allowing the sugar to melt. Fruit allows us to flavour the sirup creating additional layers of taste in the cocktail. The fruit (2 chopped kiwis, 10-16 pitted cherries) is added from the start. Stir occasionally, bring to a near boil, and turn the heat down to a simmer. With the fruit allow the liquid to simmer for 30-40 minutes – the longer it simmers the more flavourful the syrup will be. 

Footnote * The Charming Taste of Europe is a three-year campaign promoted by the Vini d’ Abruzzo consortium and the Union of Sweet Bordeaux Wines, along with fruit producers in Greece’s Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Kavala (Kavala COOP) and Agricultural Cooperative of Rachi Pieria (“Agios Loukas”), co-financed by the European Union. This campaign focuses on raising awareness of these high-quality products in the American market.

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