Foodie Swellness: Taste Community Grown in PEC (and I’ve got tickets to give away!)
I’m a huge fan of The County (aka Prince Edward County) so when I was invited a few weeks ago to spend the day exploring the area and eating and drinking my way through some of the amazing vineyards and purveyors who will be taking part of TASTE Community Grown (the County’s annual wine and culinary fest taking place September 24, 2016 — this is it’s 15th year!), there was no question I was going to attend. I’d last visited the County last year (and my previous visit was probably a good 10 years ago!) and fell in love with it all over again. (I wrote about last summer’s jaunt for Vitamin Daily).
This time around, I got to check out a slew of places I hadn’t been to before. We made our way early in the morning on a luxe private shuttle from Foley Bus Lines (and I was very much appreciative for the chance to stretch out and catch some zzz’s). We didn’t hit much traffic, though, and our first stop was at Pyramid Ferments where a tasting of their kombuchas and kimchis jolted us awake in the most delicious way. My favourite, though, was these sun-aged lemons, which are beautiful to look at and unlike anything I’ve ever tasted before. Oh, and btw, their Gut Shots? I hear they’re good as a hangover cure.
Next, we stopped into Three Dog Winery where the dogs weren’t available to greet us but the lovely John and Sacha Squair were, and we tasted wines (my favourite was the Dog House Red), and we nibbled on pizzas (one featuring some delectible Seed to Sausage sausage) on the lovely verandah. I’m definitely adding a stop here to my itinerary the next time I visit as I’d love to take one of Sacha’s yoga classes in the enclosed desk being built; the view of the vineyard during sun salutations will be fantastic (and, well, so will enjoying some wine after shivasana!).
Bellies full of pizza, that didn’t stop us from eating on. We popped into Pink Lunch Pail, where apple pie lovers will need to try their version (I adored the shortbread crust). The bakery is also known for their lemon desserts, and I’m saving my appetite to try this next time.
From there, we stopped into two wineries, Karlo Estates and Trail Estate. Karlo Estates is the first vegan certified vineyard in the world (and the grounds are beyond pretty and romantic, check out the beautiful bridge in my first photo on this post). Trail Estates I enjoyed because their focus is on small batch craft wines, and by small, that can mean even smaller than a barrel; so there’s always something new in the lineup as they’re always experimenting.
OK, so I’m a lightweight when it comes to wine…but the tour continued!
Thankfully (as I was in need of some food to balance the wine), our next stop was at Guapo’s Cantina, which is at Traynor Vineyard. And I think after my trip to Sayulita a few months ago, I’ve become pickier when it comes to my tacos, and I was a very happy camper here because the tacos at Guapo’s Cantina were incredible, and the yucca fries were just the perfect crispness, and the couple behind the cantina (Lance and Ashley) just so fun and friendly. And since we had been drinking wine all day, Traynor Vineyard served up some icy cold cocktails including margaritas, sangria and a paloma. This is a definite PEC must-stop for me.
I know, you’re probably thinking how much more can one girl eat and drink in one day? But we all persevered and visited Keint-He Winery & Vineyards (I enjoyed the balance of acid and sugars in their Voyageur Riesling) and finally, dinner at East & Main Bistro, where it’s nice and cozy (and we all shared the bison special and a bunch of appetizers as we were plenty full from the day of tasting).
The good news is you can taste from all of these lovely PEC purveyors (along with upwards of 40 others) at Taste Community Grown, and I’ve got a pair of tickets to give away! The prize includes two tickets (valued at $40 each) along with tasting tickets for the event. Taste Community Grown takes place on Saturday, September 24, 2016 at Crystal Palace (Picton Fairgrounds). You can get more info on the fest here.
To enter this Taste Community Grown giveaway, which is open to Canadian residents (but you’ll have to get yourself to PEC on the 24th for the event), you can enter once in each of the four entry methods:
- Email: Write me at healthandswellness@gmail.com with your name and phone number. Please put “Taste Community Grown” in the email’s subject line.
- Twitter: Follow me @healthswellness on Twitter, and then tweet:
I want to #TastePEC at TASTE Community Grown by winning these tickets from @healthswellness and @PECwines! http://bit.ly/2chlCXU
- Instagram: Follow @healthandswellness Instagram; like my Instagram post for this giveaway (posted on September 7th), and tag a friend you’d like to attend Taste Community Grown with.
- Facebook: Like the Health and Swellness page on Facebook (at the top of the page), and then leave a comment on the photo of this Taste Community Grown giveaway — tell me what your favourite thing to do in PEC is!
This giveaway will close at 11:59 p.m. EST, Wednesday, September 14. 2016. Please note that this giveaway is open to Canadian residents only. The one winner will be chosen at random and their name will be announced on this blog post once confirmed.
Cheers and bon appetit! (Wish I could join you at TASTE, but I’m traveling that weekend!)
Leave a Comment September 7, 2016