Rose makes all her own salad-dressings, her own bread rolls, even her own hamburger buns.  Fresh vegetables are hard to buy on the Island, so she grows as many herbs and vegetables as she can, buying the rest – green beans, baby carrots, kale, cherry tomatoes, big beets (for bortsch), potatoes (for roasting with garlic) from local suppliers only she knows about. 

One supplier brings her an eleven-quart basket of blueberries once a week all the way from Sudbury; a second, who lives half a mile down the road, brings her organic raspberries and strawberries in the spring; a third brings her the greatest prize of all, fresh local garlic scapes – on average 300 lbs of them in the season.

There are six entrees every day, from breast of chicken to char-broiled lamb and at least 10 sweets.  A trip to Germany inspired Rose to make her own quartsanne torte, which is essentially quark cheese and whipped cream on a biscuit base coated with raspberry jam.  One holdover is her old-fashioned Dutch apple pie, which is known all over the Island.  To end the meal, organic fair-trade coffee is now being offered, and any one of a number of loose teas.

Every year Rose and John search the vineyards of Niagara for new and exciting wines.  They track down local craft beers with the same passion.  Andy Stimpson of Neustadt Springs, for instance makes only two beers, both in small batches.  One is a Scottish-style lager, the other a Belgian country-style lager.  Both are in the cellar here.

Before you leave, you can buy a jar of peach relish or a jar of Grandma’s old-fashioned chili sauce to take home with you; and browse a selection of gift created by local artists.

Speciality Teas

A cup of well-brewed tea can be a soothing break in a busy day, but there are enough types of tea to enjoy throughout the day.

Robust black tea blends can wake you up in the morning and start you off without the caffeine overload that can come from coffee. Green teas with little or no caffeine, can be enjoyed anytime but are great for a late night calming brew.