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| The game of 'Werewolf' is just beginning. |
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| Lambing shed at Ferme Isle Saint-Jean |
The Maasdam docked in chilly and overcast Charlottetown but it didn't dampen anybody's spirits. People wanted to get off the ship and explore!
The tour group I was assigned to today was small but it was nice. Smaller groups can make visits a bit easier.
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| Milking equipment. |
After a 40 minute drive we arrived at Ferme Isle Saint-Jean where we were warmly greeted by the owners, Gabriel Mercier and his wife Deirdre. Oh boy, we were in for a bit of a treat. Whilst in the lambing shed/barn Gabriel talked about raising lambs and sheep, and the production of cheese and yoghurt. Sheep's cheese is a good alternative for people with lactose intolerance.
We were then taken to the milking shed where the milking process was explained, and then we were treated to some cheese and yoghurt tasting. Oh boy, it was delicious. One cheese was fried a bit to change the chemical composition a bit. We were given a bit of the fried cheese and the uncooked version of it. Both were nice.
Afterwards we had the opportunity to purchase products such as sheep's cheese and yoghurt, wool skeins and wool blankets. I know Paul loves cheese so I bought to blocks of sheep's cheese to bring back to the ship so that he won't feel "left out" 😃.
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| Gouda maturing in a cool cellar. |
Back on the bus and a short journey up the road, we arrived at Glasgow Glen Farm where we were in for another cheesy treat. Originally the business was owned by a Dutch woman for 25 years and the current owners took it over after she retired.
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| Cheese-making equipment. |
Our host, Jeff, talked about the making of Gouda cheese and the adding of spices or herbs, or even beer, to give it different flavours. We were able to go down into the cellar to see the variety cheeses being stored in a stable cool environment, and tasted plain mild Gouda, garlic and herb Gouda (my favourite!), and finally onion and red pepper Gouda. This was followed by a bit of pizza with Gouda cheese topping.
Once again we could buy some cheese if we wanted to. I decided not to this time - the sheep's cheese was enough. Paul can get Gouda cheese back in the Netherlands any time.
Roddie, our bus driver and guide for the day, was going to take us via a coastal route to our next destination, Carr's Oyster Bar, but unfortunately the road was closed so we went an alternative route.
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| Oyster time! |
At Carr’s Oyster Bar a short talk was given about growing oysters and then we were given a demonstration of oyster shucking (opening up the oyster in preparation for eating) with a fresh oyster which was on a bed of ice. One by one guests were invited to eat an oyster from the newly shucked shells, sprinkled over with a bit of fresh lemon juice and a bit of sauce (if necessary). At least one guest declined.
I admit I felt a bit squeamish at the thought of eating a live oyster (even though it was probably very cold from its shell being on ice) but after seeing another squeamish guest give it a go (with much encouragement from her husband), I gave it a go, squeezing some lemon juice over the oyster flesh and sucking it off the shell. Yes, it went "down the hatch" and tasted quite nice! We were also treated to a small lobster roll to finish off with. At least 3 people decided to sit down and have a quick oyster meal, buying some at their own expense, and swishing it down with ½ a pint of beer.
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| Beehives at Island Honey Wine Company |
Whilst at the venue we had a bit of time to have a wander around an exhibition of butterfly collections, stuffed birds and large and small mammals.
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| Time for some tasting. |
All too soon we had to get on the bus for the next part of our tour: Island Honey Wine Company. The company is small family run business and organic. There are beehives on the property, lavender plants and orchards. Sheep 'mow' the grass to keep it down, ducks and hens keep the pest population down. Manure from the sheep fertilise the ground and of course bees play an important role in pollinating the flowers and producing honey. All Fruit and honey go into making a variety of mead and other wine.
After a wander around the farm, with the owners' dog for company, we were told about the making of mead and finally we were invited to sample some of the products. I ended up getting a bottle of plain mead rather than one of the other flavoured ones and hope that Paul won't be too cross with me for getting something nice 😉 (well.... I did get him some cheese, remember?!).
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| Distilling equipment. |
Our final booze tasting took place at Deep Roots Distillery. The owners bought a small farm and started planting an apple orchard as a hobby. The apples were sold at the side of the road but as the orchard got bigger, the owners decided to do something with the apples that couldn't be sent to market - blemished apples or apples that had fallen to the ground. The idea of a distillery cropped up and eventually it was built. With trial and error, ciders, brandies, vodka's and other distilled products came into production. The distillery is small but it is all about quality rather than quantity; and it is also organic.
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| This kitty was very friendly and wound herself around our ankles when we were outside the distillery building. |
The owner gave us nice talk about keeping pests down with natural means, including insect pheromone sticks tied to tops of trees, and also about the distilling process, how the use of wooden barrels comes into play with flavouring his products, and what he has managed to make up to this point in time.
After that, it was time to taste a few of the products. I gave a tequila a miss as well as almost a version of 'moonshine', but the other products I did try when they were offered. I was tempted to get a bottle of maple liquor but decided that one bottle of wine (that I had bought earlier at Island Honey Wine Company) was enough for the time being.
Time was not on our side and our guide/driver had to get us to our last and final venue, the Red Island Baked Potato Restaurant for a bit of baked potato sampling. Fortunately the restaurant is situated in the cruise ship terminal so we were able to hear a little bit about potato-growing on Prince Edward Island and taste some baked potato and locally produced cider before making our way back onto the ship. I guess it was a good way to end the day after sampling some alcohol!
I must say that the tour, overall, was nice. It gave us a good idea of what Prince Edward Island has to offer in the way of food and alcohol. And each place we visited – the owners did their best to describe the making of wine or cheese, and we were able to see distilling or cheese making equipment from behind a glass panel at times. It was nice that guests could sample the end product and had opportunities to make purchases if they wished to do so. Even though most places weren’t open to the general public until mid/late June (when the ‘season’ starts) the farms and distilleries were able to accommodate us very nicely and were happy to have us around.
Snow has been predicted for Prince Edward Island and the temperatures have been falling. It was 6°C when we arrived in Charlottetown but it has now gone down to 4°C. Brrrr... I had a nice long warm shower when I got back...
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| The Maasdam's route to Quebec. |
Oh yes ... the windows on the bridge fogged up due to humidity inside vs cold outside. So the window heaters were switched on, despite warnings not to, and one of the windows cracked ... It has been boarded up but is not hampering visibility because there are plenty of other windows to look out from!
PHOTOGRAPHS
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| Charlottetown from the ship's on board forward camera. |
Ferme Isle Sainte-Jean
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| The milking parlour - Gabriel explaining how things work. |
Glasgow Glen Farm
Carr's Oyster Bar
Island Honey Wine Company
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| Lavender |
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| Beehives in the distance |
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| A huge nest is on that pole high above the haskap (honeysuckle) |
Deep Roots Distillery
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| A feline visitor washing her face. I wonder where she's been .... |
Heading out
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| View from the Maasdam's on board forward camera. Leaving Charlottetown. It has started to rain. I wonder if it will snow. |
