Cowichan Valley Tea Farm

We finally made it out to the Cowichan Valley’s Tea Farm a couple of weekends ago on a rather dark Sunday afternoon.  Our friend and I had talked about checking it out last year, but we never did make it, so recently we made a point of setting a date so we would actually go.

The Tea Farm is on Richards Trail, which runs between Herd Road and Westholme Road, a very pretty, scenic drive in itself.  Before we bought our property on Cameron-Taggart Road we actually almost bought one on Richards Trail, so I enjoyed the drive there very much.  We spent a lovely couple of hours at the farm, enjoying a pot of tea of our choice and some delicious cake and chocolate truffles, locally hand made by Pearl Chocolate.

Owner Margit Nellemann, who was our hostess, took lots of time to tell us about their product.  The Tea Farm is an organic farm and is the only place in Canada where tea is being grown.  Two hundred tea plants were planted and are now in their 4th year.  So far so good, only one plant has been lost, although when we visited the deer had just gotten into the tea!  Deer are a fact of life in the Cowichan Valley, and regular visitors around our property too, so tea plants are obviously not on the “deer proof” list either!  While the tea plants are maturing to a first harvest, Margit and partner Victor bring in organic teas from around the world and make their own blends with herbs, plants and flowers grown on their property.  The tea of the day was Pig Tea, and we had a sample of that, and I then tried horse tea, a herbal tea from their Zodiac tea line, while our friend had an earl grey tea blended with lavender.

What was also really appealing is that the tea cups and pastry plates and some of the teapots are all made by Margit, who is also a potter.  A little rectangular container made by Margit with branches and flowers from the gardens was the table centre arrangement, very simple but effective, and added a lovely touch.  It all went together really well with the rustic west coast style building.

Spend an afternoon at the Tea Farm

The wood stove was going, a little music was playing, while outside the tea room the skies were clearing and all the different fresh greens of spring were opening up.  People were relaxing and taking their time.  What a great way to spend an afternoon!  You are able to smell the teas from sample tins displayed, so while I liked the horse tea and took some home, I also brought home a tin of the rooster tea, which I’m really enjoying.  It’s a more spicy tea, but still herbal, and has a lovely aroma.  I’m sure I’ll be back to pick up some more!

There are so many unique specialty food and drink products being grown and created in the Valley, it’s a pleasure to find out about them.  I’ll definitely be telling our guests at Cobble House Bed & Breakfast about the Tea Farm, another great Cowichan Valley attraction.    They are open from Wednesday through Sunday 10 am – 5 pm and check their website for special monthly events.

On Saturday a couple of weeks ago (remember that gorgeous Easter weekend we had?) I made a trip out to the Duncan Farmers Market.   This market is open all year round on Saturdays, from 9 am or 10 am until 2 pm.  Not only will you find local food producers here, but crafts people and artisans as well.  There was everything from locally made baked goods to seafood and smoked meats, pasta, clothing, beautiful wood crafts, local author Sandie Bergen with a fantasy series of books, tea from the Tea Farm, local honey and more! As spring and summer advance, there will be even more fresh and locally grown produce available.  I took home some fresh bread and some stinging nettle pesto which I really enjoyed from Fat Chili Farm, a local Cobble Hill grower and producer.

The Duncan Farmers Market is probably the biggest of the Cowichan Valley Farmers Markets, but there are several others in operation during the late spring, summer and early fall, so lots of opportunities to buy local, or, if you’re a visitor to the Cowichan Valley, take home some great fresh products as a reminder of your visit here.

The new (this year) Mill Bay Farmers Market will start at the Mill Bay Shopping Centre on Thursday May 2nd, from 2 – 7 pm.  The South Cowichan Farmers Market, which started up last year, will open for the season on Sunday May 5.  Hours are 10 – 3 pm.  Great tips for shopping at Farmers Markets on their website!  The Chemainus Farmers Market will start up on May 29, and runs every Wednesday 10 – 4 until the end of September.  In our own village, the Cobble Hill Farmers Market takes place on Thursdays.

So, there are numerous places to find great local products, meet the growers , vendors and people in the community, and experience one of the big reasons to visit the Cowichan Valley.   Let me know if there are any other Farmers Markets in the Cowichan Valley that I’ve missed.  Book your Cowichan Valley Bed & Breakfast stay, explore the area, and go home with some great food!

“Once upon a day…Cowichan” features a community effort by musicians, artists, fresh food producers, wineries, restaurants, and community leaders all coming together to share their love of the Cowichan Valley and the reason why it is such a great place to live and work. The mild climate allows you to grow just about anything here, the ocean offers a bounty of seafood, the scenery is beautiful and stimulates creative minds, and the community of people thrives on what the area has to offer. This film is a celebration of the charm, diversity and bounty that is the Cowichan Valley.

The “Once upon a day…Cowichan” presentation was followed by “Once upon a year…Cowichan” a full journey through the four seasons of life in the Cowichan Valley. You’ll meet some of the fresh food providers, the award winning wineries, the world class chefs and restauranteurs, the adventure seekers, the community leaders, and take a journey through the entire Cowichan region from historic Ladysmith, the world famous murals in Chemainus, the exhiliration of wind surfing at Nitinat Lake or tackling the West Coast Trail, the totems in Duncan, the beauty and rural ambiance of Cobble Hill and Shawnigan Lake, and the funkyness of Cowichan Bay.

As citizens of the Cowichan Valley of almost 20 years, we too love this place. We fell in love with it when we first came on a visit. The film made us very proud to be Valley citizens. As Cowichan Bed & Breakfast innkeepers, we are already ambassadors for our region, and this film only inspired us more to share the richness of our home with visitors from far and wide. We hope you are planning a trip to our Cowichan Valley soon. Here is a taste of what we have to offer!

Fortunately the Cowichan Valley is home to a number of very fine restaurants so it is very easy to recommend these to our guests. We always ask them afterwards “how was dinner” and almost always the recommendation has led them to a great dining experience, often featuring locally grown or harvested foods.

Just around the conrer from Cobble House B&B

In Cowichan Bay, just a 15 minute drive away, you will find The Masthead Restaurant, another favorite with our guests. They specialize in seafood, but have something for everyone’s taste. All their entrees are served with “pot au feu” fresh vegetables and duck spuds, and they have a great wine list.

Back in Shawnigan Lake Village is another of our recommended restaurants, Steeples Bar & Grill, an “adventure in casual dining”. Located in a converted church, Steeples is a big part of the community as well. They have just launched their new fall promotion “Mediterranean Nights” and had a very successful Asian fusion promotion this spring.

While the bistro at Merridale Cidery is mostly open just for lunch, they offer hugely popular pizza nights on Sundays during the summer. Currently they are open on Saturday nights until mid December for Field to Table 3-course dinners. We met some of our guests at Merridale at one of the last pizza nights of the season and they really enjoyed the food and the ciders there! La Pommeraie Bistro is another popular choice with our guests, and it too, is just around the corner from Cobble House B&B.

While in a very rural location, Cowichan Valley restaurants are among some of the best restaurants on Vancouver Island. We’ll happily book a table for you when you come to stay, so you too can enjoy really fine dining in the Cowichan Valley.

small maple changing color

People are harvesting the last of their produce from the many farms and private gardens around the Cowichan Valley. Lots of signs around the Valley selling everything from apples to herbs. There are still some flowers in the garden, and a few trees are starting to put on a colorful display among the west coast evergreens. The Cowichan Valley wineries are leaving the grapes on as long as they can to get every bit of sunshine possible to ripen the grapes, as the summer heat didn’t quite last long enough this year. Canadian Thanksgiving is just a week away, when we celebrate the rewards of long summer days of work and growth and the harvest that has resulted from our efforts. Time to clean up the flower pots and hanging baskets for another year, put away the patio furniture, and bring up a load of firewood to the house, so we can light the Russian fireplace at Cobble House.

Calendulas still add a colorful decoration to our fruit servings

We are open throughout the year, so come and enjoy fall in the Cowichan Valley. Happy Thanksgiving!

Just 10 minutes away from our Cobble Hill Bed & Breakfast you can book a tee time at Arbutus Ridge Golf Club, 18 holes, par 71. The Club has a four star Golf Digest Rating and has a 10 stall driving range and practice putting green. Daytime green fees are in the $45-$64 range.

Arbutus Ridge Golf Club

The Cowichan Golf & Country Club on the south side of Duncan is the oldest golf course in the Valley. It has been in its present location just off the Trans Canada Highway since 1947, and is an 18 hole, par 70 course. Green fees generally range from $42 – $52. The Mount Brenton Golf Course in the mural town of Chemainus, which calls itself the Island’s “friendliest golf course”, is almost as old, having been around since 1948. This is a par 71 course with green fees ranging from $25-$45.

The newest course in the Cowichan region is Duncan Meadows on the northwest side of Duncan, along Highway 18. It has a reputation as a player’s course, with many lakes and ponds. Green fees are in the range of $40-$55 for this par 72 course. This past July, Duncan Meadows hosted the 2011 Royale Cup Canadian Women’s Amateur Championships.

If you continue west on Highway 18 around the south side of Cowichan Lake, you will reach the 9 hole March Meadows Golf Course in Honeymoon Bay. This is the home course of LPGA professional Dawn Coe Jones who still sponsors the junior golf tournament held at the club each year. Green fees for 18 holes are in the $33-$42 range.

Whichever Cowichan golf course, or courses, you chose to experience, you’ll find unique and different challenges on each one. Another thing you’ll find is beautiful scenic views of the Cowichan landscape, be it ocean or rolling hills and mountains. Come and play the game of golf in the Cowichan Valley, and find your choice of Cowichan Valley Bed & Breakfasts nearby to complete your stay.

Almost a year ago I blogged about the trestle when the rehabilitation work had just started and I took a trip to have a look. A construction cam was installed and allowed you to see the progress over the past year, and it was great to see things coming together. Funds for the rehabilitation were supplied by many individual donors as well as both the federal and provincial governments, the Island Coastal Economic Trust, the Cowichan Valley Regional District and the Trans Canada Trail Foundation. A major missing link in the Vancouver Island portion of the Trans Canada Trail is now complete. The trail now runs continuously from the south end of Shawnigan Lake up to Lake Cowichan and from Duncan to Ladysmith. The section from Duncan to Ladysmith was opened just a few weeks before the opening of the Kinsol Trestle.

There is still work to be completed around the trestle, including a pavilion listing all the donors to the project. A completed walkway takes you down all the way to the river on the north end of the trestle. Looking up at the 44 meters high trestle from the river is pretty awe inspiring, especially if you consider how the trestle was built back in 1920, without any of the huge cranes or other equipment now used for the rehabilitation. The rehabilitation created local jobs, used Vancouver Island lumber and the project was led by a local Cobble Hill company.

We have hosted numerous cyclists at our Cobble Hill Bed & Breakfast over the years, as they cycle and visit the wineries, or pass through on their way up-Island. The completion of the Kinsol Trestle on the Trans Canada Trail will definitely be an added attraction in the Cowichan Valley for both cyclists and hikers as well as visitors who are interested in seeing this piece of Vancouver Island history for themselves.

It was a perfect day to take a few hours off and I timed my arrival for the 1:30 pm flying demonstrations. This is a must as this is the highlight of a visit to PNWR. This afternoon’s demonstration started with Hera the immature bald eagle. What an impressive bird up close! Then we saw a Harris hawk, a barn owl, a turkey vulture (which is not a raptor) and finally a one-year old peregrine falcon. It was wonderful to see these magnificent birds up close and learn more about them and see the different ways they fly. I learned quite a bit, including “what is a raptor”!

Pacific Northwest Raptors is primarily an educational center. The birds are captive bred and trained to raise awareness and to give the public an opportunity to see them up close and learn more about them, and feel inspired about saving them and their habitat. In the past PNWR has also been involved in rehabilitating injured wild birds but they very unfortunately recently lost their license to do so While some of the birds are in cages, they fly free every day and are also taken out to give the visitors a closer look as well as the opportunity to ask questions. The staff at the center is very friendly and helpful and they obviously love what they do.

You can now also see some of the PNWR birds at the Church & State winery, near the Butchart Gardens in Victoria. Pacific Northwest Raptors has also collaborated with the Vancouver Aquarium this summer for “Birds Up Close” and you can see eagles, hawks, falcons and other birds trained at PNWR at the aquarium until September 5th.

As our Cowichan Valley accommodation is located on a forested acreage, we often see barred owls around our property, so I was very interested to learn more about them and other raptors. They too are magnificent birds and a clearer understanding of them is important in helping them to survive and flourish so we can continue to enjoy them in their natural environment. While my preference is always for all wild creatures to be wild and free, I think Pacific Northwest Raptors is an important link in creating a greater understanding of these birds. They are open daily from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m, with flying demonstrations at 1:30 and 3:30. It is really worth a visit.

The building that houses the Cobble Hill Market was built in 1911 by Tom Walton, and was therefore initially known as the Walton Building. When the building opened it was operated as a grocery store downstairs while the upstairs became a popular dance hall as well as a meeting space for clubs and a gaming parlour. There are apparently lots of local stories about the dances held there in the evenings! During the day, the upstairs space was used by Mrs. Walford Gosnell to teach art classes.

Eventually the upstairs was converted into living quarters and many families lived there while operating the downstairs store. The current owners immigrated from Hong Kong and have operated the store since 1995.

Quiet Cobble Hill village was once quite a busy community and a center for shipping goods via the railway. The current Cobblestone Inn Pub is on the site of the former Cobble Hill division of the Cowichan Creamery, around which many community events revolved until the 1940′s. There was shopping at the Bonner Block, and the village also boasted the busy Wilton Place Hotel. The Cobble Hill Post Office and Bank building is still in existence as the Black Coffee restaurant at nearby Whippletree Junction on Highway 1, on your way to Duncan BC. Whippletree is a funky collection of specialty shops and restaurants in historical Cowichan Valley buildings moved there from around the Valley.

At our Vancouver Island Bed & Breakfast in Cobble Hill, we had the pleasure several years ago of hosting the grandson of one of the two families our road is named after. We live on Cameron-Taggart Road and if you travel south on our road you’ll come across two farms now owned by the Wikkerink families. Orginally, however, these were the Cameron and the Taggart farms, with the Cameron farm on the west side of the road and the Taggart farm on the east side. Our guest was Bill Taggart who was showing his grandson around the area where he grew up. The Taggart children attended the Sylvania school at the end of Cameron-Taggart Road. This building is now a Lions hall.

Every area has its interesting history. Mr. Taggart shared with us some old photos and a book “At the foot of the hill” about the history of Cobble Hill and it was so fascinating learning more about the history of our immediate area and being able to relate it to the places you come by on a daily basis while operating our Cobble Hill Bed & Breakfast.

Currently showing at the Chemainus Theatre is “Steel Magnolias”.  Also a successful movie released in 1989 starring Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Dolly Parton and Shirley MacLaine, the story was an original play written in 1987 by Robert Harling, who wrote the play as a way to cope with his sister’s death.  It takes place in a small Louisiana town and you’ll meet the people who regularly gather at Truvy’s beauty parlor.  The next production at the theatre will be “Fiddler on the Roof”, which will run from June 17 to September 3.

Complete the Chemainus Theatre experience by dining at the Playbill Dining Room.  The dining room features an impressive buffet with a new menu inspired by the changing seasons and the theme of the productions.  You can purchase tickets for just the show, or for the show + dinner for a great evening out, or an afternoon matinee on Wednesdays or Saturdays.

Spend a few days in the Cowichan Valley and you can enjoy a variety of activities.   Play some golf, visit the wineries, hike the Trans Canada Trail, go kayaking, and visit the world famous murals and the theatre in Chemainus.  Our Cowichan Valley accommodation is central to it all, so come and explore our piece of paradise.  We’re happy to share it with you!