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Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1498118
The Grist Mill and Gardens The Feast Chow down on a fresh scone in the tearoom or grab a sandwich from the kitchen. The Shop The housemade apricot barbeque sauce ($12) is a winning souvenir. The Photo Op The water wheel powering the mill is super IG-worthy, as are all of the funky kinds of apples. soul from behind enviable long eyelashes. Covert Farms reminds kids and adults alike where their food comes from: I eat wine grapes from the vine (a few have been lost to an oenology-curious bear), brush dirt from cabbages and carefully avoid bees to pick fresh strawberries. Here, you can indulge in nostalgic fun (sorry to the kids I double-bounced on the jumping pillow) and also celebrate like a grown-up (cheers to wine tasting on a sun- drenched patio). And it's a good place to seri- ously consider becoming a vegan. Covert Farms The Feast Book a private campfire cookout ($38 for adults, $15 for youth under 18) and roast your own Two Rivers hot dogs—plus s'mores, wine and juice for the kiddos. The Shop For a wine that channels Okanagan strawberries and cherries, go with the Covert Farms 2022 Rosé ($22). The Photo Op Fuzzy cows. Need we say more? A Farm for the Fruit-Lover The Grist Mill and Gardens 2691 Upper Bench Rd., Keremeos, B.C. oldgristmill.ca Okay, so the Grist Mill and Gardens isn't actu- ally a farm: it's a heritage site with a restau- rant, campground and gift shop. Don't expect rows of carefully plotted crops or livestock wandering about. But the apple orchard has the energy, charm and history that I love about farms. It would be impossible to leave it off this list. The Grist Mill apple orchard has over 20 different species of heritage apples: it's a beautiful, eclectic mix of trees. Extraordinarily friendly manager Chris Mathieson speaks with evident passion for the different vari- etals, even though many of them are a mys- tery: record keeping for the 146-year-old site has been (understandably) inconsistent, and many of the apples are unknown. Mathieson asks all visitors to help in the team's pursuit to identify the apples—once, he tells us, an elderly visitor swore she remembered one of the mystery apples from her childhood. The water wheel-powered mill that the site is named after is still turning, and stepping inside among the platforms and pul- leys and grinders is awesome: the space is a love letter to preservation. A tiny museum with bits and bobs about the mill's history is just a few steps away. And everywhere, there are flowers—the fresh flo- rals have only the fragrance of sweet apples to compete with, and the air here is easy breathing. MAY/JUNE 2023 BCBUSINESS 51