The County beneath the hype

After discovering the Vibe Guide to Prince Edward County and View the Vibe, both on-line gems of media hype, recently, I decided to spend my afternoon enjoying The Authentic Vibe, best known to locals. My destination was Cressy Mustard in Waupoos, which offers the visitor true County hospitality in a country setting.

Served by owner Sarah Harrison, I ordered fish and chips and received a generous serving of fresh-caught pickerel and a mountain of the tastiest fries in the County. Had I been more adventurous, I might have sampled the Dilly fries, but left that for another day. Cressy Mustard offers a tranquil setting for outdoor dining, Mother Nature’s patio with a lake view. It also features an extensive selection of home preserves, tarts and Sarah’s popular Cressy mustards, inspired by a family recipe.

Following my lunch, I drove to the nearby Apple Dabble orchards of the Creasy family for a bag of “Macs”. I have memories of writing a feature story on this fourth generation family operation, during my years as the County bureau reporter for the Intelligencer. Apple Dabble was a welcoming place then and this tradition continues to the present day. While the County has witnessed dramatic change in recent years, many of the defining qualities at its heart still survive and the old County names still weave their way through its tapestry.

A drive to Waupoos always brings back happy memories of childhood days when my parents and I traditionally made an annual trip there to buy apples. I recall stopping at Hughes Orchards and also Ostrander’s farm stand where we bought Macs, Delicious and Spies. Once we arrived home, the apples were placed in a highly unsophisticated cold storage system. My father would carry the hampers into a dark corner of our garage, where they were covered with old patchwork quilts. In the days ahead, we would enjoy numerous apple pies, apple sauce, steamed apples and Apple Pan Dowdy. Mother also canned apple slices with cinnamon buds for winter dining enjoyment.

Often, on a brisk autumn night, my father would announce that he was going to make a trip to our garage for some apples to enjoy while we watched one of our favourite westerns on television. A “Mac” man himself, usually, I would ask him to bring me a Red Delicious, instead. Supermarket apples could never match the taste of those fresh from our own “cold storage.”

The true County vibe was never based on wineries, high end restaurants and endless concerts;its charm lay in tradition and authenticity. We knew our neighbours and their families and enjoyed fine dining right in our own kitchens. Restaurant visits were rare in those days, customarily reserved for special occasions. When a milestone anniversary was on the calendar or out-of-town company arrived, our usual destination for a celebratory meal was Bloomfield’s Maple Inn. We dressed in our Sunday best on these occasions and truly felt a special vibe as we sat down to one of Mr. Channel’s outstanding culinary efforts.

Our prime source of evening entertainment, in the early ‘50s, before the rise of Base31, was Picton’s Regent theatre. Saturday night at the movies was a family affair that invariably included a trip to Louise Cook’s candy shop. For the younger set, there was also the Saturday matinee that offered two hours or more of excitement on the big screen for only a dime. Some time ago, a regular attendee at today’s Regent informed me that children no longer go to the movies, a sad part of the new vibe. The candy shop closed long ago, but now there is a wine bar and a space for dancing.

Street parades were very much a part of summer in the County, in the ‘50s. Crowds lined Main Street for Loyalist Day parades, Canada Day parades, and penny carnival processions. Picton even boasted its own I.O.O.F. Band for these occasions. In times past in Prince Edward County, the vibe centred on the security of living in a small community with long established traditions. We knew our neighbours, their children and their dogs and seldom locked our doors. Our entertainment consisted of playing cards in one another’s homes, going to the movies and Sunday drives. In summertime, we went to the beach with no need for a day pass or a reservation. In winter, we skated on Picton Bay or country ponds. Today’s so-called vibe is more akin to a frenzy to experience as much as possible in the shortest possible time. The price of nearly a week’s groceries can be spent on a single restaurant meal, with money left over for a night on the town. The vibe as defined by today’s brochures relies on hackneyed phrases such as “hidden gem”, “destination” and “idyllic getaway” to entice visitors to experience a vacation in the new Camelot. Picton has been cast in the role of a fairy tale town, where every day is a holiday. She plays the part well with one website referring to the County’s “cult-like vacation status.” Her original vibe may have fallen victim to the hyperbole of over-zealous copywriters, but for those who search beneath the superlatives, it still can be found today in places like Cressy Mustard and Apple Dabble Farm.