If you’re anything like me then Terre Bleu lavender farm has been on your Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest radar for quite some time. Yet if you’re also like me then you will know that although many articles claim that its in Toronto…it’s not, it’s in Milton. Milton is a super cute area of Ontario, that I definitely think people should go to, but it is not TTC-able. Which means that I was stuck waiting to be surrounded by one of my favorites plants until I could find a weekend where I had a free day to be able to drive there, which luckily I finally did.
Terre Bleu lavender farm began in 2011 with the farm opening to the public in 2014. Terre Bleu is a family farm run by the Baird’s that was inspired by a family trip to Quebec. Currently housing over 40,000 plants this farm is an excellent demonstration of sustainable farming practices. Once you arrive there is a short, three minute video that features a voice over of a more in-depth history of the farm overlaid with gorgeous shots of the property.
The farm features two large lavender fields, one directly as you enter and one just through a small trail that features the Instagram famous yellow door. The fields are quite large and there is enough space for everyone to try and find their own little pocket of lavender.
Lavender is one of the oldest known herbs. The greek writer, Discorides, wrote about it and it’s benefits and usages. Lavender was used in baths for ancient greeks and romans, as an aphrodisiac in medieval times, a disinfectant and medicinal product during war, and now is used for everything from cooking to bath products. Today lavender can be found and cultivated in a variety of countries.
Once you’ve seen enough of the lavender you can walk to one of the other areas of the farm. Terre Bleu has a working apiary, a handmade lavender distillery, a herb garden with delicious mocktails, an equestrian ring with horse shows, a group of rams, and their store which features not only their handmade goods but also delicious lavender ice cream and lemonade. They also have special events on the weekend. We were lucky enough to go on a day where they had a live music, with both a stage featuring a singer and a guitarist and a pavilion with a harpist, which was beautiful to watch and listen to!
After a quick dash into town to refill gas and grab lunch we headed over to the second stop of our adventure: Andrews Scenic Acres. About a 20 minute drive from Terre Bleu, the Andrew’s farm makes an excellent second stop for an outdoorsy adventure in Milton. The small farm store and ticket booth prevent you from seeing how massive the farm is until you’re beyond the fence border.
Established in 1980 as Andrews Scenic Acres Farm and Winery, this farm has been around for quite a while. The farm features multiple pick your-own fields filled Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, Gooseberries, Currants, and Apples depending on when in the year you come. When we were there Raspberries, Blueberries and Currants were in season to be picked. The Raspberry bushes seemed to be at the end of their season and were slightly picked over but we were still able to hunt for a handful. Some of the most delicious raspberries I’ve ever eaten in my life! The blueberry bushes however, were overflowing with berries.
Not only does the farm have pick your own fruits they also have wagon rides, which double as a shuttle to some of the further berry fields. Lots of animals, haybales, games for kids to play, a barbecue stand, flowers, and a country store filled with delicious farm fresh produce. We grabbed a couple varieties of their house made jam on the way out which are amazing and I definitely recommend!
After filling our baskets with fresh berries and walking around the farm we hopped back into the car for the drive back to the city. By the time I was back home about half of the fruit remained, the rest had been devoured as car and transit snacks. The other half was gone within 24 hours used for everything from girls night movie snacks to a breakfast parfait to ice cream topping to just being eaten by the handful before going out for the night.
Visiting farms like this is super important to me. Supporting local sustainable agriculture is something that my mom has always taught me to do. Both of these farms also have a bunch of beehives which is wonderful. If you’re going to make the drive from Toronto to Milton to go to Terre Bleu then definitely consider tacking on a visit to Andrews Scenic Acres. Both were beautiful and had delicious things to eat, which, in the grand scheme of things, is what really matters.