Field to Fork: Discovering Loring-Restoule’s Farm Fresh Bounty
There’s something profound about knowing exactly where your food comes from. Not just the province or region, but the specific field, the family who raised it, the hands that harvested it. In the Loring-Restoule area – tucked into Ontario’s Golden Valley along Highway 522 – this connection isn’t a marketing concept. It’s a way of life.
This region has quietly become one of Northern Ontario’s most vibrant agricultural communities, where small family farms are doing remarkable things. From world-champion maple syrup to tropical fruit grown in Northern greenhouses, from award-winning honey to sustainable flower farms, Loring-Restoule proves that great food doesn’t require industrial scale. It requires passion, knowledge, and a deep respect for the land.
Dual Rill Farms: Your Country Market Destination
At the heart of Loring-Restoule’s farm-to-table movement sits Dual Rill Farms Country Market, and if there’s one stop that defines what this region is all about, this is it. Located at 8154 Highway 522 in Golden Valley, this isn’t your typical farm stand — it’s a complete farm-to-table experience that has become essential for both locals and cottagers who refuse to compromise on quality.
Step inside and you immediately understand why “We bring the farm to your table” isn’t just their tagline, it’s their promise. The meat counter showcases home-grown beef, pork, and chicken raised right on the farm, processed with care, and sold with complete transparency about how the animals were raised. This is meat from farmers you can talk to, animals that lived on land you can visit, raised by a family that takes pride in every cut.
But Dual Rill Farms is more than a butcher shop. The shelves are stocked with local dairy products, in-season vegetables and fruit, snacks, honey (including the legendary Board’s Honey from down the road), ready meals, and fresh baked goods. It’s the kind of place where you arrive planning to grab one thing and leave with a week’s worth of groceries — all sourced as locally as possible, all chosen for quality over convenience.
As a proud member of the Ontario Made Initiative, Dual Rill Farms actively supports and promotes locally made products, connecting customers with the best of what Ontario agriculture has to offer. When you see their logo, you know this product was farm-raised by their family, for yours. It’s about accountability, transparency, and genuine care for what ends up on your table.
Northern Tropical Paradise: Growing the Unexpected
If someone told you that bananas, passion fruit, dragon fruit, papaya, and pineapples were being grown in Northern Ontario, you’d probably laugh. But Laurie and Terry didn’t just dream it, they built it. Northern Tropical Paradise, established in 2021, represents agricultural innovation at its finest.
Using greenhouse technology this operation has achieved what many thought impossible: successfully growing tropical fruits in a climate better known for snow than sunshine. Alongside their exotic offerings, they grow tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and other seasonal produce, proving that with the right knowledge and infrastructure, Northern Ontario can produce far more than most people imagine.
Board’s Honey Farm: Decades of Beekeeping Excellence
Some farms measure their history in years. Board’s Honey Farm measures it in generations. Since 1974 the Board family has been keeping bees in the pristine, unpolluted countryside of the Loring-Restoule region. What started as a dream of a different life when Stefan Board moved his family north from Hamilton has become one of Ontario’s most respected apiaries.
The numbers tell part of the story: 300 colonies producing thousands of pounds of honey each season. The bees pollinate old farming fields, cattle pastures, and non-industrial farming areas known for minimal to zero pesticide use.
Visit the farm (open 10am to 5pm daily from July through Christmas at 6866 Highway 534) and you’ll discover far more than a place to buy honey. The farm offers workshops, self-guided tours following “Miss Bee” through gardens, play areas, and trails. Guided family tours with second-generation head beekeeper Jaimie Board run on select Thursdays and Sundays during July and August, providing an entertaining and educational journey into the world of honeybees.
The honey shop features multiple varieties — wildflower, basswood, meadowblend, buckwheat, and the popular creamed cinnamon honey. Beyond honey, you’ll find beeswax candles, pollen granules, royal jelly, and cosmetics all made with ingredients from the hive.
Forest & Farm: Sustainable Foraging Meets Cultivation
Forest & Farm takes the field-to-fork concept and expands it to include the forest itself. This operation grows a wide variety of produce and herbs using sustainable practices, but they don’t stop there. They also sustainably forage, gathering what the Northern Ontario wilderness offers and transforming it into beautiful, ready-to-consume products.
Their handcrafted line includes preserves, syrups, teas, jellies, and salves—each made from ingredients they’ve either grown themselves or responsibly harvested from the forest. It’s a return to older food traditions where people knew every edible plant, every useful herb, every berry patch within walking distance of home.
What sets Forest & Farm apart is their commitment to education. They offer hands-on workshops and special events throughout the year, teaching others how to identify, harvest, and use the bounty that Northern Ontario’s forests provide. In an era when most people can’t identify three edible wild plants, this knowledge preservation matters. It connects us to Indigenous food traditions, to pioneer resourcefulness, and to a more complete understanding of what “local food” truly means.
Clapperton’s Maple Syrup: World Champion from a 200-Acre Dream
In November 2019, Mike Clapperton was checking the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair website when he saw his name listed as a winner. He couldn’t believe it. He actually called the Royal when they opened at 8am just to confirm: “Is this real? Is this going to disappear?”
It was real. Clapperton’s Maple Syrup had just been named World Champion Maple Syrup, winning the category “Canada Grade A, Amber/Rich Taste”. He received a silver platter, a championship ribbon, and a cheque. But more importantly, he received confirmation that 20 years of learning, experimenting, and perfecting his craft had produced something truly exceptional.
Today, you can purchase Clapperton’s world-champion syrup at Clapperton’s Marine at 11571 Highway 522 in Port Loring, or order directly for shipping. Sizes range from 100ml bottles (perfect for gifts or sampling) to 4-litre jugs for serious syrup enthusiasts. They also produce maple sugar and maple butter, each offering a different way to enjoy the concentrated sweetness of Northern Ontario’s maple trees.
Trillium Maple Farm: Family Tradition in Arnstein
Just outside of Arnstein, Trillium Maple Farm continues the region’s maple tradition with their own family-run operation. They produce exceptional maple syrup along with maple sugar, maple candy, and something increasingly rare: birch syrup.
Birch syrup production requires even more sap than maple — about 110 litres of birch sap to produce one litre of syrup compared to 40 litres for maple. The result is a darker, more complex syrup with slightly fruity, caramelised notes that pair beautifully with game meats, strong cheeses, and dark breads. It’s a taste of the northern forest, bottled.
Find Trillium Maple Farm products at the Argyle Farmers Market (Wednesday mornings throughout July and August), the Powassan Farmers Market, and in local stores throughout the region. Each bottle carries the dedication of a small family farm keeping traditional practices alive.
Peony & Pine: Sustainable Blooms in Golden Valley
Not all farms feed the body — some nourish the soul. Peony & Pine Floral Co., located at 130 Oliver’s Road in Golden Valley, is a small-scale, family-operated flower farm that has made sustainability their core principle.
The owners are passionate about growing flowers that showcase the beauty of each season. They’re firm believers in knowing the journey our flowers took to reach you. Every bloom is grown and cultivated with the environment in mind, employing only sustainable and organic farming practices.
During the summer season, the farm offers pick-your-own flower fields. Imagine wandering through rows of peonies, zinnias, sunflowers, and dahlias, cutting your own bouquet . They also host bouquet-building workshops where you learn the art of floral design using blooms you’ve just picked. They also maintain a well-stocked farm stand for those who prefer pre-arranged bouquets.
From Field to Fork to Future
The farms of Loring-Restoule aren’t just preserving the past — they’re pioneering the future. Northern Tropical Paradise proves that innovation can expand what’s possible. Board’s Honey Farm demonstrates that traditional practices, when done with knowledge and care, remain entirely relevant. Clapperton’s shows that small-scale production can achieve world-class quality. Forest & Farm proves that sustainable foraging and cultivation can coexist. Peony & Pine reminds us that agriculture isn’t only about calories—it’s about beauty, too.
So the next time you’re heading to cottage country, build in time for farm stops. Talk to the farmers. Ask questions. Learn where your food comes from. Buy products that travelled metres instead of kilometres, that were produced by families instead of corporations.
Your meals will taste better. Your kitchen will be stocked with quality. And you’ll be supporting a food system that deserves to thrive for generations to come.
Welcome to Loring-Restoule, where field-to-fork isn’t a trend — it’s a tradition that’s still very much alive.