Giving Thanks in Muskoka

Living and operating a small resort in Muskoka gives us much to be thankful for: beautiful lakeside views, a friendly community and great guests. We’re grateful that you choose to spend your vacation time with us (or that you’re maybe considering it!).

We’re also grateful for the abundance of local producers who provide delicious produce, meats, preserves and honey. At this time of year, when turkey and cranberries are on almost everyone’s mind, we thought we’d remind you that Muskoka is home to two commercial cranberry marshes. Both—Johnston’s Cranberry Marsh and Iroquois Cranberry Growers—are in Bala. Every October on the weekend following Thanksgiving, you can join the entire town of Bala in celebrating all things cranberry at the Bala Cranberry Festival. The highlight of the festival is the marsh tours but if you can’t make it that weekend, you can also visit the marshes throughout October to see how the cranberries are harvested. Check their websites for details, or watch this video from the Rick Mercer Report a few years ago to get a quick lesson in cranberries.

Thanksgiving dinner wouldn’t be complete without cranberry sauce (and that doesn’t mean the gelatinous goop that comes in a can). Here’s one of the best cranberry sauce recipes around—tart with a rich cranberry flavour—and super easy to make. If you try it (and we think you should!) you can adjust the sugar to your taste.

Killer Cranberry Sauce (source unknown)

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ c sugar
• 1 navel orange
• ½ tsp. grated ginger
• 4 c. fresh or frozen cranberries
• ½ c toasted pecans (optional)

Instructions:

1. Grate the orange peel and add to a pot with the sugar and ginger. Add the juice from the orange and simmer over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Add cranberries and cook until most of them have popped (about 5 minutes).
3. Add pecans (optional).
4. Cool and serve.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

The Howell Family

Savouring Muskoka

An early morning shot from the dock at Colonial Bay

Muskoka in the fall is a pleasurable assault on the senses. Brilliant red, orange and yellow trees make beautiful vistas even more so; fallen leaves crunch and swirl underfoot; crisp morning air is gradually warmed by the rising sun; the smell of a crackling fire offers the promise of warmth; and local chefs bring out the best of the season with mouth-watering, hearty dishes.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend at Colonial Bay (and hope all of our Canadian friends did too). We even had the first snowfall of the year, albeit a small one. Ski season isn’t far off!

In the meantime, it’s still a great time to visit Muskoka and enjoy what Fall has to offer. The colours have now passed their peak for this year but there are still a lot of leaves on the trees making for a beautiful Fall drive or a hike in the woods. If you like horses, it’s a lovely time of year to go for a trail ride. Algonquin Highlands Trail Riding is a short drive to the east of Colonial Bay.

This coming weekend (October 13-14) is the annual Bala Cranberry Festival, a celebration of all things cranberry. You can tour the marshes where the berries grow and sample a variety of cranberry products, including wines from Muskoka Lakes Brewery.

If that only whets your appetite for more of Muskoka’s culinary best, don’t forget to visit one of Muskoka’s award-winning craft breweries or delectable locally-owned restaurants.

And, as always, when you’re done exploring, your cozy waterfront cottage awaits at Colonial Bay. Check our availability for the rest of the Fall season and heading into winter here.

We look forward to seeing you soon,

The Howell Family