We left Ganges in a four-seater, red convertible. The top was down. The sun was shining. A tourist map was clutched in my hands.

Our threesome – Colleen Eastman, Danny Levin and I – had a deep-seated need for the creamy goodness known as goat cheese. We were headed to Salt Spring Island Cheese.

The car was a loner, compliments of Roberta Martell, the Sustainability Director at Harbour House, a hotel and working farm on the island.

Less than an hour earlier, she and her trusty four-legged sidekick, Rocky, picked us up just past the gates of Ganges Harbour. Now we were winding our way out of town. It didn’t take long.

The droplet of island we were calling home for the day was just 74 square miles. Thriving on tourism and agriculture, the countryside was largely undeveloped. Bushes grew boldly beside the road. They blocked many a street sign. We saw small homes graced by dirt driveways and pastures filled with goats. There were country gardens, country drivers, and a long-since-forgotten tractor beside a barn. We passed an old stone church overlooking Swartz Bay and nearly passed the small sign to the creamery.

The one-lane farm road suggested we might have been better off borrowing a pickup truck. Its bumpy terrain cut through a lush field of grass and beneath a cool canopy of trees.

From the base of the parking lot we could make out the wood buildings of the creamery.

The shingled sides and slanted roofs were adorned by ivy. It framed the doorways and windows. Near the back of the buildings, a lace curtain billowed out of a second story doorway as though it had been plucked from a French cottage.

Or perhaps it was from Scotland. The curtain marked the residence of David Wood, the creamery’s owner and a former Scott.

Wood sold his first cheese in 1996. The sale marked the six-year culmination of trial and error on the farm and in the kitchen. In those days, Salt Spring Island Cheese raised and milked its own goats. Nearly 20 years later, producing enough milk to keep up with the demand was no longer practical. “These goats are just for show,” Wood said as he walked us through the grounds.

Obviously, the small farm had been outfitted for visitors. A covered wooden pathway ran between the stables and creamery. Large viewing windows offered a real-time look at the making and packaging process. “Just like when we started, everything is handmade right here. We still use traditional methods and we still use high-quality ingredients,” said Wood.

Goat’s milk is inherently smoother than milk taken from its more widely popular sister, the cow. This is because the fat particles in goat’s milk are much smaller. But the real key to a creamy chèvre is the concentration of fat. “You have to really squeeze out the water,” explained Wood.

The smooth texture for which Salt Spring Island Cheese has become well known is only part of what makes this cheese so exceptional. It’s the luscious, almost sweet flavor that has garnered it international attention. Unlike many of the other goat cheese brands, Salt Spring’s chèvres lack the overwhelming tangy finish that can leave your mouth feeling dry and puckered. Wood attributes this to the creamery’s pasteurization process.

Using the “low and slow method,” as Wood calls it, the milk is heated at 145 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. “You can also do it at 172 degrees Fahrenheit for 18 seconds. The process is a lot faster, which many big cheese producers like. But the low and slow method causes less damage to the milk’s fat,” said Wood. It’s damaging the fat that brings out that strong tang.

The farm’s shop, a long, low-ceilinged room, is flanked by a nearly equally long cheese counter. Available for tasting are free samples of the creamery’s entire line of goat-based cheeses. While the base of each is simple – goat milk, sea salt, dairy culture, and rennet – the beautiful molds tell a more varied story.

You’ll find they’re infused with everything from basil to chilis. There is a Flower Chèvere, Garlic Chèvere and Lemon Chèvere. They use olives, truffles, and peppercorns. The most popular of all is their Ruckles. It features small logs of goat cheese marinated in grape seed oil, fresh herbs, and garlic.

Though best known for their chèvres, the creamery also make fetas, surface-ripened cheeses, and a hard cheese. I found the Blue Juliette, a surface-ripened blue that pairs nicely with red wine, to be particularly delightful.

Our motley crew was leaving with several containers to take home, but we couldn’t help ourselves. We had to try a scoop, okay two, of the creamery’s goat cheese ice cream. Smooth like custard, it was the perfect treat to enjoy on the patio.

If you’re looking for grand entryways or manicured lawns, look elsewhere.

But, if you’re looking for a destination where the strawberries are picked that morning and the eggs are straight from under a hens bum – head to the Harbour House Hotel on Salt Spring Island.

Positioned on a hill just above Ganges Harbour, this rustic resort looks a bit like a converted farmhouse. It should. Behind its two-story residence is a 3-acre farm. The hillside’s been tamed by sheer willpower and muscle as terraced stone beds have been built into the sloping ground.

Here, farm-to-table is not just a quaint term thrown around because it’s popular. “During the peak season, we grow 90 percent of what’s served in our restaurant,” said Roberta Martell, Harbour House’s Sustainability Director.

They raise their own sheep for meat and beehives for honey. Heck, they even make their own syrup by tapping the farm’s broad leaf maples.

Hotel guests and visitors are invited to explore the grounds, but a word to the wise – watch your step. While by farm standards, the grounds are clean, the goats and chickens are far from potty trained.

Farmed Since 1916
In the early 1900s, two newlyweds purchased the 100-acre seafront property. The intention was simple – raise things. That’s just what they did, including: six children, dozens of livestock, fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

As the years progressed, the family house was transformed into a 12-bedroom guesthouse. The farm continued to operate, but portions of the plot were gradually sold. By the early 2000s, only 17 acres of the original plot remained. Abandoned to Mother Nature, they grew into a thicket of alders, blackberries, and wild roses.

That’s exactly how Jack and Glenda Woodward found it when they purchased the hotel and farm in 2004. Again, the goal was simple – raise things. However, the Woodward’s also wanted to share. That’s exactly what they’re doing.

The hotel is a beacon for diners looking to eat off the land. Five acres of the land have been deer-fenced and three of the protected acres have been cleared by the farm’s trusty goatherd. They are farmed year-round. Literally, something is harvested from the farm every day. The head farmer, Rob Scheres, records all that’s taken by hand.

Originally from Holland, Scheres grew up on a farm where he learned traditional techniques he brought with him to Salt Spring Island. For example, Scheres grows his melons vertically, cradling them in women’s hairnets.

Herbs are also grown year round. In the Basil House, a two-room wooden hut constructed without nails, hot water baths are used during the winter months to heat the space.

The Cuisine

The restaurant at the Harbour House Hotel makes “fresh” seem like a cuisine.

Their menu focuses primarily on what’s harvested from the farm, supplementing its impressive yield with island-sourced ingredients when needed.

It’s a tactic that doesn’t lend itself to a consistent menu. Feel free to peruse your options online, but be prepared to change your mind when you see the daily specials.

And, don’t be shy about collecting your own eggs. The two-page regular menu is dominated by egg-filled options, but Chef Chad isn’t the only one who gets to gather eggs. You can too.

At the farm’s Egg Emporium, you can grab your own eggs from under the hens. The kitchen will wash them and then use them for your breakfast. Especially delightful is the Farm Frittata. Changing seasonally, it’s been known to arrive packed with goat cheese and scallions.

The Farm Stand

The majority of the farm’s bounty makes its way into the kitchen on site, but a portion of each day’s pickings are sold at the hotel’s Farm Stand. The offerings are eclectic. You never know what you’ll find. There could be arugula and kale one day and broccoli and melons the next. You might find herbs, lettuce, and eggs. One thing’s for sure, it’s always fresh.

The stand sits behind the resort, just to the right of the farm’s main gate. It’s unmanned. Operated on the honor system, the Harbour House leaves a small jar on one of the wooden counters. Visitors and locals alike pop in to see the options and drop money as appropriate.