Reetsy's Dreamy Destination: Canoe Bay

I lived most of my life in Wisconsin before relocating to Minneapolis a few years ago. As much as I enjoy shaking my tail feather in the Twin Cities, sometimes I do miss Wisconsin and my friends and family there.

On top of having countless numbers of friends and family to visit in Wisconsin, I now have a new vacation destination: Canoe Bay Resort.

The amenities are all there, and some bonus features I've noted include: a library, 3 private lakes, and a number of green construction building practices: "In addition to recycling bottles, paper, etc. and using virtually no synthetic products of any kind, we have selected the most advanced and efficient products for everyday functions at Canoe Bay."

A cabin at Canoe Bay - photo from Forbes Traveler

But wait one second. Isn't this supposed to be a blog about sustainable foods?

CHECK IT.

"Since the inception of Canoe Bay our mission has been to procure for our guests the finest indigenous, naturally-raised foods."

Canoe Bay is hitting pretty heavy in local, chemical free foods in their dining room. Their produce suppliers neither use insecticides nor pesticides and, in most cases, are certified organic. Canoe Bay sources meat producers use free-range or grass-fed pasture raising methods, and, (not surprisingly) all of their meat is served up free of antibiotics, growth hormones, and chemicals. Located in Wisconsin, it makes sense that their dairy products (milk, eggs, butter, cheeses) come from local, organic producers.

Check out the nearby producers sourced by Canoe Bay:

• Cedar Summit Farm
  — Organically produced milk, cream, butter, yogurt, pork, and chicken. This is our choice for milk at home. The glass bottles are returnable at our co-op for store credit.
  

• DragSmith Farm
  — Specialty produce like heirloom tomatoes, arugula, savory

• Eichten's Hidden Acres
  — Natural cheeses and bison. We've given the bison bratwurst from Eichten's as gifts, and people raved about the quality and flavor of the meat.
  

• Upland's Cheese
  — Raw milk farmstead cheese

• Sweetland Farm
  — Free-range chicken, and duck; organic butter and eggs

• Sherwood Farm
  — Foraged and cultivated mushrooms
  

• Talking Oak Farm
  — Raw honey, shallots, garlic

• Green Pastures Dairy
  — Pasture-raised beef and cheese

• Zumbro Herb Farm
  — Fresh herbs such as thyme, chervil, rosemary and lemon balm

Dinner prix fixe is $75/person. Rooms start at $350 per night. The villa is available for $1080, and it looks amazing.

I would be pickled tink at the opportunity to spend a night or two at Canoe Bay, but it's just not in my budget right now. *sigh*

Guess I'll have to start saving my pennies, or selling lemonade!


[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Twin Cities, Wisconsin, Minnesota]