The site is designed like a slowly unfolding story, with a new delight around every corner. In the Gardens, you will find colorful flowers and other interesting plants, many of which are heritage varieties. A herb garden near the Exhibit Building provides fresh herbs for the Kitchen and nearby an outdoor Summer Kitchen offers the perfect setting to watch demonstrations of heritage cooking and cleaning skills. Venturing into the Upper Field, you will find an orchard featuring over 20 different species of heritage apples, several plots of wheat and other grains (for the mill), as well as, a patch growing the celebrated Zucca Melon, which is known to bear fruit upwards of 150 pounds.
Gardening styles, like fashion change with the times. Victorian tastes favoured diversity and novelty, and the seed companies tempted gardeners alike with an array of varieties. Heritage plants are living artifacts, therefore the site gardens are for both preservation and display. Seed saving is an important heritage activity. Modern hybrids may not reproduce themselves, however the historic open-pollinated selection reproduce true to seed; successive generations are identical. Each year seeds are collected for for future plantings – the only way to ensure their survival. Organic management techniques used at the The Grist Mill are in many ways parallel to farm practices of the last century. For example, crop rotations, compost, and manures are used to build soil fertility.
This year our seed saving program will be re-invigorated with much effort with focus on purity; come and learn about growing and saving these living treasures or share with us your favourite heirloom plant species!
The Kitchen at the Grist Mill
Come enjoy the relaxing atmosphere and garden views of our Tea Room, while savoring one of our delicious buttery scones paired with local jam and fresh lemonade. Or sit outside along the cool Keremeos Creek with fresh baked Grist Mill cookies and old-fashioned steeped iced tea. We also offer the Similkameen Valley’s finest organic coffee and moist decadent carrot cake. And yes, we love to cater events, too!
Or, visit for lunch and enjoy homemade soups carefully crafted from scratch, delicious sandwiches, wholesome salads and other hearty entrees, all of which are handcrafted by our talented staff, to feature the finest seasonal ingredients found in our spectacular valley either from our own garden or from our fantastic neighbours.
Gift Shop
The Similkameen is full of farmers, orchardists, craftspeople and artisans who are growing, designing, making and selling all kinds of great products. We’re thrilled to get to share so many of these one-of-a-kind products with our visitors. Our gift shop features a wide variety of items including our own preserves, scratch-made soaps, handmade jewellery, unique art cards and more. We also have a seasonal selection of our favourite seeds, books on a range of topics including local history, natural history, regional fiction and more.
The Grist Mill and Gardens Hours of Operation
Check our website to plan your visit and for current hours of operation.
General Admission
- Adult $15.00
- Student & Senior $10.00
- Children 5 and under Free
- Family $30.00
