Ready to start a baking lesson!

And one of the most fun activities has been providing culinary tourism experiences for Japanese tourists through our partnership with Prince Edward Tours.

Preparing fresh rhubarb for a pie

During our afternoons at Maplethorpe, we have concentrated on pie making. Although we North Americans might view making a pie as fairly mundane, this is a new and interesting experience for most Japanese!

Making pie crust

The type of pie we make depends on seasonal availability of local fruit. We started out in the Spring making rhubarb pies. Our Japanese guests did it all, from picking and cleaning the fresh rhubarb through to the finished pie. We have followed PEI’s seasons, moving through strawberries to raspberries and presently are working with blueberries. I can’t wait for the Fall to bring us fresh PEI apples…maybe I can come up with a recipe for cranberry pie, too!

Finishing the decoration of a rhubarb pie

Through the afternoon at Maplethorpe, our tourist guests truly become friends! As the pies bake we talk about the differences and similarities in our lives. We share a pot of tea and take a tour of our home, including the    vegetable garden, chicken house and (of course!) the bed and breakfast rooms.

All ready to eat!

Surprisingly, our guests report that they have been able to take their pies home to Japan! What a great way to share the authentic taste of Prince Edward Island and truly share their vacation experience with friends and family.