A 2024 RV trip from California to Manitoba, Canada, resulted in exciting travels and some interesting observations of Canadian farming and food. Here are my observations from the southern part of the Canadian province.
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The LTV Connection
We have a 2021 Leisure Travel Van (LTV) Wonder Front-twin bed RV. In 2024 I entered the lottery to attend the annual LTV Rally held in Winkler (Manitoba, Canada) that September. Luckily, we were one of the 150 RVs chosen, so I spent days planning our trip to and from Manitoba.
Our plan took us from California, through Nevada, and into Idaho on a diagonal. From Idaho we went to Wyoming, just a bit to see some bison and amazing geysers in Yellowstone, then drove into and across the length of Montana to North Dakota. Finally, we crossed into Manitoba, and drove across the amazing southern plains to Winkler.
- Crossing the border was not as scary as we thought it could get. But also, we were very careful to have none of the “not allowed” items. (Check the internet for lists of what you cannot bring into Canada.)
While at the RV Rally, we were given a tour of the manufacturing facility in Winkler, to see how our RVs are made and meet the people we have spoken to over the phone. We attended workshops LTV had set up for us from Ford (our RV body), Mercedes, and others. Plus, spent our days with ~300 LTV owners sharing tips and tricks. Not to mention had some warranty work completed.
But also, we had many interesting food experiences.
- Such as having a coffee roaster (Other Brother Roasters) talk on coffee farming, the art of roasting, and techniques for brewing.
- A talk and tasting of hard-cider and soda from The Dead Horse Cidery.
- Eating the food that was prepared from us at the Winkler Bible Camp (a large facility that put us up, including utilities!).
Manitoba is Special
Manitoba is one of the 3 prairie provinces of Canada, and is located at the longitudinal center of the country. As you can tell from the Map above, we were in the southern part of the province. While northern Manitoba has permafrost lands and a bit of tundra (and polar bears), where we were is considered the fertile southern part.
- Many people compare the Southern part of Manitoba, Canada, to Minnesota, USA.
- But Manitoba is reportedly larger than the state of California.
- Manitoba Gov: At the Lake Manitoba Narrows a strong wind can send waves washing against the limestone rocks of an offshore island. The unique sound from the waves is said to be the Manitou, or Great Spirit (in Ojibway, “Manito-bau”). The legend survives in the Province’s name – Manitoba.
In fact, the southern part of Manitoba used to be flood planes and wetlands until it was, essentially, drained and turned into farming country. But do not be fooled, this is a hard area in terms of weather and has limited farming, only plants that can handle the short growing season. In other words it can be brutally cold, snowy, and windy.
Driving through, on our way to Winkler, we saw lots of corn and hay fields, potatoes, soy beans, apple trees (most likely crab apple varieties), etc. Also many billboards that said things like, “have a wonderful day”. I took this type of signage to be a reflection of Mennonites living in the region.
- LTV: LTV mentions that many of their workers and their work ethic is from the Mennonite culture.
- The Mennonites reportedly settled in Southern Manitoba (and other Canadian areas) in and after 1874.
- SPCA: They are sometimes referred to as “Kanadier” Mennonites (signifying the Canadian migration) or “Mexican” Mennonites but many prefer to be called “Low German-speaking Mennonites.” They speak Plautdiestch, a variation of High German that varies from one locale to another.
The people we met at LTV were all wonderful, as were the people we met along the way to Winkler. Although the smaller towns we visited had people that did show a reserved caution of outsiders.
The languages we heard were mainly English, some French, and some German (high and low, and Dutch) variations.
Canadian Food Differs
One of the many oversights USA folks make is to assume that the countries along side our borders have the same food, the same understanding of food, and speak the same language. We found this to be certainly not true.
Biscuits Vs Scones
After our first night in Canada, we went to a small coffee shop in Killarny, Manitoba. We looked at the pastries and immediately noticed a sign that said “scones”, but they turned out to be ham + cheese “biscuits”. Made me remember the connection of Britain to Canada, for the British also uses these terms differently than USA people.
- In British english, a “biscuit” is basically a USA crisp cookie, and a “scone” is what the USA considers a biscuit.
- In USA, “biscuits” are softer, lighter and flakier than their scone counterpart. They are also usually roundish.
- In USA, “scones” are typically made with a higher ratio of liquid to flour. They are crumblier, and denser than biscuits and have a firmer outside. They are also usually triangle in shape and often contain fruit bits (lemons, raisons, cranberry, strawberry, etc.)
Tim Horton + Iced Tea
But what has been interesting is that no where could we find fresh iced tea. Almost everyone had fresh iced coffee, but one store we went into, the staffer appeared to have never even heard of iced tea.
We went to the Canadian equivalent of Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts, known as Tim Horton (“Timmies”). This was because I had heard of this place from watching the Van Wives, and other Canadian YouTubers. Plus it is the largest coffee chain in Canada.
We asked for iced tea and they offered us a Brisk can of pre-sweetened flavored iced tea. But they did not have any fresh, or unsweetened iced tea. Bummer since that is one of the cold drinks my spouse especially enjoys.
As we entered the business, we passed by a case of donuts and donut holes, and went for some fast food. I had a BLT while my spouse had a chicken sandwich.
Tim Horton also served breakfast eggs on bagels, english muffins, and biscuits. They apparently pride themselves on having all permanent menu items, free of artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.
But in all honesty, and at the risk of pissing off my Canadian friends, Tim Horton was not a big deal for me. The food was nothing special, and the drink I had was also nothing to wow about. But supporting a local Canadian business over the multinational conglomerate known as Starbucks is probably a good thing.
French Fries + Gravy
At one point in our travels we were being served lunch by our RV hosts, and we were served hamburgers and french fries, plus there were 2 extra containers we could also pick up. One had an apple coleslaw, and the other container was of hot brown gravy.
I had to ask what the brown liquid was, and what was it used for; I was told it was gravy to dip french fries into. Have to admit, it was tasty.
French Toast + Cream Cheese Sauce
Had french toast served one morning and what was offered as toppings were: Canadian maple syrup, peaches and sauce, strawberries and sauce, and a gravy-like drizzle of cream cheese glaze.
I had never heard of using this cream cheese topping before, so had to look up how to make it. I asked around if this was a Canadian tradition and while no one said it was, many acted like of course this is what was eaten with French toast.
- Cream Cheese Glaze for French Toast
- 4 oz of room temperature cream cheese so it is soft
- 1/4C organic granulated sugar
- 1/4C heavy cream
- 1/2t ground cinnamon
- 1/2t planed nutmeg (I grate from seeds, but you can also use pre-ground)
- 1t homemade vanilla extract or powder
Honey Dill Sauce
We also ran into a sauce that Wikipedia states is a Winnepeg sauce is made with the simple ingredients of honey, mayonnaise and dried dill and can be found in grocery stores. Used as a dipping sauce for chicken tenders and sweet potato fries.
I tried making it at home and here is what I did.
- Honey Dill Sauce
- 3/4C home made mayo
- 1/4C raw clover honey
- 2t dried dill
- 1 squeeze of lemon juice
Canada is Great
Our tour through a small part of Canada was great. Loved the land, and its people and found myself wondering about the other provinces. But a significant change to our lives in 2025 made these potential future trips a “no go”. More on that in the next post.
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