Tag Archives: Orchards

Grape Scenes

The Okanagan Valley is famous for its wine production.

A wide variety of grapes are grown here and in some cases, types that don’t produce particularly good wine results in Europe tend to do much better here, occasionally very much better which often leads to some interesting bottles that would be difficult to find elsewhere.

The various types are affected by humidity, proximity to the lake, dryness, and other soil, moisture and weather conditions.

Not sure what kind of grapes are growing here as they’re not labelled, but they’re near a favourite winery. They look luscious but don’t taste like table grapes at all! These are specifically wine grapes.

A bit further to the south and west of us is the Similkameen Valley, very hot and dry, which grows some excellent reds.

Although the Okanagan Valley is known for wine, this area is incredibly produce-rich and grows a very wide variety of other fruits and vegetables, including cherries, peaches, apricots, pears and apples.

No matter where you go, the life of a farmer can be incredibly tough; they’re always at the mercy of whatever the weather throws their way, but when it works it is so tasty, delicious and wonderful!

A Visit to the Countryside

Recently, we did a leisurely visit to the Similkameen Valley just to the south of us to buy some wine and to admire the orchards and scenery.

Apple and plum nursery orchards.
Heavenly scented apple blossoms …
… and pretty red plum blossoms.
A directional sign post showing the names of a number of Similkameen Valley wineries and cideries with a view of young grape vines in the background.
Spring narcissi greeted us in the forecourt at one of the wineries we visited.

It was a lovely spring day and we also came home with some great wine, too. We have to wait a bit for the fruit, though!

Happy Tuesday.

Winter Recovery

The Okanagan Valley experienced a deep freeze for a few days in January. At times, the temperature dropped to -25C (-13F), leaving farmers scrambling to protect their trees and vines with heaters, fire pots and continuously flowing water. In this area, such low temperatures are extremely unusual; the last time this type of freezing occurred was 34 years ago in 1990.

As you can imagine, the owners of orchards and in particular, wineries, are very worried about the damage that has been done. Some reports are that as much as 60% of the grape vines have been destroyed and that there has been significant damage to some of the orchards.

Farming has never been for the faint of heart. When everything falls into place, all goes well. But the number of unexpected issues, especially from the weather, can cause catastrophe.

A lot rides on agriculture in this valley. It’s heavily connected to tourism and is also a huge employer, but the smoke and fires from last summer together with the January freeze may make it impossible for some people to continue. I hope not, but life is sometimes extraordinarily unfair.

Late Summer Bounty

We are beginning to come into the season of plenty; that crossover from summer to autumn when fruit, in particular, is plentiful. Veggies will be a bit later but we’re starting to get some of those, too.

A bowl of peaches, plums and greengages, including flat or Saturn peaches.
Ready-to-be-picked plums.
Ready-to-eat apricots.

Such deliciousness! Happy Sunday.