Enjoy the Summer Fruit of the Okanagan Valley
Where and When to Pick Fruit in the Okanagan
It’s summertime in the Okanagan, and that means fresh fruit! While we all appreciate places like California and Florida for providing us with fruit during the winter, we always make sure to shop local when we can. In this blog, you’ll find the different seasons for various fruits, and where are the best farms to find them.
Cherries - July to early August
As many from the valley know, cherries are one of our earliest crops, usually ready by Canada Day long weekend. Their season “officially” runs from July 1st to August 1st, but weather and temperature can affect that from year to year.
Outside of grapes and apples, cherries are probably the most popular fruit in the valley and have a place on most fruit stand shelves. However, two of our favourite locations to pick up these delicious fruits are Sproule & Sons Farm in Oyama, and Sun Valley Farm in Keremeos.
Berries - July to early September
Another early crop, though it lasts a bit later into the summer, are the berries! We have blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries all starting in mid to late June, and ending their season in late August/early September. Perfect for snacking, putting in a salad or mixing in a cocktail, these berries are delectable. We love swinging by Enderberry Farm in Enderby, or Old Meadows Organics in Kelowna to pick up some of these treats.
Peaches - late July to early September
Mid-summer features one of our favourite fruit seasons - peaches. With the season ranging from late July to early September, you can have peaches for just the end of summer or you can eat them all year round! Our favourite spots to grab some juicy peaches are Harker’s Organics in Keremeos and Covert Farms in Oliver.
Apples - mid August to late October
To close out the fruit season are our world-famous apples, with a million varieties available for your enjoyment. Bite Me Organics located in Kelowna, and Klippers Organics in Cawston provide us delicious apples well into the fall.
Grapes - tastings in September & October, production year-round
Finally, the fruit, or rather what comes from it, that the Okanagan is known for is our grapes! Our wineries have competed globally, and that can’t happen without our delicious grapes. Two of our favourite wineries are Summerhill Pyramid Winery in Kelowna, and Forbidden Fruit Winery in Cawston. These spots sell wine, but you can also sample their grapes as well in September and October.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alastair Heinrichs is a Creative Writing student from UBC-Okanagan. Alastair loves encouraging people to discover more about our region, whether that’s a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, the local food and craft beer scene or secret campgrounds.
