Apple Festival 2009

While we were on Saltspring Island we were lucky enough to attend the 2009 Apple Festival. For as long as I can remember September and October were apple months. My parents had 3 apple trees and now we have one big apple tree so there is always lots of apples. The festival really was a learning experience and a great opportunity to peak into the orchards of people who have been successful in making a living off the apples.The whole festival is spread out all over the island however you start at the community hall for a little background information. There is whole bunch of tables out that display the over 350 varieties of apples grown on Saltspring Island and almost all of them are grown organically. So after our brief introduction to Saltspring Apples we grabbed our map and decided to hit the road. There were about 18 farms that were participating although not all were apple farms.

We started at a small farm that had a really beautiful orchard. The owner was very friendly and showed us a couple of the little tricks he uses to keep the orchard looking great and taught us about the importance of harvesting at the optimal time. We carried on stopping by some more smaller operations but it was just so interesting to see that everyone has their tricks. Some prune the trees every year and feel that is the best for production while others let their orchards go wild for a year or two and feel that is what the orchard needs.

People were growing their trees in all sorts of different ways too. Some grow them in neat, sometimes even labelled, rows. Some grow them wild, with trees dispersed around their property. And even one grows his as a living fence. He was really interesting to talk to about the whole living fence concept and I have to say the apple fence looked really nice.While most people choose to sell their apples at road side stands or at the weekly markets, the next couple farms we visited chose to use their apples for juice. I juice fruit in my own home but nothing like this. I think watching these juicers in use was one of my favorite parts. We also got to taste the juice that came out of the machines and there is nothing as sweet and delicious as real apple juice. All the juicers that we saw in use during the festival were antique and everyone says that they wouldn't use anything else. I don't blame them, those old machines were pretty darn efficient.
As you may have guessed, a lot of apples are needed to make enough juice to make any kind of profit. I love this picture. This is the garage at Beddis Castle and this is after half a day of juicing.
I'm amazed at how many apples come from this small island. Many of the farms provide their apples to grocery stores and markets not only on Saltspring Island but also on Vancouver Island and the mainland.
Another big highlight for me was visiting Apple Luscious farms. The owner, Harry Burton, is a big part of the apple community on Saltspring and is the driving force behind the Apple Festival. I felt like I was meeting a celebrity and I was so impressed that even with all the stress of the festival itself, Harry is a truly lovely person and really knowledgeable. I wish we had gone to his place first though. He was sold out for some of the apples I really wanted to try. At his farm he had tasting tables for all of the 200 or something varieties of apples he grows on his own property. He also had live music and a really interesting (and delicious) cooking demonstration that combined organic apples with local organic cheese.
If you are ever on Saltspring Island, even if it isn't the Apple Festival, make a point of visiting Harry's farm. For information on Apple Luscious visit http://www.appleluscious.com/index.html and more info on the Apple Festival is available at http://www.saltspringmarket.com/apples/

The Saltspring Island Apple Festival is now officially on my list of summer festivals that I must attend. This years festival is barely over and I'm already looking forward to next year!