Gulf Island Apples - famous before the Okanagan

The Gulf Islands are dotted with old apple orchards, marking homestead sites where the homes are often long gone. But the trees are there, and many of them have huge apples known as the King apples. The Gulf Island farms were the major growers of apples at one time, shipping apples to Vancouver and Victoria via boat. This was before the Okanagan took the title. According to “A Gulf Islands Patchwork”, published by the Gulf Islands Branch of the BC Historical Association, Mayne Island was the first place in BC to grow apples. As the story goes, a Captain Simpson from England was to do survey work on the Pacific Coast. At a party in England before his voyage, a lady slipped some apple pips into his waistcoat pocket and told him to plant them once he arrived at his destination. Captain Simpson remembered the request once he arrived on Mayne Island and was invited to a formal dinner. He put on the same waistcoat, put his hand into his pocket, and found the pips. He planted them on the spot, where they produced apple trees.

Today many of the orchards in the Gulf Islands are enjoyed by deer and sheep, and are in need of some pruning and care. There are always people who will offer to pick your apples for their own use, but scarce few who will do it in exchange for help with the pruning on those cold days in February. It takes time and work to maintain an orchard, especially the older orchards.



Wilf Mennell telling the story of the Ambrosia apple to a group of international farm writers visiting BC



     Prices to producers have dropped below the cost of production in many cases in Canada. At one time, Canadian apples were exported and in high demand for their quality. Now, there is a worldwide glut of apples as China is now the main producer and exporter of apples. The US, with some export markets dried up now push their exports into Canada. Washington produces 60 percent of the apples in the US, and BC produces 30 percent of Canadian apples. In recent years there have been efforts to increase the value of Canadian apples through replant programs that take out the older trees and replace them with higher density plantings that will produce higher quality fruit and are easier to harvest.

     To aid in the development of new varieties that can give producers a market edge and also fairly compensate them for their work, the government enacted the Plant Breeders Rights Act in 1987 and one of the first apples to receive this protection was the Ambrosia apple. The Ambrosia originated from a single chance seedling in the twelve acre organic orchard of Wilf and Sally Mennell in Cawston, organic capital of BC. Unlike the intensive breeding and screening of potential candidates in a normal plant breeding program, the Ambrosia apple was a product of neglect and sloppiness, with a dash of observation and lots of determination and luck (not unlike many scientific discoveries). The seedling had grown amongst a replanted orchard of Jonagolds where some varieties of Delicious apples and plums had been previously, but was not noticed until some of the pickers started selectively choosing the apples from one tree in the Mennell’s orchard for their own consumption. They must have been really good and unique for apple pickers to strip the tree clean every time it was full of fruit. The Mennell’s found out about the pickers’ favourite apple, and sampled some themselves in 1989. The hard work for the Mennell’s was in working with the newly formed Plant Improvement Corporation of the Okanagan in 1993 to evaluate the new apple, plant test orchards, and file under the new Plant Breeders Rights in Canada, and a US patent as well. Royalties are paid on each Ambrosia tree sold, which has been a very popular apple worldwide.

     The increased interest in unique and special apples of high quality has created a resurgence in the growing of apples for niche markets. One such passionate grower is on Salt Spring Island. Harry Burton not only grows many types of apples organically, he also celebrates them each fall with the community in a special Apple Festival. The Apple Festival contributes to not only farm incomes, but the economy of the island as a whole. The Apple Festival this year had a seminar by long-time Seattle apple expert Dr. Bob Norton, a tour of sixteen farms and many, many participants who came to learn about, taste, and celebrate the apple. The ripening of this year’s crop was delayed  all over the province due to the weather, and Harry has a wide variety of apples ready now and available for sale by the box, all organic. Not only would that be a fine way to stock up for the winter, but they would make unique gifts as well.

Harry and Debbie Burton and their travelling Apple Show

In 2010 Salt Spring Island's Harry Burton gave an enthusiastic presentation on apples to an equally enthusiastic Pender Island audience. After a preamble on the importance of good food for good health, and looking over (and tasting) the display of apples, we listened to Harry give the Cole's notes on grafting and selecting different apple varieties. I especially enjoyed the slide show which gave us a glimpse into Harry and Debbie's world and their joy and passion for their piece of heaven.

Each year Harry and Debbie work with other orchardists and volunteers to put on  an Apple Festival.  Following is information on this year's festival, provided by Harry:

13th Annual
Salt Spring Island Apple Festival

Sunday, Oct 2, 2011

from 9 AM to 5
 PM

Suggested Starting Point: Fulford Hall

Salt Spring Island, BC, Canada

Growing over 350 varieties of apples organically

A chance to visit Apple Heaven while still on earth!

http://www.saltspringmarket.com/apples/

SEE PAST HIGHLIGHTS AT www.appleluscious.com

2011 Theme:

LET APPLES BRING OUT THE KID IN EVERYONE

A trio of Apple Luscious Organic Orchard Taste Testers

Children tend to be very honest when tasting, and so always provide valuable information. These young girls like sweet apples, their favourite in 2009 being TSUGARU.

Thoughts from Harry

To me, the ultimate experience for a child, is to be able to reach up and pick an apple from a tree and then EAT IT. Mind you, I will expand that to include picking any fruit that is growing in your yard. It does not get any better.

So at the Apple Festival, we encourage children to get involved. All kids under 12 attend for FREE. The kids also get an Apple Festival badge to wear on their shirt. We want whole families to come and we also try to get children involved (with their family) in volunteer positions so they really get connected in a much deeper sense.

Some of our special young friends, state that Apple Festival is their favourite day of the year. We also have some Saturday night apple collection youth volunteers, that have been with us for 10 years.

      I know from personal experience, how important it is for children to connect with the land. I was lucky to grow up in Cobalt, Ontario, (Zone 3) which is small town Northern Ontario, where it was too cold to grow a good apple tree. It is a real paradox, since that area of Northern Ontario is further south than Salt Spring (Zone 8). There were some apple trees there that must have been crab based, and because of scarcity, those trees were valued. All the kids knew who had good apple trees, and so raiding parties happened. One Cobalter, an electronics expert, put a microphone and a loudspeaker in his apple tree, so when he heard the kids in the tree, he could yell at them. That scared the kids away. Another old lady, had a “pepper gun”, which she used to scare away kids raiding her trees. When I think of it, I know, it was ridiculous, because the apples were not very big and not very good, but it was all we had. This is a 1956 photo of sister Wendy and I in an apple tree in our back yard in Cobalt. My father instilled the love of nature and growing into us, via the back yard garden and our 3 apple trees. Thanks Dad. Unfortunately he never lived long enough to see Apple Luscious Organic Orchard. I think he would have loved it.

So in 2010, we are dedicating the Apple Festival to children. The future farmers of the world.

Photos by -Jan Mangan, May Henderson, Derek Lundy.

Gulf Island Farmers Profiled in Western Producer

A few weeks ago Barbara Duckworth, the Calgary-based reporter of Western Producer, contacted Island Farmers Alliance to arrange for some farms on the islands to visit. I arranged visits with three farms and one cooperative group that typify the unique style of Gulf Island agriculture. Western Producer is a well known newspaper in farming circles and is read by 57,000 farm families each week. Each of the latest four issues profiled one of the farm operations, emphasizing the unique island climate and culture that encourages a break from traditional agricultural methods.
The Olive Consortium on Saturna Island is a group of individuals who were inspired by Pender Islander Andrew Butt to encourage the growing of olive trees in the Gulf Islands. They imported 180 trees last year and 500 this year, and are hopeful that the varieties selected will thrive in our Mediterranean-like climate. Olive trees compliment vineyards, but require milder winters so would not grow everywhere grapes grow. The Gulf Islands are perhaps the only place in Canada that the trees will grow and produce. There has been a lot of interest from different islands so far. The Olive Consortium is Michael Pierce and his wife Juliet Kershaw, Mark Timmer, Charlie Burlem and his wife Nettie Adams.
Jacques Campbell of Saturna Island was also profiled in a separate issue. Campbell Farm, started by her dad Jim and mom Lorraine, is known for having one of the few licenced slaughter facilities on the Gulf Islands. It was upgraded to meet the new provincial meat regulations, and serves the farm community of Saturna Island and also some on outer islands (our farm included). This facility is an important component that makes the annual July 1st Lamb Barbeque possible. The Lamb Barbeque is a tourist destination and celebration of Canada Day, with traditionally prepared barbequed lamb and entertainment. The Saturna Lamb Barbeque began as a school picnic in 1950 on the Campbell's farm at Saturna Beach and is now held at Winter Cove. It is the main fund raising activity of the Saturna Community Club, an organization that funds activities and services such as health care, ambulance, library, a singing group, groundwater protection, children's Christmas party, and school-end festivities.
Both Cambell Farm and the Olive Consortium are part of 31 Square Saturna Eats, a group that promotes and shares food among the 31 square kilometres of Saturna Island which is home to 350 people.
Besides raising sheep and beef and producing good grass for pasture and hay, this year Jacques is also involved in a research project with the Canadian Sheep Federation. Campbell Farm is one of two farms in BC participating in a study to evaluate radio frequency identification tags (RFID) as a traceability and management tool for producers. For the trial, Jacques is testing an electronic wireless scale head and tag reader and two types of RFID tags to evaluate the tag system. And if that wasn't enough, Campbell Farm is also going to host an Inter Island Sheep Breeders Association field day on July 24th, and will give a tour of the farm and abattoir and a demonstration of the RFID system. Sheep producers are encouraged to attend and can either contact myself at firhill@gulfislands.com (or 250-629-3817, or 3819) or Jacques' sister Nan at dglogan@shaw.ca or the farm at 250-539-2470.
Two of the Western Producer visits were to Salt Spring Island farms. Harry Burton is known as the farmer behind the Apple Festival on Salt Spring Island each fall. Harry, along with other apple producers on the island, host an event elevating and celebrating the apple, taking the production of apples a step away from just another commodity. Thousands of visitors attend each year. Harry nurtures 200 varieties of apples on his small acreage and is a self-described “appleholic”. Apple Lucious Organic Orchard is also home to plums, grapes, plum-cots, and apricots.
Margaret Thomson of Windrush Farm was also profiled in Western Producer. Margaret is the co-author of the recent Salt Spring livestock report and represents the livestock producers on Salt Spring who are working to bring a mobile abattoir to the island. She also raises rare breed Cotswold sheep and heritage turkeys and is very involved in more than one farm organization, including Rare Breeds Canada.
Each of these four profiled food producers represent the type of agriculture on our islands that takes into account our unique climate and culture. Each is community based, but also embraces the potential to introduce the visitor to agriculture, Gulf Island style.