The Okanagan, in the southern interior of British Columbia, is fondly known as Western Canada’s fruit basket.
With today’s quicker, modern highways and mountain passes, many families make a fruit-picking expedition to the Okanagan every summer.
The tree fruit industry in B.C. has about 400 commercial growers who farm about 15,000 acres of apples, pears, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots and plums. You can imagine that with this volume, they are looking to broaden their reach. Trucking their fruit to new markets is the answer.
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Harpreet Benipal owns Berry n Cherry in Kelowna. This summer he and his friend, Adil Aziz, are taking their fruit to Vancouver Island for the first time. They are a rare breed. Most orchards ship their fruits to a third party seller or the fruit-growers co-op.
Vancouver Island is about 450 kilometres, plus a long ferry ride, from the Kelowna orchard. Logistics dictate that Benipal and Aziz hire a shipper with a refrigerated truck to deliver the fruit while they sell it at a roadside tent. Meanwhile, they are applying for membership at various farmers markets in the area.
Kulwinder Dhillon and family of Fresh Acre Farms drive from Oliver, B.C., to Swift Current, Sask., and Edmonton-area markets. It is a lot of hours spent on the road to make this weekly trek with freshly picked fruit. It is about 1,200 km to reach Swift Current from Oliver and about 1,000 km from Oliver to Edmonton. Dhillon has been growing fruit in Oliver for more than two decades.
It is worth it, though. Everyone agrees it’s an exciting day when the fruit trucks come to town.
Apricot jam
- 8 c. coarsely chopped apricots 2 L
- 4 c. sugar 1 L
- 1 c. honey 250 mL
- juice and grated peel of 1 orange
- 1/8 tsp. salt .5 mL
Combine all ingredients in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Cook, stirring frequently until thick, about 30 minutes. To be sure it is ready, use an instant-read digital thermometer. Stir the jam well to equalize the temperature. Place the probe in the centre of the liquid and wave it slightly. At about 220 F (105 C) the jam is ready.
Pour into hot sterilized jars, leaving a quarter inch (.6 cm) headspace. Wipe jar rims. Apply lid and rings to finger tight and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes or more depending upon altitude.
Yield: about 8 cups.
Crepes with Sauteed Pears and Gouda
- 2 tsp. unsalted butter 10 mL
- 2 ripe medium pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme 5 mL
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 crepes
- 1 c. lightly packed shredded aged gouda 250 mL
Position an oven rack in the centre of the oven and heat the oven to 200 F (95 C).
Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pear slices, sprinkle them with the thyme, and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook the pears, gently flipping them over once and taking care not to break up the slices too much, until just tender, about two minutes per side. Slide the pears onto a plate.
Wipe out the skillet and return it to medium-high heat. Lay a crepe in the skillet, presentation-side up.
Let the crepe heat through for about 15 seconds, flip it and then sprinkle the surface with half of the cheese.
Arrange half of the pear slices on one half of the crepe, then fold the other half over the pears. Slide the crepe onto a serving plate and fold it in half again to make a loose triangle. Keep the crepe warm in the oven while you repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve right away. Serves four.
Crepes
- 1 c. whole milk 250 mL
- 1/3 c. water 80 mL
- 1 c. unbleached flour 250 mL
- 3 tbsp. melted butter, browned 45 mL
- 3 eggs
- 1 tbsp. sugar 15 mL
- pinch salt
Add all ingredients to a blender. Puree until thoroughly blended. Pour batter into a bowl, cover and let sit for an hour or overnight. Gently stir before using. Try not to incorporate air bubbles.
Preheat crepe pan and lightly grease with butter.
Pour about one-quarter to one-third cup (60 to 80 mL) of batter into middle of the pan and swirl to make a large thin pancake. Cook until the edge becomes slightly crisp. Loosen edge with rubber spatula and turn crepe over. Cook until the batter releases from the pan and you can easily slip the crepe onto a dish, about 30 seconds.
Cook all of the crepes and set aside. Makes about 12 seven-inch crepes.
White Wine Sangria
Personalize this recipe by adjusting the amount of sugar, topping with sparkling wine or try rosemary or basil in place of mint. If you are adding sparkling wine, like cava, wait to add until just before serving and stir gently.
You don’t want to lose the bubbles. Simple syrup is made by bringing equal parts granulated sugar and water to a boil until sugar is dissolved. Cool and use.
- 2 peaches, thinly sliced
- 2 lemons, scrubbed and sliced in 1/4-inch rounds
- 1 pear, thinly sliced
- 1/2 c. fino sherry 125 mL
- 1 bottle Spanish white wine750ml
- 1/4 c. simple syrup or to taste, optional 60 mL
- sliced fruits and mint, for garnish
In a large pitcher, place the peaches, lemons and pears in the bottom. Pour the fino sherry and white wine over the fruit. Stir. Set in your refrigerator overnight or for at least four hours.
When you are ready to serve, stir in simple syrup to taste, if using.
Pour the sangria into glasses with ice and garnish with additional fruit and mint.
Cherry Muffins
- 2 c. all-purpose flour 500 mL
- 2 tsp. baking powder 10 mL
- 1/2 tsp. salt 2 mL
- 1/2 c. sugar 125 mL
- 1/3 c. vegetable oil 75 mL
- 3/4 c. milk 175 mL
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1/4 tsp. almond or vanilla extract 1 mL
- 1 1/2 c. fresh cherries, pitted and left whole 375 mL
- 1 tbsp. coarse raw sugar 15 mL
Preheating it to 400 F (200 C).
In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar with oil, milk, egg and almond extract. Mix until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Do not overmix.
Fold in the cherries. Divide the batter between 12 muffin cups so that each is three-quarters filled.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until the muffins are done to the touch.
Allow the muffins to completely cool on a wire rack before eating or serving.
Sarah Galvin is a home economist, teacher and avid supporter of local food producers. She has been a market vendor, grew up on a farm in southeastern Saskatchewan and is a member of TEAM Resources.
