One of the most highly anticipated things about summer is the ripening of the fruit! Red juicy cherries, plump peaches and crisp apples are just a few of the fruits that are 
grown in West Kelowna. Depending on when you arrive, you may be lucky enough to be here in time for the harvest of your favourite fruit!
In July the trees are heavy with cherries and visitors are always making inquiries at the Visitor Centre as to where they can get pick cherries. If peaches and apricots are your fruit you need to wait until almost the end of July for those peachy treasures. Pears and plums are available in August and those crisp apples that are so delicious in school lunch boxes begin to get harvested mid-August.
These are just guidelines with weather and the variety playing a role as to when the fruit is harvested. Paynters Fruit Market, a local favourite that not only sells fruits and vegetables, but also local preserves and ice cream have a harvest timeline that you can refer to. http://www.payntersfruitmarket.ca/seasonal-info-activities.html
If you are pressed for time, you can always stop by one of our fruit stands or the Westbank Outdoor Market on Saturday mornings to stock up on some freshly picked fruit before you head home. The Westbank Outdoor Market is held in front of the Lions Community Hall on Main Street each Saturday from 8 am to 1 pm.
Once you have your favourite berry or tree fruit, if you have any leftover you can always create some culinary creations! For recipe ideas on how to bake with our delicious Okanagan fruit, visit the BC Tree Fruits website. They have a recipe section where you can filter recipes by the fruit type.
http://www.bctree.com/recipes/index/all
Happy fruit picking!
For information on where to pick local fruit contact the West Kelowna Visitor Centre at 250.768.2712.
