Stopping by the Apple Tree on a Snowy Evening

with apologies to Robert Frost)

by Wendy Courtice, RR#1, Winlaw, BC, V0G-2J0

from POMONA, Winter 1998

Whose tree is this, I think I know

He buys his fruit at Safeways, though:

He wound not mind me stopping here

To snip a twig or two in the snow.

My big Suburban must think it queer,

To stop without a gas pump near,

Between the sawmill and Slocan Lake,

The darkest evening of the year,

It gives its old exhaust a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only sound's the mwowow-eep

Of distant chip-truck's harsh airbrake.

This tree's so accessible, so tempting to reap,

But I already have scionwood by the heap,

And piles to refrigerate before I sleep,

And piles to refrigerate before I sleep.

Growers

5) The Fruit Shuttle (certified organic fruit and vegetables)

Paul and Stephanie Meikle

RR #1, (1 mile west of Keremeos on Highway 3)

Keremeos, BC, V0X-1N0

250-499-5392

1) Paul Linton, Salt Spring Island, BC. In addition, Paul is the most prolific producer of organic cider on Salt Spring Island. In 1996 he produced 7000 litres from the old orchards of the island.

1) Nick Botner, 4015 Eagle Valley Road, Yoncalla, Oregon.97499, 541-849-2781 is another good source and very helpful to new explorers. From his house on a slight knoll, he looks over Eagle Valley and his orchard of 2000 varieties of apple, plus pear, plum, cherry and grape. He operates by mail order. When I get his new list in the mail, it is almost like receiving the old Christmas catalogue when I was a kid.

PICO - (Plant Improvement Co. Ltd.) , Box 6000, Summerland, B.C., V0H-1Z0

250-494-5157, 250-494-7472 (F), 250-494-8959 (Budwood Orchard)

Formerly run by the Ministry of Agriculture, but now private, their Certified Budwood Program establishes and maintains virus free fruit trees in their orchard and offers scionwood for sale.. They have about 125 apple varieties. They are in place primarily for the commercial growers or small hobby farmers.

1. Ron Pither, Ports West International,

Organic Product Specialist, Sales and Marketing Specialist.

RR #1, Mayne Island, BC, V0N-2J0

Phone/Fax 250-539-2034

Email: rpither@gulfislands.com

Fred Janson, 953 Hwy 552, Rockton, Ontario 519-621-8897 is a great source of scion wood and a very enthusiastic, helpful collector. Besides running POMONA BOOK STORE (not connected to NAFEX), he grows 600 trees or 250 varieties, that have been selected from 800 varieties. One really unique feature is the 40 geese that roam the orchard. They eat any fallen apple, thus avoiding

problems with rotting apples, they keep the grass cut, they make lots of noise if any intruder appears, they create lots of fertilizer and in the fall there is great demand for apple fed geese.

• Founding Member of NAFEX (North American Fruit Explorers)
• Owner of huge fruit library, POMONA (not connected to NAFEX)
• Author of Pomona’s Harvest, a huge, well-written book on the history of apples, starting at the Roman times. With over 100 pages of bibliography, this book has been getting rave reviews. One reviewer claims it is a labour of love by a true scholar.
• The Apple Man, by M. Alice Simonds, Harrowsmith Magazine, Mar-Apr 1988, page 82

Apple Organizations

Apple Organizations are listed in the Orchard Chapter under Awards, Memberships and Publications.

Organic Organizations

1) Island Organic Producers Association (IOPA)

This is a bio-regional organization which certifies farms where vegetables, fruit and animals are raised in sustainable, natural ways without contaminants harmful to the food, land and environment. The region covered includes Vancouver Island and all neighbouring islands. IOPA certified growers are required to follow stringent guidelines to ensure the integrity of their produce. The IOPA label gives assurances to the consumer that the grower has employed acceptable methods of organic production.

2) Canadian Organic Growers (COG) - Publication: Cognition

3) South Islands Organic Producers Association (affiliation of COG)

4) Island Natural Growers (ING)

5) Certified Organic Association of B.C.(COABC)

6) LLAFF (Linking Land and Future Farmers), 604-642-3671- or 250-642-3671

This program is designed to get young persons working on farms to learn the skills, with the farmer supplying room and board.

7) SOIL (Stewards of Irreplaceable Land), 604-642-2161 or 250-642-2161

This program is designed to get farmers connected with some land on which to start farming and is created to overcome the huge cost to purchase land to become a farmer.

8) WOOFER - (Workers on Organic Farms) is a program linking young people wanting to work on organic farms with farms needing labour. Usually the farm supplies only room and board.

1) Business Farmer magazine, (July 1996 issue was a special agri-tourism issue)

2. British Columbia Agri Digest Directory

RR#2, Chase, BC, VOE-1M0, Phone/Fax 250-679-5362

A complete listing of all agricultural resources in BC.

By Stephanie Feeney,

6th Edition,

Cedarcroft Press,

59 Strawberry Pr.,

Bellingham, Wa.,

98226

360-733-4461

360-647-1825 (F)

ISBN-0-9639853-1-0

18 Chapters and 242 pages of agricultural resources in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia.

3) Washington Apple Country (a beautiful coffee table book about apples)

Photography by John Marshall, Essays by Rick Steigmeyer

Graphic Arts Centre Publishing Co,

Box 10306,

Portland, Oregon, 97210

ISBN 1-55868-240-6

Please feel free to submit to me any more information that is applicable.

Submit email to Harry Burton.

a) The Tsolum River Nursery, 301 Mansell Road, Salt Spring Island, V8K-1P9,

250-537-5269 is now managed by Stephan Pigeon. A source of over 500 varieties of heritage fruit trees formerly owned by the Canadian Heritage Seed Foundation

but now owned locally by Dan Jason.

b) Charlie Eagle, 176 Tripp Road. 537-4319

A scion wood orchard for Tsolum River of at least 350 varieties of fruit trees.

c) Bob Weedon, 140 Whims Road. 537-5403

An orchard of at least 100 heritage varieties owned by Bob Weedon, whose interest is in old historical varieties.

Articles written:

• -A Sampling of Salt Spring Orchards, The Cider Press, Vol 9, Number 1, Winter 1996, The B. C. Fruit Testers Association
• - Heritage Apples of Vancouver Island Area, A project with the BCFTA to photograph and document about 125 of the existing heritage apples trees on Vancouver Island.

d) The old Ruckle farm, a beautiful 1200 acres parcel of land on the southeast tip of Salt Spring, started in 1876. It had over 600 fruit trees. Some of the old trees still exist, but a very interesting thing has happened. The Ruckle family has donated most of the farm (the non farming portion) to the province as a provincial park called Ruckle Park. The entrance is through a ridge of mature timber, then down into the valley which is the working farm, then up through another ridge of forest and through to the seashore. It is unique since campers must park in the lot and walk about 50 m through the forest to the clearing on the shoreline where tents are pitched anywhere. The spectacular view of the BC Ferries passing has the Canadian Gulf Island and the American San Juan Islands in the background. As long as the Ruckle family exists they can remain there and work the farm. There have been suggestions that this would be a perfect location to create some new heritage orchards which could have a strong educational impact within the park.

e) The old Brown Orchard, Beaver Point Road,

Also one of the first on Salt Spring, this large original orchard, adjacent to the Ruckle farm, has trees approaching 100 years old. (managed by Mark Fettis - 653-4411)

f) Wayne Goodwill

350 Dukes Road,

g) The old England Orchard, 664 Beddis Road.

(managed by Tom Roughsedge and Sam Sidneysmith - 537-1007)

h) Don MacDougall, 2191 North End Road. 537-5123

This section on Salt Spring Growers is still in construction.

1) Everlasting Summer, owner Marcia Jeanne

Visit our

• GIFT SHOP
• NURSERY
• DISPLAY GARDENS
• HAVE YOUR WEDDING CEREMONY THERE

(Open daily from April to December)

• herb-culinary scented & medicinal
• heritage roses
• seeds
• plants
• dried flowers
• wreaths
• swags
• weddings
• books
• candles
• cards
• potpourri
• cobalt bottles
• vinegars
• oils
• terracotta
• statuary

2) Salt Spring Seeds, owner, Dan Jason.

(Dedicated to Safe and Sustainable Agriculture)

Salt Spring Seeds offers only our own untreated seeds grown with respect for the Earth-without herbicides, pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. We feature high-protein, good tasting and high yielding crops. They are all adapted to northern climates, but are not yet readily available elsewhere in Canada. We also carry a sampling of other reliable and beneficial plants with significant nutritional, medicinal or aesthetic value.

Salt Spring Seeds promotes the cultivation of vegetables and herbs that contribute to self-reliance and self-sufficiency. We aim to lessen dependence on store-bought and imported, out of season produce, and on synthetic or exotic medicines.

Seeds available include

Specialties

3)   Floribunda Seeds, Wendy Montana, owner, has an incredible selection of heirloom species of flower seeds including cottage garden, historic and wildflowers.

Contact Floribunda Seeds.

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