As every Canadian farmer accepts, we are always counting on Mother Nature to help deliver a crop. The same holds in our gardens. We’re always to some extent at the mercy of the weather, though easier to control in a patio or backyard environment than on large plots of farmland or in the orchards.
This year is a stark example. B.C. orchards and vineyards suffered unusual deep freeze temperatures in most of the southern interior last winter, resulting in a season with literally no stone fruit and limited supplies of cherries. No peaches, nectarines, or apricots. What you are seeing on store shelves this summer is all imported. Peaches from Georgia, and other stone fruits from Washington and California.
Our hearts sank as we drove through the south Okanagan this summer. A high percentage of Okanagan vineyards now stand naked, waiting for replanting, or for sale to someone who can start all over again.
So, if you have a garden producing well this season, celebrate your success and collaboration with nature.
We are enjoying tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, along with a steady supply of salad greens, green beans and peas.
But the experiment that failed last season, to grow our first cantaloupe, this season has proven that perseverance pays! On July 28th I came upon our first melon, about the size of a baseball. The plants are teasing us with many more blossoms and of course, we are hopeful for a basket full by end of the season.
Whatever’s growing in your garden, remember Nutters Everyday Naturals is here to help you with your canning and preserving supplies like pickling spices, salts and more, and we wish you a bountiful harvest.
