The ultimate experience for many a child is to be able to reach up and pick an apple from a tree and then EAT IT. 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.
This
is your chance to visit Apple Heaven while still on earth! Become a Salt Spring Island Apple Connoisseur for a day.
Where else do you have over 350 different apple varieties being grown
organically?
Salt Spring's apple history
dates back to 1860. Explore our incredible
island, the Organic Gardening Capital
of Canada.
More
apple Festival highlights
 |
Display
of HUNDREDS of apples all grown
organically on Salt Spring
Island
|
|
Tasting
of more than 100 apple varieties at just
one farm (Apple Luscious). Most
others had tasting of their own
varieties
|
|
At
least 12 labeled varieties of
apple pies baked by the Pie
Ladies
|
|
Theatrical
performances by Johnny Appleseed,
Theodore Trage, the Queen and
Captain Apple
|
|
A
rich history of apples going
back to 1860
|
|
Educational
information on organic apple
growing
|
|
Apple
identification services
|
|
Orchard
bee and honey bee experts
available
|
|
Apple
art by local artists
|
Salt Springers are very proud of
their apples and the incredible
collections we amass at Fulford
Hall for every Apple Festival is a
sight to take your breath away.
The scent of apples when you enter
the room will take your soul on a
journey. Last year, we had 262
varieties all grown organically on
Salt Spring Island, all arranged
alphabetically and all having
detailed labels.
The task of
setting up the collection is
performed the night before by a
team of about 30 island
volunteers, ranging in age from
children to senior citizens, who
consider this one of the
highlights of their year.
They
love their apples and they are
delighted to show island visitors
our apple diversity. Note that at
Apple Festival 2006, there were
296 varieties, but with a very
cold, wet spring in 2007, some
varieties did not produce a crop.
We are hoping in 2008 to break the
300 variety barrier for the first
time.
This festival is farm based,
connecting you to the organic
farmers on Salt Spring. They are
your best guarantee of food
quality and good health.
|
