This past September I attended the UBC Apple Fest for the first time. It is an annual family event for all ages, the UBC Apple Festival celebrates one of British Columbia’s favourite fruits. From children learning about the diversity of apples to those who remember tasting heritage apples in their youth, the Apple Festival is a great opportunity to not only discover more about this delicious fruit, but have a whole lot fun doing it!
Every year, around 44,000 lbs (20,000 kilos) of apples are sold to thousands of hungry attendees. More than 70 varieties of heritage, new and “tried and true” varieties are available, grown both conventionally and organically. These include the heritage apples ‘Grimes Golden’ ‘Bramley Seedling’, ‘Cox’s Orange Pippin’ and many others and also new varieties like the very popular ‘Ambrosia’ which was hybridized in Cawston British Columbia.
While I was being toured around the festival by these two wonderful apple experts, I had a brief stop to indulge in a slice of Blackberry Hill’s Apple Pie, the pie was delicious and quite the treat.
One of the most popular activities at the Apple Festival is our apple tasting tent. For only $5.00, curious event goers can taste up to 60 varieties of new and heritage apples grown in British Columbia. For those looking to learn more, the history and specific features of those varieties can be found in the Friends of the Garden’s “published in-house” Apple Booklet, available for purchase at the event.
February is Apple month in British Columbia and BC Tree Fruits is promoting the wondrous fruit.
I recently attended a sampling of some Apple inspired dishes as well, I had the opportunity to dig into to an Apple Pie In-A-Jar dish that was created by Mijune Pak following her debut on Food Network Canada’s Recipe to Riches.