This time of year always finds me singing, “Summertime and the living is easy…” After months, or in some cases, years of preparation, we are finally enjoying the fruits of our labours; the harvest is starting to roll in! Many people are drawn to the Okanagan Valley for its lakes, views and hikes; while I certainly enjoy these things, the main attraction for me is the long season where I can build my meals around what the land produces. Zero food miles. Zero packaging. Zero processing.
Come enjoy the fresh fruit in our new produce barn!
Last week my husband phoned me about 10 minutes before I was about to put supper on the table: “I hope it’s ok that I just told my parents and sister to come for dinner.” Now I don’t know about you, but I like some time to plan and prepare before having company. I had barely made enough for my own family! So what did I do? I sent the oldest running to the garden to pick a big bowl full of lettuce for a salad while I went crazy chopping zucchini to roast with olive oil and herbs. While I was at it I threw some apricots in a pan and roasted them too, for dessert (you’ll see in my recipe video below that this episode spawned the idea of grilling apricots on the BBQ… so good!). The meal was not fancy and the house was not tidy, but the
conversation was sweet and the time together was encouraging. Summertime abundance makes everything a little easier.
Learn to make this easy and delicious apricot dessert with Rachel Davison!
Many people have been asking us if the intense heat this summer has destroyed our crops. Thankfully, I can let you know that our crops are doing very well. Our watermelon and cantaloupe love the heat and look better than they have in years. Our tomatoes and peppers are just starting to produce, as are the beans.
The cucumbers and zucchini and going strong and we just picked our first peaches of the year! There will be sun damage on some of the apples and the corn crop might be lighter than other years, but that is the nature of farming. Every year comes with its challenges and blessings. It’s how we handle them that counts.
Thank you for continuing to support our family farm,
Rachel, for the family
