After the wine, the great thing about the Okanagan Valley are the fruit stands. They’re everywhere, and this time of year they are spilling over with plump peaches, tangy nectarines, juicy apricots, sweet cherries and ripe plums. Everywhere you go in the valley, and even over the pass into the Similkameen Valley en route to Vancouver from Osoyoos, there are orchards and fruit stands. It’s hard to fathom coming from Calgary, where we’re lucky to grow tiny carrots and mint.
Not sure why we’re not supposed to squeeze the peaches. Isn’t that how we find out if they’re ripe?
High: Samosas. One word: Omyomyom. Yes, this is a post about fresh fruit, but the bonus at many fruits stands are these deep-fried Indian-style empanadas. Stuffed with potatoes, peas, curry and cauliflower, we plowed through 10 in no time. The obvious question is, why would fruit stands sell samosas? Evidently, many fruit farms are owned by east Indian immigrant families, which explains it.
Low: The winding road. It went on and on and on (as we invariably got stuck behind slow-moving RVs), and now we know why people complain about Highway 3 between Osoyoos and Vancouver.
Outcome: Don’t feel guilty about stopping at three (or more) different fruit stands. The haul will get eaten.
Drink - Play - Love 