Celebrate Apple Diversity at the Salt Spring Island, BC Apple Festival, where Salt Spring bounty is featured. Salt Spring is the biggest of the many Gulf Islands, about 20 miles long with a population of about 11,000 people nestled between Vancouver and Victoria, BC. It has an apple growing history back to 1860. Even those historical growers favoured diversity and now they still grow over 500 apple varieties.
Website: http://saltspringapplefestival.org
Ticket sales will happen outside Fulford Hall and outside the Ganges Info Centre from 9 to 5 PM. That is when they release the Program listing all of the Venues open to the public. No advanced tickets available. They try to keep the Apple Festival very simple but meaningful.
Adults $10, Students $5, Kids FREE.
All 15 Host Farms will be open for Apple Lovers. Use your Program to plan a Self Guided Tour of venues.
Last year, 2024, was a great success with over 1700 APPLE LOVERS touring the island enjoy amazing apples, good food, Salt Spring diversity and Salt Spring farms.
Below is the business card of the late Nick Botner, who grew over 4000 apple varieties in Yoncalla, Oregon and where many apple varieties were sourced. He was such an amazing character and a fearless collector of apple varieties. His varieties are being maintained at the Temporate Orchard Conservatory by Joannie Cooper and Shaun Shepherd in Molalla, Oregon.
In 2024, the Pie Ladies baked over 250 apple pies, each one LABELLED to indicate what apple variety was used to bake the pie. Notice the Variety Labels on a tooth pick, below on the pies. This is this same organization of women that in the 1920’s, fund raised to build the First Fulford Hall. The present Fulford Hall is hall #3.
