September Produce Report from Zachary

By Zachary Haigh, Pomme's Produce Specialist

Hello again! We’ve had an unusually dry summer with above average temperatures, resulting in earlier harvest times for many crops in BC. What this means is that we will run out of many local products, most notably in the fruit categories, earlier than ever before. If you had planned on canning or preserving, NOW is the time while what you want is still available!

We have had an unbelievable peach and melon season with long drawn out heat allowing for the most delicious peaches in ages. BC apple season has begun with early dessert apples already finished. Moving into the higher pressure apples is underway with the first harvests of Gala apples already started. While the summer season is wrapping up early, the fall season is looking promising. Soon we will be overrun with hard winter squash just in time for beautiful soups and roasts.

To finish off this post, I have to mention BC garlic, the crown jewel in the local produce repertoire. BC garlic is in-season and in-house waiting patiently to give your taste buds a real treat (and the vampires nightmares!). BC farmers grow what are known as herd neck varieties. These varieties such as music and Spanish red are incredibly labour intensive and require nearly 10 full months from planting in order to be ready for you. So enjoy them while the short season lasts and thank your local garlic farmers for all their hard work!