Apples for the whole family at this weekend’s Apple Festival
Photo credit: Ed Ng
If an apple a day keeps the doctor away imagine the health benefits of sampling over 60 different apples in a day?
Expand your apple tasting and health horizons with cultivars like Belle de Boskoop or Vanderpool Red this weekend at the UBC Botanical Garden and Center for Plant Research’s annual Apple Festival.
Each year over 22,000 kilograms of apples are sold at the Apple Festival. That’s equivalent to a pod of four killer whales or a short parade of 12 vintage Volkswagen Beetles. That’s a lot of apple sauce, apple pie and apple cider.
Festival attendees can taste less common apple types such as the Winter Banana or stick to the classics like Honeycrisp or Gala. For the wee ones, there will be musicians, puppeteers and story tellers to keep them entertained (accompanied by an adult, of course) before or after you debate whether to grab a box of Golden Russets or Wolf Rivers.
The wine festival of apples, UBC’s Apple Festival features an apple tasting tent. Similar to a wine tasting, but a far better deal in my opinion, visitors pay $5 to taste over 60 different types of apples – new and heritage – grown throughout beautiful British Columbia.
For those looking to catalog their apple experience, Friends of the Garden has published an apple booklet that explains the history and tasting notes of the B.C. apples on offer.
Photo credit: Ed Ng
The festival also includes an educational component. Festival goers can learn about apple tree care and the growing and pruning needs of different varietals through demonstrations. The B.C. Fruit Testers Association from Vancouver Island will give lessons on grafting while Master Gardeners will offer tips and tricks on how to overcome common apple growing challenges.
The Apple Festival is on from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday (October 19 20). Grab your family and friends and head to the UBC Botanical garden for a day of apple fun.
What’s your favorite kind of apple? Share your favorite apple types and where they are grown in the comments section below.
Article source: http://www.insidevancouver.ca/2013/10/18/apples-for-the-whole-family-at-this-weekends-apple-festival/
