Millions in replant money for Okanagan fruit growers only a small part of the solution
This week’s announcement that the province is kicking $70 million more into agricultural replant programs is welcome news, especially for the wine industry.
This week’s announcement that the province is kicking $70 million more into agricultural replant programs is welcome news, especially for the wine industry.
Alchemy Bread Company is a locally owned bakery with a mission to bring authentic European bread to Kelowna. And their new permanent location at Polene Bakery & Bistro is doing just that from Bernard Avenue.
The selling price of Canadian farmland grew by 11.3% last year.
The BC government has put $70 million towards helping fruit growers replant crops and become climate resilient after devastating cold weather.
Oliver's Burrowing Owl Estate Winery took home the Canadian Wine Industry Award of Distinction during the 2024 Wine Industry Awards ceremony last night.
One of the first indicators of how bountiful a fruit harvest will be in British Columbia comes months before any peaches, apricots or nectarines start fattening on trees.
Kelowna's only traditional English eatery has shuttered with the owners blaming tough economic times.
The heart of British Columbia's wine industry is reeling after suffering a litany of climate-related hits, resulting in two years of crop losses in the southern Interior.
There will soon be three more places for Mexican food lovers to stop for a bite at in Kamloops, two on the North Shore and one out in Valleyview.
While Okanagan apple growers didn't experience the same kind of killing damage that January’s cold snap dealt to grapes and soft fruit, the industry has been struggling for years with low prices.
While it’s not a cash handout, Farm Credit Canada is offering some easing of payments to Okanagan growers hit by January’s deep freeze.
The City of Kelowna is partnering with a tech company to bring drones and robots to the local agricultural industry.
KELOWNA, British Columbia (AP) — Just below the fog line hanging over the central Okanagan Valley, rows of saplings for a cherry orchard expansion span the eastern stretch above Highway 33 on the outskirts of Kelowna in Canada's wine country.
Okanagan-Similkameen regional district politicians got a chance to have a look inside the new, state-of-the-art fruit packing facility in Oliver recently and shared some of the photos.
The BC Government can't say how much, if any money will be set aside specifically for fruit growers that sustained heavy losses for the third year in a row, but it's going to help them prepare for more wild changes in weather in the future.
The Okanagan fruit industry is heavily dependent on thousands of temporary foreign workers in order to get the crop growing properly and harvested.
I planted my first peach tree last June, five months before Pantone named Peach Fuzz the 2024 color of the year. How serendipitous!
One of Kelowna's favourite restaurants, Olympia Greek Taverna, is set to reopen for takeout and delivery orders today.
Businesses in Penticton are asking the provincial government to avoid economic hardship caused by unnecessary travel bans this wildfire season.
With carbon footprints and organic produce being at the forefront of most consumer’s minds, one Okanagan winery is going the extra mile to make sure its practices are sustainable.
Okanagan grape growers and winery owners – who are often the same people – are looking for innovative ways to keep the industry alive despite losing the entire 2024 crop to this winter’s deep freeze.
A well-known macaron maker in Kamloops got the keys to a storefront location earlier this week and the next big step for her growing business.
It’s clear that the 2024 wine grape crop has been destroyed by cold weather throughout the Okanagan.
A Kamloops chef who's passionate about health has launched a new business and is offering nutritious and delicious whole food meals.
The cold snap in the southern Interior earlier this winter wiped out roughly three-quarters of stone fruits like peaches, apricots, plums and nectarines.
Lovers of Okanagan VQA wines may already be noticing declines in their favourite flavours in local liquor stores.
Five days of extremely cold weather in January killed just about every wine grape bud in the Okanagan.
Cherry growers in the Southern Interior fear a deep freeze earlier this year will greatly reduce cherry crops this coming season.
The Alberta government agency responsible for liquor and cannabis is tight-lipped about why it has chosen to suddenly cut out most if not all, BC wines from its shelves.
A popular soup and sandwich restaurant in Kelowna is offering something fun, delicious and innovative, and soup lovers might want to check it out.
Alberta delivered a harsh blow to Okanagan wineries last month by banning them from selling in its liquor stores if they also ship wines directly to customers.
EDMONTON - An interprovincial wine war is fermenting after Alberta's liquor wholesaler told vintners in British Columbia that it won't stock their products in retail stores unless they stop shipping it directly to consumers.
The Okanagan wine industry urgently needs to re-invent itself on a scale not seen for decades, according to a wine industry consultant.
The coffee scene in Kelowna is being redefined by a few roasters who are putting quality coffee and sustainability at the forefront of their businesses.
Jennay Oliver is one of West Kelowna’s most prominent farmers, known for her dedication to the local community, quality produce and maintaining her 105-year-old family-owned farm.
Dandelions may be the bane of those who don't want to see them in the lawns and gardens but a Southeast Kelowna orchardist and farmer wants to grow them for their roots and leaves.
Just because a quarter of the Okanagan wineries are up for sale doesn’t mean it’s tough times for them all.
Hot chocolate festivals are heating up in Kamloops and the Okanagan where foodies can sample unique, chocolatey creations at restaurants and cafes for a whole month.
Devastating winter vine kills are just part of the reason why more than 50 wineries are for sale in the Okanagan – about one-quarter of the total number.
There’s a good chance that the frigid temperatures this past weekend were even more harmful to Okanagan grape vines than last winter.
With an Arctic front forecast to descend on the Okanagan this week it could do massive damage to already hard-hit grape vines.
This is not the way it’s supposed to be.
Dine Around BC is returning this year with dozens of dining options in Kamloops and the Okanagan as restaurants face the traditionally slow time of the year following the holidays.
Kamloops residents can now easily access, experience, and enjoy a wide variety of non-alcoholic beverages thanks to a couple who saw a gap in the market and worked to fill it.
Garlic has started to grow in Kamloops and the Okanagan due to an unseasonably warm start to the winter, leaving many gardeners wondering if a cold snap will kill the bulbous flowering plants and ruin this year’s harvest.
While the warm winter to date is not good for ice wine it’s not actually the reason why there may not be any produced in the Okanagan this season.
LONDON (AP) — Sloe gin is a festive old English drink that's especially well-suited to the winter holidays. You can drink it over ice, try it in a cocktail, or forage for sloe berries and make a home batch.
If you’re looking for a new holiday recipe you might want to try some historical cookbooks.
A Vernon woman has been cooking authentic Ethiopian foods and sharing it with friends and family for several years, and this year she expanded the fresh food offerings to the greater community.
A Vernon bubble tea shop recently introduced a novelty lunch option, a self-serve ramen bar.
Not everyone will agree, and it may even spark arguments, but according to a recent survey, British Columbians say egg nog is their holiday beverage of choice.
A new baking business is booming in Kamloops, and the father and son team behind it are racing to keep up to demand for their tasty baked treats.
Some people love spiced cake and some love candied fruit, but not everyone can agree that eating the two together is delicious.
The parties in Kamloops will carry on into the wee morning hours this New Year's Eve.
Gas stations and corner stores in Kamloops and across the Okanagan are starting to cash in on a nationwide tipping craze by adding the option to their card machines. This is on top of the substantial tipping percentage expected at most restaurants now.
There are many opportunities to gather together to enjoy food, drinks and Christmas treats while the weather is chilly in Kamloops and throughout the Okanagan this coming weekend.
If you want a free run, locally grown turkey for your Christmas table you might want to hustle to get your order in. Some organic farmers in Kamloops and the Okanagan are struggling to keep up with demand.
Four Okanagan restaurants made OpenTable Canada’s Top 100 Restaurants list this year, three in Kelowna and one in Oliver.
A school teacher from Creston baked his way to the first prize place on season seven of The Great Canadian Baking Show.
As the Rogers Sugar refinery strike in Vancouver continues into is seventh week, the future is starting to look a little less sweet for Okanagan bakeries.
Okanagan’s Crush Pad Winery group have made the switch to 100% renewable natural gas.
The Québécois delicacy poutine has topped the list of food preferences in BC, according to a recent survey.
Two local Kelowna businesses are collaborating to launch SOBAR, the city’s first zero proof wine and cocktail bar, due to open in less than a month.
Have you ever wanted to step back in time to the 1950s? Think James Dean, motorcycle clubs, jukeboxes, Rock 'n Roll and burger franchises.
A liquor store in Peachland got off with a warning after an employee was caught selling alcohol to a minor.
A Kelowna craft brewery apparently makes the best gluten-free beer in Canada since it has won gold, silver and bronze medals at a national competition.
More than half of the country’s restaurants and food service businesses are operating at a loss or barely breaking even, but it's an even more dire situation for restaurants in the Okanagan.
From greeting guests to scaring away pests – dogs have earned a place for themselves at many BC wineries.
Climate change presents a whole host of issues for the Okanagan’s wine industry.
An Okanagan cocktail contest is returning for the first time since the pandemic.
Penticton's Tin Whistle Brewing won two gold medals at the Canada Beer Cup earlier this week.
Kelowna-based Farming Karma Fruit Co. has won a provincial beverage industry award for its sustainability efforts.
It is harvest time and that means there is an abundance of fruit and vegetables growing in farms, gardens and orchards in Kamloops and the throughout the Okanagan Valley.
Oliver’s Covert Farms Family Estate has announced it will be largely scaling back its operations effective immediately.
With so many events and festivals happening in Kamloops and the Okanagan this coming weekend there should be something to suit everyone’s interests.
Lee Hunt is a gardener in Kamloops who grows and produces an uncommon fruit called a cucamelon, and this week she handed out bags of them to people who want to try them for the first time.
Blackwell Dairy Farm in Kamloops has just released a new pumpkin spice eggnog just in time for the Thanksgiving long weekend.
When you think of agriculture in Kamloops, the mind turns to hay and cattle.
Wine is a word synonymous with the Okanagan, yet its origin story remains shrouded in controversy.
A distillery in Kelowna has sold for $3.8 million.
The Okanagan Fall Wine Festival is returning later than usual with wineries participating all across the Okanagan.
A farmer in the Shuswap donated over 600 cobs of fresh corn to people impacted by the Bush Creek East wildfire with the help of a retired RCMP officer.
Penticton restaurant owner Tatsuo Kan opened the first sake brewery in the Okanagan and now he has a permit to bring the freshly brewed rice wine out of the tasting room and straight to his customers in the dining room.
With beautiful autumn weather and the harvest in full swing in the Okanagan and Kamloops, there are many events happening in September it could be hard to decide which one to attend.
A pest that caused $1 billion worth of damages in the U.S. midwest corn industry has just been found in the North Okanagan.
Juicy, colourful and even oddly-shaped tomatoes are at the centre of the Kamloops Tomato Festival this fall. The annual one-day festival is expanding to a week-long celebration of tomatoes this year complete with competitions, crafts and presentations by several community groups.
Not only is Kelowna Farmers’ and Crafters’ Market going to get a new home in the Landmark Centre next spring for its outdoor events, a permanent indoor venue is also in its future.
Logan Saunders has done 22 wine tastings in the past year in Lake Country, Kelowna, Oliver and Osoyoos on three different tours with his friends.
CALGARY - With more than 400 active wildfires still burning in B.C. and many residents yet to return to their homes, it's too early to know the fate of the province's honeybees.
Desert Hills Ranch is giving away 50,000 pounds of cantaloupes that would have otherwise been dumped.
The owner of a new booming charcuterie business near Keremeos has announced she's expanding her specialty meat and cheese service to foodies in Penticton.
A Penticton pizzeria was ordered to close earlier this month because of public health concerns.
Westsyde Kamloops farmers were told their city-run irrigation would be shut off by the end of this season, leaving their crops to dry over the next season or forcing exorbitant costs upon them.
An eatery in Rutland is busy this summer dishing out authentic Latin American favourites like tamales, tacos, churros and empanadas.
There’s a chance to own a slice of the District Wine Village in Oliver.
A familiar and respected community store near Kamloops was broken into and vandalized last month and the community around it is working to help recoup the $20K in theft and damages.
Randy from Trailer Park Boys is taking his Cheeseburger Picnic on tour across Western Canada, and he’s announced stops in Kamloops, Vernon and Penticton.
Another BC restaurant has been caught in a sting operation selling beer to-go without a meal.
Some of the guests at Similkameen wineries have been arriving via horseback.
There is an increase in gastrointestinal infections in the province this year and it’s linked to imported produce and travelling.