'No Okanagan stone fruit' coming to B.C. grocer this year due to cold snap
An independent B.C. grocery store says it won't have Okanagan peaches, apricots, plums or nectarines on store shelves this summer due to the cold snap the province experienced earlier in the year.
Lepp Farm Market, located in Abbotsford, warned customers last month its offerings will be different this season.
"There will be no Okanagan stone fruit this year; the deep January freeze wiped out this summer's crop of apricots, peaches, nectarines and plums in the entire Okanagan valley," a statement from grocery store's owner said. "It takes my breath away just to say that, and when I told our granddaughter the news, she burst into tears. 'Nana, what do you mean there won't be any peaches?'"
The owner explained the stone fruit trees didn't harden off in the way they typically would because of last fall's unseasonably warm temperatures. Conditions worsened when the weather abruptly turned.
"When the record-breaking deep freeze and icy winds hit for almost a week in January, the trees weren't ready for it, and all the blossoms froze," the statement said. "Thankfully, the trees survived, but all we have this year are leafy, green trees without any fruit."
In recent months, local growers have issued dire warnings to consumers about the impacts B.C.'s extreme weather is having on crops.
B.C. Fruit Growers' Association president Peter Simonsen said earlier this year he expects harvests for peaches, apricots, nectarines and plums to be down at least 90 per cent.
And it's not just stone fruits that are suffering. B.C.'s wine grape growers said the January chill that sent temperatures in some parts of the Okanagan plunging to -27 C destroyed up to 99 per cent of the province's harvest.
A B.C. wine industry representative said in a statement that over the past several years wine growers have faced a heat dome, wildfire smoke and destructive cold.
"The ongoing climate change effects, highlighted by recent freeze events on B.C. farmers, is real and directly impacts those individuals and families that make up our industry," said Miles Prodan, Wine Growers B.C. president.
Hoping to adapt to this season's unpredictable crops, Lepp Farms said it's looking to source stone fruits from outside of B.C., likely from Ontario or Washington. The independent grocer said apple and cherry trees are hardier and were able to withstand January's harsh cold, which means local options for those fruits will likely be stocked this season.
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Hezbollah confirms its leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike
Lebanon's Hezbollah group confirmed on Saturday that its leader and one of its founders, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut the previous day.
Dozens dead and millions without power after Helene's deadly march across southeastern US
Hurricane Helene caused dozens of deaths and billions of dollars of destruction across a wide swath of the southeastern U.S. as it raced through, and more than three million customers went into the weekend without any power and for some a continued threat of floods.
They hit it off on vacation but then he went silent. So she decided to pick up the phone
When a few weeks passed and Nana Prempeh still hadn’t heard from the guy she met on vacation, she turned to her friends for advice.
This 'old barn' is a monument to Canada's hockey roots, but its future is unlear
Windsor, N.S. has long-claimed to be the 'birthplace of hockey.' Local historians believe the game has roots in the town, located in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley.
'I love you but I hate you.' What to do when you can't stand your long-term partner
It's often said there is a thin line between love and hate, but is it OK to sometimes hate your long-term partner? If you ask actress Jamie Lee Curtis, it's practically necessary.
Scientists discover hidden ancient forest on treeless island
Trees haven't grown on the Falkland Islands for thousands of years. But tree trunks and branches preserved in peat suggest the islands were once home to a forest.
Vance exuded calm during a tense debate stage moment. Can he keep it up when he faces Walz?
When two of his Republican rivals for an Ohio Senate seat nearly came to blows on live statewide television two years ago, JD Vance appeared unimpressed.
Canada booking seats on flights out of Lebanon as violence escalates
Global Affairs Canada began booking blocks of seats on the few remaining commercial flights leaving Lebanon on Friday as it issued another urgent plea for any Canadians in the country to leave immediately.
Walz has experience on a debate stage pinning down an abortion opponent's shifting positions
Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz knows how to lean into abortion rights on the debate stage. He's done it before.