British Columbia Magazine

To mark Apple Month, and the 75th anniversary of BC Tree Fruits, we wanted to share a few fast facts about apples, and some pictures from the early days of apple production in B.C.

Did you know?

• British Columbia produces about 30% of the apples grown in Canada–that’s more than one billion pieces of the juicy red-skinned fruit each year.
• About 98% of B.C. apples are produced in the Okanagan-Similkameen valleys, though there orchards in the Gulf Islands as well.
• British Columbians consume about 75 to 100 B.C. apples a year, per person.
• The varieties grown for commercial production include red and gold delicious, McIntosh, Spartan, Jonagold, Gala, Braeburn, and Fuji.

A promotional photo from the Penticton area, circa 1910. (Courtesy Kelowna Public Archives, No. 824)

By the late 1920s, trucks were being used to haul produce to the packinghouses. This photo of Fred Day and his team shows that horse and wagon rigs were still in use as well (Kelowna Public Archives, No. 6432)

The Pridam family in Kelowna takes a break in their apple picking day. (Kelowna Public Archives, No. 3750)

This packing crew from the late 1920s has their shipment of apples ready for transport to the rail station. The “OK” brand indicated “O” for the Okanagan and “K” for Kootenay. (Kelowna Public Archives, No. 3803)

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