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There's no Davies Orchard Applefest this year but here's what is happening

Thanksgiving pies and macramé apples at the last Farmers’ Market of the season, this weekend at BICS
Sarah Haxby / Contributor
A bunch of apples
The big and little apples of Bowen include Massive Wolf River apples and tiny unnamed apples are just a few of the hundreds of types of apples that grow on Bowen. It wasn't a very good harvest this year as many of the trees are tired after last year's hyper-abundance. But, like the tired trees, the volunteers are doing their best and the spirit of Applefest will live online and at the last Farmers' Market of the year.Sarah Haxby

Applefest isn’t happening in its usual form, but the seeds of the local festival are still sprouting this Thanksgiving weekend. 

Bowen Agricultural Alliance (BAA) and Bowen Heritage Preservation Association (BIHPA) are keeping the spirit of Applefest alive at the final Farmers’ Market of the season on Oct. 9 from 10 a.m. to noon at Bowen Island Community School as well as with the online launch of Pauline Le Bel and Meribeth Deen’s video on the planting of the male chestnut tree. 

The planting of Bouche de Bétizac was a project that was made possible thanks to the support of BIHPA, Metro Vancouver, especially the Crippen Park crew, and the Bowen Island Community Foundation. He is a pollination mate for the longstanding Davies Orchard sweet chestnut tree that’s well over a century old. 

The older tree is currently covered in more than 100 pounds of nuts that aren’t edible as they were not pollinated. But, future Applefests may see the fruits of this endeavour – chestnuts for roasting!

We hope we will be able to return to an Applefest event in 2022, but for this year, take a walk in Davies Orchard after shopping at the Farmers’ Market and keep the festival’s spirit alive. 

 There will be all the usual Famers’ Market items made, grown and baked on Bowen this Saturday and there’s plenty of fall produce ahead of Thanksgiving. 

There are greens, succulent plants, hazelnut plants, bacon, sausage, beets, squash, greens, carrots, tomatoes, herbs, potatoes, greens, eggs, macramé, jams, Bowen honey, crocheted booties, blankets, cozy gifts (get ready for Christmas!) as well as a special sale of heritage apples, pies, hot mulled, spiced mulled apple cider (and spice sachets to take home), Thanksgiving pies and macramé apples. 

The Bowen soccer kids have also let me know that their cookie flavours for the week will be:  pumpkin harvest, toffee, chocolate chunk, double chocolate and special for Applefest – apple oatmeal cookies!  

If you are interested in the next heritage apple tree sale, or volunteering with BIHPA or the BAA Farmers’ Market, please reach out to [email protected] and put APPLE in the subject line.