No Okanagan stone fruit will be on the shelves this summer: grocer

An independent grocer in the Fraser Valley says its shelves that usually store Okanagan stone fruit over the summer will be completely bare this year after extreme weather wiped out many crops.

Lepp Farm Market in Abbotsford shared the news on its website last month, saying, “There’s just no way to soften the news.”

“I will give it to you straight. 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.”

The news comes after the B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association shared in March that harvests for peaches, apricots, nectarines, and plums will be down at least 90 per cent. The B.C. Cherry Association had already warned crops could be “dramatically” reduced.

In mid-January, the B.C. Interior saw several days of frigid temperatures that dropped to -27 C in Kelowna, killing off those active buds that had only just begun to recover from the 2021 heat dome and harsh winter that destroyed many buds in 2022.

Lepp Farm Market says that while many of the trees survived January’s deep freeze, the trees, with the exception of cherry and apple trees, haven’t fruited at all this year.

“The produce department will look slightly different this summer without the fragrant Okanagan stone fruits we love. Rob is trying his best to see if he can source peaches and nectarines from outside BC, likely Ontario, Washington or even as far south as Georgia. So be prepared to adjust your typical timeline for these fruits, and if you see them in the market, grab them while you can,” the Farm Market said.

–With files from The Canadian Press and Dean Recksiedler