A Nutty Day in the Okanagan

Join in the harvest at this historic orchard near
British Columbia’s Okanagan Lake.

Story and photos by M. M. Byrne

Ripe hazelnuts bounce off my bike helmet as I shake overhead branches at the Gellatly Nut Farm, on the west shore of British Columbia’s Okanagan Lake. I have ridden down the lake from Westbank to join in the fall nut harvest.

Established by Jack Gellatly (GEL-atlee, hard G) early in the 20th century, the Nut Farm is now an agritourism regional park.

Visitors are welcome and encouraged to take part in the annual harvest, beginning in the latter part of September and extending into November. The filberts, or hazelnuts, are the first ready. Later there will be walnuts, butternuts, heartnuts, chestnuts, and buartnuts, a cross between a butternut and heartnut. The nuts must be gathered from the ground, where they have fallen or been shaken down. Many filberts fall still in their husks and are easily slipped out. Any that will not come out of the husk are not good and are discarded.

Pickers can buy filberts they have gathered for $2.50 a pound; those gathered by volunteer workers at the farm cost $3. The money raised from the harvest goes into farm restoration and upkeep.Throughout the harvesting period, nuts are sold on the site and at Painter’s Fruit Stand in Westbank, and can also be ordered for shipping. After a few days of drying, they can be eaten as is or roasted in a slow oven (175 degrees) for 15 to 20 minutes.

Ferne Jean stands at the cashier’s table outside the former Gellatly home, ready to weigh out nuts and tell visitors all about the first commercial nut orchard in British Columbia. Ferne’s mother was Jack Gellatly’s sister, and Ferne is involved with the farm all season.

Above: Filberts, or hazelnuts, some still in their husks.

Below: Author with her hazelnut harvest.

Ferne’s grandfather, Dave Gellatly, bought 300 acres to farm in 1900 and 10 acres were later given to two of his sons, Dave Jr. and Jack. Dave’s acreage is now covered by family homes and a waterfront condo, but Jack’s is the present-day farm, maintained and worked by him until his death in 1969 at age 86. He searched out nut varieties from other countries and grafted them onto native roots to produce trees that would flourish in the Okanagan Valley climate. He gave the new, cold hardy stock names like Trazelnuts and Filazles.

After Jack’s death, his property passed through another brother to the wife’s family. The Regional District bought it from the family to develop into the present historic site. It is maintained with funds from the provincial infrastructure program and staffed with volunteer labor. My picking partner is volunteer Willie Findlater, a recently retired Okanagan school teacher. Willie warns that after a few days of nut picking, I might be hurting in places I didn’t know I owned.

Well, I am not planning to spend days picking. Nor is it likely that many people will remain to carve out a family harvesting lifestyle. But a family from Richmond is delighted with their morning’s activity. How many people, the mother wonders, get a chance to participate in a real harvest? The kids, a pre-teen boy and girl, are even more excited. To them it is plainly an treasure hunt. The boy shows me filberts, chestnuts, and a few walnuts he has found in the grass. Why is this one purple, he wants to know . . . then decides it doesn’t matter, it’s eeewww! He drops it on the grass and runs off in search of more.

Ferne rides over on her ATV and reminds the kids to shake the branches to bring down more nuts. She notes that the farm enjoys an excellent turnout to participate in the harvest and that kids always have a great time. So if you are lucky enough to be in the Okanagan for the fall season, stop
in and be part of the harvest.

FYI: Gellatly Nut Farm Regional Park From Westbank, follow Gellatly Road to the lake; turn right and continue on Gellatly Road as far as you can go. Turn right (still on Gellatly Road) and then left on Whitworth Road. Go a short distance to the sign for Gellatly Nut Farm Regional Park. (250-469-6230;
gnfs@telus.net)

Northwest Travel Magazine
September/October 2009