Food & Drink

Shop early for sweet treats

Chelsey Mutter Strawberry season kicked off in earnest at the Vernon Farmers Market on Monday. “Me and my son Jake are here to get some fresh strawberries,” shopper Vaness Bostock told Castanet. Strawberries "are just starting, especially for the first part of summer. A

Poplar Grove Rosé Nouveau

Photo: Contributed Wine: Poplar Grove 2022 Rosé Nouveau Winery: Poplar Grove Winery Why drink it: Low-alcohol and low-calorie wines are two of the fastest-growing retail categories in the wine world, and the team at Poplar Grove is ahead of the trend with this juicy pink sipp

Food trips

Photo: Wikipedia/AllenS This 'Flying Saucer' McDonald's restaurant in Roswell, New Mexico bills itself as the only UFO-themed McDonald's in the world. Have you ever taken a road trip for food? It’s not uncommon to find good food when you travel, but how about m

Pricey booze up for grabs

Photo: The Macallan The oldest whisky in the world is still up for grabs from the BC Liquor Distribution Branch, after a person who won a recent draw was unable to purchase the $228,000 bottle. The BC Liquor Distribution Branch is offering a single bottle of The Macallan-The Reach whis

Beer machine shut down

RCMP say a beer vending machine has been shut down at a Vernon apartment building. A resident of the building came forward this week with news that a machine in the laundry room of the building contained beer that could be bought for $4. While police say someone had tampered with the machi

Ribfest a go at Ranch

Photo: Ribfest Details have been sorted out for the Vernon Ribfest, coming up July 7-9 at O'Keefe Historic Ranch. Organizer Elaine Gallagher says three ribbers will be taking part – Boss Hog BBQ, Gator BBQ, and Grizzly BBQ. There will be live music all three days with band

Patio season key 'go time'

Photo: 1516 Pub & Grill Patio season is back – and local restaurants are "ready to rock for the summer." "You have to work hard in the restaurant business. In reality, this is true for all businesses. It is all about having a team that is full of energy and

Booze on the beach begins

Photo: Pexels Thursday officially kicks off Summerland's pilot project to allow visitors and residents to crack a cold one on a few local beaches for this summer. The Summerland Chamber of Commerce and Visit Summerland Tourism Advisory Committee presented as a delegation to promot

'They need to help us'

Casey Richardson “If they want farmers to survive, they need to help us." A devastating hail storm that poured down in Cawston over a week ago is causing local farmers to call for changes to insurance coverage plans after most of their orchards were ruined. Castanet met with

Primavera Dinner delights

Photo: Don Urquhart Tinhorn Creek Winery's amphitheatre took on an Iberian glow on Saturday May 27. A beautiful Friday evening last week saw Tinhorn Creek Vineyards' amphitheatre seemingly magically transform into the sun-drenched Iberian Peninsula for the annual Primavera Dinn

Sunshine Fest around corner

Photo: DVA It's not just a block party, it's a six-block party. The Downtown Vernon Association is making up for lost time with its 29th annual Sunshine Festival. A record six city blocks will be closed off for this year’s festival on 30th Avenue, which celebrates summ

Hester Creek Character Red

Photo: Contributed Wine: Hester Creek 2021 Character Red Winery: Hester Creek Estate Winery Why drink it? Named British Columbia Winery of the Year in 2023 by Great Northwest Wine Magazine, Hester Creek has roots dating back to 1968 when an Italian-Canadian named Joe Busnardo began

Small-batch winery opens

Casey Richardson New wineries keep launching in Summerland this spring and the newest one to open is small-batched and focused on only a few varietals that shine in the Garnet Valley area. Solvero Wines quietly opened its doors on Friday with a soft opening, run by Matthew Sartor, the pres

Party at the finish line

Photo: Don Urquhart The joy of the finish line! The 15th Half Corked Marathon kicks off this weekend with 1,100 runners taking on a 20km route through the lush vineyards around Oliver. Now in its 15th consecutive year (even through the pandemic) this year carries a theme of "Ba

Space-age food

Photo: Wikipedia/NASA Pre-packaged food for astronauts. This week, another group of private astronauts arrived at the International Space Station. They work for Space X, and will do scientific experiments and community outreach, like talking to school kids from space. NASA is sti

Rolls up rim to new car

Photo: Google Maps Armstrong Tim Hortons. Marty Eckert was just sitting at home on his couch on a Thursday night in March, when he realized he had 16 “rolls” on his Tim Hortons app. “I won a few free coffees, and then it came to the last roll,” Eckert says fr

Moving the culinary arts

Photo: Jenny Popoff Neeley Brimer and Bruno Terroso both have passions for food that goes well beyond simply preparing something to eat. They realized that connection once they started working together at Hooded Merganser Restaurant in Penticton Lakeside Resort. The result is Bluebo

Weather challenges cherries

Casey Richardson It hasn’t been an easy start for the cherry growing season in the Okanagan, with a cold April followed by record-high temperatures in May damaging crops. Balpreet Gill, who is the operations manager for Gold Star Fruit Company in Oliver, said that his cherry harvest

2021 Transfiction Rosé

Photo: Contributed Wine: Red Barn Winery at Jagged Rock 2021 Transfiction Rosé Winery: Red Barn Winery at Jagged Rock Why drink it? A blend of hand-harvested Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Sangiovese, this medium pink sipper is unusual because of the Sangiovese, far from a common

Getting down and dirty

Photo: Castanet They say April showers bring May flowers. In the Okanagan this year, we seem to have mostly skipped the rain and jumped ahead to the flowers. I love seeing the spring blossoms, and perennial plants are the garden gift that keeps on giving. I love having the instant grat