"Stay Local, Support Local" is a collaboration between Castanet and Travel Penticton showcasing what Penticton has to offer all year round. Watch for it every Monday morning.

There’s no shortage of local bakeries in the South Okanagan to satisfy your sweet tooth, especially if you need a little something to lift your mood during these ongoing uncertain times.

Fore ice cream lovers, the great news is, you won’t need to wait until the summer to grab a scoop, with Tickleberry’s downtown Penticton location at Main Street and Front Street serving up sweet treats from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week.

The ice cream shop’s Penticton location now serves coffee, lattes and cappuccinos, as well as fresh and locally baked goods. And it’s open year-round!

“We do all of our own in-house baking on site, so we’re doing sandwich cookies and everything is named after different members of our family which is fun,” said owner Kelsey Hoy.

The Penticton location offers up 35 of their most popular flavours in stock - including Lime in the Coconut and 50 Shades Earl Grey - and even has coffee and fresh and local baked goods.

A staple in the South Okanagan, fresh ingredients and a lot of love makes Tickleberry’s handmade ice cream a favourite amongst locals and tourists alike. Tickleberry’s makes upwards of 25 ice creams on site in Okanagan Falls, and also carries other ice cream suppliers’ flavours.

“It goes back to my parents and what they created,” said Hoy. “They always gave great portions at great prices and always treat their customers really nicely.

“We’re excited to be in Penticton. The locals have always supported us, and we’re feeling that already which is lovely.”

But if you’re up for a drive now that the sun is beginning to shine, the original Okanagan Falls location opens today, boasting approximately 120 ice cream flavours, as well as fudge, chocolate covered Okanagan fruit and other delicious treats.

If you’re heading south towards Okanagan Falls for some ice cream, be sure to stop in a local favourite for some other treats: The Nautical Dog Cafe.

Owned and operated by Kristen Ferguson, the cafe is well known for its beautiful and delicious cakes, sweet treats and variety of savoury lunch options.

And you’ll get to enjoy those treats with a view, as Nautical Dog is located right on beautiful Skaha Lake next to the marina.

Back in downtown Penticton you’ll find Petrasek Bakery in downtown Penticton on the corner of Main Street and Nanaimo Avenue. Since 2018, the European-style bakery has been whipping up handmade sweets, breads and other tasty treats, including ginger cake, fruit tarts and sugar cookies. Be sure to pair it with a latte!

Also on Main Street is Gratify, a locally owned and operated sweet shop delivering a variety of health-conscious baked goods and cashew-based cheesecakes.

“We just released a cream egg,” said co-owner Ryan Oickle when speaking to what’s new on the menu.

The bakery offers a Snack Sampler pack, available in-store. You’ll have your choice of up to nine items to include in the pack, a great option since it’s guaranteed to be difficult to pick just one!

With a variety of options to choose from, such as Nanaimo Bars, a peppermint flavoured cheesecake (amongst many other tasty flavours) and peanut butter cups, Gratify is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth all while keeping your best health in mind.

“Our salted caramel pecan bars were really popular throughout the holidays,” said Oickle.

“Our peanut butter cups are always a favourite.”

You can find Gratify at 469 Main Street, but not for much longer. Gratify will be closing up shop mid-March and moving one block up to 544 Main Street. The new shop needs to be renovated, so you’ll be able to grab your tasty favourites when it reopens in May.

Heading north, don’t forget about Summerland Sweets, which has been crafting up fresh syrups and jams in the South Okanagan for nearly 60 years.

To this day, general manager Len Filek says the raspberry jam and blueberry syrup remain favourites.

“I expanded our jam line in 1986,” said Filek. “Fruit is always the number one ingredient in jams. It’s cooked in small batches and as one the grocery store managers said, ‘It tastes like my mom just made it.’ And that’s our whole thing … it’s just like homemade.”

Summerland Sweets has expanded in the sweets market, offering fruit jellies in shop and fruit wine through their winery Sleeping Giant Fruit Wines.

“That was sort of a natural take off,” said Filek of the winery’s opening in 2008. “Putting the quality of wine that we do into our jams, syrups, candies and taking fruit and also using the same basics to produce good quality-tasting fruit wine.”

The sweets shop unfortunately won’t be holding its annual pancake breakfast this year, but Filek said plans are in the works for 2022, which is when Summerland Sweets will also be celebrating its 60th anniversary.

Their shop remains open year-round and can be found at 6206 Canyonview Rd. in Summerland.

Learn more at www.visitpenticton.com and on social @visitpenticton