It should come as no surprise that the festival is mainly focused on apples. What may surprise you is that Salt Spring was the fruit producing capital of the province, before the Okanagan grabbed that title. The copious quantities of water available for irrigation, along with a warmer growing season turned the tide for the interior. In all this, Salt Spring was left with a prize, not well known or widely appreciated, hundreds of varieties of heritage apples. Apples are not unlike grapes, in that there are many different varieties with untold variations in character and taste. Unlike grapes, apple growers have moved towards uniformity and single varieties are often grown for shipping and storage characteristics, rather than taste. Salt Spring is playing a role in bringing back some of the forgotten varieties and adding to the natural diversity available for future generations. 

Getting Here

Salt Spring Island is accessible only by water or air. Regular scheduled ferry service is available from Swartz Bay (Victoria) or Crofton (Duncan) on Vancouver Island as well as from Tsawwassen (Vancouver) on the lower mainland of British Columbia. A short hop in a small plane will also take you to the island from Victoria, Vancouver or even Seattle. Many people access the area (particularly in the summer) by private boat as well. Victoria can be accessed from Washington State via regularly scheduled ferry service.