In 1923, Paul Terbasket went to jail for contempt of court for using siwiɬk, his ancestor, to irrigate the fruit trees at his inheritance, the story called Blind Creek. siwiɬk, a spirit […]
7. Frustrations All Around
3,000 Posts. The Past and Future of Okanagan Okanogan
This blog started in 2011 as a research tool for writing about the environment of the Intermontane Grasslands of Cascadia, especially in terms of demonstrating the power of the landscape to harvest, […]
Paul Terbasket’s Apricot Ripens Up
The project to renew the heritage apricot of the Smelqmx, the last survivor of a 1920s program to remove commercial fruitgrowing from Indigenous hands in British Columbia, continues. Every day I carry […]
Cross-Species Organic Pest Control for Apples
Apparently, the black widow spider that lives under the cupboard during the day doesn’t just spin a hopeful web under the chair in the summer kitchen at night, before retreating again at […]
Realigning Kelowna
I think it has gone on long enough. Kelowna sits on the best wine-growing land in the West. Crazy, really. Take a different look. Two wineries, and both of those (red markers […]
Climate Change in the North Okanagan
Human induced climate change is real, and its hurting humans, societies and the Earth. A lot of it is the result of atmospheric carbon. That’s the story that my city, Vernon, is […]
Kelowna is Funny
Here’s Kelowna’s explanation of their success at mitigating climate change. See that? 20% of sensitive ecosystem land is protected. Given that sensitive ecosystems make up 28% of Kelowna, and Kelowna covers 214 […]
Millipedes in the Strawberries
Nice and sweet. But after 3 days in the fridge, these guys… That’s a new one for me. About 1-2 cm long.
Reversing the Water Flow in Vineyards
There is a beautiful, simple understanding of plants: they have roots, stems, branches, leaves, flowers and fruit, in various combinations, but grape vines, like all the rest, are understood to grow from […]
Ethical Vineyards: Inspiration from the Rhine
It is possible to have a vineyard without weeds . Here on the hottest part of Germany’s Kaiserstuhl, the system is managed by drought, cover crops, and manure laid in a line […]
Okanagan Okanogan 