Even with my iPhone, I was able to capture the sunbeams beginning their cloudy-day breakthrough. Shaq (my little Havanese/Bichon buddy) is not crazy about the water, but loves the leash-free romp in this dog paradisio.
I walk past the Cove resort & turn my path around at the Gellatly Nut Farm beginning the big circle back to where my little truck is parked. Today was nothing new…except…that I noticed the workers were out & about at the Nut Farm. Having Shaq with me at the Nut Farm is a problem as he is not allowed inside her fences. We can skirt around her statuary of magnificent trees & bathe in their shade or tapestry of colour, at this time of year, but we cannot enjoy the crunch of leaves, on the winding paths, beneath her hooded canopy.
This I understand, but today I would have loved to be a rule-breaker just to ask if the bounty of this year's harvest might still be for sale. Instead, we boogied our way around our usual course of exercise & made tracks back to the truck. I wheeled off to the nearest Savon Foods to get the few groceries I needed & the cash that I suspected would be necessary to make a purchase of the Okanagan's finest nuts. Then we whisked our way back, & I dashed over to the failing little house where the nut-pickers manage their tiny little storefront. Today, they worked out front on a dilapitated picnic table, gloves on & sleeves pulled up, fully committed to the cause.
They were, indeed, closed for the season but were more than willing to sell me a few of their wares due to my chance luck in finding them at their post. "Nuts, no problem! If we are here, we would be happy to sell you some nuts!" Two male counterparts seemed to be part of the Nut Farm entourage, one riding a tractor through the trees gathering leaves & the other doing general maintenance. The female representation seemed to be doing the real busywork of the day washing, sorting, peeling & gathering…an almost reminiscent picture of days gone by. Both of the gals were, at the least, 10 years my senior & were regaled in nut farm attire. This included heavy jackets, head gear to keep out the wind (better known as toques in Canada) & denim down to their feet which sported well worn sneakers. As they busied themselves with my purchase requests, they shared how the farm's upkeep is strictly done on a volunteer basis & how they really are part of the man/womanpower simply because they love the place. Nut sales & community donations are the basis of all upkeep. This had been an unusual year as the first real chill & wind (wind is a very important component of a nut farm) had not brought down all the nuts. And now that the farm is officially closed for sales, more nuts are dropping & they are trying to salvage some of them. I am not sure to what end, other than to make the day of passers-by like me…
I decided on 5 lbs of the robust Manoka walnut & amounts that I am not certain of with the other nuts.
Heartnuts named for their obvious shape but not limited to their satiny smooth shell & earthy colour; Black Walnuts of a variety that are difficult to eat but when sliced through make the most beautiful organic buttons of which I laid claim to two sets;
and Buartnuts which also have a heart-like shape but a more rugged & rippled shell than does their brother Heartnut.
The Black Walnuts will adorn my festive decorating as their sole purpose, however, all the others are edible. The Manoka's, though they are not sufficiently dry, have been tested by husband Darrell's impatient but pleased pallet. Their sheer size would suggest needing a proportionate cracker, but it is quite the contrary. You can actually pry the shell open with your fingernails if desired. The Buart & Heartnut are considered hard nuts & need to be struck, quite precisely, where the shell halves meet, with a hammer. I believe, at our house, they will remain as lovely & appreciated decor only!
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