Following a twist of fate that began when Rob’s mother noticed an orchard for sale in the classified ads, 19 years ago the Horricks jumped into organic farming with a commitment to quality. That led them to leaving peaches and apples on the tree just a little longer than others.
“We really focus on picking as tree ripe as possible to have the best flavour that we can,” says Rob. “We pack it all by hand too. Our name is on it—it’s not going to a packinghouse with other orchards’ fruit—so we want it to be the best.”
Today, the 10 acres of Wild at Heart are home to 12 varieties of peaches, 12 varieties of apples and 20 varieties of plums sold at their summer fruit stand and at Nature’s Fare Markets. That’s just what they sell most, although several more varieties of each are coming of age. It’s not often that an orchard will have multiple types of tree fruits—and so many varieties within—but the Horricks are always up for experimenting.
“We have a map,” says Zenya, glancing at it as she speaks. “We’ve replanted a lot over the years and diversified to plant the varieties people really love, like honey crisp. We’re always trying to figure out other interesting varieties that people will want.”
It’s not all driven by markets or whims.
“We’re always testing and monitoring the nutrtion in the soil. There’s some science there alongside the desire to plant what the pollinators will love and what’s just interesting. We’re balancing those two things.”
Case in point: A young new apple variety with pink flesh, and a sweet Orin apple that tastes like a pear and resists bruising. The Horricks are hopeful to have them ready for the market in a few years.
This year, like so many Okanagan tree fruit farms, the stone fruit trees at Wild Heart Farms succumbed to a devastating cold snap in January. While their BC-famous peaches might not be heading to your table, Wild at Heart has other delights in store:
“We’ll have some heirloom tomatoes, San Marzano romas for canning, winter squash, peppers,” says Zenya.
As a supplier to Nature’s Fare Markets, the couple says it’s wonderful that people from across BC can taste the fruits of their labours without having to make the drive, as so many do during canning season.
“We have a lot of people who drive here to buy our peaches so if they can pick it up closer to home, that’s great for them.”
Article was published in The Good Life magazine.
