By Yvette Schmid, Citizen Journalist

Ah, summer has finally arrived on the peninsula…. time to reap in the bounties of nature, especially all the fresh berries and fruit that are popping up everywhere. There’s nothing quite like picking your own plums or apples or the like and tasting fruit warmed by the sun… but after a while, when you’ve eaten your fill, what on earth can you do with it all? There are only so many pies, crisps, jams and jellies one can make, eat, give out and freeze for a time of year when one really craves summer fruit. Bet you all have something of the sort in your freezers right now!

Here’s another idea to enjoy summer tastes, why not turn your harvest into wines and ciders? Head on over to one of the best kept secrets of the Saanich Peninsula, The Flying Fish Winery where Laura Elder and her brigade of Flying Fish Chicks turn your bounty into amazing wines and ciders…. oh yes they do! You get quite a few bottles, so how about giving them out as gifts to your friends and family instead of the old hum drum jam and jellies, pies and crisps?

As one of Laura’s customers Amber Moore stated, “My blackberry wine

turned out amazing… I’ll be making this wine annually because whenever friends and family visit, they keep stealing another bottle when they leave.” Or if you’re like many of their customers…. you keep it all for yourself!  How much more special would New Years Eve be when you crack open your very own sparkling wine to toast The New Year ahead? Making your own wine locally is a great way to lessen your carbon footprint; it’s Eco friendly, and extra special because it’s from your fruit!

“Having an over abundance of various fruits, we approached Laura

7 years ago if she would do some fruit wines for us,” said Reid and Virginia Wallberg who went on to say:  “Since then she has made for us Raspberry, Blueberry, Strawberry, Blackberry, Cranberry/Pear, Pear/Ginger, Apple, Kiwi, Pumpkin/Orange, Plum, Peach, Marchal Foch grape and an amazing Fig Sherry.”

In speaking to Laura Elder, she had this to say: “Most craft wine shops do not make country fruit wines because of the extra work and risks involved. For me, fruit processing is a challenge I look forward to each fall.  It has become our niche and we have proudly made many unique still and sparkling fruit combinations. Now we have many happy fruit followers… Try us, you’ll be hooked!” So, don’t miss out, fruit season is here!  Happy summer!

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