Meet In Kelowna (Pix. Heavy)

[TwoRivers]

Baljit, the next time up or down the Alcan, I'm making a detour!

[xl_target]

Some of the mushrooms, I would think are edible. I wonder is there a way to check whether a certain type of mushroom is edible or poisonous?

The red one, with white spots, is highly poisonous. No way to check, no there is, feed them first to your wife's cat.

You just have to learn to recognize the edible ones; or just eat a tiny bite the first time if you want to experiment and don't want to be bothered reading a book. Some edible and poisonous ones are pretty close in appearance.

Ha, You have the same "love" for cats as I do. Hehe!

[xl_target]

Looks like Baljit & CK are having a time of their life.... very happy for it....back home here we sit back and wish we too could do something like this here

Baljit - You are killing us softly with those yummy sausages, mushrooms, venison all decked out nicely spiced & grilled

Waiting to hear more - BTW - are you guys out there to hunt or ...............
Briha

Brihaji,
The way Baljit is feeding him, I think CK's going to have to go an a diet when he gets home

[essdee1972]

Did you guys (Baljit & CKK) ever think of a career in travel writing, landscape photography, or food photography?? Guys, not trying to flatter you, but you really put some of the pros to shame!!

And that's a really cute pup your uncle has, Baljit! You can see the happiness on Veeru's face in that pic with CKK!

[Vikram]

Baljit & Kalyan,

Another set of great photos and reporting. Those sausages and kababs.....yum.

Veeru is HUGE! And the photo of him and Kalyan is brilliant.


Best-
Vikram

[Ganesh TT]

Well having company to shoot and share views and enjoying day shooting is the life of joy and u guys had it...great and thanks for sharing..

[Baljit]

Vikram,conty1,brihacharan,XL,Tworivers,essdee1972 and Ganesh TT. Thank you very much guy's for your comments.

Vikram......... John, he is 6'3" tall and 240lb.

brihaji....No we did not have a chance to hunting again,it's only open for bear and four point and batter deer.

Tworivers........Come over any time .

Baljit

[ckkalyan]

Day 2 - Sun, 22 Sep

I woke up fully relaxed at 9:30 am after a much deserved rest, wandered down the stairs and discovered that Baljit had planned a laid back, chilled out kind of Sunday. We had a sumptuous breakfast of Toast, Indian style Omelettes, French toast, Tea and Milk to wash the fine meal down with. Enjoyed the leisurely breakfast and got ready to leave home in the afternoon to visit Baljit’s Uncle at his apple orchard in Winfield.

The morning had been drizzling rain, by the time we left, the rain had gradually escalated to a steady downpour. About an hour’s drive along scenic back roads brought us to Winfield. Pure farming country with vineyards, fruit, vegetable fields and orchards sprinkled all over. The rain had abated by now and I could feel only the odd drops softly plopping on to my jacket.

My first sight of the large house sitting amongst greenery with the highway in the background was abruptly broken when I saw, what I thought was a huge wolf approaching the truck. He came ambling around the house at a steady pace, laughing at us with his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth. I was totally amazed; I later realized that Veeru was a fine specimen of a full-grown, Alaskan Malamute with some wolf blood in him. When we stepped out of the vehicle, he was all over us clamouring for attention. I first gauged his enormous girth covered with thick and beautiful grey-white fur, when I petted him.

He is limited to the grounds by an invisible fence and an electric collar. Baljit’s uncle told me later that Veeru was very friendly and that discouragement to intruders was provided simply by the animal’s personality!

We chatted for a bit with Baljit’s chacha-ji and family, sipped a beer in contentment and then set off for a tour around the orchard. My first close-up experience of an apple orchard and the Mac Apple was an education. The fruit hung red and heavy on the trees. The red was covered by a thin layer of grey powder, which Baljit told me was dust.

The McIntosh or McIntosh Red (colloquially the Mac) is an apple cultivar. The fruit has red and green skin, a tart flavour, and tender white flesh, and ripens in late September. Once the most popular cultivar in Eastern Canada and New England, the McIntosh is well known for the pink apple sauce the unpeeled fruit make. It is also well-suited for cider and pies. Apple Inc. employee Jef Raskin named the Macintosh line of personal computers after the fruit.

John McIntosh discovered the original McIntosh sapling on his Dundela farm in Upper Canada in 1811. He and his wife bred it, and the family started grafting the tree and selling the fruit in 1835. In 1870 it entered commercial production, and became common in north-eastern North America after 1900. While still important in production, the fruit's popularity fell in the early 21st in the face of competition from varieties such as the Gala.

Information from here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McIntosh_(apple)

Our kind host began plucking Mac’s off trees and dropping them into a large cardboard carton. Only later did I realize that they were a gift intended for me. And here I was, a single guy who needed just “an apple a day…..!” The contents of this box would have easily lasted me several months - such generosity! Baljit also received gifts of organic, farm grown, bell peppers, cucumbers, eggplant and tomatoes to take home.

After goodbyes were said we drove right through the farm directly onto the highway at the rear of the property. We stopped off at the local Walmart on route to Baljit’s home so that I could pick up a few essentials. We got back to base about 6:30 pm and at once started preparations for the barbeque.

Images speak louder than words and Baljit has very kindly posted some gorgeous and appetizing photos. The whole offering was done to perfection, juicy yet well cooked - deliciousness oozing out of every single bite! The enormous mound of kebabs seemed to disappear magically, in no time.

Lubrication throughout the exercise was of course, provided by Crown Royal and Soda!

What a fitting end to a wonderful Sunday.

[brihacharan]

[quote="essdee1972"]
Did you guys (Baljit & CKK) ever think of a career in travel writing, landscape photography, or food photography?? Guys, not trying to flatter you, but you really put some of the pros to shame!!


Best wishes!
Briha

[dev]

Okay Ck and Baljit while I am happy for you...please stop Baljit the food you dish out is so fab...this is torture...so please stop.
Love your Uncle's dog and orchard too.

Thanks for the great pics, was a great treat.

Dev

[ckkalyan]

Did you guys (Baljit & CKK) ever think of a career in travel writing, landscape photography, or food photography?? Guys, not trying to flatter you, but you really put some of the pros to shame!!

And that's a really cute pup your uncle has, Baljit! You can see the happiness on Veeru's face in that pic with CKK!

Hey essdee1972,

Thanks a ton buddy, I sure have been considering a serious career change since Vikram mentioned it after my first trip to Kelowna! I hope to see fruition sometime soon. Thanks again for your compliment.

[ckkalyan]

Looks like Baljit & CK are having a time of their life.... very happy for it....back home here we sit back and wish we too could do something like this here

Baljit - You are killing us softly with those yummy sausages, mushrooms, venison all decked out nicely spiced & grilled

Waiting to hear more - BTW - are you guys out there to hunt or ...............
Briha

Brihaji,
The way Baljit is feeding him, I think CK's going to have to go an a diet when he gets home

I am already feeling the effects of gluttony xl_target/Briha-ji...

I must go on a strict regimen once I get back to Richmond. Back to Ghass/Phoos, no more BBQ's. But Baljit is helping here as well - gathering up large volumes of a melange of Okanagan grown, organic produce for me to take back!

[ckkalyan]

Thank you for your kind comments and encouragement gentlemen Ganesh TT, dev, TwoRivers, conty1

TwoRivers Good one about the mushrooms - that's a cat solution!

Baljit and I were scratching our heads about your Alcan comment; we had to do some research to get your drift! Nice one.

[brihacharan]

Thank you for your kind comments and encouragement gentlemen Ganesh TT, dev, TwoRivers, conty1
TwoRivers Good one about the mushrooms - that's a cat solution!
Baljit and I were scratching our heads about your Alcan comment; we had to do some research to get your drift! Nice one.

CKK,
I was thinking what would you do with the bushel load of those crunchy red apples you're taking with you
My humble suggestion...
You could make some Delicious CIDER / Crusty PIE, Yummy PRESERVE (Jam) or some Nice SAUCE...
Just think of us when you indulge

Briha

[Moin.]

Fantastic Post Kalyan Sahib and Baljit Pa'aji !!!

Those Kebabs look Yummy...