Salt + Cider: Tall Ship Cruises to Magical Apple Orchard
Updated: Jul 14
Some fundraisers happen at Beaver Point Hall.
Some happen at Artspring.
And some involve climbing aboard a historic tall ship, sipping cider, and sailing through the Gulf Islands in search of apples.
On Sunday September 20, the Salt Spring Island Farmland Trust invites you to join us for Salt + Cider, one of the most unique fundraising events on our calendar. We'll be setting sail aboard the Providence—BC's oldest tall ship—for an afternoon of stories, orchards, cider, and island adventure.
If you've spent any time on Salt Spring, you've probably noticed them.
Old apple trees tucked behind barns.
Gnarled orchard remnants at the edge of fields.
Branches heavy with fruit in places where no one seems to be tending them.
These trees tell a story.
Long before Salt Spring became known for artists, retreats, and farmers' markets, it was famous for its orchards. By the late 1800s, island growers were shipping apples throughout the province, helping establish Salt Spring's reputation as the Apple Capital of Canada.
But times changed.
Farms were subdivided. The Okanagan Valley came online with modern irrigation and Salt Spring growers couldn't compete as well. Knowledge was lost. Ladders rusted, pruning stalled and fruit fell to the ground, unpicked.
Today, hundreds of heritage fruit trees still stand across the island, quietly producing an astonishing abundance of food every year.
Over the past several years, the Farmland Trust's Food Share program has been working to bring these orchards back into community life.
Each harvest season, a crew of more than 110 volunteers climbs ladders, hauls crates, and picks fruit from backyards, farms, and forgotten orchards across the island. Last year alone, they rescued more than 25,000 pounds of fruit that might otherwise have gone to waste.
Some is shared directly with tree holders and volunteers.
Some is distributed through community organizations including the Food Bank, Community Services, and Gabriel's Kitchen.
And increasingly, that fruit is being transformed into community apple juice — bottled sunshine that can be enjoyed year-round.
Throughout the winter, our volunteer pruning squad heads back into neglected orchards, carefully rehabilitating abandoned trees and helping ensure they remain healthy, productive, and accessible for future harvests.
That's why Salt + Cider exists.
This cruise is more than a day out on a beautiful tall ship. It's the official kickoff to Apple Festival season and a celebration of the orchards, volunteers, growers, and community partners that make Food Share possible.
Along the way you'll enjoy local cider, spectacular Gulf Island scenery, stories of Salt Spring's orchard history, and the company of fellow islanders who care about local food and community resilience.
This year we're hoping to raise $20,000 to support the Food Share program.
These funds will help us:
Coordinate harvest crews
Expand community juicing
Purchase harvest and processing equipment
Train and support volunteers
Rehabilitate neglected orchards
Rescue and redistribute even more fruit throughout the community
We are always looking for pickers and juicing helpers, and for folks who have fruit that they can't access or pick to register their crops so our glean team can swing by and harvest. If you want to volunteer with the food share program, sign up here. If you have crops to register, visit Salt Spring Island crop registration.
If you want to come aboard on September 20th, tickets are $150 (standard) or $300 (patron) - both get you a wonderful adventure.
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