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R Buchanan
Ambrosia Slushie
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R Buchanan
Enjoying a Slushie
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R Buchanan
The Trail
Tucked into an orchard along the Kettle Valley Rail (KVR) trail, The Trail Store Fruit & More is the perfect place to take a break from your activities. Owned and operated by local orchardist Rod Hollett and his wife Darlene, you can treat yourself to the world’s first slush made with Ambrosia apples.
The Ambrosia apple is a BC original itself, first discovered in the Similkameen Valley. Given its wonderful taste and great qualities, orchardist Wilfrid Mennell and his wife Sally who found and cultivated the unique variety named it Ambrosia, which means “food of the gods” based on ancient Greek mythology.
From its seven-acre farm-gate location, The Trail Store sells fresh fruit and vegetables as they come into season along with cold drinks including slushes, various snacks, ice cream, and coffee. Says Rod, “Initially, the slushes were made from a packaged peach mix for our convenience. As I watched children happily gulp them down, it dawned on me to check the ingredients. I was appalled by the high manufactured sugar content, artificial flavour components and red dye.”
It was then that he decided to develop a healthier version and looked to the Ambrosia apples grown on site. Like other apples, the Ambrosia is loaded with health-giving properties such as pectin, a cholesterol-lowering soluble fibre, and anti-oxidants, which are good for preventing heart disease. In addition, it is a “low-acid apple, which makes it easier for kids and older people to digest,” according to www.ambrosiaapples.com. The Ambrosia offered an ideal solution. It provides a flavourful alternative with its sweet tasting profile, and by picking his Ambrosia crop at peak and making it into juice, Rod has a convenient concentrate from which to prepare the slushes.
