Kempf Orchards is a special place for us.

From the moment you first set foot on their orchard, Herb, Shelley, Kailyn and Andrew will be like family.

I spent a good part of my teenage summers here doing what you should be doing this summer – picking cherries!

Taking a tour through Kempf Orchards with owner Herb Kempf is like watching a great painter apply final touches to a masterpiece.

I followed Herb as he decided to cut the grass on a section of orchard before an anticipated rainshower.

Periodically, he’d stop the tractor to pick up a few dead branches too thick for the mower to mulch. Another few steps further, he’d reach into a tree to snap off a handful of sucker branches, or prop up a cherry-laden branch to expose it to the soon-expected sunshine. Every maturing cherry was treated with profound respect.

I asked him why cutting and clearing the grass or trimming out the suckers was so important.

The bottom line is cleanliness, breathing room, light for the cherries and ensuring that visiting cherry pickers have a great experience when picking their own cherries. Herb and his family want nothing but the best for their guests – no tall wet grass to wade through, no obstacles to stumble over and nothing to distract from the awesome cherries waiting to be harvested.

Winery tours, boating, water-skiing and everything else about Kelowna pales in comparison to spending time in the orchard picking fruit.

This is the heart of the Okanagan. Take the time to experience it!