Covert tomatoes in the Okanagan

OLIVER, BC---Hiding in plain sight among the tomato plants, as it were, is Mike Covert (yes, Covert is his name). We're on a plateau above the lake, a thousand miles and then some from the tomato fields of central California where Mike's dad, George, was growing tomatoes in the 1960s.

Nowadays, Covert Farms grows a laundry list of fruits and vegetables, and the porta-potty signs aren't just in French, Spanish and English, but--recognizing the newly diverse labor force in this privileged corner of Canada--in Thai and Indian as well. (A detailed history of the property is here.) Wine grapes, too, of course.

Should you find yourself in the neighborhood at the end of October, Covert even has a maze.

Cornichon visited the Okanagan last year as a guest of Tourism BC