"Our challenge was to save our crop and produce the best quality possible in these difficult conditions," said Marc, who grows Sunrise, Royal Gala, Braeburn, and Ambrosia apples on a westerly slope alongside Okanagan Lake. "The summer was very hot and dry with no rain for several months. Fortunately, we could irrigate with overhead sprinklers."

Very hot weather can cause sun scalding, but once the fires began, sunburn became less of a worry, because smoke and ashes obscured the skies. In late summer, the skies cleared, and bright sunny days returned. This, combined with cooler night temperatures, brought on the color of the apples.

No doubt Marc's family has overcome other difficult seasons in the half century it has produced fruit in the Okanagan. The van Roechoudts immigrated to Canada from Belgium in the late 1940s. Marc's father, an agronomist who had grown apples in France, pioneered more efficient production methods in the region.

"In the 1950s, my father removed the big, old trees and started planting dwarf apple trees at different densities," Marc said. "This was viewed as heresy at the time. These first plantings where quite successful, and some people took notice. It wasn't until the 1980s, however, that high density planting was widely accepted. It became obvious that new varieties offered a premium on the market and that one had to get into production quickly before the premium vanished. The industry standard has changed from 50 trees to 2,500 trees per acre."

Over time, Marc has seen the evolution of new varieties and their influence on the industry.

"Originally, we grew the four main traditional varieties: Macs, Spartans, Goldens and Red Delicious," he said. "In the 80s, these 'old varieties' no longer returned the cost of production. We started planting newer varieties like Jonagold, Empire, Royal Gala and Braeburn. Twenty years later, we have removed the Jonagold and Empire trees due to diminishing returns."

The Royal Gala market remains strong, and thus that apple represents about 70 percent of Marc's production. He is also growing Ambrosia, which is replacing some of the varieties that have lost favor in the marketplace.

The growers shared the pickers' enthusiasm for the new apple, so they decided to try to produce more. Once the existing tree had matured, they cut and grafted a few branches into other trees. The procedure was a success, and Ambrosia was born. Ambrosia has the conical shape of its parents, Reds and Goldens, but its color, texture and taste are different. The skin is smooth with an almost iridescent pink blush over a creamy background. It is a sweet, low-acid apple with a pleasing aroma and crisp flesh.

Ambrosia apples ripen in late September or early October. Oppenheimer will market about 11,500 cartons of Ambrosia this season.

"It's a beautiful, bi-colored apple with superior eating qualities," Marc said. "We expect to double our Ambrosia production each year for the next three years."

At 67, Marc, who considers himself semi-retired, enjoys skiing at Big White and windsurfing in Lake Okanagan. His wife, Tessa, is an airline hostess who commutes to San Francisco every other week, spending time with their daughter, Jesse, who is 25, a professional skateboarder, and who makes her home there. Her sister, Madeleine, 21, is in her fourth year at the University of British Columbia where she studies agriculture.

Oppenheimer plans to represent a total volume of about 350,000 cartons of apples from B.C. Tree Fruits this fall and winter.