Fresh Eats Blog: Kale

Here at the Coquitlam Farmers Market we are all about local, seasonal and sustainably grown produce. What better way to celebrate the summer months than a fresh take on some familiar foods! This week’s topic: kale.

Did you know kale can reduce inflammation, help the liver detox, and even protect brain cells from stress?

Did You Know?

Did you know kale contains more absorbable calcium than a small carton of milk? This nutrient packed super food is a great addition to a number of traditional meals! In one cup of kale your body will receive 684% of vitamin K, 134% of vitamin C, 206% of Vitamin A plus iron, folate, omega-3s, magnesium, calcium, iron, fiber, and 2 grams of protein- all this with just 33 calories!

Kale is in season in South West British Columbia from September all the way until March! Make sure you stop by the market this Sunday to try some of the province’s best!

Recipe of the Week

Kale Slaw with Red Cabbage and Carrots

Courtesy of MARTHA STEWART LIVING

Ingredients:

tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon apple-cider vinegar
Coarse salt and pepper
3 cups mixed shredded kale and red cabbage
1 carrot, peeled and julienned
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons diced onion
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons hemp seeds

Directions:

Step 1- In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, mustard, and apple-cider vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 2- In another bowl, combine kale, cabbage, carrot, parsley, and red onion with sunflower, pumpkin, and hemp seeds.

Step 3- Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with dressing, and toss to coat.

Ingredients at the Market

Kale:

Cabbage:

Carrot:

Parsley:

Apple-cider Vinegar:

Other Greens and Vegetables: Amazia Farm, Beckmann Farm, Floralia Growers, Forstbauer Farms, Langley Organic Growers, Never Say Die Farm, Ripple Creek Organic Farm, Shen’s Farm, Wah Fung Farm

Steps on How To Grow

Kale Planting 101:

Step 1- Since kale is hardy, the planting season is not as big of a concern. If you plant in the late summer, you can harvest all the way until the winter.

Note: If you add mulch during the colder months, this increases the chance your kale will last through the winter. You can also shield your kale with row covers or other homemade covers.

Step 2- Plant the seeds one quarter to half an inch deep into well-drained, light soil.

Step 3- Mix one and a half cups of fertilizer per 25 feet of row into the top three to four inches of soil.

Step 4- Thin the seedlings so that they are about eight to twelve inches apart after about 2 weeks or growing.

Step 5- Harvest your kale when it is about the size of your hand. Make sure you do not pick too many leaves per harvest and ensure you do not pick to bud found at the top of the plant.

Kale in B.C.

Kale is one of twelve varieties of vegetables that you can grow over the winter in this province.

This vegetable was once used for medicinal purposes and was abundant in Europe. Russian kale was the first to be introduced to Canada in the early 19th century by traders.

You can find dozens of farms that produce kale across B.C.!

Sunday October 1

October is here, and with it comes the last month of our Poirier Street Market. Don’t miss a single weekend this month to stock up on your market favorites! And, don’t forget to visit us at the Port Moody Market starting November 5!

Come to the market hungry and visit Hunger Management or This Little Piggy food trucks! And don’t forget to grab a coffee at Biscotti Joe!

Pumpkins are everywhere now! In our food, coffee, and in fall decorations! Join us at the kids craft table to make some cute paper strip pumpkins perfect for some Fall decor.

We’re happy to have Todd Brown at the market this Sunday! Todd plays great tunes from the 60s, 70s, original songs, and more!

Vendor List for October 1

Getting to Know: Vlad’s Apiary

Zdenka Cukor and her husband Vladimir have been providing customers of the Coquitlam Farmers Market their honey filled goods almost since its’ inauguration!

Vlad’s Apiary produces high quality local honey and other bee related products.

My husband Vladimir started the business. At that time he had above five hundred hives and many different varieties of high quality local honey and other bee related products.

Zdenka, a prominent figure on market day has created strong bonds with many of her customers.

I do believe trying local is important because all products are quality.

Zdenka says participating in farmers markets is a great way for people to explore her creations.

Honey is a natural sweetener produced by honey bees. There is no process; I only extract honey and bottled in the jars.

When choosing your honey, a general rule is: the lighter the honey, the milder the flavour. For all honey connoisseurs, young and old, you are bound to find something to fulfill your pallets thanks to Vlad’s Apiary!

Long Table Dinner 2017

What a great night we had for our Community Long Table Dinner! The food was amazing, the location was stunning, and the guests were outstanding! We hope you had as much fun as we did!

A huge thank you to everyone who supported our organization, as so many people did in so many ways! We are thrilled to announce we exceeded our goal of $10,000! This will definitely allow us to continue the Power of Produce next year!

Check out some of the beautiful photos courtesy of Lisa King.

Getting to Know: West Coast Cider

A gifted farmers market is a community of individual craftspeople, talented people growing, producing, creating, learning and showing off.

While Port Moody has Brewers Row; Port Coquitlam has West Coast Cider. This local company has recently sprouted in the Tri-Cities but its owners aren’t new to the art of creating successful businesses. With this experience, David and Nena have always chosen British Columbia to set up roots.

We constantly source goods and services from local companies, most people we do
work with we have been for over 20 years. Having said that we have had tremendous
success and friendships through out the North West.

Operations for West Coast Cider began in 2014 and this past spring, it’s first batch of apple cider was officially rolled out for sale. David and Nena believe in value, integrity and common sense and love being able to invest in their community, all while maintaining an upbeat work environment.

Fortunately the Tri-Cities is full of companies and people that represent those aptitudes and care very much about where they live work and play. Perhaps that is why we love it here.

The owners of West Coast Cider started their early training in cider making in Oregon and Washington State. David and Nena say what cider connoisseurs will taste in their drinks is the result of many years of experimentation, reading, mentoring and learning all they could about apples.

The beauty of the apple cider is interpretation, our cider is our idea of what makes a refreshing, soothing drink. Something to help people enjoy a sunset, sunrise or what ever weather it may be.

For West Coast Cider, farmers markets are a place to unwind, experiment, and stroll without pressure. Capturing all the senses sight, smell, taste, sounds and feel, they say it is a great atmosphere to meet with familiar faces.

A gifted farmers market is a community of individual craftspeople, talented people growing, producing, creating, learning and showing off. It is fun, the vendors are happy, they actually want to be there. The clients are interesting and their five minute stories are fun and enjoyable.

In addition to participating in the Coquitlam Farmers Market, you can find West Coast Cider in a number of community events across Metro Vancouver.

Our participation in these events show our love for our community and we are excited to continue this in the years ahead.

Sunday September 17

Visit us this Sunday for all the best in local produce, baked goods, artisan crafts, and community fun! Be sure to come hungry and grab a meal from Kampong-Taste of Malaysia Food Truck. Biscotti Joe coffee and Rocky Point Ice Cream will also be on-site!

POP Kids! There are only a couple more weeks left of this great program! Be sure to stop in and get your last couple of POP tokens! This week we welcome Kaitlin back for a cooking class and we’re trying swiss chard in our 2-bite club!

Selina Robinson, MLA (Coquitlam-Maillardville) will be at market this weekend to speak with members of the public. Be sure to stop by and say hello!

Kids, get your folding fingers ready! We are making corner bookmarks at the craft table this weekend!

Vendor List for Sunday, September 17

Fresh Eats Blog: Swiss Chard

Here at the Coquitlam Farmers Market we are all about local, seasonal and sustainably grown produce. What better way to celebrate the summer months than a fresh take on some familiar foods! This week’s topic: Swiss chard.

Did you know Swiss chard is believed to have developed from a form of wild beet thousands of years ago?

Did You Know?

Did you know Swiss chard is closely related to beets? The main difference between the two is that beets are grown for their roots while Swiss chard is harvested for its leaf.

Swiss chard is full of nutrients such as Vitamin A, K and C. This vegetable can be eaten raw or cooked with many choosing the later because its bitter taste is more subtle this way. Thanks to these nutrients and more, Swiss chard is known to improve bone, brain and heart health.

Swiss chard is in season in South West British Columbia from September to November! Make sure you stop by the market this Sunday to try some of the province’s best!

Recipe of the Week

Sautéed Swiss Chard

Courtesy of MARTHA STEWART LIVING

Ingredients:

3 pounds red Swiss chard
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 thinly sliced garlic cloves
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions:

Step 1- Rinse Swiss chard well. Trim tough ends; slice stalks about 3/4 inch thick. Slice leaves about 1 inch thick.

Step 2- In a Dutch oven over medium heat, warm olive oil. Cook garlic until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.

Step 3- Stir in stalks; cook, stirring, until slightly soft, 5 to 6 minutes.

Step 4- Add half the leaves; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar. Cover; cook until wilted, about 4 minutes. Add remaining leaves; sprinkle with another teaspoon sugar. Cover; cook, tossing occasionally, until leaves are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

Step 5- Uncover; cook until liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in red-wine vinegar; season with coarse salt and ground pepper.

Ingredients at the Market

Swiss chard: Forstbauer Farms, Langley Organic Growers

Red- Wine Vinegar: Red Barn Plants & Produce

Other Greens and Vegetables: Amazia Farm, Floralia Growers, Forstbauer Farms, Langley Organic Growers, Never Say Die Farm, Ripple Creek Organic Farm, Shen’s Farm, Wah Fung Farm

Steps on How To Grow

Swiss Chard Planting 101:

Step 1- Swiss chard does well in both warm and cool environments. Mix 1 cup of 5-10-10 fertilizer into the soil for every 20 feet of single row. For fall harvest, plant chard seeds again about 40 days before the first fall frost date.

Step 2- Plant the seeds one half to three quarters of inch deep in a well-drained space.

Step 3- Place the seeds about 18 inches apart in single rows or 10 to 18 inches apart in wide rows. This will allow you to sow eight to ten seeds per foot of row.

Step 4- When the plants have reached about three to four inches tall, thin them out so that they are four to six inches apart. You may want this space to be larger if you plants are larger.

Step 5- Ensure you water the Swiss chard are watered often during dry spells. This is especially important in the summer.

Note: You can add mulch to help the plants maintain moisture.

Step 6- Make sure the plants do not become overgrown. When this happens, they lose their flavour.

Step 7- Harvest your Swiss chard when the plants are about six to eight inches tall. Cut off the outer leaves one to a half inches above the ground with a sharp knife. This will help new leaves grow and provide another harvest.

Swiss Chard in B.C.

It is believed Swiss chard was introduced to North America by colonists who wanted another variety of green in their diet.

Did you know that Swiss chard is in fact not native to Switzerland? The chard was named after Swedish botanist, Koch, who gave it its scientific name.

There are dozens of farmers who produce Swiss chard in this province and some of them you can find at the Coquitlam Farmers Market! This plant thrives in both our warm and cooler seasons making it an easy crop to grow.

Fresh Eats Blog: Pears

Here at the Coquitlam Farmers Market we are all about local, seasonal and sustainably grown produce. What better way to celebrate the summer months than a fresh take on some familiar foods! This week’s topic: pears.

Did You Know?

Did you know there are over three thousand varieties of pears grown in the world but none are native to North America?

Due to their low acidity, pears are often suggested for weaning babies as they are not too hash or their digestive system. This fruit has more fibre and potassium than apples!

A medium sized pear has about 300 calories and used to be known as “butter fruit” for its soft, butter-like texture. Pears are in season in South West British Columbia from August until December! Make sure you stop by the market this Sunday to try some of the province’s best!

Recipe of the Week

Caramelized Pears

Courtesy of MARTHA STEWART LIVING

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 medium pears, quartered and cored
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Salt
Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions:

Step 1- In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high.

Step 2- Add pears, one cut side down, and cook until browned, then reduce heat to medium and cook 3 minutes. Turn pears to other cut side and cook 4 minutes.

Step 3- Add sugar and 1 tablespoon water, swirling pan to combine. Turn pears skin side down and cook until sauce is thickened slightly, 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla and pinch of salt.

Step 4- Serve warm with ice cream!

Ingredients at the Market

Pears:

Butter: Golden Ears Cheescrafters

Ice Cream: Rocky Point Ice Cream

Other Greens and Vegetables: Amazia Farm, Beckmann Farm, Floralia Growers, Forstbauer Farms, Langley Organic Growers, Never Say Die Farm, Ripple Creek Organic Farm, Shen’s Farm, Wah Fung Farm

Steps on How To Grow

Pear Growing 101:

Step 1- In order to produce fruit, you need to plant more than one variety of pear tree. This will allow cross-pollination but ensure these varieties are compatible.

Step 2- Make sure you plant your trees in fertile, well-drained soil in full sun that has good are circulation.

Step 3- Space the trees 20 to 25 feet apart. If you are using dwarf trees, space them 12 to 15 feet apart. For trees that come from containers, remove the plant. Use shears to remove any circling roots. For grafted trees, position the inside of the curve of the graft union away from the sun when planting.

Step 4- Dig a hole that is a few inches deeper and wider than the spread of the roots. Set the tree on top of a small mound of soil in the middle of the hole. Be sure to spread the roots away from the trunk without excessively bending them. Do not add fertilizer or topsoil to the hole.

Step 5- Make sure you water your young tree enough in order to establish roots.

Step 6- Add a small amount of fertilizer. If you have highly fertile soil, use less fertilizer.

Note: Do not add too much fertilizer because it is important for the tree to not have too much nitrogen!

Step 7- Prune your trees to either a central leader system or a modified leader system (this is easier to maintain). If you have a dwarf tree it is better to prune to a central leader system.

Step 8- During the first summer, remove any shoots that form within 18 inches of the ground. The result of this should look like a Christmas tree. Prune your trees regularly and thin the fruit as well.

Note: After your trees are established, water them regularly.

Step 9- When harvesting the fruit, pick them when they are fully grown but still very hard. Keeping the fruit at room temperature to ripen will produce the best product.

Pears in B.C.

Did you know pears are one of the very few fruit that don’t fully ripen on the tree? In Canada, commercial pear production is limited to regions with a mild winter climate. The tops producers of pears in this country are Ontario, Nova Scotia and B.C.!

The climate in B.C.’s Okanagan make growing pears easy and successful but this fruit is grown across the southern region of this province.

Hundreds of farmers have been growing pears in B.C. for decades with no sign of slowing down!

Sunday September 10

Summer is ending, and kids are back to school, but don’t forget that the Coquitlam Farmers Market is still going! Come visit us for the freshest local produce, baked goods, artisan crafts, and more!

Come hungry this week and grab breakfast or lunch at Hunger Management or This Little Piggy food trucks! Or, grab a coffee at Biscotti Joe or a cool treat at Rocky Point Ice Cream.

We are hosting a canning workshop this Sunday with our vendor Jarnest Preserves. The 10am class is now sold out, but there is still space left in our 11:30 class! Find out more, or purchase tickets here.

POP Kids! Test your knowledge about local fruits and veggies with a Local Food Picture Search this Sunday. Also, try kohlrabi in our Two-Bite Club!

We are happy to welcome John Bowman as our musician this weekend! John is a familiar face at the market, as he is also a regular market volunteer! Come show him some support in our music tent on Sunday!

Vendor List for Sunday, September 10

Getting to Know: Gabi & Jules

Even a small shift towards local shopping can make a tremendous difference.

Gabi & Jules has exploded on to the Tri-City scene with its decor and homemade pies. Expanding from the Cafe Divano chain, Owner Lisa Beecroft ensures the products her bakery creates embody everything that is local.

We endeavour to source local produce for our products whenever possible as pies are a perfect opportunity to highlight seasonal fruits! We’re lucky to live where we do and have access to such delicious high quality fruit.

On top of this, Gabi & Jules products are all made in house. Starting from scratch and made by hand, Lisa and her staff strive for high-quality, homemade styled baked goods.

We make everything we sell at our bakery in Port Moody. Nothing is outsourced so we control every aspect of production to ensure the quality and integrity of our baked goods. We only use butter, use no artificial colours or additives and our pies are served in a reusable pie tin.

In addition to the work they do to support the local community, Lisa and her husband Patrick have opened their lives in a way you won’t see from most business owners.

Inspired by our daughter Juliana who has autism we wanted to create an environment that was inclusive of individuals of all abilities. This inclusive hiring philosophy has greatly enriched our bakery and currently employs seven individuals with autism.

Gabi & Jules, notably named after their two daughters, has grown from simply creating good quality baked goods, to a space where individuals with diverse abilities can learn and grow.

From delivering product to Cafe Divano, aiding the kitchen team, to helping front of house staff, Lisa’s mission is to create a space where everyone is welcomed and included in the process of running her business.

Widely known for producing delicious pies and baked goods with a twist on tradition, staff members always pay close attention to connections made with their customers and guests.

We believe in using only quality ingredients in everything we make and our customers can trust the integrity of the products we produce.

As a local company, the B.C. Buy Local movement is incredibly important to Lisa and her family. She notes, by supporting local businesses, over three times the amount of money can be circulated back in the area than when goods are purchased from a large chain.

You are making a significant difference in the lives of local families when you choose to purchase locally produced products.

Lisa says even a small shift towards local shopping can make a tremendous difference in our communities and local economies.

…but it requires conveying what the value and benefits of buying local are. Increasing people’s awareness of the benefits of shopping locally needs to be a wide-reaching effort as it requires changing people’s habits, so not an easy task.