What a fantastic time of year for fresh BC produce! Each week brings new items to market, and there are so many delicious and fresh options to choose from. Come visit us this long weekend!
This Sunday, we dedicate a portion of our market to the vendors of tomorrow! Stop by the Kids Market section to browse the creations of local young entrepreneurs!
It’s time to play with your food at the Kids Craft Table! Join us to paint with veggie stamps and see what kind of masterpiece you can create!
Our musician this weekend if Jeff Neufeld. Jeff has been a popular performer at our market for many years, and his music is the perfect backdrop to a Sunday morning stroll through the market.
…Most importantly, the markets allow us to serve the community with our fresh produce.
For over 15 years, Never Say Die has been participating in farmers markets selling their locally grown, no spray vegetables. Never Say Die’s early roots with farmers markets, began with selling exclusively garlic says Owner Le Faan.
We knew we had the best garlic around so instead of just selling it
on the farm we took it to the markets for the community to give a try. Everyone loved it! After years of growing garlic we are now able to grow over 30,000 garlic bulbs annually.
Two years later, Laan began selling a variety of vegetables. She says the markets have become their primary outlet for selling produce!
Participating at the farmers markets allows us to meet new people
and increase our clientele but most importantly, the markets allow us to serve the community with our fresh produce.
With greater consumer awareness, Laan says Never Say Die’s goal is to provide consumers with quality no spray produce that is grown locally.
We know many people are tired of buying produce at grocery stores that are sprayed with many chemicals like pesticides. Not only that, many consumers have no idea where the produce is coming from. That’s where we come in.
You can currently find Never Say Die at three different markets weekly. Laan loves where her company is at the moment and will continue to supply the community with fresh produce for many years to come.
We believe that consumers deserve the right to know where their purchased produce is coming from. We are committed to building the community by participating in local farmers markets to attract and bring people together.
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: tomatoes.
Did you know cooked tomatoes are actually better for you than raw ones because beneficial chemicals are released?
Did You Know?
Did you know because tomatoes have seeds and grow from a flowering plant, it is classed as a fruit not a vegetable? There are more than 7,500 tomato varieties grown around the world, including Beefsteak, Oxheart and Plum tomatoes.
Tomatoes are in season in South West British Columbia from July all the way until November! Did you know they are rich in lycopene, an antioxidant that is good for the heart and effective against certain cancers? Tomatoes are also packed with vitamins A and C, calcium, potassium and make a refreshing snack on a hot day!
Step 2- Combine ingredients in a medium bowl, stir together tomatoes, onion, chili peppers, cilantro, salt, and lime juice
Step 3- Chill for one hour in the refrigerator before serving
Put on fish, toasted bread, and more!
Ingredients at the Market
Tomatoes: Shen’s Farm, Never Say Die, and Red Barn and Plants will have heirlooms in August!
Cilantro: Floralia Growers, Red Barn Plants and Produce, Wah Fung Farm
Onions: Red Barn, Wah Fung Farm
Other Greens: Amazia Farm, Beckmann Farm, Floralia Growers, Forstbauer Farms, Harvest Direct, Hill Top Farm, Langley Organic Growers, Mandair Farms, Never Say Die Farm, Ripple Creek Organic Farm, Shen’s Farm, Snowy Mountain Organics, Wah Fung Farm
Steps on How To Grow Tomatoes
Tomato Planting 101:
Step 1- Go to a garden center and purchase seeds in March. We know of a great local seed company, West Coast Seeds! Also grab some potting or seed starting soil and any apparatus to start the seeds. This could range from small pots, seedling trays, or even egg carton bottoms!
Step 2- Fill your growing vessels most of the way full of soil. Place your seeds on top (go for two seeds per vessel, it helps with germination in the case one doesn’t sprout) of the soil. Then sprinkle lightly soil on top, water lightly for all to settle.
Step 3- Put in a sunny window or under a heat mat and a grow light. Once the seed sprouts, water lightly each day and you should get a four leaf structure within three weeks.
Step 4- Pot up your little four leaf tomatoes in a next larger pot. Water and add fish fertilizer according to directions on the bottle.
Step 5- Once to a temperature outside of ten degrees Celsius at night, plant outside in the ground or in a final pot. Fertilize it again as before and grab your staking equipment found at any garden centre. The easiest option: a tomato cage! Your plant will grow either high or bushy! Make sure to cover your tomatoes with a plastic cover when it rains to avoid early season blight.
Step 6- Ensure you are watering each day. Tomatoes require six to eight hours of sunlight per day to grow and ripen.
Note:Having issues with your tomato plants? Register for our next gardening workshop on August 20th. It may describe to be a winter gardening workshop, but you can bring all your questions!
Tomatoes in B.C.
Tomatoes are one of B.C.’s many field and greenhouse vegetables that rely on state-of-the-art facilities and production practices. Did you know the skin colour of a ripe tomato is usually the only way to tell what type they are? The Coquitlam Farmers Market has a variety to choose from all summer!
Greenhouses only take up 0.01% of B.C.’s farmland, but produce 11% of the province’s total agriculture production! The breeze coming from the Pacific Ocean and daylight hours make the southern portion of the province one of the best regions to produce vegetables via greenhouses.
This Sunday is Members Appreciation Day! Members can take advantage of Member Specials at participating vendors. Not a member? Click here to learn more or to sign up!
This Sunday’s Members Specials include:
Gesundheit Bakery: Save $1 off a purchase of $5 or more
Culinary Blossom: 10% off all loose leaf teas
Red Barn Plants: Walla Walla onions for 1.25/pound
Sisters Making Scents: 10% off and lip balms 2 for $5
Forstbauer Farm: 10% off your purchase
Don’t forget to stop by for breakfast or lunch at Gypsy Trunk Gourmet Fare or Island Time Food Truck. We will also have Rocky Point Ice Cream and Biscotti Joe on site for your ice cream and caffeine needs!
City of Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart and Councillor Teri Towner will be at market this Sunday as part of our Coffee with Councillors series. Visit their tent to grab a coffee and treat and chat about all things Coquitlam! (Councillor Towner will be in attendance from 9am-1pm, Mayor Stewart from 10am-12pm)
This week in the POP Club tent, become an expert on your favorite fruit or vegetable in Produce School and sample tomatoes in the Two-Bite Club!
Beat the summer heat at the Kids Craft Table this Sunday and make a colorful paper fan!
By the way, would like to say big THANK YOU for all people I have met on FM!
Finding inspiration from longstanding traditions, Arnalia 100% Natural Health and Beauty has unveiled a new way to look after our skin.
Tatsiana Maiseyeva says all you need to help fight some disease is closer than people think.
Do you know where the best herbs grow, that can heal you from disease? Just at your door. Closer to your home, better for you and for your health.
Arnalia uses unique Siberian Cedar Nut oil made by ancient technology. Maiseyeva says in addition to this, having our skin care products based in natural ingredients, eliminates one more thing in our life that could contain artificial ingredients.
I think, all what Creator gave to us on Earth is the most beneficial and healthiest for us. I trust only in his creation as the best quality and its effect to our body and health.
For Maiseyeva, participating in farmers market is important because she wants the public to be informed about good quality products but also for Arnalia to further understand and help its community.
Your community helps you. Both have most benefits. Local sustainability. We try to diverse variety of rear plants, trees, insects, bees by creating Kin’s Domain. All people,who purchase Arnalia products help in this creation.
Maiseyeva says all of the unique recipes she uses come from her grandmother “with love.”
It is really hard to find a good quality oil for skin and body care product.
On top of finding natural ingredients, Maiseyeva goes one step further, making sure to research what goes into their production and packaging.
…And as the most important, energy of the owner, founder or producer, his lifestyle and own health and happiness.
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: beets.
Did you know beets are grown for both their edible roots and greens?
Did you know beets are grown for both their edible roots and greens?
Did You Know?
Did you know beets are a member of the scientific family which includes among other things, spinach? Their greens are high in vitamin A and are great in salads and other fresh summer dishes!
Beets are in season in South West British Columbia from July all the way until December! They have been used as both a dye and drink packed with nutrients like vitamin C and fiber.
Step 1- Put the potatoes, carrot, parsnip, beets and bay leaf in a large pot of water. Add salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook for about 15-20 minutes.
Step 2- Sauté the onion, garlic and dill to your liking and then add it to the pot.
Step 3- Cook your combined ingredients in your pot over low heat for another 30 minutes.
Step 4- Enjoy your borscht hot or cold, chunky or pureed!
Ingredients at the Market
Beets: Forstbauer Farms, Never Say Die Farm
Bell Peppers: Floralia Growers, Never Say Die Farm
Carrots: Wah Fung Farm, Never Say Die Farm
Onions: Wah Fung Farm
Dill: Floralia Growers, Shen’s Farm, Red Barn Plants and Produce
Greens: Amazia Farm, Beckmann Farm, Floralia Growers, Forstbauer Farms, Harvest Direct, Hill Top Farm, Langley Organic Growers, Mandair Farms, Never Say Die Farm, Ripple Creek Organic Farm, Shen’s Farm, Snowy Mountain Organics, Wah Fung Farm
Steps on How To
Beet Planting 101:
Step 1- Seeds should be sown about one half inches deep in the soil with each row about 12-18 inches apart. The seedlings will need to be thinned when they are one to two inches tall and spaced about one inch apart.
Step 2- As they continue to grow, they should be thinned again, until they are growing about three to four inches apart. Beets can be planted successively (about three weeks apart) so you can have multiple harvests throughout the growing season.
Step 3- After your beets have matured a bit, put mulch around the plants to help conserve moisture and keep weeds at bay. Weeding will need to be done periodically. Be careful not to disrupt the roots of the beets.
Step 4- Watering your beets is important. Make sure the plant receives about an inch of water per week.
Note: When growing conditions are overly wet or poor-draining, fungal diseases are common.
Step 5- Depending on the variety, beets mature between 55-70 days. Beets can be harvested at any point you desire. When beets become larger than three inches they become tough and fibrous in texture. The greens of beets taste best when they are between four and six inches in height.
Note: It is important to maintain continual growth when growing beets. If growth stops, an inferior crop will result.
Beets in B.C.
Beets are one of B.C.’s many field vegetables that thrive due to a moderate climate, fertile soils and access to good water. The majority of field vegetables are produced in the southwest corner of the province with the remainder spread largely throughout Vancouver Island and the southern interior.
Did you know beets are primarily grown for the fresh market? At the same time, they are considered a storage crop by the province. Growing as much storage crops as we do, the province has set a quota in order to balance the amount grown among farmers while not to overload the marketplace.
This week, the kids will learn about the farming industry of B.C. through BINGO! Stop by the POP tent anytime between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to pick up a BINGO card and play this classic game with a POP club twist. This activity will take about 20 minutes.
Two Bite Club
Last week’s Two Bite tasting, peaches, had an 83% approval rating! We were happy to learn that so many kids like peaches almost as much as we do! The tasting this week will be beets. If you’re interested in exploring new recipes with this gorgeous vegetable, try this recipe for beet and buttermilk cold soup.
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Don’t forget to turn in your passport after you’ve recorded your activities so that you can receive your $3 token, which can be spent on any fruit or vegetable at the market.
The POP Club is a free children’s activity for kids ages 5-12 that runs every Sunday from 9-1. Stop by the POP tent anytime to participate. Newcomers are always welcome! Be sure to request a passport if you don’t already have one.
Thanks to everyone who came out for our Salmon BBQ last Sunday! It was a great day of food and community! We’ve got lots of great markets and event still to come this summer!
Join us this summer for all the freshest produce, delicious baked goods, artisan crafts, and so much more! Be sure to stop by Island Time or This Little Piggy food trucks for breakfast or lunch and grab some coffee or iced tea at Biscotti Joe.
The POP Kids Club activity this week is Veggie BINGO. Test your knowledge of agriculture while having fun playing this classic game. Sample some beets in the Two-Bite Club!
This week at the kids craft table we are making clothespin puppets. Use your imagination to create a fun face and see what kind of puppet show you can create!
We are happy to welcome Larry’s Brother as our musician this weekend! Enjoy a range of Acadian, country, and light rock as your shop the market.
The Coquitlam Farmer’s Market is a food hub and draws in a great cross section of shoppers.
While Elke, Ken and their son Erik manage farms separated by distance, the desire to grow quality produce binds them like they were run next to each other. Ken and his wife have been growing plants since the 1970’s, first developing Rainforest Gardens, a retail and mail order perennial nursery. He says his sons desire to dive into the food side of farming is what has gotten them where they are today.
Erik started it all, taking over areas of our nursery and then moving to Cawston. Amazing to think we are now heading to 100% veggies and fruit production.
In the 2000’s their passion blossomed into Red Barn Plants & Produce growers of interesting vegetables, herbs, edible annuals and of course intriguing perennials. The family currently has one farm located in Maple Ridge and another situated in Cawston. Prior to his adult farming days, he grew up around plants, stemming from his mother’s love of growing produce.
My mother was a farm girl and she always seemed to have a packet of seed around for us.
Elke and Ken say their two farm locations are a large reason why they can grow a good selection of plants, fruits and vegetables. So as a food producer in British Columbia, why is it important to buy locally?
I am going to take the glass half full answer to this. Keeps money and employment local. Half empty answer; what if something goes wrong out there
in the big world?
Ken says the success of the buy local movement rides on the principle that farmers’ voices are heard and understood.
Farmers must be heard not just the food advocates.
He adds that the movement should stop trying to expand and “create a solid foundation.” While Ken points to the fact that sustainability means something different to everyone, one thing Red Barn Plants & Produce focuses on is quality products with a strong focus on community engagement.
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: peaches.
Did you know peaches were once known as Persian apples?
Did You Know?
Did you know there are two main varieties of peaches: clingstone and freestone? The flesh of clingstone peaches stick to the pit while it is easily separated in freestone varieties. One of the hallmarks of summer, peaches can be found in recipes like peach cobbler and peach salads!
Peaches are in season in South West British Columbia for the month of August but are available in other regions for longer periods. Here at the Coquitlam Farmers Market, we are lucky enough to have peaches early in the season!
Step 1- Choose a tree about one-year-old and plant in a site with well-drained, moderately fertile soil in full sun. Be sure to avoid low areas because frost can more easily settle there and destroy your peaches.
Note: For container-grown trees, remove the plant from its pot and remove any circling roots by laying the root ball on its side and using shears to cut through the roots. For grafted trees, position the inside of the curve of the graft union away from the sun when planting.
Step 2- 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 gentle with the roots when spreading them away from the trunk.
Step 3- Add organic fertilizer and water regularly to increase the growth of the tree.
Step 4- Be sure to prune the tree to an open center shape. In the summer of the first year, cut the vigorous shoots that form on the top of the tree by two or three buds. Pruning and removing ripe fruit reduces the chance of diseases.
Step 5- Harvest the peaches once they are no longer green.
Note: Most types of peach trees are self-fertile, so planting one tree at a time is fine. ‘Harmony’ or ‘Canadian Harmony’ is a recommended variety because it is winter hardy and moderately resistant to bacterial leaf spot. It produces medium to large fruit and freezes well.
Peaches in B.C.
Did you know in 1846, Fort Victoria on Vancouver Island planted a six acre orchard laid out with apples, pears, and peaches?
The culture of peaches in Canada is mainly limited to southern B.C. and Ontario! Since peaches thrive where summer temperatures are high, Canadian peach trees are considered “short-lived”, lasting about ten to 20 years. In the semiarid valleys of this province, irrigation is key for commercial culture.
While the true growing season in Southern British Columbia only lasts about one month in the summer, many places in the province with higher summer temperatures can produce peaches for close to three months. Peach farmers plant 12 or more varieties which ripen at different times.
