Fresh Eats Blog: Butternut Squash

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: butternut squash.

Did You Know?

Butternut squash is one of the most popular winter squashes? Did you know one butternut squash generally contains 354% of your daily need for Vitamin A- that is more than a pumpkin!

This low calorie squash has many vital poly-phenolic anti-oxidants and vitamins. Just one serving has only 45 calories! Make sure you stop by the market this Sunday to try some of the province’s best!

Recipe of the Week

Roasted Squash with Cherry Tomatoes and Eggs

Courtesy of MARTHA STEWART LIVING

Ingredients:

2 small butternut or acorn squashes (no larger than 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds each), halved lengthwise and seeded
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, plus 6 sprigs
2 cups cherry tomatoes (11 ounces), stem-on, if desired
2 teaspoons chile paste, such as sambal oelek, plus more for serving
4 large eggs

Directions:

Step 1- Preheat oven to 425 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line 2 baking sheets with foil. Rub squashes all over with 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and thyme leaves, then place, cut-sides down, on a baking sheet. Add thyme sprigs. Place on upper rack; roast 10 minutes.

Step 2- Meanwhile, toss tomatoes in remaining 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt. Spread on second sheet in a single layer. Place on lower rack; roast until tomatoes are beginning to collapse and squashes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes more.

Step 3- Remove tomatoes. Turn squashes cut-sides up and roast 5 minutes more. If hollows in squashes are large enough, spoon a tomato or two into each. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon chile paste into each hollow, then crack an egg into each; season with salt.

Step 4- Bake until whites are set but still a bit wobbly and yolks are soft, 12 to 15 minutes. (Start checking for doneness at early end of range, removing squashes with cooked eggs as they’re done.)

Step 5- Let stand 3 minutes, then serve, with more chile paste and roasted tomatoes, and seasoned with pepper.

Ingredients at the Market

Butternut squash: Forstbauer Family Farm, Langley Organic Growers, Red Barn Plants and Produce

Thyme: Red Barn Plants and Produce

Cherry tomatoes: Ripple Creek Farm, Red Barn Plants and Produce, Never Say Die Farm

Butter: Golden Ears Cheescrafters

Eggs: Rockweld Farm, Central Park Farm

Other Greens and Vegetables:  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

Butternut Squash Planting 101:

Step 1- Make sure you are not planting during cooler months. Butternut squash seeds are very susceptible to frost so ensure your soil is warm for germination.

Step 2- Since it is a vining vegetable, plant your seeds in soil that is on an incline (generally a hill and at about 18 inches high).

Step 3- Make sure your soil has plenty of nutrients because butternut squash are heavy feeders. This may require organic fertilizer.

Step 4- Plant five or six seeds per hill about four inches apart and one inch deep. Water regularly but ensure the ground is not soggy.

Step 5- After about ten days, the seeds will sprout. When they’re about six inches high, thin out the weakest leaving three plants per hill.

Note: Fruit maturation for this plant is about three to four months so if your growing season is short, it is recommended that you begin growing indoors.

Step 6- If planting indoors, make sure you have nutrient rich soil and place your pot in either a sunny window or greenhouse. Transplant to the garden after all danger of frost is past.

Note: Harden off the seedlings before transplanting.

Step 7- When cultivating your crop, make sure not to push down too deep because this squashs’ roots are shallow. Harvest when the skin turns hard and is difficult to pierce with your thumbnail.

Butternut Squash in B.C.

It is reported that the origin of butternut squash began around 1940 in Massachusetts. Despite this early beginning, squash in general have been eaten for hundreds of years!

While Quebec and Ontario are the two main squash producers in Canada, B.C. has dozens of farmers who produce seasonally. Interest in squash has been on the rise in recent decades but it still has low commercial value for the country.

Did you know there are now more than 6,500 hectares of land planted with squash every year worth more than $40 million?

Sunday October 15

It’s Harvest Festival Weekend! Come by the market this weekend to grab a delicious meal prepared by the students in the Centennial Secondary School Culinary Program. On the menu – a hearty beef stew, served with a beet and kale salad. Meal service starts at 10am!

We’ll have lots of great kids activities this Sunday, too! Kids can visit the Kidzone to decorate and take home a mini pumpkin (while supplies last), play a game of bean bag toss, or play at our scarecrow selfie station!

We also have Coastal Sound Music Academy choirs providing us with fantastic entertainment during market hours. If you haven’t heard this great, local music organization, you need to check them out!

Vendor List for Sunday, October 15

Getting to Know: Wah Fung Farms

Wah Fung Farm is a family run farm from Richmond. Their 15 acre farm off of Steveston Highway is run by Steve and Angela, and also many other family members! As farmers, one question they ask themselves is, “how can I guarantee I provide the best products to my customers?”

Check out these lovely farmers each week at the market. They love to talk about what they do, how they grow, and you will see how fresh their veggies are at the market each Sunday!

Eat fresh, eat local, stay healthy! By purchasing your produce from farmers markets, you know where all your vegetables come from.

Steve and Angela believe supporting local farmers helps being fresh local products to the community.

As people are paying close attention to their health, they would like to buy as much local food as they can since they will be able to eat the fresher products and know where these products come from.

They like to specialize in common chinese crops such as: gai lan, choi sum, fung choi, yam leaves, unique kinds of radishes and kholrabi.

This Sunday just may be their last market of the season.  Wah Fung Farm is a farm that commits to providing the freshest of produce and believe that in- season produce is vital not only because of weather, but also to show customers what is local in our growing region.  When they are not at the market, they know that within their means, they are 100% doing what they can for the Coquitlam market residents!

Getting to Know: Langley Organic Growers

Langley Organic Growers have participated in Metro Vancouver farmers markets for 20 years! Throughout these years they have built close relationships with many loyal customers and have also experienced an increase in young people participating.

We are pleased to see how farmers markets are growing and the growing number of people becoming more aware about the connection between food, the environment and economy.

Langley Organic Growers is a co-operation, made up of four independently run farms within the Langley and Chilliwack areas. All of the farmers come together with a collective business plan which allows for specific crop concentration and guarantees a certain amount of harvest.  The photo to the left is farmer Julia, from In Season Farms.  Julia is at the market each Sunday, representing her farm, and the 3 others part of this farm co-op.

We are all certified organic farms following the principles of organic
production.We believe in taking care of the earth: good farming starts with alive soil using compost, composted manure and cover crops. These practices protect against pests and diseases and is how we produce successful crop rotation and diversity.

Each farm grows a certain variety of vegetables but all come together to provide communities with natural, untreated produce. Langley Organic Growers do not use synthetic inputs like fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides to treat their crops.

We sell almost all our produce through farmers markets and think this is the only way to bring the freshest greens and vegetables to our customers. It is important for us to reduce our carbon footprint and appreciate all of our customers for supporting us and keeping the money within our community.

Sunday October 8

 

We’ve got you covered this Thanksgiving weekend! Shop the market for all the best local produce, meat, and prepared foods to make a delicious Thanksgiving meal!

With lots of cooking to be done this weekend, why not grab a meal at the market while you are there? Visit Hunger Management and grab a delicious sandwich!

Still putting together your Thanksgiving menu? We’ve got you covered! Visit us this Sunday to check out recipe demos by some of our vendors. Pick up the recipe, grab the ingredients, and you’re all set!

What’s a Thanksgiving weekend without a turkey craft for the kids?? Join us at the kids craft table to make a coffee filter turkey that can be the centerpiece at your family table.

MLA Rick Glumac will be at market this weekend.  Stop by his tent for some community chat!

Musician Ranj Singh joins us this Sunday!  Ranj is a market favorite with both our vendors and customers. Stop by and give him a listen!

List of Vendors for October 8

Fresh Eats Blog: Carrots

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: carrots.

Did you know carrots are usually orange in colour although purple, red, white, and yellow varieties also exist?

Did You Know?

Did you know the orange colour in carrots is a result of abundant carotenes found in them? The main one found is the beta-carotene which is a strongly coloured red-orange pigment found in some plants and fruits.

Carrots are in season in South West British Columbia from July all the way until December! Did you know carrots are in the top 10 of most economically important global vegetable crops? There are over 100 species of edible carrots today and are a good source of fibre.

Recipe of the Week

Parsnip and Carrot Puree

Courtesy of Always Cooking Up Something & allrecipes Canada

Ingredients:

8 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces

2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces

1/4 cup snipped chives

6 tablespoons butter, divided sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Step 1- Place the parsnips and carrots into a large pot and filled with salted water until fully submerged. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Step 2- Drain and return vegetables to pot. Turn heat to low, stir in the chives and three tablespoons of butter.

Step 3- Begin to puree mixture and add three tablespoons of butter. Continue to puree until mixture is smooth, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ingredients at the Market

Carrots: Forstbauer Family Farm, Shen’s Farm, Never Say Die Farm

Chives: Wah Fung Farm, Red Barn Plants and Produce

Parsnips: Red Barn Plants and Produce

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

Steps on How To

Carrot Planting 101:

Step 1- Select desired seed variety. Some standard varieties that seem to do well are chantenay, danvars 126, and scarlet nantes.

Step 2- Plant your seeds about one to two inches apart. As an option, plant two rows two inches apart. Skip about 18 inches for the next two rows and so on when planting large patches of carrots. Carrots like sandy-loam soil but it is recommended to mix this with organic compost or soil.

Step 3- After at least 60 days, pull up a few carrots to see if they are at desired size. If you plant your carrots every few weeks apart, you can harvest throughout the season. The longer carrots stay in the ground, the larger they become and increasingly more woody.

Note: Water enough to keep the soil moist. This depends on your climate, but a reminder not to over water the plants.

Carrots in B.C.

Carrots are one of B.C.’s many field vegetables and is a crop produced in relatively large volumes throughout most of the southern portion of the province. Farmers can grow a wide variety of field vegetables in British Columbia, thanks to a moderate climate, fertile soils and access to good water.