SPOTLIGHT FEATURE SALE: This Sunday at the Port Moody Winter Farmers Market Seedibles will be offering a special deal! Stop by their table on Sunday February 14th and ask for the SPOTLIGHT SPECIAL: Mention this blog post and you will receive an extra loyalty stamp when you purchase a product this weekend!
Q. How did Seedibles begin?
Melissa began making the products last year when she wanted to boost the nutritional content of her toddlers foods. When her friends saw what she had made they started asking her to start making some for them as well. It turned out it was a very popular product among her friends! One friend in particular, Freyja, liked it so much she decided to become a partner in this venture and that’s how Seedibles began!
Q. What makes a seed super?
Super seeds are vibrant, nutritionally dense foods that offer tremendous dietary benefits. They are powerful sources of clean protein, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants, good fats, essential fatty and amino acids, and other nutrients that offer deep levels of nutrition.
Q. If you could tell Port Moody Farmers Market shoppers 3 things about your product – what would they be?
Our product is delicious and toddler & kid approved!
Our product contains no nuts or gluten and is a raw/vegan food.
Adults can use it too! Why should kids have all the fun?
Q. Why do you love attending farmers markets?
Farmers markets are the best place to meet your customers face to face. It’s a great way to get feedback and for people to get to know the story behind your product. Farmers Market customers really appreciate the work that goes behind making these foods and they love to support the local economy. How can we not love that? Yay markets!
Gabi & Jules is the new kid on the block…literally. Named after owner Lisa Beecroft’s two daughters, Gabi & Jules is a supplemental brand to Caffe Divano with an emphasis on artisanal pies along with jams, breads, scones and muffins.
The idea for the new company grew out of a conversation with one of Caffe Divano’s bakers a little over a year ago. When asked what would make them happier in their job, one of the Caffe Divano’s bakers response was “Let me make pies!” First the idea, then the research, followed by implementation, and earlier this year, a booth at the Farmers Market. The project has taken on a life of its own and Gabi & Jules will soon have its own bakery in Port Moody.
The pie flavours are seasonal with the ingredients sourced locally whenever possible. The plan is to stick with British Columbia fruit. G&J pies are made with butter not lard, and are baked in re-useable tins rather than disposable aluminum foil pie tins. The jams include unique varieties such as Peach Chai Conserve and Okanagan Peach & Nectarine Conserve, which, like the pies, feature ‘twists’ on traditional jams. Zucchini Pineapple Marmalade is coming soon. Current pie offerings include Traditional Apple, Blueberry Peach, Chocolate Caramel, Chocolate Hazelnut and Honey Maple Pecan.
“Our pies and jams are not super sweet so that we can really taste the fruit. ‘Real Food’ like our grandmothers used to make!” Lisa also pointed out that we can pronounced everything on the ingredients list.
Gabi & Jules will be at the Port Moody Winter Farmers Market every Sunday so you can return the re-usable pie plate and jam jars and get your deposit back. In addition to this environmentally friendly policy, Gabi & Jules has a partnership with a Tri-Cities charity. The Autism Support Network receives a percentage of each Gabi & Jules sale.
SPOTLIGHT FEATURE SALE: This Sunday at the Port Moody Winter Farmers Market Fresh-n-Home will be offering a special deal! Stop by their table on Sunday November 29th and ask for the SPOTLIGHT SPECIAL: Holiday Special for $20 a set, rather than $25 for this Sunday only! This 3 pouch set offers one of each of the different sizes of our pouches, so you can experience the effectiveness for yourself! (This offer has now expired)
Q. How does your product remove stinky smells?
Our product contains a powerful volcanic mineral called zeolite, which absorbs and traps smells and moisture.
Q. What is your most popular product?
Our most popular product at market are Banana Pouches because you have No Fruit Flies when you use them.
Q. What do you think are the most common uses for your products?
Our products remove and eliminate odor and moisture and they absorb noxious gases, removing them from the air. Most commonly, our products are used to prevent Fruit flies from visiting; to ensure compost or garbage doesn’t smell; to stop the smell in a kitty litter box or rodent cage; to remove the smell from a vehicle; to winterize an RV so there isn’t moisture inside; to dry and stop the smell in shoes and sports equipment; and anywhere else there is a smell or excess moisture that shouldn’t be there.
Q. If you could let our customers know 3 things about your products, what would that be?
Our products:
Are completely Natural and Non-toxic
Are renewable and reusable
They work really well!
Q. What do you love most about attending farmers markets?
We love interacting with the people who come to the markets. This way we have the luxury of explaining what our products do and helping if/when folks need further explanation. Market folks are interested in being healthy and looking to enhance and improve their environments in natural ways and that is a great fit for us.
In the summer we featured Sola Skin Care on the blog – check out their summer feature here. We are excited to be featuring them again for the Port Moody Winter Market. Be sure to stop by Sola Skin Care this Sunday November 22nd at the Port Moody Winter Farmers Market and ask for their Spotlight Special: 35g Coconut Deodorant for $6, regular price $8. (This offer now expired)
Q. Congratulations on completing your first summer season! This Sunday we are so excited to welcome you to the Port Moody Winter Farmers Market! If you could tell each Port Moody market shopper 3 things – what would that be?
Get to know the vendors. They love what they do and are always happy to engage with the community, whether by sharing more about their products, the process or who they are as people. Also, try a new vendor each time you visit. You get to know more of the people in the community, and you’ll likely discover a hidden gem!
Q. Do you have any tips of tricks for keeping our skin looking healthy during the cold/wet winter months?
Winter weather is drying for the skin, so be sure to keep hydrated – that’s the best way to keep your skin from getting too dry. Lots of water (not ice water, but room temperature instead) and lots of herbal teas and soups. We make the best bone broth from bones we purchase from Rockweld Farm. Our Soft Skin Balm is also my go-to in the winter months. I keep a tin in the car and apply it to my hands when I get in the car. Pop my gloves on afterwards and when I arrive at my destination, my hands are soft and hydrated for the day.
SPOTLIGHT FEATURE SALE: This Sunday at the Port Moody Winter Farmers Market Marie’s Guilt Free Bakery will be offering a special deal! Stop by their table on Sunday November 8th and ask for the SPOTLIGHT DEAL: Choice of one of our handy red shopping totes or 15% off all purchases over $20
Q. What was your motivation behind starting Marie’s Guilt Free Bakery?
A few years ago, two members of my family were diagnosed with celiac disease. It suddenly struck me as I thought back in time and realized that my adored late grandfather probably suffered from the same disease. I remember all the home remedies he had laying around. Many of them treated chronic digestive disorders. At that time, there was not much information on the disease, let alone dietary alternatives. Although today, many gluten-free products are readily available in stores; unfortunately, most of them contain a lot of eggs. Many of our family members are vegetarian, so they end up still missing out. Celiac disease has had a huge impact on my family and many of my friends. I decided that, even though my efforts may only impact a few…I would still do something to help.
Q. What are your most popular items at market?
Our most popular items are our bread products. These range from bread, to English Muffins and Pizza Crust.
Q. Do you have a personal favourite?
My favourite item is the English Muffins toasted and loaded with butter substitute.
Q. If you could let your shoppers know one thing about your product – what would that be?
Whether you make the choice to follow a gluten-free diet for personal reasons or medical reasons, it can be a very difficult lifestyle choice. The North-American diet seems to be predominately focused around wheat or other forms of gluten. Being surrounded by food we can no longer eat can be pretty depressing; and like any significant change, it can leave us feeling quite unsettled. When being faced with such a challenge, it is important to remain optimistic and divert your focus from the negatives to the positives. Yes, you may lose the option of eating anything you want, but you might gain the experience of a healthier, more rewarding lifestyle. For many of you that suffer from celiac disease or wheat intolerance, imagine a life finally free of pre-existing stomach issues, joint pain, headaches, unexplained belly bulge, autoimmune disorders and brain fog etc. If you have gluten intolerance, it’s time to try a gluten-free diet. It’s time to lose the discomfort and embrace the overall sense of well- being that awaits you.
Q. What do you love most about attending farmers markets?
I enjoy talking to fellow vendors and customers the most.
I always find out the most interesting things when I talk to the vendors for these profiles and my conversation with Zdenka Cukor was no different. In this case, it was a story of honey and romance.
Zdenka, who had studied veterinary medicine in Croatia, had a life-long interest in Bee-Biology and Bee Pathology. While attending the Apimondia International Bee Congress in Vancouver, she met Vladimir, a geologist who shared her passion for honey bees. A year later, she returned to Canada to marry Vlad. When he retired, Vlad devoted himself full-time to their apiary winning 6 Golden Spoons in international honey competition in Europe.
In her Bee Yard, Zdenka extracts and bottles the honey. She mentioned that she follows all hygiene rules to produce a high quality unpasteurised honey free of additives, colour and added fragrance. It’s what the bees eat that determines the flavour and colour. A diet of clover and alfalfa produces a mild light coloured product, while berries and wild flowers result in amber honey. Honey with a higher glucose content (from dandelions, berries, fruit trees) hardens faster than that with more fructose (wild flowers). Honey will stay liquid as long it doesn’t get cold.
Vlad passed away 5 years ago and as Zdenka put it, “Three people work at the apiary now – Me, Myself and I” but she says that keeping busy with the bees and honey has helped her recover from her loss.
The apiary is facing some special challenges at the moment. Because it’s been so hot and dry this summer, plants have not produced enough nectar to feed the bees. Well-nourished bees can protect the entrance of the hive, but weak ones cannot and so the wasp get in and kill off the whole hive. Within a week, Zdenka lost 7 of her 150 hives to wasp invasions.
Vlad’s Apiary usually comes to the Coquitlam market every two weeks and will also be at the Port Moody Winter Farmers Market.
Malika from Everything’s Better Sprouted visited market last Sunday and shared her visit on her blog. We loved it so much, we thought we would share it hear as well!
Happy Sunday! I have been crazy busy with my other job home staging, so I haven’t been in the kitchen as much this week. I went to the Coquitlam farmers market this morning and braved the rain. We got 5 minutes of sun and then it started raining again….. oh well. I still got lots of yummy fresh organic fall produce to use up this week. I got some beets, carrots, cauliflower, leeks, potatoes, pumpkin, squash and cucumber. I think I will be making some leek and cauliflower soup perhaps and some roasted beets……. I love getting home with my fresh produce and deciding what to make. I also got some beautiful local flowers to brighten up my table. I took my boyfriend with me and he grabbed some local havarti cheese, it looks divine. Too bad I can’t have any on my special diet right now, darn it!
I always love going to the framers market! 🙂 I wish I could get it together to go every week. I just love buying fresh food that I know is locally grown and made with care. Even the flower bouquets I know were put together with love. Hand made local cheese, freshly baked bread and home grown food just tastes better, don’t you think?! I feel happy when I am supporting local farmers and business. If you haven’t been out to the Coquitlam framers market, you should give it a go before the weather gets ugly. 😉 Hopefully I can create some new recipes this week!
SPOTLIGHT FEATURE SALE: This Sunday at the Poirier Street Farmers Market Culinary Blossom will be offering a special deal! Stop by their tent on Sunday and ask for the SPOTLIGHT DEAL: Tea! Buy 2 bags of tea and get the 3rd one free.
Q. Where does the passion behind Culinary Blossom come from?
The passion comes from a personal love of nature, food and flowers. Add to that a family background of farming and gardening and Culinary Blossom was born. My mom was an amazing gardener, so growing up climbing fruit trees to pick a snack, plucking juicy blackberries from vines behind the garage, or stopping to smell roses in the garden, is what fueled my passion. Our house was always filled with fresh food, flowers, family and friends. So combining food and flowers on a plate comes naturally for me…as does sharing my love of cooking and fresh local food with the community.
Q. What is your most popular item at market?
As I cook seasonally, whatever is in season seems to be most popular. Our handcrafted small batch preserves are always fresh and created from only pure, local food, just the way nature intended. If I had to pick a few, I’d say Nasturtium Pepper Jelly or Figgy Plum Petunia with Port Wine for appetizers, and Raspberry Verbena or Lavender Blackberry Jams to slather on buttered toast. That being said, Strawberry Rose Petal Jam is right up at the top as well. Not to be outdone by preserves is iced fruit teas in summer and hot mulled ones in the winter.
Q. What is your personal favourite flavour or blend?
Oh I wish I could say I had just one! Truth be told, I love the excitement that comes with each new season of food. Picking just one favourite would be like asking me, ‘which one of your kids do you love most?’ Impossible to answer! However that being said, anything blackberry is near the top of the list. Whether in jams, jellies, pies or teas they taste so good! I think it goes back to childhood memories of picking them off the vines behind the garage and gobbling up as many as I could before the telltale signs of a purple mouth gave me away! Add to that garden fresh herbs and flowers for my cuppa tea and you have just a few of my favourites.
Q. With cooler weather just around the corner, what new flavours and blends can shoppers look forward to?
The season of harvest brings so many wonderful flavours to choose from! There’s cranberry, apple and pear jams, jellies, chutney and sauces all lightly spiced and ready for Thanksgiving. As well, our West Coast Blueberry products (a delicious blend of blueberries and cranberries) are a tasty addition to any autumn menu. And look for roasted spiced nuts to add to cheese plates, fall salads or simply munch on. In keeping with cooler weather, our sustainable loose-leaf teas become richer, darker and are filled with dried fruits, herbs and spices. Think warm spicy chai or hot mulled cranberry tea and of course herbal wellness blends to see us through the winter. Is it any wonder why we love the seasons so much?
Q. Why do you think farmers markets are important in the community?
My grandma and grandpa had a farm and farm-store on the Prairies. It was the hub of the community and it brought the community together. People knew where their food came from. Fast-forward to today and it’s no different. Farmers Markets connect people and bring the community together along with the food they eat. They educate, bring awareness to local food movements, changing environments and support small local business. Farmers Markets are modern day farm-stores to shop locally for the best, freshest in-season products. And from Culinary Blossom comes a very special thank you, as we have the pure joy of cooking local food for our Farmers Market community!
SONS of VANCOUVER – Really Really SMALL Batch – Written by Anne Ladouceur
When I saw the name ‘Sons of Vancouver – Really Really Small Batch’, I was immediately intrigued and the first thing I asked Richard Klaus was how the name came about and what it meant.
“We wanted to give some love to the city where we live and work”. Richard went on to explain that the name also reflects the fact that SoV uses as much locally produced/processed product as possible. Not only are they a small distillery, they like to work with small producers.
Richard Klaus and James Lester are ‘sons’ of British Columbia who met when they were in Junior High. While working as bartenders, they started experimenting with unique cocktails, which led them to discovering the craft distillery industry in the U.S. This interest resulted in their spending some time in the States, learning the craft and developing their own skills. Conception to the official opening in March 2015 took 3 years.
Setting up a craft distillery is a little more complex than opening a craft beer business in that there are more security and insurance issues (alcohol levels in beer are rarely above 10% but can reach 94% in liquor). This is a relatively new industry in BC (about 31 distilleries vs 100’s of craft beer brewers) so regulations are still a bit complex.
Because most craft distilleries are producing vodka, this is the ideal product for consumers to taste and compare distilleries. James and Richard’s interest in ‘spicing’ up cocktails influenced their decision to offer a spicy Chili Vodka and to add the “underutilized and unappreciated in cocktails” amaretto to their inventory.
Sons of Vancouver will be happy to offer serving suggestions for their vodkas and BC blackberry honey sweetened amaretto at the Coquitlam Farmers’ Market on September 6 and October 18, and then at the Port Moody Winter Farmers Market.
This past Sunday Salma from The Write Balance visited market and wrote a posting about what she picked up! We loved it so much, we decided to share it here.
If you follow my blog, you know that I love the Farmer’s Market. And what is not to love? You are supporting local businesses and farms by shopping local, you are reducing your carbon footprint by buying produce and goods that don’t have to travel from so far away to get to you and you’re getting delicious, organic, pesticide-free goods. Plus, it’s a lot of fun! This past Sunday, I visited the Coquitlam Farmer’s Market and filled my bag with lots of goodies, enjoyed the entertainment and also got to support some kid entrepreneurs in the process.
Here is my latest Summer Farmer’s Market Haul:
1. Lemonade – Of course my kids had their requests. My son asked for Kics Lemonade so I bought two flavours, the Original and the Mango Lemonade. I love that it started as a family recipe and that it uses only natural ingredients. Especially perfect on a summer day.
2. Kettle Corn – My daughter asked me to buy Cravings Kettle Corn. From the first time we tried it, we’ve been hooked! We never leave the market without a bag.
3. Local Organic Blueberries – We all love blueberries. But we love them even more when they are organic and pesticide-free. That means we can eat them right after we buy them and not have to worry!
4. Organic Carrots – The first time we bought organic carrots from the market, the disappeared so fast and they kids wanted me to buy more! For some reason, they are so sweet and super delicious!
5. Local Corn – And of course we picked up some local corn because what goes better with a summer meal than sweet corn on the cob.
6. Pao de queijo or Cheese Puffs – My husbands father lived in Brazil for a long time and could never say enough about these cheese puffs. I was really excited to try them at the market and they did not disappoint. They were so good and they are even gluten-free which is perfect for my hubby, so he can enjoy them too.
There was also a Kids Market on Sunday where young entrepreneurs got to sell what they made and it was really great. I picked up a couple things from them as well.
7. Bird Feeder – There were some great little handmade bird feeder’s in different shapes. I picked up one so the kids could hang it in the backyard.
8. Handmade Earrings – I also picked up a pair of rock earrings made buy a young lady. She was selling lots of great jewelry that she made but these particular earring really caught my eye so I had to have them!
SPOTLIGHT FEATURE SALE: This Sunday at the Port Moody Winter Farmers Market Seedibles will be offering a special deal! Stop by their table on Sunday February 14th and ask for the SPOTLIGHT SPECIAL: Mention this blog post and you will receive an extra loyalty stamp when you purchase a product this weekend!
