Winter POP Club – Week 5

December 1 – Week 5: This week our POP kids will be participating in the mystery box challenge! They will try and figure out which vegetable is hidden inside by only using their hands. Then they will go out into the market and find out which vendor sells the mystery vegetable!

2-Bite Club: Beets

Discover the Power of Produce and join the POP Club this Sunday!

Yesterday kids did a worksheet on financial literacy where they went out into the market and learnt how much the produce they love costs and how many of their tokens they need to make purchases. If you haven’t yet registered, come down to the POP tent this Sunday and join the club! We’ll be doing fun activities for the kids every week 🙂

So, how does the POP Club work?

Well, the POP Club is a farmers market-based kids program. Each week children (ages 5-12 years old) will participate in fun and educational activities that will teach them about fruits and vegetables, local food systems and healthy food preparation. After that, they will be trying the 2-Bite of the week which will be a fruit or vegetable that’s in season and can be found at the market. As they try the 2-Bite we will share with them interesting facts about what they are eating. Once they finish the activity and try the 2-Bite, children receive a $3 market token that can be used towards any fruit or vegetable of their choice. They can either use their token right then or save them for bigger purchases. This teaches kids how to make healthier food choices and how to manage their money.

There is no cost to participate and the program runs every Sunday rain or shine!

Hope to see you this Sunday!

Why It’s Important to Teach Kids About Money

Teaching children at a young age about money and savings will help them become better money managers as they get older. In the POP Club Program, children earn a $3 market token after participating in the activity and 2Bite. These tokens can then be either used that day on produce within the market or saved for bigger purchases in the future. Children get to choose which helps them to develop better decision-making skills.

It’s important to give children a good foundation about money management. Teaching them the basics about how to budget, spend and save will establish good money habits for life. Through our program, we teach young kids the value of money through real life situations to help them understand where money (aka market tokens) come from and how to earn them. We are also able to teach them that there is a process in order to get the things that they want. You work hard at something, earn money from that and then you get to reap the benefits.

It can be difficult for children to understand what money is and why we need it. Especially in this day and age, where most purchases are made by using debit or credit cards or otherwise known as “invisible money”. Here are some tips on how you can help your child be more money conscious:

  1. Start by allowing your children to actually see money.
  2. Teach them the importance of saving by getting them a piggy bank.
  3. Give your kids pocket money so they can start making their own decisions about how they want their money spent.
  4. Exchange money for chores around the house to teach them that money is earned.

This Sunday at the POP tent, the POP kids will be working through a worksheet that will help them understand how to use their POP tokens to purchase the things that they want within in the market. They will also learn the value of patience by saving up their tokens to make big purchases.

Hope to see you there!

If you haven’t yet registered for the program this season, make sure you visit the POP tent to get started!

Learn more about the program here: POP Kids Club

Winter POP Club – Week 4

November 24 – Week 4: This week our POP kids will be learning about financial literacy. They will learn how to manage their money (aka market tokens) by going out into the market and learning how much it will cost to be able to get the produce that they want. They will learn how much things cost and how to save up to make bigger purchases at the market.

2-Bite Club: Carrots

Discover the Power of Produce and join the POP Club this Sunday!

Last weekend, kids got hands on with a cooking demo on how to make a delicious and healthy kale salad! Bringing children into the kitchen helps to get them more excited about what they eat and teaches them valuable skills. The recipe we used was well received by the children and if you want to know what it was, you can check it out here: Kale Yeah! The Health Benefits of Kale. If you haven’t yet registered, come down to the POP tent this Sunday and join the club! We’ll be doing fun activities for the kids every week 🙂

So, how does the POP Club work?

Well, the POP Club is a farmers market-based kids program. Each week children (ages 5-12 years old) will participate in fun and educational activities that will teach them about fruits and vegetables, local food systems and healthy food preparation. After that, they will be trying the 2-Bite of the week which will be a fruit or vegetable that’s in season and can be found at the market. As they try the 2-Bite we will share with them interesting facts about what they are eating. Once they finish the activity and try the 2-Bite, children receive a $3 market token that can be used towards any fruit or vegetable of their choice. They can either use their token right then or save them for bigger purchases. This teaches kids how to make healthier food choices and how to manage their money.

There is no cost to participate and the program runs every Sunday rain or shine!

Hope to see you this Sunday!

Kale Yeah! The Health Benefits of Kale

This Sunday at the Power of Produce Club, children will be participating in a cooking demo to make a healthy kale salad! It can be difficult to get children excited about eating their vegetables, so a fun way to do so is to get them more involved in the process. They will learn valuable skills that will help them understand the importance of cooking their own food and how delicious fresh produce really is. Having kids join in on the cooking process can make it more exciting and enjoyable for them. Plus, they are more likely to try something that they created themselves. Even if it’s a vegetable that they would normally turn their nose up to like kale!

Kale is actually one of the worlds most healthiest foods since its packed with so many nutrients!

Here are some interesting facts about kale:

  1. Kale is a green, leafy, winter vegetable that is high in fiber.
  2. It has more nutritional value than spinach.
  3. The potassium content of kale may help reduce the risk of heart disease.
  4. The nutrients it contains support healthy skin, hair and bones.
  5. The fiber content enhances digestion and contributes to cardiovascular health.
  6. It is a good source of vitamin c and iron.
  7. It contains fiber, antioxidants, calcium, vitamin k and more.

Here’s the recipe that we’ll be trying out:

Kale Salad with Lemon Dressing

Ingredients:

  • 5 cups of chopped kale
  • ½ cup shredded carrots
  • ÂĽ cup diced red onion

Dressing Ingredients:

  • ÂĽ cup olive oil
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • ÂĽ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp honey

Instructions:

  1. First make your dressing by combining ingredients above in a bowl and mix well to emulsify. You can make this dressing as sweet or tart as your heart desires! All you have to do is adjust the honey, salt and pepper to taste.
  2. In a large bowl, combine kale, carrots and onion. Pour about 1/3 of the dressing over the salad. Toss to coat and add extra dressing, to taste.

Come join us this Sunday at the Port Moody Market so the POP kids can come and try making this recipe!

Hope to see you there!

If you haven’t yet registered for the program this season, make sure you visit the POP tent to get started!

Learn more about the program here: POP Kids Club

Winter POP Club – Week 3

Discover the Power of Produce and join the POP Club this Sunday!

Last week, kids were taught about the different hats that farmers wear. They learnt that farmers not only grow delicious produce for us, but also take on many different roles in order to their farms running smoothly. This week, we’re changing things up with a cooking demo! If you haven’t yet registered, come down to the POP tent this Sunday and join the club!

So, how does the POP Club work?

Well, the POP Club is a farmers market-based kids program. Each week children (ages 5-12 years old) will participate in fun and educational activities that will teach them about fruits and vegetables, local food systems and healthy food preparation. After that, they will be trying the 2-Bite of the week which will be a fruit or vegetable that’s in season and can be found at the market. As they try the 2-Bite we will share with them interesting facts about what they are eating. Once they finish the activity and try the 2-Bite, children receive a $3 market token that can be used towards any fruit or vegetable of their choice. They can either use their token right then or save them for bigger purchases. This teaches kids how to make healthier food choices and how to manage their money.

There is no cost to participate and the program runs every Sunday rain or shine!

November 17 – Week 3: This week our POP kids will be making their own salad! We’ll take the ingredients found at the market and together create a simple, delicious kale salad. Kids will learn the value of cooking their own food and using healthy, fresh ingredients to do so!

2-Bite Club: Kale

Hope to see you this Sunday!

A Farmers Work Never Ends

Just because the harvest season is over, doesn’t mean that a farmers work ends. Farmers play many different roles and this Sunday we will be teaching our POP kids what these roles are. From being a veterinarian to a scientist, the daily tasks a farmer takes on varies. There are many different types of farming such as livestock, crop, tree, dairy and many more. Each type of farming requires specialized skills and knowledge.

There are farms that grow crops, others raise animals and some do both! For the winter season, farmers focus on preparing for the harvest season. They make decisions on what crops to plant on which fields, they prepare the fields, and they budget for and purchase items likes seeds and fertilizer. They also take on the role of a mechanic and work on farm equipment like tractors and planters to prepare for spring planting. Since our winters can get very cold, they also need to ensure the water lines don’t freeze, and that their animals have proper shelter, enough food and bedding to keep warm. A farms tasks varies greatly according to the type of farming, the type of crop or livestock, which machinery and equipment are used, and what size the farming operation is.

Here are a few examples of the different roles a farmer has:

Veterinarian: farmers must be able to recognize early signs of disease in animals, assist with the birth of animals, and administer medicine to any sick animals.

Weather Forecaster: farmers must understand weather and climate, be aware of possible weather changes, and know how to prepare for these changes.

Mechanic: farmers must be able to operate and maintain both simple and complicated machinery, make repairs, and keep machines in good working order.

Nutritionist: farmers must know how to prepare feed rations for best growth and production of livestock.

Scientist: farmers must be able to conduct experiments that help answer agricultural questions like which crops grow best in particular climates or soil.

Engineer: farmers must know how to plan and construct fences and buildings, build irrigation ditches and control the flow of water, and use natural resources to grow products useful to people.

Business Manager: farmers must be able to balance accounts, sell farm produce to the market, be responsible for making payments and payrolls, and keep track of equipment, products, and land.

Forest Ranger: farmers must be able to recognize the various kinds of trees, detect fires and know methods of controlling them, and clear trees from land and prevent soil erosion.

This Sunday, children will participate in a fun activity that will teach them more about the different role’s farmers play. Come down to the Port Moody Winters Farmers Market and let’s learn together!

If you haven’t yet registered for the program this season, make sure you visit the POP tent to get started!

Learn more about the program here: POP Kids Club

Winter POP Club – Week 2

Discover the Power of Produce and join the POP Club this Sunday!

We just kicked off the Winter Farmers Market yesterday and had a great turn out! Thank you to all the kids that came down and registered for the program this season. If you haven’t yet registered, make sure you come by the POP tent and get started!

So, how does the POP Club work?

Well, the POP Club is a farmers market-based kids program. Each week children (ages 5-12 years old) will participate in fun and educational activities that will teach them about fruits and vegetables, local food systems and healthy food preparation. After that, they will be trying the 2-Bite of the week which will be a fruit or vegetable that’s in season and can be found at the market. As they try the 2-Bite we will share with them interesting facts about what they are eating. Once they finish the activity and try the 2-Bite, children receive a $3 market token that can be used towards any fruit or vegetable of their choice. They can either use their token right then or save them for bigger purchases. This teaches kids how to make healthier food choices and how to manage their money.

There is no cost to participate and the program runs every Sunday rain or shine!

November 10 – Week 2: This week our POP kids will be participating in an activity that teaches about the different hats farmers wear. Children will learn about the different jobs that farmers do on the farm. Not only do they grow delicious, fresh produce for us, but they also take on roles such as being a veterinarian, mechanic, scientist and more! This Sunday kids will learn a farmers work doesn’t end just because the harvest season is over.

2-Bite Club: Bell Peppers

Hope to see you this Sunday!

Why You Should Start Seed Saving

Let’s begin by defining what seed saving actually is. Well, its exactly how it sounds. Seed saving is when you save the seeds from fruits and vegetables that you grow in your garden. You can also save seeds while on your nature walks from things such as wildflowers or acorns. Each plant has a different method of having its seeds saved, so it is worth it to look into what type of seed you have and the methods needed. To learn more about seeds saving of different varieties, you can check out our previous blog post here: Seed Saving

A cool fact about seed saving it that it is one of the earliest practices of agriculture. It has been around for over 10,000 years! Seed saving allowed our ancestors to settle in one location and have their basic needs met through growing their own resources. These resources included food, fuel, forest, fiber and flowers.

Why seed save?

There are many benefits to seed saving. The first being that you save money! Instead of buying packets of seeds every season, you can harvest the seeds from the plants that you have already grown, save them and plant them again come gardening season. By saving seeds, you can eventually build up enough stock to rotate what you grow in your garden every year.

Seed saving also teaches you about the life cycle of a plant. One of the first steps in the cycle is the sprout emerging from the seed, then turning into a plant and ending with developing its own seeds. When we seed save we are ensuring there is no waste and continue the same cycle of the plant over and over. What this does is help maintain certain types of plants and keep them alive for many generations. It also helps to save us from using GMO seeds!

How to seed save?

Its actually quite simple to seed save. Once the fruit or vegetable becomes ripe, you remove the seeds from the pulp and allow them to dry completely. Once dried, place them in a container such as a mason jar or even an envelope. You can store them for up to 5 years! Of course, each plant type has different ways of saving its seed, so it’s good to do your research on what type of plant you want to seed save.

Time to get the kids involved.

This is a great way to teach children about where their food comes from and how they too can easily grow their own food. Kids love to get their hands dirty! So, having them help with harvesting the seeds from your garden and be fun and educational! Like I mentioned above, it also teaches children about the life cycle of a plant. It can be a never-ending cycle if you’re willing to put the work in!


Come join us this Sunday at the Port Moody Market so the POP kids can learn more about seeds! We will be taking a magnifying glass and getting up close with the seeds as we learn how to identify the differences!

Hope to see you there!

If you haven’t yet registered for the program this season, make sure you visit the POP tent to get started!

Learn more about the program here: POP Kids Club

On The Wild Side With: Sons of Vancouver Distillery

How did Sons of Vancouver begin? Where did the inspiration for the business as a whole come from and how was your name developed?

Richard Klaus and Myself are the Owners of Sons of Vancouver. We previously bartended and as a hobby, brewed beer together. Over time we found ourselves drinking and making delicious beer but serving the same cocktails over and over. We saw the opportunity in its infancy and jumped on it. Sons of Vancouver is a name we felt would travel well and was something cool we could get behind.

In your opinion, what are the differences in artisanal distilleries versus larger scale distilleries?*

Innovation. Rarely do you see a large distillery release a new product that isn’t just an ‘Apple’ or ‘Cinnamon’ variant of its current product line. Large distilleries are stuck in the same process for many reasons, but it mainly comes down to the people making the products are not the ones dreaming them up.

How was your distillery school brought to life? How has what is offered developed, and where do you see it going in the future?

We had enough people asking us how we got started and if they could come in and train with us. Additionally it was selfish – I want to see a lot more variety in spirits out of BC so we push people to branch out from Vodkas.

What process do you go through to pair the names of your spirits with label designs?

The hardest part is knowing what you want a product to taste like before you start out making it. From there we have a list of cool names, some of them may never see the light of day, and we try to pair them with the product and build a brand and market off that.

Why is it important for you to have free samples in your tasting room? What can customers expect when they visit?

Free samples are such a small thing but its important because its approachable to everyone. We could charge for samples, but it’s the little things that make an experience memorable and make a customer want to come back again with a friend.

Is there anything about your company or products that you would want customers to know?

I would like to say that there are only three of us that work in the company and if you run into us at a farmers market don’t hesitate to chat us up. Everyone who you see at the markets works in the distillery and we are full of cocktail ideas. Additionally, Richard is an incredible dancer and you can find him every Thursday at the German Club on Victoria and 33rd dancing up a storm.

On The Wild Side With: Cocoaro Craft Chocolate

What initially inspired you to create chocolate? How did this turn into a business?

Rather than an “initial” inspiration, I think my journey of creating chocolate began with a combination of factors. I had, for a long time, made chocolate confections for events and gifts and an offhand comment sent me down a rabbit hole of learning about the process of making chocolate from beans. I was also inspired to make my own chocolate as I learned more about the conditions under which much of the “commodity” chocolate is grown and sourced. I started by just seeing if making chocolate was actually something I could do and then the flavours of the beans themselves kept inspiring me to make more. Meanwhile, friends who had begun a bakery inspired me from the entrepreneurial side. At the time, I was living in a small town in north-central BC, which was a pretty great place to start thinking about how to craft chocolate and to experiment in a fairly low-risk way. My good friends shared their commercial kitchen with me and I had great support at home to be able to take this chance. It really became a business through the encouragement of friends and by blindly taking a leap. It was not a very structured business venture.

How do you decide where to source your cocoa? What sort of conversations do you have with producers or checks that you go through to ensure the quality of the product?

Part of the sourcing was access from where I was living. I found a great company that works with farmers and fermentaries that shared my principles with regards to social values and sustainability. I researched the farms where my supplier sources their beans and they have provided me with certification as well as information about the people and the cacao produced. Someday, though, I do hope to be able to go and meet some of the producers. I have also purchased beans from East Van Roasters in Vancouver, who also deal directly with farmers in Peru. EVR also makes delicious chocolate and works with women in the Downtown Eastside, so chocolate lovers should also check them out!

How do you design your beautiful and intricate packaging?

When I was thinking about packaging, I knew I wanted something that would also be beautiful. I am half Japanese and we have a strong culture of gifting on the Japanese side. With my chocolate, I wanted to make something that you could easily buy and gift if you were, say, just going to a friend’s for coffee. Everywhere you go in Japan, almost whatever you buy can be wrapped quickly and beautifully for this purpose. While I was thinking about the chocolate business, we came across an old cache of chiyogami paper from when I was younger. That just inspired me to use the paper and then I found a company in Toronto that imports the handmade Japanese paper I use today.

What sets your chocolate apart from others? What impressions do you hope to leave customers with?

I focus on single origin chocolates and making flavour combinations that compliment or bring out the flavour of the cacao. The beans are all fine flavour cacao that is harvested fairly and sustainably. The chocolate is made in small batches with care in each one. I hope people leave still thinking about their chocolate, appreciating chocolate like they do other fine food and wanting to share their experience by gifting it to others. I call the chocolate “Cocoaro” which is a pun of the Japanese “Kokoro”, which means “heart” or “spirit”, and from the farmers to my customers, Cocoaro is chocolate with good heart.

Where do you hope to see Cocoaro Craft Chocolate in the near future? Are you looking to create any new products?

I am definitely looking to create new products! I am also looking to bring back some of the bars I had been making up north, including different percentages and inclusion bars (bars with things like salt or coconut added). I really like experimenting and exploring flavour combinations and also started producing limited run confections, that I plan to do again. I have only just been getting settled into the new environment down here, so I look forward to getting back into that side of things. I also look forward to continuing to explore new beans with my suppliers. In terms of the business side, in the near future, I just hope to develop a strong foundation and look forward to exploring the possibilities.

What are some things your would like your customers to know about you or your business?

I think I’d really like customers to know the values that I and the business stand for, which is sustainability in our food production and consumption; fair treatment for everyone, which means good working conditions for producers and paying a fair price for food and labour as well as respecting and appreciating customers. Where possible I also source organic and local ingredients. I am also super happy if people just come by the market table to learn more about chocolate! I love making, sharing, learning about and consuming good, real food.