Blueberry Festival: What’s At Market

This year’s Blueberry Festival will highlight what blueberries our vendors have to offer! You can expect a number of varieties of fresh, frozen and prepared berries.

What You Can Expect

Farm Fresh:

Beckmann Berry Farm: 

The variety you can find from this local farm is Chandler Blueberries. This variety produces the largest berries of any available! It is a relatively hardy, mid-late season plant that can spread to about six feet in reach.

Forstbauer Farm:

From bushes over 25 years old, you can expect frozen Northland Blueberries. This variety is a hardy mid-height plant known for its yields of medium sized berries with a sweet and wild blueberry taste. Northland is an early, mid-season plant that will tolerate poor soil conditions and does best with heavy annual pruning.

Langley Organic Growers: 

You will find both Bluecrop and Duke at Langely Organic Growers. Bluecrop is the most widely planted high-bush, mid-season cultivar in the world and produces high yields of medium sized. Although it produces firm fruit with good flavour, the canes tend to be droopy so supporting the plant is important. This variety is disease resistance and lasts well into the cold winter months. Duke offers a late bloom that adapts well to cold temperatures while still producing an early crop. This tall bush provides a large number of very sweet, high quality fruit with an excellent shelf life. Did you know its foliage turns red in the fall?

Mandair Farm:

Offering their best berry price of the season you can choose from Bluegold, Bluecrop or Duke berries. Bluegold Blueberries are a mid-season variety that is highly productive. In addition to producing firm, flavourful fruit, it is winter hardy. Bluecrop is the most widely planted high-bush, mid-season cultivar in the world and produces high yields of medium sized. Although it produces firm fruit with good flavour, the canes tend to be droopy so supporting the plant is important. This variety is disease resistance and lasts well into the cold winter months. Duke offers a late bloom that adapts well to cold temperatures while still producing an early crop. This tall bush provides a large number of very sweet, high quality fruit with an excellent shelf life. Did you know its foliage turns red in the fall?

Never Say Die Farm: 

You can also find Bluecrop at Never Say Die Farms. It is the most widely planted high-bush, mid-season cultivar in the world and produces high yields of medium sized. Although it produces firm fruit with good flavour, the canes tend to be droopy so supporting the plant is important. This variety is disease resistance and lasts well into the cold winter months.

Source: Scotts Nursery. 

Prepared:

A Bread Affair: 

Love at First Bite Loaf- With every single ingredients grown within 71 miles of Vancouver, we were proud to bring our first truly local loaf to Vancouver in 2009. Blueberries and Hazelnuts in a Heritage sprouted grain loaf.

Blueberry Candied Ginger and Lemon Scone- Made using Pitt Meadows Blueberries this quickly became one of our most popular pastries at the farmers markets and you can see why. With no flavour dominating the other this and a cup of coffee is the way to start your rounds at the farmers market.

Coquitlam River Cannery: 

Blueberry Jam made with blueberries grown right in Coquitlam!

Kics Gourmet Products: 

Blueberry lemonade.

Kizzy’s Macarons:

Blueberry Big Macs with blueberry jam buttercream, homemade blueberry compote and fresh BC blueberries.

Mariner Brewing: 

Venture Blueberry Sour beer. Each batch of our blueberry sour is made with 1,000 lbs of real blueberries from the Fraser valley!

Oh Sweet Day:

Classic cheesecake with fresh blueberry sauce!

Royal City Donuts: 

Blueberry compote filled donuts.

Activities:

Kids Activities:

Kids of all ages can visit our Kids Craft area to play games and make blueberry magnets. Kids ages 5-12 can stop by our Power of Produce Kids Club tent to make a jar of blueberry chia jam to take home!

(Courtesy of Kizzy’s Macarons)

Recipe Demonstrations:

Join Karen Curtis in the demonstration tent to learn how to make blueberry salsa and blueberry sauce using fresh market ingredients! Demos run at 10 and 11:30am.

Sampling:

Visit our sampling tent to taste and compare the varieties of blueberries available at our market! Participate in a community art project while you’re there!

BC Blueberry Council:

The BC Blueberry Council will be on-site with fantastic recipe cards and free blueberry swag!

Live Music:

Musician, Barry Wilson, will be keeping us entertained with his great variety of tunes!

Vendor List for Sunday, August 12

Fresh Eats Blog: Blueberries

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: blueberries.

Did you know depending on the variety, blueberries have either deciduous or evergreen leaves?

Did You Know?

Did you know that blueberries are Canada’s number one fruit export?Under the rights conditions, blueberries plants can last approximately 80 years and are in season in South West British Columbia for August and September!

Blueberries contain minerals such as iron, manganese, phosphorus and potassium and now with more varieties than ever, you can plant blueberries to last in a wider range of climates. Make sure you stop by the market to pick some up while they are still in season!

Recipe of the Week

Rainbow Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

Courtesy of ChristineM & allrecipes Canada

Ingredients:

3 cups torn lettuce leaves

1 cup chopped cucumber

2 chopped green onions

1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 large carrot, peeled and sliced thin

1 apple, sliced thin 1 cup

Fresh blueberries (as much as you would like!)

1/2 cup walnuts

Dressing:

2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons honey

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup grapeseed oil

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Directions:

Step 1- Chop apples, bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers and lettuce.

Step 2- Prepare the dressing by adding the ingredients into a small bowl. Whisk the apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, onion powder, and salt together. Then slowly include the grapeseed oil and poppy seeds. Finally, whisk until combined.

Step 3- Toss the lettuce, cucumber, green onions, yellow bell pepper, red bell pepper, and carrot together in a large bowl.

Step 4- Arrange the apple slice atop the vegetable mixture. Scatter the blueberries, walnuts, and feta cheese over the top of the salad.

Step 5- Drizzle your dressing over the salad to serve.

Ingredients at the Market

Blueberries: Beckmann Farms, Floralia Growers, Mandair Farms

Flavoured Vinegar: Red Barn Plants and Produce

Cheese: Golden Ears Cheesecrafters

Bell Pepper: Floralia Growers, Never Say Die

Green Onions: Wah Fung Farm, Never Say Die, Ripple Creek Organic Farm

Carrots: Forstbauer Farms, Shen’s Farm, Ripple Creek Organic Farm

Cucumber: Shen’s Farm, Langley Organic Growers, Never Say Die

Lettuce: Langley Organic Farms, Ripple Creek Organic, Wah Fung Farm

Other 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 Grow

Blueberries Planting 101:

Step 1- Although considered self-pollinating, having more than one plant is beneficial to your yield. Choose between the two different varieties, ie: two different plants will ensure a higher yield.

Step 2- Plant your bushes in well-draining soil, or in a raised bed. Blueberries love the sun but also do not like to be constantly water logged. To ensure your plant does not have too much moisture, add peat moss into your soil.

Note: Depending on your climate, be prepared to water your plants frequently.

Step 3- Adding two to four inches of mulch, once a year, will help regulate moisture and keep weeds at bay. Fertilize with an acid fertilizer when the buds appear in early spring, and then again once the fruit is established.

Step 4- In your first year of growing, cut off the first bloom/blossoms. This will give you a better crop for years to come! From year one onward, prune at the end of every season.

Note: The acidity of a blueberry plants’ surroundings in crucial to its growth. If you feel you are growing in less than ideal conditions or are not seeing results, try growing your plant in a container, or consult your local garden center for any questions.

Blueberries in B.C.

Did you know in B.C. alone 700 farmers harvest upwards of 77 million kilograms of blueberries per year? The province’s Blueberry Council says this number is steadily increasing!

B.C. is one of the largest highbush blueberry suppliers in the world, ranking third internationally. Highbush blueberries alone span over 11,000 hectares (27,000 acres) across the province which is approximately 96 per cent of the countries supply of this variety of blueberry!