Winter POP Club – Week 10

January 12 – Week 10: This week our POP kids will be participating in an activity called My Farm Web. Children will be learning about the role of agriculture in our daily lives and understand how most of the necessities of life can be traced back to the farm. On the worksheet they will make the connections between the pictures. Then on the display board, they will use yarn to make connections between the images to get a better understanding of how it all works.

2-Bite Club: Delicata Squash

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

Last Sunday, the POP kids participated in a cooking demo making carrot coleslaw! Cooking with kids teaches them life long valuable skills. They engaged in grating carrots, making sauce and then got to enjoy the food that they made! 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!

Now Hiring: Farmers Market Manager
For a detailed description and application information, please click here.

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 by using a magnifying glass and getting up close to identify the differences between seeds!

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 9

January 5 – Week 9: This week our POP kids will be participating in an activity called seeds and magnifying glass. They will use a magnifying glass and take a close look at different types of seeds and try to match them to the correct pictures. This teaches them how to identify differences such as if it bumpy or smooth, big or small, etc. Afterwards, they will draw pictures of the seeds they matched with the photos.

2-Bite Club: Blueberry

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

Last Sunday, the POP kids participated in a cooking demo making carrot coleslaw! Cooking with kids teaches them life long valuable skills. They engaged in grating carrots, making sauce and then got to enjoy the food that they made! 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!

 

Now Hiring: Farmers Market Manager
For a detailed description and application information, please click here.

 

7 Interesting Facts About Carrots + Recipe

This Sunday at the Power of Produce Club, children will be participating in a cooking demo to make carrot coleslaw! Teaching children at a young age how to cook is a valuable skill that they will take with them throughout their life. Sometimes it can be hard for kids to eat their vegetables, so having them get hands on and create something of their own is a great way to get them to try new foods. Kids are more likely to try something they made themselves especially when they are having fun doing so!

Here are some interesting facts about carrots:

  1. You can leave them in the ground all winter. You can either keep carrots over the winter and harvest in the spring or harvest continuously throughout the winter.
  2. Carrots were first grown in Afghanistan.
  3. Carrots are made up of 88% water.
  4. Carrots come in many different colours.
  5. Cooking carrots is better than eating them raw because it releases hidden pockets of beta carotene which is very good for you.
  6. Carrots contain the richest source of beta-carotene.
  7. Carrots have seeds.

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

Carrot Coleslaw

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound carrots, peeled
  • 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parley
  • 2 finely sliced scallions

Dressing Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

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 carrots, parsley and scallions. 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 8

December 22 – Week 8: This week our POP kids will be participating in a cooking demo making carrot coleslaw! Kids will learn how to grate carrots, make the sauce and then enjoy their creations! They will learn valuable skills that will help them understand the importance of how cooking their own food is and how much more delicious it is when you do!

2-Bite Club: Carrots

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

Last Sunday, the POP kids played the farmers market version of BINGO! They each had a different shape to make their bingo and went out into the market to find certain items and ask certain questions to get the answers. This taught them more about the market and what we have to offer. 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!

Top 4 Benefits of Farmers Markets

Why are farmers markets so important? Well, the benefits of them are huge! They not only benefit our lives, but they also benefit the environment and the economy. Farmers markets bring fresh, local produce straight from farmers to consumers. There is less transport, less handling, less refrigeration and less storage which means the food is fresher and doesn’t lose its nutritional value. And, the farmers retain the profits. Supporting your local farmers is always a good thing! The Port Moody Farmers Market is filled with locally sourced foods and handmade wares; you can meet makers, bakers, and growers who bring their goods straight from their workshops and fields to the market every Sunday. It is beneficial to explore the market and see everything that it has to offer; meet the vendors, enjoy local artists at the music tent, meet different community groups, and enjoy doing the different kids activities offered with your children.

Here are the top 4 benefits of why you should shop at your local farmers market:

  1. Stimulates Local Economies
    • Farmers get fair pay when you purchase directly from them.
    • The money spent at farmers markets goes right back into the community at other local businesses.
    • It creates more local jobs.
    • Buying locally supports local agriculture and supports the local economy.
  2. Preserves Farmland and Rural Livelihoods
    • More land is preserved for growing food and not just becoming development sites.
    • Farmers markets allow small and new farms to gain financial security as they build their businesses.
    • The winter markets help to create year-round income for farmers.
    • Enjoy food and goods that are sourced nearby, which benefits the environment by reducing the usage of fossil fuels.
  3. Increases Access to Fresh Food
    • Since the food is not travelling from country to country, it is fresher and healthier.
    • Studies show that farmers market produce is actually cheaper or comparable to supermarkets.
    • Markets create more access to organic foods.
    • See an array of fruits and vegetables that most grocery stores don’t carry, along with locally sourced honey, handmade sauces, and handmade giftware.
    • Learn what is in season as you explore the market, eat fresh and delicious produce, and know where your food is coming from.
  4. Supports Healthy Communities
    • People make healthier food choices when shopping at farmers markets as compared to supermarkets.
    • The market is a great place for farmers to communicate and educate shoppers about healthy produce.
    • Meet the farmers that grow your food; ask them about their farm, their farming practices, and any questions you may have about their produce.
    • Kids make healthier eating choices by participating in programs like the POP Club!
    • It’s an amazing environment to be more social and get to know the people in your community.

So, those are the benefits and reasons why you should continue supporting your local farmers market! This Sunday at the POP tent, kids will be learning a lot more about our market. They will be playing a farmers market version of BINGO where they will get to explore the market and learn more about what’s going on at the market!

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 7

December 15 – Week 7: This week our POP kids will be playing BINGO! They will each receive a BINGO card and go out into the market answering questions about the market and its farmers as well as learning where they can find certain items. Each child will receive a different shape that they must make in order to get BINGO! Once they’ve done this they can return to the POP tent, try the two-bite and earn their $3 token!

2-Bite Club: Pears

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

Last Sunday, kids participated in planting beet seeds! They got hands on as they worked with soil and planted their seeds into egg cartons. They were taught how to care for their plant so they could take them home and watch them grow! This teaches them to be more responsible and to feel the joy of taking care of something other than themselves. 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!

5 Great Reasons to Have Your Children Start Gardening

Gardening with children is amazing for their development. Through gardening, they learn many new skills. They learn to work with their hands, how to take care of something else, and they learn patience as they wait for their plants to grow. Teaching children about planting seeds can be fun and educational. Kids love being creative, and this can also become a great outlet for them to express their creativity. They can make choices in what they want to plant and learn how real, nutritious food is actually made. Things don’t just come from a store, there is a process and getting them more involved in this process will help them become more conscious eaters as they grow older.

5 Great Reasons to Have Your Children Start Gardening:

  1. It builds their self-confidence they are creating something out of nothing.
  2. They learn how to be more responsible because they are now in charge of caring for something other than themselves.
  3. It is a great way to bond with them.
  4. The become healthier eaters because they are involved in the process of growing food and they are more likely to try eating something that they have created.
  5. It teaches them to be more patient as they wait for their little plants to grow.

This Sunday at the POP Club tent we will be teaching children how to plant beet seeds. They will each work with the soil and plant their little seeds into egg cartons. We will teach them about the different stages that the plant goes through and how to care for their little plants. Then they will take their plants home and watch them grow!

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 6

December 8 – Week 6: This week our POP kids will be planting beet seeds! They will get hands on as they work with soil and plant their seeds. They will be learning how to plant seeds, how to take care of their future seedlings and then take them home to watch them grow!

2-Bite Club: Broccoli

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

Last Sunday, kids participated in the mystery box challenge! They were only allowed to use their sense of touch, aka their hands, to figure out what vegetable was hidden inside the mystery box. This taught them how to be more aware of shapes and using only their mental memory to figure out what vegetable the shape they were feeling was. 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!

Engaging Kids in the 5 Senses

Why would developing our senses be important? Well our senses are the way that we explore the world and basically make sense of what is going on around us. Teaching children about the 5 senses (sight, smell, touch, hearing and taste) is important to help them to stimulate their brains and to better understand their bodies. It is also great for building their self esteem because through activities relating to the senses, they are discovering new and exciting things about themselves.

A great way to have them engage in all their senses is to bring them to the Port Moody Farmers Market! You can ask them questions like what kinds of sounds do they hear? Maybe the musician of the week or vendors making their sales. Then ask what they see, like the assortment of fruits and vegetables we have to offer. There is always so much going on at the market and it’s a great way to engage in all the senses!

Here are some other activities that you can try with your children to help them engage in their 5 senses:

Sight: Playing I Spy with your kids is a fun and easy game to play with them to have them become more aware of the things around them.

Smell: The blindfold test is a great way to help kids activate their sense of smell. Take familiar items like cocoa powder and lemons and have them figure out what it is only by smelling it.

Touch: A great way to have them engage in this sense is by getting a box and hiding a mystery object within it. Cut a hole so they can stick their hands into the cardboard to use their sense of touch to discover what it is. This is exactly what we’ll be doing for this Sunday’s activity at the POP Club!

Hearing: Take kids to a park and have them point out all the things that they hear. Is it a bird, or a plane, or maybe the laughter of other children? Have them describe all the things that they hear.

Taste: The blindfold test can also be used here to help kids differentiate between different tastes. Have them try different foods and answer questions like is it salty or is it sweet?

Join us this Sunday for a fun activity that will help POP kids engage in their sense of touch by using their hands to figure out what vegetable is hidden in the mystery box! They will not only be using their hands, but also their critical thinking skills in order to make sense of what they are feeling.

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