If you already make it a habit to buy local, now is the time to find tasty and tasteful gifts that encourage the ones you love to also appreciate the bounty in our region.

If you are only beginning to explore all the unique and wonderful food, art and creations that our region has to offer, you are in for a lovely treat.

Saturday, December 11, 2010
10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Croation Cultural Centre
3250 Commercial Drive @ 16th Avenue

With the wide variety of vendors and blend of artisan and food products available, you’re guaranteed to find something to satisfy everyone’s palate.

The purpose of the dinner is to raise awareness of the social, economic, and environmental importance of eating local and supporting local producers; and to come together as a community to share a meal enjoying the beautiful harvest of BC.

Saturday October 16th , 2010
6:00 – 9:00 pm
Club Ilia Restaurant, Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, BC
Details

To create this delectable dinner, Coquitlam Farmers Market has partnered with local chef and restaurateur, Fred Soofi, who will create a stunning buffet dinner using all local products from the Coquitlam Farmers Market. As a means of inspiring action, the dinner will also feature presentations from community members and youth leaders around the region.

These presentations will showcase innovative projects and initiatives, such as school garden projects, youth-led “green” clubs, and examples of community supported agriculture. This cross generational view will highlight how inspired community members can cultivate innovative programs to increase education on local food issues, and incorporate them into their everyday lives, workplaces, and institutions.

As our cities become more populated, there is a greater need for re-connection to the sources of our food and with each other. The community dinner will highlight the importance of building a resilient community through enhancing local food systems, sharing of food knowledge by developing a more localized food culture between generations and among the diverse ethnic groups that comprise our communities, and learning through innovative practice that small actions can make meaningful change to how we access, experience, and share food that is fresh, healthy and local.

The presentation of local initiatives hopes to inspire young people and those within positions of leadership to explore more ways to build capacity and community around local food.

Contact Coquitlam Farmers Market for tickets: 604.318.8966 or info@makebakegrow.com.

CFM_Community Dinner Poster

Sunday, September 26th, 2010
Creekside Community Centre at Olympic Village
5:00 – 8:00pm
Additional details

Your attendance at RIPE will directly support Vancouver Farmers Markets to improve existing Farmers Markets and to grow the number of markets, bringing local, seasonal food to more people in more communities.

The casual family-style, all-ages event will include:

• A feast of delicious, local and seasonal food including BBQ’d local meats, corn on the cob and a variety of fresh salads, iced tea and lemonade from a variety of our farmers & vendors and prepared by Tivoli Caterers
• Local beer and wine for adults to enjoy – Russell Beer is our exclusive beer sponsor;  Hester Creek Winery and Saturna Island Vineyards are providing the wine
• Fabulous mountain view from the brand new Creekside venue
• Laughs from the evening’s emcee, Richard Lewin of Golda’s Finest Foods – the Pesto Guy!
• A silent auction and live dessert auction
• Local, live entertainment by Maria In The Shower, and
• A kids activity corner

Tickets must be purchased in advance.

For those days you just can’t make it to your farmers market, chances are Home Grow-In has what you need. And you might just decide to join their buyer’s co-op, similar to a community supported agriculture program (CSA) but with a wider selection of products.

196 West 18th Avenue, Vancouver
Open 7 days a week to 8:00 pm

Tomatoes are at their peak of ripeness and deliciousness in September and vendors will be bringing out their best varieties – roma, beefsteak, cherry…the list goes on.

Always wanted to try an heirloom tomato but intimidated by all the different colours and strange names? Try something new at the sampling tables.

Tomatoes don’t just taste great – they look great too! Check out the Tomato Beauty Contest where tomato growers will bring out their biggest, best, and most beautiful tomatoes for judging.

Kids will love the Tomato Scavenger Hunt where they will meet local farmers and learn about — as well as taste — many different kinds of tomatoes.

Related posts:

Food Labels: Heirloom or Heritage
Why Quality Seeds Matter

You have a mere 2 weeks to submit your best farming/gardening photos in the Home Grown! Photo Contest hosted by FarmFolk/CityFolk Society and the Museum of Vancouver. Your entry gives you a chance to win the grand prize of $500 worth of BC Farmers Markets products, your photo included in the upcoming Home Grown! art exhibition, as well as tickets to the Opening Party.

The Home Grown! exhibition opens August 26, 2010 and  features international award-winning photographer Brian Harris. (Thankfully, you won’t be competing with him. Instead, contest winning photos will be judged separately and may be exhibited alongside his.)

For the past 3 years  Brian Harris has focused his camera on local sustainable farming and Vancouver’s urban agriculture scene. The 40 images on display at the Home Grown! exhibition  will portray local farms, farmers and urban growers with Brian’s characteristic hopeful and intimate cultural style of portraiture.

Learn more about the contest, check out the photos submitted thus far (not many so you still have a chance!) and enter today. Then be sure to attend the Home Grown! exhibition and be inspired by what many local farmers, urban growers and locavores are doing to return our society to a more sustainable and healthy relationship with our earth and food.

My brother and sister-in-law just moved into their new Coquitlam house a few weeks ago. To celebrate, I took my sister-in-law to the market. To my great surprise, she had never been to a Farmers Market. What a treat! For me as much as for her.

It was a great experience. She couldn’t believe all the vegetables (I know!) and the line up for fresh bread. We combed through perfect looking organic heirloom tomatoes to get the right combination of green, red, and striped fruit. We picked up the largest, funniest shaped carrots either of us had ever seen. We purchased all-natural sprays for our homes (and bug spray for my crazy bootcamp-obsessed friend). We bought beef from the people who actually owned and cared for the herd. And finally, we lugged over-filled bags, with green peeking out over the edges, back to the car.

The next day, I received an email from her. She had to tell me how fantastic the apple was that she just ate and how great the nectarine she had earlier was. I believe the phrase “best ever” was used.

It just makes me happy.

I remember the good old days when I could harvest plump, juicy MacIntosh and Golden Delicious apples right from the trees in my grandpa’s back yard — and often did. There is nothing to compare to that sweet smell and the heavenly, crisp crunch of biting into a just-picked apple. Store bought just doesn’t come close.

Well, hello AppleBarn! My grandpa and his apple trees are long gone, but here’s a delicious alternative: an orchard in Abbotsford where you can pick your own.

Not only can you harvest as many apples as you want right from the tree, in October you can mix and match the varieties that are in season and walk away with a 10 lb. bag for $7. That’d make some mighty tasty apple cobbler, apple pie, apple sauce, apple cider…

Make it a day trip or catch them at a farmers market near you.

Paul Robeson:

A Russian heirloom.  This favourite heirloom tomato was named after the operatic artist who won acclaim as an advocate of equal rights for people of colour.  His artistry was admired world-wide, especially in the Soviet Union.  This “black” beefsteak tomato is slightly flattened, round, and grows to 4-inches.  It’s deep, rich colours set it apart from others…a dusky, dark-red tomato with dark-green shoulders, and red flesh in it’s centre.  A very flavourful fruit, with luscious, earthy flavours and a good sweet/acid balance.

We are now at the height of the local farmers market season.  In addition to last week’s offerings, you will be able to choose from between 4-5 varieties of melons, apples (the Mac’s just arrived last week!), squash, and an ever-increasing variety of both sweet and hot peppers.  Be sure check out the most delicious selection of plums that can be found in the Lower Mainland.  Varieties include Sugar, Lionheart, Amber, and, my personal favourite, Santa Rosa.  Seriously, if you have given up on finding a tasty plum, give these little guys a chance to change your mind.

Here is an easy way to prepare them:

• Clean the peppers and dry them completely.  Do not remove the stalks.
• Pan fry them in some quality olive until they blister.
• Drain the excess oil by placing them on some paper towels.
• Season with some good quality salt and enjoy.

Most of the peppers will have a sweet, fresh pepper taste – but one out of every ten will be scorching hot.  It is for this reason that padrones are known as Russian Roulette peppers.   I believe that this is a game worth playing, but you should plan accordingly.  I suggest pairing them with your favourite locally crafted brew in the event that things get out of hand.

Padrón peppers are available at the Vancouver Farmers Markets through to the end of September.