Farewell to the Summer Season...

The regular summer markets wrap up this month after a season fraught with rainy weather and a lengthy civic strike. Despite these difficulties, this year proved to be bigger and better than ever and included the launch of a brand new market in Kitsilano! We want to thank everyone in the community who came out to support our local farmers and producers at the markets this summer, and we hope to see you at the Winter Market starting November 10th!

Market closure dates: Trout Lake Oct 6, Kitsilano Oct 14, Riley Park Oct 24, West End Oct 6.

Winter Market-Back By Popular Demand!

With the harvest in and our summer season drawing to a close, we are thrilled to announce the return of the Winter Market at the WISE Hall. Due to popular demand, this market will run twice a month this year on the second and forth Saturday from November to April. A host of vendors will be in attendance this season; everything from fruits and vegetables, meats, cheese and seafood, wild food products, preserves, baked goods and local craft will be available. The Winter Market provides a great oppourtunity to shop locally in season and explore what BC producers have to offer throughout the winter.

 

Winter Market start date: November 10, 2007. The market runs every 2nd and fourth Saturday until April 26, 2008.

Winter Market hours of operation: 10am-2pm. Free Admission.

Winter Market location: The WISE Hall, 1882 Adanac St. @ Victoria Dr.

 

Autumn Nutrition

Now that fall is in full swing and the days get shorter and colder, things have a natural tendancy to turn inward and store energy for the long winter ahead. There are many foods that can aid us at this time to nourish and protect our vitality in the cooler season. A shift towards heartier and savory/astringent foods is recommended to ground and focus our energy, and thicken our blood before the winter sets in. Root vegetables such as potatoes, yams, beets, carrots and parsnips, as well as sour, fermented foods like saurkraut, olives, and pickles are recommended. Vegetarians should incorporate red beans such as aduki and red kidney as a main protein in their diet during fall and winter.

After the Harvest...

Are you finding that you have an overwhelming quantity of vegetables purchased hurriedly from the last weeks of the farmers markets? Were you faced with an abundance of amazing and colourful produce that you couldn’t resist stocking up on, that now just seems too much?

Read below for Cheryl Morrison’s tips on preserving the harvest well into the winter months.

The good news about a bumper crop of heirloom herbs, fruits or vegetables is that you don’t need to eat them all at once. You can preserve them with minimal processing for use in recipes over the coming months; or you can use fresh ingredients in entrees, accompaniments and desserts that can be preserved for use later on.

Dried Herbs

Herbs can flavour your meals throughout the year and drying is the easiest way to preserve them. Dried herbs can hold their flavour fro months or even years and many herbs are more pungent when dried.

Quick Dried Herbs

Whole cloves of garlic can be pickled or frozen, but the best way to preserve garlic while retaining its original character is to cure it and dry it, which concentrate’s its flavour. Curing garlic requires drying it at room temperature until you can trim away its roots, stem, and leaves without producing a strong garlicky odour. You can continue drying garlic at room temperature fro up to 10 months, depending on the variety. Keep checking it, though, and use it as soon as you can because the cloves will eventually become leathery and unusable.

With this faster-drying process, you can maintain the original flavour of garlic for years:

Peel the cloves and cut them into 1/8 to ¼ inch slivers. Dry the slivers in a dehydrator at 130 degrees F until they are hard and crisp, but still light coloured. (Darkened garlic can have an unpleasant, bitter taste.)

Pears Canned in Light Syrup

Pears like Clapp’s favourite can be canned in light syrup and used for tasty deserts. Try spooning them over vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of chocolate syrup and a handful of chopped, toasted pecans.

INGREDIENTS:

For each quart you’re canning, you will need:

2 ½ lbs  top quality pears

2 T. lemon juice

1 ½ cups water

¼ cup sugar

 Combine the sugar and the water in a pot, bring to the boil and stir unitl the sugar is completely dissolved. Keep the lid syrup on a low heat, but cover the pot with a lid to prevent evaporation.

Peel and quarter the pears and remove their seeds with a small measuring spoon or a melon baler. Place the cut fruit in sterilized canning jars and pour the lemon juice over them (to prevent discoloration). Pour the hot syrup over the fruit, leaving ½ inch of headroom.

Process the jars fro 30 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Green Tomato and Apple Chutney

At the end of the growing season you ca combine any unripe tomatoes with apples and onions to create a delicious chutney that dresses up simple entrees of poultry, pork or fish.

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs green tomatoes, chopped

2 lbs tart apples, peeled and chopped

½ lb onions, chopped

1 lb raisins

3 ¾ cups light brown sugar

2 tsp. ground ginger

2 tsp. black peppercorns, crushed

2 tsp. four spices powder*

2 T. coarse salt

2 garlic cloves

3 cups wine vinegar

2 tsp. ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients except for the vinegar in a stainless steel or enamelled stockpot. Add 6 T. of the vinegar and cook the mixture over a low heat, allowing the fruits to release some juice. When the vinegar and fruit juices come to a boil, simmer on a low heat and add the rest of the vinegar gradually as the mixture continues to boil. Cook the mixture for about 45 minutes until it is thick and stir it frequently so it doesn’t stick to the pot. When the chutney is thick, spoon it into sterilized jars and process them in a boiling water bath fro 15 minutes. Store the jars on a cool, dark shelf. The chutney will have a more mellow flavour if you let it age in the jars for a few weeks before serving it.

Excerpt from “Gifts from the Heirloom Larder” by Cheryl Morrison.

October 14, Sunday - Sugar, refining the truthSugar from the holistic nutrition perspective. We will explore the nutritional, cultural, and historical aspects of sugar. This three hour workshop will include a viewing of the documentary 'Big Sugar', followed by a discussion on discovering the truth through label reading and information on how to make the best sweet choices for yourself. Time: 1pm – 4pm Cost: $15

October 13, Saturday- Gardens of Destiny World Food Day presents Jocelyn Demers' documentary of Dan Jason's efforts to preserve seeds and organic farming on Salt Spring Island. Time: 6pm Location: Ralph Fisher Auditorium, Richmond Hopsital-Main Floor, 7000 Westminster Hwy. Also showing at the Rio Theatre at Broadway and Commercial on October 27th, at 7pm and 9pm. Cost: $5.

October 13-14, Saturday and Sunday- UBC Apple Festival The 17th AnnualApple Festival held at the UBC Botanical Gardens will feature over 50 varieties of apples as well as apple trees for sale. Get there early, as popular varieties sell out quickly! Time: 11am-4pm Cost: $2 for adults, under 18 free.

October 28, Sunday- Vancouver Mycological Society Mushroom Show in the Floral Hall, Cedar Room and Covered Walkway at Van Dusen Gardens. Time: 11am-4pm Cost: $3. Please note that this venue is part of Vancouver Parks Board and event will be cancelled if strike continues.

November 4, Sunday – Eating Through the Seasons - Autumn Explore the joys of eating in harmony with the earth ~ the seasons ~ your body. This four-hour hands on cooking workshop will offer nutritional information and cooking techniques to enjoy the bounty & beauty of the fall harvest. Bring your appetite for knowledge and good food.Time: 1:00pm - 5:00pm Cost: $45
Contact instructor with any food allergies or sensitivities .
With Paula Luther, RHN Holistic Nutritionist

chickpeanutrition@gmail.com
To register for either of the above courses: Britannia Community Centre
604-718-5800 www.britanniacentre.org

*courses subject to cancellation due to civic workers' strike

Last week marked the launch of the newest movement to get more of us eating local - Get Local. Get Local is BC farmers, chefs, food retailers and citizen groups working together to help people in the Lower Mainland choose more locally grown food.

Get Local raises awareness around the benefits of buying local foods and products, and connects British Columbians with businesses that offer them.

Your Local Farmers Market Society is proud to be a Get Local project partner. Look for Get Local resource materials at the market information tent at each market soon and go to the Get Local website for a list of partipating restaurants, supermarkets, producers and suppliers.

Visit the website at www.getlocalbc.org and check back often as this site is new and growing.