IN THIS ISSUE

West End Market Opening

Vendor News

Seasonal Recipe

The Farmer, The Baker, The Candlestick Maker...

Community Events

Articles for E-bits

Farm Vendor Spotlight
Seasonal Produce Available at the Markets this Month:
Beets
Cauliflower
Cherries (just starting)
Chinese Vegetables
Cucumbers
Fresh Herbs
Green Onions
Kale
Lettuces & Leafy Greens
Mushrooms
Peas
Potatoes
Radishes
Rhubarb
Spinach
Strawberries
and more coming each week!
West End Market Opens This Weekend

We're ringing in another year in the West End on June 17th - join the market society, vendors and neighbours for opening ceremonies starting at 8:45am and then enjoy a beautiful (we hope) day of shopping and catching up with friends.

We're looking forward to a great season at this market and are excited to bring back some of the long-time favourite vendors and to introduce you to some new faces.

We're also welcoming new staff at this market as yours truly will be taking over market management at the West End from Carole who did a fab job last season. Carole is now the Market Manager at East Van. Helping out at the West End is Liz and Shawn - stop by the Market Information tent to say Hi! to the new team.

New features this season
- regular on-site coffee service provided by Go Go Java.
- Ask a Chef table the second Saturday in July, August and September
- seafood - the first time we've had a seafood vendor at this market location. Frozen at sea salmon from Blue Comet Seafoods.
- more cheese - we're welcoming a goat cheese vendor this season - Goat's Pride and paneer producer, Ridgecrest Dairy

Thank you for supporting this little piece of the country in the heart of downtown!

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Honey Parfait

This recipe is courtesy of Laila Axen of Arila Apiary. Laila and/or her sons Gus and Johan, can be found every week at Trout Lake and alternating weeks at the Riley Park Market.

3 egg yolks
3 tbsp honey
1 1/5 cup whipping cream

In a medium saucepan, heat, stirring constantly, egg yolks and honey to approx. 50 Celsius.

Remove from stove and whip the content until cold and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, whip the cream to stiff peaks and fold into honey/egg mixture.

Pour in baking dish or bread pan lined with saran wrap.

Put in freezer for at least 6 hours before serving.

Slice. Serve with any fruit in season - delicious with local strawberries or raspberries!

Serves 4.

Each month we'll feature a recipe submitted by a different market vendor - there are lots of tasty concoctions to look forward to!
 

Valet Bike Parking at Riley Park/Nat Bailey Stadium


Come to the first Nooner at the Nat of 2006 on June 21st (1:05pm) on your bike, skateboard or public transit and receive complementary secure valet bike-parking as well as 2-for-1 Premium Festival seating for the day's game. Come out to Nat Bailey Stadium for a great day of baseball and help the environment in the process! For more info, check out: www.best.bc.ca

Cyclists attending the market on this day can use this service too or if you're attending the game, don't forget to stop at the market for some groceries for dinner on your way home.

Vendor News

A Royal Job Opportunity
What's it like to have a king for a boss? Well, you could soon find out if you're interested in joining The Granola King team. The King has 2 job openings and is looking for the right candidates - here's the job postings for Manager and Baker/Driver. Questions? Direct them to: jobs@thegranolaking.com

My Journey on a Bumpy Road - An Exhibition by Yoriko Oki
Handwoven textiles with 3-dimensional textures
 
Trained as an architect in her native Japan, Yoriko finds a challenge in designing the weave structure of a piece to achieve a certain effect, and the viewer will find visual and tactile pleasure in the beautifully executed works.
 
My Journey on a Bumpy Road is on at FibreEssence Gallery from June 15 through to July 16. Opening reception will be on Sunday, June 18, from 1 – 4 pm, and Yoriko will give an artist’s talk 2 pm on Saturday July 8.
 
FibreEssence Gallery - 3210 Dunbar Street, Open Thursday through Saturday from 11am to 5:30pm, and Sundays from noon to 5pm. Please check the web site www.fibreessence.ca or call the gallery at 604-738-1282 for more information.

The Farmer, the Baker, the Candlestick-maker…

By Tara McDonald, Executive Director, YLFMS

At the June 7th opening of our Wednesday afternoon Farmers Market at Riley Park (30th & Ontario), Vancouver-Kensington MLA David Chudnovsky spoke to the crowd about being human. Chudnovsky talked about living in his neighborhood for 28 years, and how his community farmers market brings people together in a way that acknowledges the best, the most human, in us.

Since 1995 Your Local Farmers Market Society (YLFMS), a non-profit society, has been coordinating neighborhood farmers markets in the city Vancouver. People come to their farmers markets here to buy and sell, exchange, share, entertain, inform and connect as a community, as has been done around the planet for a thousand years.

The society was created to develop farmers markets that people in Vancouver’s neighborhoods could walk or ride their bike to. Today, YLFMS coordinates 3 seasonal farmers markets that are visited by up to 5 000 people each week. Market farmers and producers come from the Lower Mainland & Fraser Valley, the Okanagan, northern and eastern B.C. and Vancouver and surrounding islands. Everything you find at your local farmers market is 100% locally produced, nothing is imported.

Paint, sculpt, carve and sew, blend, preserve, bake and grow. Juicy peaches, red, ripe tomatoes, crispy greens, sustainably raised beef, lamb and pork, wild fish, fresh eggs, farmhouse cheeses, bedding plants and herbs, honey, home-made preserves, fresh breads & baked goods, top-quality one-of-a-kind artisan crafts. At your local farmers market you will meet those who tend the soil, bake the bread, raise animals with kindness, collect the honey and the eggs, fish for the salmon, raise the plants. Local musicians, children’s activities, festivals and community information all combine to make the farmers markets part of our weekly community and, indeed, most human traditions.

Interested in supporting the development and growth of farmers markets year round? Become an annual member! Members receive discounts on merchandise at the market booth, newsletters, free admission & front of the line access to our holiday market, voting privileges at our AGM and more. Ask about membership at the Market Information tent.

See you at the market!

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YLFMS Membership Committee Needs a Volunteer (or two)

The membership committee is looking for someone to help out in the office on a weekly basis updating member files, making membership cards and preparing mailouts and group emails.The ideal candidate has between 4 -6 hours free per month (will vary throughout the season), is computer literate with some database experience - basic understanding is fine, has good penmanship (for making out membership cards) and good attention to details. Oh, enthusiasm and a keen interest in the markets would be great.

If you think you'd be a good fit, please drop a line to roberta@eatlocal.org.

Community Events and Announcements

Commercial Drive Festival - June 18
Last year's first-ever Car-Free Commercial Drive Festival gave around 24,000 people a glimpse of urban paradise: one glorious free-for-all street party thrown BY the people of East Van, FOR the people of East Van." We'll be there...will you?

Market Dates and Times

East Vancouver - Saturdays, 9am - 2pm
May 20 - October 7
Trout Lake Community Centre Parking Lot
East 15th Avenue and Victoria Drive

Riley Park - Wednesdays, 1pm -6:30pm
June 7 - October 25
Nat Bailey Stadium Parking Lot
30th Avenue at Ontario Street

West End, Saturdays, 9am - 2pm
June 17 - October 7
Comox Street between Bute and Thurlow

Winter Market, Saturday and Sunday, 10am - 5pm both days
December 9 & 10
Heritage Hall, Main Street at 15th Avenue

 
FARM VENDOR SPOTLIGHT

Have you had a chance to check out the farmer bio binder at the Market Information tent? Next time you're at the market, give it a browse - here you'll find background information on your favourite grower and facts about their growing methods etc.

FARMER(S): Elizabeth and Peter Andres

FARMLAND: 10 acres: 7.5 in organic hazelnut trees in Agassiz, BC.

CERTIFIED ORGANIC? Yes.
BCARA, Complete certification in 2005.

PRODUCTS: Barcelona hazelnuts. In the shell, kernels (shell removed), flour (ground hazelnuts).

FARM HISTORY/PHILOSOPHY: The orchard was planted in 1986 with 1000 Barcelona hazelnut trees after being a beef operation for ten years. Our soil is excellent and the hazelnut trees have grown to healthy mature trees. We have pruned out (removed) every other tree in every other row. We decided to go organic when we were asked at the markets if we were organic. Our practice in the past years has always leaned that way, so the transition for us was minimal. We love selling at the markets and enjoy meeting our customers.

SOIL: We have excellent soil. Leaf mulching helps enrich it. Our free canopy ensures that no use of cover crops is needed. We also mechanically level the field so that the soil stays relatively weed free.

FEEDING OUR PLANTS: Don’t feed.

PEST MANAGEMENT: Hardly a problem. If necessary, we would use organically safe pest management (approved methods).

WEED CONTROL: Flailing (mechanical means).

TO ENHANCE OUR PRODUCTS: Wash nuts with water; sort nuts to remove twigs, etc.; size nuts for uniformity of size; mechanically shell nuts to get kernels, grind nuts to make flour; package nuts.

WATER USE: Not necessary – the roots of the trees are deep enough and we are close to the Fraser River drainage system for underground moisture.

WORKERS: Just family, if needed.

Poplar Grove Arbour will be at the West End and East Van markets on June 24 and the Riley Park market on June 28. They return again later in the summer and fall. For their complete schedule, click here.

Next Month - Save up your tough culinary quandries for our Ask a Chef table at the market - the first weekend of the month at East Van and the second weekend of the month at West End - talented local chefs will be available to help you with your cooking dilemmas or even to give suggestions for dinner.

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Have you Done the Dots?
YLFMS is participating in a province-wide study of farmers markets sponsored by the BC Association of Farmers Markets and co-ordinated by the University of Northern BC.

One part of the study is called a Rapid Market Assessment or RMA. The RMA is a quick method to study economic and community impacts.  It involves a one-day, on-site study of customers while the market is operating. 

The RMA consists of some one on one surveys, interactive dot-sticker surveys and customer counts. You may have noticed these activities at the market recently.

So far we have completed RMAs at East Van and Riley Park and this weekend the West End will be studied.

Thank you to everyone who has helped with this study - your input will help us to continue to grow our markets and to facilitate the creation new markets in the future.

Articles for E-bits
E-bits is YLFMS’ monthly on-line newsletter, reaching over 1,000 supporters of the Farmers’ markets in Vancouver. If you would like to submit an article relevant to our readers on topics such as local food systems, farming issues, food preparation, food issues, recipes, sustainable agriculture, land preservation, arts and crafts production and community economic development please contact Roberta at roberta@eatlocal.org. Only articles pertaining to the overall goals and mission of the organization will be considered for submission. The next issue of e-bits will be out July 15. Submission deadline: July 10, 2006.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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This issue of e-bits compiled by Roberta LaQuaglia


Your Local Farmers Market Society
1163 Commercial Dr, #2, Vancouver, BC V5L 3X3 Tel. 604-879-FARM (3276) info@eatlocal.org

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