It’s funny what a simple question will do for a conversation.

At the last market I asked Jeff at Fresh Quality Produce why yellow wax beans were called wax. I mean, if green beans are called green, why not call yellow beans, yellow? Honestly, I can’t remember his response, but I do remember him leading the conversation over to strawberries and raspberries and asking why each were called that. We know why blueberries and blackberries have their names, he said, but what about strawberries and raspberries?

Out came both of our phones. Seriously, how did we survive before Google?

According to Almanac.com, there are two explanations for strawberries: some apparently thought strawberries looked like straw (what???) while others believe the name comes from the Old English word strew because when the plant grows it looks like it’s growing scattered along the soil.

Raspberries were a bit more complicated. Their scientific name, Rubus idaeus, means “bramble bush of Ida” signifying the Greek island of Crete where they are believed to have originated. Funnily, according to Greek mythology, raspberries were white until Zeus’ nursemaid Ida (see latin name above) pricked her finger on a thorn and stained them red, thus making them a red berry.

If I were at a grocery store, would I be asking these questions? Would I know the first name of the farmer I was buying from? Would I know the farmer, period? Would the grocer spend a good five minutes laughing along with me trying to find the answers to my oddball questions? I am going to go out on a limb here, not a very far one, and say no.

I do not have a relationship with the big box grocers. But I do have a relationship with Jeff at Fresh Quality Produce, with Gemma at Zaklan Heritage Farm, Aaron and Noella at Ossome Acres, Ron at Wild Westcoast Seafood, Doug at Greendale Herb and Vine, Jasbir at Mandair Farms, Param at Harvest Direct Farms, and so many others that I have met and chatted with along the way.

It makes a difference.

Market Loot

Harvest Direct Farms

• 1 basket apples $5
• 1 basket apricots $5

Ossome Acres

• 3 small pattypan squash (also called scallopini) $1.90
• 4 pickling cucumbers $4.90 ($4/lb)
• Ripple Creek Organic Farm
• 1 bunch broccolini $2.40 ($4/lb)

Zaklan Heritage Farm

• 1 head specialty bred salanova purple spiky lettuce $2.50
• 1 bunch pizzo mustard greens $3
• 1 bunch ruby streaks mustard greens $3
• 2 heirloom tomatoes $1.50 ($4/lb)
• 1 bunch rainbow carrots $3.50
• 1 Spanish white onion $1.25

Fresh Quality Produce

• 1 pint raspberries $4
• 1 bag mix of yellow and green beans $3

Total spent: $40.95

With the contents of this week’s market purchases, I felt like I should be the envy of every shopper NOT going to the farmers’ market.

My salads, oh my goodness, so fresh, so tasty, didn’t need dressing, none. I had experienced this very same thing last year, where I was blown away by all the flavourings in just the greens alone. All winter I had been waiting for this again. And this week, it came.

The purple, spiky lettuce is a specialty breed salanova, the seeds of which came from Bellingham, that produces beautifully spiked individual leaves even after the core’s been chopped. I remember falling in love with this lettuce last year, but had only seen it once at the market. Gemma from Zaklan Heritage Farm informed me it’s a regular feature in their salad mix bags.

Good to know 🙂

The greens are great on their own, but with the market so full of freshness, why not add a few berries, or sliced apricots, or slices of the season’s first apples. You could even grill up a few slices of pattypan squash to give it a nutty flare, or Spanish white onion for a savoury sweetness. There are so many options for your salads right now. You can spice them up. You can sweeten them up. You can make a rainbow of them. Even the most staunchest, anti-salad eater would have a hard time saying no to these beauties.

What kind of salads have you been making?

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Originally published on local blog Tenth to the Fraser, The Farmers Market Challenge, written by Katie Bartel (and the odd guest star) seeks to challenge the notice that you can’t get hardly anything for $40 at the farmers market. Each market, Katie explores what’s the best deal, and discovers food she’s never heard of. 

Tell me our vendors don’t care. Go ahead, tell me. And I will politely inform you that you are wrong.

Since starting this culinary adventure one year ago, I have been shown several instances of care from various vendors. Last market was at the quick hands of Doug from Greendale Herb and Vine.

I was in a perfect storm situation: I have type-1 diabetes and my blood sugars were extremely low and due to circumstances I was without supplies to bring them up. Despite being around a smorgasbord of fresh fruits, my brain had stopped working. I could not, for the life of me, grasp what to do. I was sitting at one of the tables across from the Greendale Herb and Vine stall. My brain was stumbling over a jumble of letters trying to figure out options. Fear was setting in. And then it came to me:

HONEY! Doug has honey!

I rushed over. Doug tried up-selling the honey; I could get 1 jar for $5 or 3 jars for $14, he told me. I looked at him, my words struggling to form: I just need one, it’s an emergency, I told him.

He called it my 911 honey.

With the honey in hand, I again plopped down at the table, but I couldn’t get the jar open. I tried ripping off the plastic, I used my teeth, my hands were shaking like an earthquake. Then, there was Doug running over. He took the honey, swiftly opened it, and gave me a wooden dixie spoon to eat it with.

I am forever grateful for that act of care.

Market Loot

Zaklan Heritage Farm

• 1 bunch purple radishes $2.50
• 1 bunch pizzo mustard greens $3
• 1 bag arugula $4
• 1 bunch (GIANT) purslane $2
• • Harvest Direct Farms:
• 1 container (5) peaches $5 (it was posted as $6)

Fresh Quality Produce

• 1 (CRAZY LARGE) bag of beans $2*
• 1 pint raspberries $5

Greendale Herb and Vine

• 1 small jar cinnamon honey $5

Ossome Acres

• 1 bunch swiss chard $3

Ripple Creek Organic Farm:

• 1 large garlic bulb $2

Mandair Farms

• 1 bag (4 GIANT) red and orange peppers $4
• 1 summer squash $1

Nature Village Farm

• 1 bunch cilantro $1.50

Total spent: $40

Okay, so this market had some unintentional savings as you can see above.

First, Harvest Direct Farms helped me find the perfect container of peaches that would both satisfy the males of my family, who like their peaches quite ripe, and me, who likes my peaches on the firmer side. I pulled out $6 to pay, as per the price on the sign, but Param smiled and said it was $5.

Savings!

I then went up to Fresh Quality Produce and filled a plastic bag of beans. The price came to $1.60, which I paid. As I started to walk away, I was turmoiled with the 40 cents. I knew I couldn’t get anything for 40 cents and it would throw me right off my $40 game. I asked Jeff how many more beans I could get for 40 cents. He took my money and grabbed, I swear, as many beans as I already had in my bag and said there you go. W’oh.

Savings!

Note: This is NOT the first time either of these vendors have given more for less!

I’m not the usual grocery shopper in the house, so I don’t know exactly how much produce in regular vegetable/grocery stores actually costs. But when I saw the red and orange peppers at Mandair Farms, which were about the length of my wrist to elbow, listed at $4, I was sure it was a deal. That’s $1 a pepper. My husband later told me coloured peppers are going for $3.99 a pound at the grocery store, $2.49 at the “cheap” vegetable stand. He assured me the ones I got were indeed a good deal. Plus, they were so much sweeter than I have ever got from the conventional stores.

Savings!

There were also a couple of discoveries this week.

I picked up a large garlic from Ripple Creek with the intention of roasting it on the barbecue. I had previously purchased garlic last year, but none were as big as this sucker. It was so huge and so crazy flavourful. Mind you, it did take a little extra time on the barbecue due to its size ?

I had a choice between red radishes or purple radishes at Zaklan. I asked Gemma how they differed in taste; she said the purple might be milder, but mostly they tasted the same. I don’t hold much love for radishes, but they are a treat for my husband. I opted for the purple simply because I liked the colour. When I was making the salad that evening, I cut up one of the radishes; it was like art. The colour of the purple rind was streaking into the whites of the radish just like an abstract painting.

I don’t know if it was the beauty of this radish, or if it actually did taste different, but I loved them! I think my husband maybe got two of the whole bunch; that’s how good they were!

Every week there is something new and exciting to discover at the market, whether it’s a new food, a new flavour, a new colour, a new size, a new savings. I love these discoveries!

What do you hope to discover this week?

Strawberry Fields Forever

When Jen Arbo, president of the New West Farmers Market, floated the idea of conducting a “Berry Showdown” “Berry Off” “Berry Battle” at the market a couple weeks ago, a little lightbulb went off in my head. We Bartels love our berries and cherries; why keep the friendly fisticuffs to the market only? Yes, folks, I brought the showdown home.

We had cherries. We had raspberries. We had strawberries. We did not have blueberries.

Strawberries had been going strong in the house for awhile. Pretty much, we had been buying two pints every day. With such a short season, made even shorter due to the ugly winter/spring, we did not want to miss out. Honestly, I’m surprised we weren’t peeing red the amount we were consuming. They were a strong contender, there is no doubt, especially after being told by Jeff at Fresh Quality Produce that that week’s strawberries were in their flavour prime compared to the raspberries and cherries, which were still early in their ripening season.

Had my husband had his way, it would have been strawberry fields forever. But my son and I, we are all raspberries all the way. Some may conclude we were strawberried out, others may say the newness of the raspberries won our vote. But nope, simply, in our house, raspberries rule.

And seriously, how could they not? They are crazy flavourful. On their own, in oatmeal, in smoothies, and you can stick them on your fingers (as my boy regularly does) and sing: Daddy finger, daddy finger, where are you, here I am, here I am, how do you do… and then plop them in your mouth and shout: Yum! Yum! In my tum!!! 🙂

So much fun!

That said, though, market goers were more in line with my husband. Strawberries clearly won bragging rights with 22 votes, followed up by raspberries at 9 votes, and cherries close behind with 7 votes.

Every person who voted was asked to write a comment as to why they chose the fruit they chose. My favourite of the bunch was: “Strawberry [because it’s] like heaven in my mouth.”

It would be interesting to see if the votes would change now with blueberries in the mix.

Market Loot

Harvest Direct Farms

• 1 pint cherries $6

Fresh Quality Produce

• 1 pint raspberries $5
• 1 bag English snap peas $5

Mandair Farms

• 1 pint strawberries $5

Ossome Acres

• 1 bunch collard greens $3
• 1 lb red potatoes $2.50

Dagaraad

• 1 bomber-sized white $6.50
• 1 bomber-sized amber $6.50

Gary’s Kettlecorn

• 1 bag kettle corn $2.50

Total spent: $42

I went a little over budget this week. I was somewhat distracted. We were going on holidays for a week a couple days after the market, and as such were limited with what we could purchase as I didn’t want to come home to a fridge potentially full of spoiled vegetables. Plus, my son was also pulling at my arm every two seconds wanting to play on the bridges, wanting a treat (see above), wanting his face painted, wanting to do a craft. My head was spinning! I thought I was only going $1 over budget, but it turns out it was $2 over.

Moral of the story: better to be focused than distracted!

 

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Originally published on local blog Tenth to the Fraser, The Farmers Market Challenge, written by Katie Bartel (and the odd guest star) seeks to challenge the notice that you can’t get hardly anything for $40 at the farmers market. Each market, Katie explores what’s the best deal, and discovers food she’s never heard of.