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2012 Summer Market Season Opener June 7

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The board members and staff at RCFM are excited for this Thursday, June 7, which markets the season opener for our 2012 summer season. “One of the most memorable events last year was probably Opening Day,” says Andrew Murray, President. “You should make a trip out this year for another memorable moment to say hello and welcome the local vendors.”

The Essence of RCFM

Farmers markets are a time and place of community.  “It could go without saying that there’s an ethereal element in the food that we buy, grow, prepare, eat, feed to, and sell. A farmers market embodies that ether,” says Daniel McCash, Director. “I feel there’s something real and independent about the farmers in a Farmers Market.”

Jen Arbo, Operations Manager, is looking forward to market season as well. “I love seeing young people coming so close to their food. We love seeing families and friends come together to celebrate their passions for food and people.”

We’re also looking forward to theme days and special events this season. “I loved Silly Hat Day! We have some very creative and fun-loving people in this city!” says Hennisea Hoy, Secretary.

Looking Forward to…

The 2012 Nutrition Coupon Program. ” It was really wonderful to be able to give back in such a concrete way, and to see people at the market every week using the coupons to buy the fantastic food that our vendors produce. I’m extremely proud that RCFM and our supporters were able to make that happen,” says Marcy Koopmans, Treasurer.

“It went very well in 2011 and I am looking forward to another successful year of this very important program,” says Hennisea.

Welcoming Jodi Appleton, RCFM’s new Assistant Operations Manager. “The RCFM’s opening market on June 7th will be my first summer market and I am really looking forward to tackling the logistics of the event with Jen, connecting with our vendors, and meeting some of the local residents.  It should be an exciting day for everyone,” says Jodi.

Wishing Jen Arbo, the current Operations Manager, a memorable last market season. Jen has spent the last few years helping the RCFM grow to the size and depth it is now, and is happy with the work she has done. as “a community, a micro-ecosystem with shoppers, vendors, and community groups. It feels very comfortable and representative of a community I enjoy being a part of, and that weekly reminder will be something I miss the most.”

“All of New Westminster should come to the farmers market at least once – when they see how awesome it is, they’ll wonder what took them so long to come in the first place!” says Brigette Mayer, volunteer coordinator.

We hope you can join for “18 sun soaked Thursdays and being able to share them with the great team we have at RCFM,” says Andrew.

See you this Thursday for our season opener!

What’s on this week

Music this week is funk band Blitzcrank. Our music at the market is sponsored by the great people at the Heritage Grill. Be sure to check out the kids area – Korki the Clown will be in attendance twisting balloons and Allyson the Facepainter will be there to add decorations to your face!

You can reach the market via transit by taking the 106 bus or the Skytrain to Columbia Street Station and walking to the market at 4th and Royal. Parking is available in the neighbourhood for free along Royal Avenue, Queens Avenue, or at City Hall’s lot after 4:30. Please respect our neighbours. Cyclists can drop bikes off to the fine folks at our info desk for safekeeping.

A list of all vendors attending the first market June 7  below, but remember to check back for cancellations and updates! This list is current as of June 5.

Eat On Site

  • Chili Tank – chili from a tank! 4 varieties, including vegetarian
  • Gogo Java – coffee, tea, smoothies, juice, and other liquids
  • Juice Caboose – fresh juice, smoothies and vegan snacks
  • Samosa Guy – hot vegetarian samosas and pakoras, as well as frozen take home samosas

Produce

Dairy

Honey

Meat & Fish

Bread & Baking

Delectable Treats and Prepared Yummies

Local Crafters

 

 

Fundraiser Roundup!

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We wanted to take a minute to say thank you for the overwhelming support at our 5th annual fundraiser. We raised more than $3500, (about $1200 more than last year) and set a new record. We’ve heard such great feedback from people who came, and we want to take a moment to say some thank yous to those who supported our fundraiser.

The view from the silent auction table

First, we want to say a heartfelt thanks to the staff at Wild Rice. They took our idea to offer dishes made with our vendors’ local products and ran with it, creating three special menu choices to choose from, and went over and above to offer a great cocktail menu and inventive dinner service.

Sous Chef Caroline and Head Chef Todd Bright prepare the meals

Thank you goes to Re-up BBQ, the New Veganminster Project, and market vendor Rockweld Farm for being our menu sponsors to help offset the costs of the dishes so that we could keep the ticket price low. These people stepped up without question and really supported what we were trying to do.

Of Desks did a fabulous job of designing a ticket with an awful lot of info on it, and we appreciate their donation to help us offset the costs of printing, and letting us skip using the “big guys” for the ticket handling.

Thank you so much to our silent auction donors – these businesses were so generous and many of them were not only happy to donate, but also bought tickets and attended our event. They deserve all sorts of recognition for supporting us and we urge you to support their businesses if you can.

And finally, thank you to those of you who bought tickets, came out, bid often and bid well, and made our event the best yet. We can’t wait to see you all this season, and hope you can join us Thursday June 7 from 3-7pm for our opening market!

 

 

Volunteering for the RCFM

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Volunteering may be low on the totem pole for some students during the summer season, but at closer inspection it should actually be near the top of their checklists. This is a good time of year when volunteer hours are aplenty in organizations, like RCFM’s summer market that spans from June 7-October 4.

The required 30 volunteer or community hours for high school can sometimes be daunting, but joining the RCFM volunteer team at Tipperary Park in New Westminster (next to City Hall) on Thursday from 3pm to 7pm is a fun, interactive way to spend afternoons outdoors.

Hours can be flexible, as volunteers are needed for set up and tear down. Volunteers would be helping out by organizing and setting up tables before the market starts as well as taking them down at the end of the day, helping vendors display their produce or products, putting up signs for passersby and simply making sure that visitors will have an easy, hassle-free time when they come visit.

The perks to volunteering at the RCFM are that volunteers get to be outside with musicians and painters alike, handmade arts and crafts, delicious foods and great company. What’s more, they will be given perks to being an RCFM volunteer and will be supporting their local community.

It’s a good, fun time all around and students can fill their volunteer hours without it feeling like work.

Regardless if you are or aren’t a student but would like to help out your community, volunteering is as easy as filling out this form, saving your application and attaching it in your email to volunteer@newwestfarmers.ca.

Visit our Become a Volunteer! page for more information on what could be in store for your summer!

 

Ginger Carrots Recipe

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I made a trip to the River Market at the New Westminster Quay on a rainy Tuesday afternoon with a couple friends. It was a definite change from the many vendors that lined the hallway of the main area during our winter market but it was great to see locals wandering around to see the new  permanent shops were still open for business.

We wandered into Donald’s Market and I picked up fresh carrots, ginger and a lemon for my recipe, A Tiny Finery, where I purchased a cute handmade card, and Pamola Bakery and Deli, where I couldn’t resist getting a Peanut Butter Honeycomb and an Apple Gallete Tartlet for dessert.

 

 

I made a slight variation to allrecipes’ Honey Ginger Carrots Recipe. They suggest the following ingredients:

1 pound of carrots, sliced
1/4 cup of butter
2 1/2 tablespoons of honey
1 pinch of ground ginger
1 tablespoon of lemon juice

To caramelize the carrots a bit more, I added 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. I also used fresh chopped ginger for this recipe.

 

Directions:

1. Peel, wash and slice your carrots into coins.

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add carrots and let boil for 5 minutes, or until tender.

3. In a large pan, combine butter, honey and brown sugar over medium heat. After the brown sugar is completely dissolved, add the freshly chopped ginger and lemon juice.

4. Drain the carrots from the pot and add them to the pan.

5. Pan fry the carrots.
I like my carrots caramelized more, so I turned the heat on high
for a few minutes to thicken the sauce.

6. Serve with your meal!

To complete my dinner, I had a bed of jasmine rice with herbed chicken cubes. It was simple, quick and delicious!

As for my dessert, I had Pamola to thank for satisfying my sweet tooth…

Apple Gallete Tartlet

Peanut Butter Honeycomb

River Market’s Rice Gone Wild

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Whoever says you can’t have the best of both worlds hasn’t been to the new Wild Rice restaurant in New Westminster’s River Market. Imagine traditional-tasting Chinese food infused with delicacies from other countries and prepared with modern cooking techniques; you have Wild Rice. One of the most appealing aspects there, aside from the friendly, attentive staff, spic and span, wide open kitchen where you can watch chefs make your meal, and the chic, modern look and feel of the lounge and dining area, is the fact that you know where your food is coming from and how it’s being processed.

Todd Bright

Todd Bright, Australian-born head chef of Wild Rice, plunged his hands quite literally into the world of cooking. He started off with washing dishes with onion bag scrubbers at a local Chinese restaurant in Australia and worked his way up to cooking woks of fried rice and deep frying food. He then shifted his studies from business software and development to a culinary apprenticeship with the Technical and Further Education colleges, a four year process that gained him experience in the field. He then took time to travel for a few years and finally landed in Canada in 2007 where he started his career as a line cook with Wild Rice in Vancouver.

All About Food

Since Todd became head chef, he decided to make a positive influence on the way Wild Rice affects the environment and local community. “What I try and do is take traditional elements and traditional dishes and turn them on their heads and incorporate as much local and sustainable produce as possible. We change our menu four times a year to be seasonal so we can use the best of the local produce.” Aside from buying from local companies such as Two Rivers and Serving House, Wild Rice is also a member of Ocean Wise, Green Table Society, Shark Truth and Recycling Alternative. As much as these decisions may cost him a little bit more, Todd affirms that supporting local farmers is “something I believe in.”

Wild Rice also caters to a wide variety of people. The menu is dairy-free, gluten-free and focuses on vegan-friendly dishes. “The food we do here is unlike any other food around… it’s creative and it’s uniquely west coast. 52% of our menu is vegan.” Todd’s mantra: “eat more vegetables; eat less, better quality meat.” One dish that he is exceptionally proud of is the Grilled King Oyster Mushroom dinner plate complete with cashews, caramelized ricotta and scallion polenta fries. “It hits all the buttons: texture and fat from the cashews, meatiness from the mushroom and crispiness from the fries. It can satisfy a meat eater and fully satisfy a vegan.”

New Westminster to Call Home

When asked why he decided to set up Wild Rice at the River Market, he simply said, “It is such a unique community out here. What better place to start a new Wild Rice to engage a community that is up-and-coming and growing where there is longevity and to be attached to a market we believe in.”

Fundraiser Night

This is Wild Rice’s first year teaming up with RCFM for their 5th annual fundraiser. “I’m looking forward to making that one-on-one bond with the farmers [at RCFM]. That’s really exciting. It’s just going to be great at the fundraiser to show the vendors what we are all about.” The dishes at the fundraiser night vary from chicken to pork to vegan. His inspiration for the set dishes was “using the farmers’ market suppliers with [his] twist on things. [He tried] to make it as simple and enjoyable as possible.”

Todd recommends the House Made Chinese BBQ Pork that is served on a bed of jasmine rice with steamed broccoli and bok choy. I highly suggest picking this dish on fundraiser night if you like or can eat pork. I took a lunch box to go and couldn’t put it down! And as for the seasonally inspired cocktails that will be served with dinner, a “floral and berry infused gin complete with muddled strawberries will take centre stage, as well as traditional sangrias.

House Made Chinese BBQ Pork takeout

When asked what he was expecting from his first RCFM fundraiser event, Todd simply said, “The whole thing about the fundraiser is getting people engaged. I’m just looking forward to interacting with the community and the farmers market and just speaking to people who are as passionate with what they do as I am.” The night promises to be one filled with new experiences, new friendships and Chinese take-out boxes.

Teach Me How to Cook!

Chef Todd Bright hosting a cooking demonstration

Wild Rice also hosts an interactive cooking demonstration every Monday night at the River Market location You can sit at the chef’s table, look into the kitchen as Todd runs through a few different cooking techniques then sit in the dining room for a four-course meal. He cooks up something new each month, with poultry, seafood and shellfish already covered this year. This month is all about pork, while June is focused on Vegan dishes, and July (which Todd is especially looking forward to) is BBQ on the patio. Take a look here for more information on cooking demos!

We hope to see you at RCFM’s 5th Annual Fundraiser! Tickets are still available here.

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Land Acknowledgement

Our market is grateful to operate on the unceded land of the Qayqayt, Kwikwetlem, and other Halkomelem speaking Peoples. We acknowledge that colonialism has made invisible their histories and connections to the land. We acknowledge the incredible gift this land is to our market and BC Agriculture. We commit to the ongoing work of decolonization and allyship.