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Greater Vancouver Food Bank Partnership

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The New West Farmers Market is proud to partner with the Greater Vancouver Food Bank to launch a Low-Cost Produce Stand. This program provides fresh BC produce to our community each week at the Food Bank.

The Greater Vancouver Food Bank provides access to healthy food through community hubs in New Westminster. Our community hub is located at Olivet Baptist Church and takes place each week, empowering clients to nourish themselves by providing access to healthy food, education, and training.

Each week, the New West Farmers Market provides local produce to the community at a discounted cost, making wholesome produce accessible to those in need. We provide a selection of fresh-picked produce grown at a BC farm or community garden at very affordable prices alongside the typical food bank items. So far, the program has been very successful; many are thankful to have access to high-quality fruits and vegetables, and they appreciate their value. The act of choosing and purchasing produce has much more dignity than simply being handed a hamper.

“We’re very grateful for the partnership with the New West Farmers Market to offer and ultra-low cost produce market to our members. Together, we’re able to increase access to healthy, affordable, fresh produce for our members at the New West Food Hub as well as engagement opportunities around food.”

—Zsuzsi Fodor, Community Partnership Manager, Greater Vancouver Food Bank

How can you help? 

The New West Farmers Market is collecting produce from farmers and community gardens. Please consider growing an extra row for the Low-Cost Produce Stand! Any funds raised from the program will be allocated to purchasing more produce in future weeks.

It’s important that our community has access to healthy and sustainable food in a dignified manner, and the New West Farmers Market is proud to be able to play a part in providing support in this area.

For more information and to support our program, please contact jennifer@newwestfarmers.ca

 

New West Community Garden Grand Opening!

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The Gardens at City Hall community garden is having their Grand opening this Thursday July 27th running from 4:30-8pm! We are really excited to have part of the front lawn of City Hall in New Westminster turned into community garden plot space. We want to welcome you to our opening party. We will have a wonderful talk and interactive demonstration from the Honey Bee Centre in Surrey which is great for the whole family, food to enjoy from New West Farmers Market vendors and our feature speaker Cease Wyss- who is an indigenous plants expert.

We hope you can join us at the Gardens at City Hall at 511 Royal Avenue and also enjoy your time at the New West Farmers Market happening 3pm-7pm right adjacent in the parking lot at Tipperary Park. This is a free, family friendly and accessible event that is made possible with the help of the Vancouver Foundation’s Neighbourhood Small Grant program.

If you are planning to attend the plant workshop please bring a lawnchair if possible.

Free! Accessible! Family-friendly!

This event is possible through Canada 150 funds. The organizers acknowledge that this event is taking place on Coast Salish unceded territory.

The Community Garden at City Hall project was initiated by the New Westminster Environmental Partners and is run by the New Westminster Community Gardens Society.

Farmers Market Challenge: Some Like It Hot!

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Last week’s market day may have been the first day of fall, but my brain was not letting go of summer. With the sun shining, warming my skin every time it peeked around the clouds, I could not shake summer from the mind.

Neither could my shopping list.

Roma tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, and hot pepper filled the definites.

You see, I had recently been gifted Thug Kitchen, a vegetarian cookbook, with, ahem, rather racy language. I love cookbooks, I love looking at the pictures (pictures are key), and I love setting a new cooking challenge for the chef of the house, which is usually not me.

But perusing through the pages it was me who was drawn to the mid-summer, pico de gallo style salsa– everything in it reminded me of summer; everything in it reminded me of market freshness; everything in it screamed I could make it.

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Mid-summer salsa courtesy of Thug Kitchen

I was dubious at how it would turn out at first, I mean, I’ve been all sorts of loving Muy Rico’s pico de gallo all summer long. What if I didn’t pick out the most perfect tomatoes; what if I didn’t chop the onion the right way; what if I didn’t use enough garlic; what if I made it too spicy, or not spicy enough? Yes folks, these are the questions that dominate my brain when taking over the meal-making reins. Baking, which I love to do, is exact, cooking is subjective – too much room for interpretation.

But here’s the thing, this recipe was crazy, crazy, crazy easy. I made it with a four-year-old running all around me and didn’t get frustrated once. Chop a few veg, don’t burn your fingers or eyes with the hot pepper, mix it together, throw it in the fridge, and BAM, done!

 

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The unique touch: a 20 cent Macedonia hot pepper. Gemma at Zaklan Heritage Farms told me it was on the milder scale of hot peppers, but I was not taking any chances, I’ve been burned by the heat of jalapenos one too many times before!

Some might associate easy with lacking – don’t do it!

I know I’ve said it before, but wow, the power of ultimate freshness – grabbing those ingredients right off the market tables, ingredients that have been picked fresh that day, and plopping them into your mouth hours later – is HUGE! So fresh. So flavourful. So marketlicious!

All but two of the ingredients (salt and lime) were acquired at the market.

We decided to appropriately pair the salsa with our vegetarian Mexican stuffed peppers (featuring market tomatoes, corn, and cilantro) that we discovered awhile back through this market-buying challenge. I made what I thought was a huge batch of salsa; it said it was good for 4-6 servings. We ate ALL of it. We had leftover fillings for the stuffed peppers, but no leftover salsa. We had leftover tomatoes, cilantro, onion, and hot pepper, but no leftover salsa.

The kitchen was most definitely calling for more!

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Mid-summer salsa paired with end-of-summer stuffed peppers.

This week’s loot:

Zaklan Heritage Farm: • ~ 2lbs roma tomatoes: $2 per pound

• 1 red onion: $2.50 per pound

• 2 sweet peppers: $2

• 2 bags mustard greens: $5

• 1 head red lettuce: $3

• 1 Macedonia hot pepper: $0.20

Ripple Creek Farm: • 1 bunch cilantro: $2

• 2 Georgian Fire garlic bulbs: $3.50

• 1 zucchini: $2.50

• 1 delicata squash: $3.50

Bose and Sons Family Farm: • 2 corn: $1

Nutrigreens: • 1 bag microgreens: $5

• 1 bag green beans: $2

Jam Shack Preservery • 1 jar pear and pineapple ginger jam: $5

Total spent was $41.40. We had 90 cents to spend from the previous week, leaving us in the red for 50 cents.

You may have noticed I don’t have exact dollar amounts for the produce acquired at Zaklan Heritage Farms; I admittedly got excited, and distracted, by the Macedonia hot pepper, which I had never seen before!

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Loot of the week

Other market-lovely meals of the week included paella that featured the green beans, onion, garlic, and peppers from the market; weekend frittatas that also used peppers, zucchini, and onion; and a whole thwack of lunch and dinner salads.

My husband and son drooled happily over their morning (and snack) toasts thick with the pineapple and pear with ginger jam from Jam Shack Preservery.

We had hoped to get a loaf of chocolate bread from A Bread Affair, but sadly it wasn’t on the shelves due to quality control. It will again be on the list for this week with fingers crossed.

The expenditure wasn’t all summer, though. With a few of our definites for the week dashed, we had some unexpected money to spend to fill up the budget. On a whim, I grabbed this delicata squash off the Ripple Creek Eco Farm table; I have no idea what to do with it.

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What oh what to do with a delicata squash???

 

Please help – I am looking for any and all suggestions!

With the dwindling days of the summer market, just one more left to go (don’t forget, the winter market starts ???), any items you’ll be missing?

 

September 29th Market Day

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Fall is well on its way and we’ve been lucky enough to see warm, sunny days following suit. Take a stroll through Tipperary Park this Thursday to grab some seasonal fruits and veggies, eat at one of our eat-on-site vendor and take in those welcomed sun rays!

Driving to the market? FREE PARKING is available on Royal Avenue, Queens Avenue and in the City Hall Parking lot after 4:30pm.  There is a parking area in front of City Hall open to market shoppers after 4:30.

What’s happening at the Market?

The New Westminster Public Library will be at the market this week to engage you in their community program. Stop by and have a chat!

The City of New Westminster is writing a new Arts Strategy, and is encouraging residents to take part. The new Arts Strategy will be a guiding document that will renew, refresh, and re-envision plans for the development of the arts in New Westminster. Please fill out the short survey here and come and visit us at our table.

Entertainment

 For the Kids
  • Have fun in our Mini Farmers Market play area (free)
  • Fun crafty craft with Music Box (free)

For information on where our market is located, how to find parking and transit directions visit our Summer FAQ page.

Download the Ultimate Farmers Market Shopping List to help with your meal planning and purchases for the week.

Farm Fresh Produce

  • Greendale Herb and Vine – herbs, mini cucumbers, eggplants, greens, sweet red peppers, garlic, apples, heirloom tomatoes, plums, squash, cherry tomatoes, two bite apples
  • Ripple Creek Organics –swiss chard, kale, beets, kennebec potatoes, zucchini, fresh garlic, leeks, cucumber, baby lettuce mix, eggplant, arugula, specialty mix, cherry tomatoes. (Certified Organic)
  • Ossome Acres – sweet peppers, artisan tomatoes, dragon tongue beans, kale, and rainbow swiss chard, carrots and more (Certified Organic)
  • Bose & Sons Family Farm – Broccoli, carrot, green kale, celery, zucchini, corn, lettuce (green butter, red butter and green leaf), green pepper, tomatoes, norchip and chieftain potatoes
  • Zaklan Heritage Farms – apples and pears, melons, salad, carrots, spinach, beets, onions, squash, zucchini, radishes, turnips, daikon, beans, tomatoes, mustard greens, kale, chard, napa cabbage, cabbage, flowers, dandilion greens
  • Country Village Market – berries, frozen blueberries, corn
  • Nutrigreens – microgreens, potatoes, zucchini, cucumber
  • RCFM Merchandise Stall – Dried morel and porcini mushrooms

Cheese & Dairy

  • Golden Ears Cheesecrafters – Cheddar-Aged Medium, Brie, Jersey Blue, Cultured Butter, Havarti-Aged (Flavoured), Gouda-Aged Medium (Flavoured), Feta (Plain, Cranberry, Garlic Scape), Curds, Neufchatel (Plain, Herb & Garlic), Quark (Plain, Cranberry), Emmental, Velvet Blue
  • The Local Churn -hand churned gourmet butter

Beef, Eggs, Poultry and Seafood

  • Rockweld Farm – BC SPCA Certified frozen chicken and chicken products including eggs, dog and cat food
  • Wild West Coast Seafoods –  flash frozen fillets of Rock Sole, Petrale Sole, Rockfish, Ling Cod, Pacific Cod, Sablefish, Chinook/Spring Salmon, Coho Salmon, Sidestripe Shrimp, Halibut, Albacore Tuna Loin.
  • Wheelhouse Seafoods – seafood pasta and crab cakes, frozen salmon and spot prawns
  • Vale Farms – Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Beef Broth, Pork all 100% grass fed (Certified Organic)
  • Local Beef & Eggs – purslane, onions, chives, rhubarb, eggs, kale

Artisan Breads

  • A Bread Affair – breads, baguettes, ciabattas, rolls, scones (Certified Organic)

Gluten Free Breads & Baking

  • Delish Gluten Free – bread, scones, muffins, brownies and cookies
  • Marie’s Guilt Free Baking – bread, cookies, pizza dough and snacks

Bakery

  • Sweet Thea Cakes – tarts, pies, cookies and cakes
  • Feeding Change – decadent raw treats
  • Simply Scones – traditional English style scones
  • Sable Shortbread – tasty yummy specialty shortbread

Snacks

  • Gary’s Kettlecorn – kettle corn (traditional and caramel)
  • Handworks Coffee – Pour-over iced and warm coffee, hand whisked matcha tea

Food Trucks & Eat On Site

  • Meet 2 Eat – food truck serving Middle Eastern inspired food
  • Gypsy Trunk Gourmet Fare – vegan burritos sausages and more!
  • Wheelhouse Seafoods – salmon burgers
  • Country Village Market – yummy pakoras!

Prepared Foods (Pantry Staples)

  • Jam Shack Preservery – savoury spreads and jams
  • The Salt Dispensary – salted caramels, smoked salts and pepper mixes
  • Muy Rico – salsas, mayonaise, mole sauces, tortilla chips and corn tortillas
  • HoneyBee Zen Apiaries – honey made from New West hives

Health, Beauty & Services

  • Purely Clean – an all natural way to clean your home

Jewelry & Artisan Crafts

  • Bits & Keys – funky jewelry and fun crosstiches
  • Quality Oak Accents – hand crafted cutting boards by Louie

Special Thanks to our Music Stage Sponsor Roland Kaulfuss:

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Farmers Market Challenge: Best Laid Plans

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Pierogies, pierogies, where for art thou my pierogies?

This week we had a definite plan. This week we wanted pierogies. But, this week the pierogies didn’t want us. After weeks and weeks of walking by the Old Country Pierogy table, hemming and hawing about whether to buy or not, we definitively decided to dive in to Pierogyville this week.

But this week, they weren’t there!!!

Sad face: no pierogies this week
Sad face: no pierogies this week

We did NOT have a plan B. Dear market goers, take it from me, always have a plan b. Because if you don’t, your will of health may falter to your husband’s bedazzled Rocky Point Ice Cream eyes.

Happy face: Rocky Point Ice Cream handcrafted “with love.”
Happy face: Rocky Point Ice Cream handcrafted “with love.”

Then again, it was 31 degrees out. It was Rocky Point ice cream. It was a market vendor. It was nearly perfect with our remaining budget. Surely the clouds were aligning. And really, how could I possibly say no to blackberry sage ice cream?

Couldn’t do it.

This week’s loot:

Zaklan Heritage Farm:

• 1 head red-leaf lettuce: $3
• Mustard greens: 2 for $5
• radishes: $2.50
• purslane: $2
• leaks: $1.20
• 4 roma tomatoes: $2
• basil: $0.80

Outwest Ranch:

• 6 pears: $4

Rai Produce:

• 5 gala apples: $5

Fresh Quality Produce:

• 4 husked corn: $2
• 1 zucchini: $1

Ossome Acres:

• Rainbow chard: $3

Ripple Creek Organics:

• 1 cucumber: $1.25

Rocky Point Ice Cream:

• 1 pint blackberry sage ice cream: $8

Total spent was $40.75. Before the ice cream we had $7.25 remaining. With last week being under budget by 75 cents, we are now back to even. Like I said, the clouds were totally aligning.

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Apple season is here my friends and the galas keep calling my name!

With pierogies off the menu, we needed to adjust our meal plan somewhat to incorporate a proper good market meal. We opted for one of our recently discovered go-to market meals of Shrimp and Chard stir fry, which used up the rainbow chard, roma tomatoes, and onion from two weeks ago.

We also picked up leeks, which neither my husband or I have ever cooked with. As soon as I saw them, I remembered the leek-filled quiche my cousin made for us when we were visiting her in Belgium, and thought, maybe I could do the same.

I separated the stem from the dark green leaves at the top (which I froze for a later soup date) and cut them lengthwise, then chopped just as you would an onion. Exactly like an onion, tears and all.

The leeks gave me leaky, or should I say, leaky eyes!
The leeks gave me leaky, or should I say, leaky eyes!
Art of leek… kind of looks like a pineapple.
Art of leek… kind of looks like a pineapple.

I sautéed the chopped leaks and then threw them into a cheesy, tomato and basil filled quiche.

For the quiche I used my base Cook’s Country recipe (link: https://princessofpavement.com/cooking-challenge-2/impossible-ham-and-cheese-pie/), but altered it slightly due to missing ingredients and ingredient mishaps. I used spelt flour instead of all-purpose flour, and omitted the ham due to it going bad, and instead added a half cup of basil and several slices of tomatoes, along with the entire leek stalk.

Quiche: Market ingredients: leeks and basil
Quiche: Market ingredients: leeks and basil

Pretty sure it was the best quiche I’ve made to date!

What new market-fresh ingredient did you discover this week?

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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.