The weather people keep telling us that August is going to be the summer we’ve all been waiting for. I don’t know about you but my tomato and strawberry plants would very much like a spell of nice hot weather. I can’t imagine how hard it is for a farmer to plan their livelihood with Mother Nature at the helm of the decision making. Did you know that farmers make up only 1.5% of BC’s population? Yet, this small percentage of the population produces an estimated 48% of all foods consumed in B.C. Whether or not we are aware of it, British Columbians depend on BC farmers and BC farmland. July 31st to August 6th is BC’s 2nd Annual Farmer Appreciation Week. Please consider taking time this week as you wander and peruse the market to say thanks to the people in the farm stalls and let them know you appreciate their hard work.

What’s on this week:

Join our friends the New Westminster Public Library at our community group table. They’ll be selling some books and have information about all of their fantastic summer programming. Drop by and say hi. Also at the market this week is local musician Jeff Huggins – our music at the market is sponsored by the great people at the Heritage Grill. Don’t forget to get your facepainted by market favourite, Allyson Grant, and be sure to check out the kids area with crafts sponsored by local realtor Derrick Thornhill.

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 or at City Hall’s lot after 4:30. Please respect our neighbours. Our bike rack has temporarily gone missing, but you can drop your bike off to the fine folks at our info desk at the top end of the market.

A list of vendors attending the August 4th market is below, but remember to check back for cancellations and updates! This list is current as of August 2nd.

Eat On Site

• Samosa Guy – hot vegetarian samosas, as well as frozen take home samosas
• Eli’s Serious Sausage – handmade pork sausages grilled to perfection
• Gogo Java – Coffee, tea, smoothies, juice, and other liquids
• Ovenmonkey Bakery – selling fresh Langos – Hungarian fried flatbread

Produce

• Apple Barn Pumpkin Farm – Peppers, tomatoes, apples & pumpkins
• Canwest Farms – blueberries in 5 and 10 pound cartons
• Celyddon Farms – Certified organic produce from Delta
• Felix Farms – Guichon Farms – assorted locally grown produce by Fifth Generation Farmers in Delta
• Forstbauer Family Natural Food Farm – organic produce, eggs, and beef
• Glen Valley Organic Farm – certified organic produce from a farm located only 50km from New Westminster
• Golden West Farms – Okanagan fruit grown in Summerland, many certified organic
• Maan Farms – assorted locally grown produce
• Nature Village Farm – Asian produce, potted herbs, and mushrooms grown in Richmond
• Red Barn Plants and Produce – assorted locally grown produce
• Training Wheels Farm – locally produced on a 2 acre plot in Surrey

Dairy

• Greendale Herb and Vine – Cheddar cheese, cheese curds, herbs, nut butters and honeycomb
• Little Qualicum Cheeseworks – High quality cheese from Vancouver Island

Meat & Fish

• Outwest Ranches – beef raised locally and fresh eggs
• Port Hardy Seafood – BC caught fish and prawns
• Rockweld Farm – BC frozen chicken and chicken products including eggs

Bread & Baking

• A Bread Affair – Breads
• Blackberry Hill – squares, cinnamon buns, and old fashioned yummies like crisp rice squares
• French Made Baking – French-from-France baking.
• High Crow Gluten Free Foods – celiac friendly gluten free baking
• Sweet Thea Cake Company – tarts, pies, cookies, and cakes

Delectable Treats and Prepared Yummies

• AJI Gourmet Products – sauces made using aji spice
• Amber’s Choice – soups, salad dressing and cookies
• Gary’s Kettlecorn – Kettlecorn
• Gourmet Savories – antipasto and pesto
• Maples’ Sugar Shack – maple syrup products
• Simply Delish Soup Co – layered soup mix, rice pilaf mix, and spice rubs

Local Crafters

• Alma Valle Fine Silver Jewelry – handcrafted sterling silver original jewelry
• Ildiko Jewelry – hand forged sterling silver jewelry
• Magnetite Jewelry by Gina – magnetite jewelry custom fit
• The Other Eden – cold process soaps scented with essential & fragrance oils, room sprays, body products
• Quality Oak Accents – Fine wood creations

Gardening

• i-Dig Gardening – soil amenders and compost additions

Last week at the market we were thrilled to see how many of you stopped by the booth to show us your purchase. From a bunch of fresh basil to sacks and sacks of goodies, we were very happy to see you all enjoying the great offerings from the vendors. This week marks the last market in July and also another market right before a long weekend! What are your BC Day plans? Feel free to kick off your long weekend with a trip to the market. We have everything you need to set up for a hassle free weekend – from stuff for the grill to snacks, desserts, nibblies, and gifts for special people you might not get to see very often. We are finally starting to see lots of wonderful fresh produce and we hope all the recipes we’ve been posting are helping.

We’re also excited to announce that in the next few days, our Exclusive Members’ Email Newsletter will debut. Are you a member of the organization yet? If not, consider joining for just $10. Membership gives you privileges such as discounts on our great branded merchandise, special discounts and deals through the Members’ Newsletter and our two Member Appreciation Days (and there just might be one coming up soon!), as well as the satisfaction of knowing you are helping to fund RCFM and our great programs such as the Nutrition Coupon Program. You can sign up at the info table at the north end of any market.

Fresh Sheet July 28:

This week we are pleased that Fiddlestix will be returning to play their amazing and fun selection of fiddle and drum music. We are also excited to have a special guest in our kids area -local business Pretty Up Parties will be on location with a free recycled craft making headbands and hats. You can also purchase some of her handmade kids’ goodies. We are also pleased that the Hyack Festival Association, fresh off their successful FraserFest weekend, will be at our non profit table for this week.

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 or at City Hall’s lot after 4:30. Please respect our neighbours. Our bike rack has temporarily gone missing, but you can drop your bike off to the fine folks at our info desk at the top end of the market.

A list of vendors attending the July 28 market is below, but remember to check back for cancellations and updates! This list is current as of July 28th at 10AM. 

Eat On Site

• Samosa Guy – hot vegetarian samosas, as well as frozen take home samosas
• Eli’s Serious Sausage – handmade pork sausages grilled to perfection
• Gogo Java – Coffee, tea, smoothies, juice, and other liquids
• Ovenmonkey Bakery – selling fresh Langos – Hungarian fried flatbread
• Rico n’ Lalo – popsicles made from juice and organic cane sugar
• Rizalina’s Juice – fresh made on site to order vegetable and fruit juice

Produce

• Apple Barn Pumpkin Farm – Peppers, tomatoes, apples & pumpkins
• Celyddon Farms – Certified organic produce from Delta
• Felix Farms – Guichon Farms – assorted locally grown produce by Fifth Generation Farmers in Delta
• Forstbauer Family Natural Food Farm – organic produce, eggs, and beef
• Glen Valley Organic Farm – certified organic produce from a farm located only 50km from New Westminster
• Golden West Farms – Okanagan fruit grown in Summerland, many certified organic
• Maan Farms – assorted locally grown produce
• Nature Village Farm – Asian produce, potted herbs, and mushrooms grown in Richmond
• Red Barn Plants and Produce – assorted locally grown produce

Dairy

• Greendale Herb and Vine – Cheddar cheese, cheese curds, herbs, nut butters and honeycomb
• Little Qualicum Cheeseworks – High quality cheese from Vancouver Island

Meat & Fish

• Outwest Ranches – beef raised locally and fresh eggs
• Port Hardy Seafood – BC caught fish and prawns
• Rockweld Farm – BC frozen chicken and chicken products including eggs

Bread & Baking

• A Bread Affair – Breads
• Blackberry Hill – squares, cinnamon buns, and old fashioned yummies like crisp rice squares
• French Made Baking – French-from-France baking.
• Sweet Thea Cake Company – tarts, pies, cookies, and cakes

Delectable Treats and Prepared Yummies

• Ace Curries To Go – curry sauces
• AJI Gourmet Products – sauces made using aji spice
• Amber’s Choice – soups, salad dressing and cookies
• Anne’s Gallery – Jams, jellies & knitting
• Gary’s Kettlecorn – Kettlecorn
• Gourmet Savories – antipasto and pesto
• Simply Delish Soup Co – layered soup mix, rice pilaf mix, and spice rubs
• Take a Fancy Chocolates and Sweets – handmade chocolates right from scratch

Local Crafters

• Alma Valle Fine Silver Jewelry – handcrafted sterling silver original jewelry
• Ildiko Jewelry – hand forged sterling silver jewelry
• Magnetite Jewelry by Gina – magnetite jewelry custom fit
• The Magpie’s Nest – stunning hand made jewelry in silver
• Scentimental Creations – Soaps, lotions, hand made cosmetics

Whoops! Seems we made a few errors when we posted this story last week! Specifically, we didn’t tell you the complete picture about what exactly “certified organic” is when it comes to chickens and eggs, and also we mixed up the definitions of free run and free range. This goes to show just how confusing food labelling is – even for us! – and how important it is to get well educated before passing on the info. We’re normally very good at fact checking but this one slipped by us and we apologize for the confusion.

Thanks to Jerry Ellis, Sheila Poznikoff, and Chris Bodnar for the corrections and the points in the right direction. We have four vendors selling eggs at the market: Glen Valley Organic Farm or Forstbauer Farms both offer certified organic eggs. Outwest Ranches offers free range eggs, and Rockweld Farm has free run eggs. Now… back to Allie’s corrected egg post. ~Jen Arbo, Operations Manager

I love eggs. I think they are the perfect addition to any breakfast; or lunch, or dinner for that matter. They are delicious, and you can do so many different things with them. And there are so many different kinds, and contributing factors, that can make an already delicious product even more delicious — and healthier too! Amazing!

Difference between White Eggs and Brown Eggs:

It all boils down to the hen. Certain kinds of hens lay white eggs, and certain kinds lay brown eggs. Brown eggs are not necessarily better for you, but are often more expensive due to the fact that they are less common. Some chickens also lay blue eggs are often referred to as “easter eggers”. Still a chicken egg though – the blue doesn’t really matter.

Yolk Colour:

The colours of yolk do vary — from pale yellow to a dark orangey colour — and this is affected by what the hen is fed. If the hen was fed wheat you’re probably going to have pale yolk, however if the hen was fed corn the yolk will be darker. That being said, generally hens that have been allowed to freely range eat healthier, greener, food. And because of that the nutrients are passed along to the yolk making it a darker colour.

Free Run vs. Free Range:

Free Range chickens are kept in barns or hen houses that enable them to have outside access all the time at the discretion of the farmer. Free Run chickens live similarly, except they don’t have access to the outside. However, they are allowed to walk around while they are kept inside. No cages for either these chickens!

Organic Eggs:

Organic eggs are very similar to Free Range eggs. They have the same living conditions but are only fed organic feed (feed which has been grown naturally without genetically modified organisms). The chickens are often healthier as well, they are not given any antibiotics (except in emergencies) or hormones. There are also organic standards by which the chickens must live by; the flock cannot live cages, and must always have access to the outdoors — there is a standard regarding how big the enclosure must be as well (Certified Organic states that there must be 2323 cm2/ hen). After the egg is laid nothing is done to it, there is not artificial colouring added or vitamins. Canadian Organic standard covers every aspect of the chickens life: how they are fed, how they are transported and handled, where and how they live and their health care. These eggs can be more expensive but you do know exactly what went into the egg and you know exactly how the chicken was handled and lived their life.

Omega-3 Eggs:

Omega-3 Eggs are laid by chickens that are fed a very specific diet of flax seed, canola and linseed. These are all very high in Omega-3 fatty acids, therefore these eggs are higher in Omega-3 then normal eggs. These eggs are healthier for you, but there is no guarantee that the chickens were kept in good conditions.

With files from CBC, www.helpwithcooking.com, Humane Food and Mother Earth News

Healthy eating doesn’t always mean home cooked meals. Take a step out of the kitchen and check out Aphrodite’s Café and Pie Shop — located on W 4^th Ave, Kitsilano — for some delicious Organic Delights.

Aphrodite’s, and its all-organic menu, is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week. The café prides itself on dealing directly with the local farmers who supply all of the ingredients for their products (one of our vendors, Glen Valley, has been supplying them since they opened in 2002). My eating assistants and I decided to check it them out for some tasty brunch — and we were not disappointed!

The café itself is decorated with, what appear to be, paper mache pirates (and a mermaid!) hanging from the ceiling. Those characters, along with the quaint atmosphere, made an excellent location for our meal. We were seated right away, beside the window, and before long we were delving into the wide variety of items on their all organic menu.

While sipping on my delicious organic blueberry lemonade ($4.75), I deicide to try the Aphrodite’s Stuffed French Toast ($13), which was stuffed with organic seasonal

fruit (it tasted like blueberries) cream cheese and was served with maple syrup and organic Chantilly whipped cream.  My companions decided on a Spanish Banks Burrito ($14) and one of Aphrodite’s Special Bennys ($18), respectively, both came with rosemary home fries and garden greens.

Overall, our trip to Aphrodite’s was a great success. We enjoyed our meals, and our only regret was not having enough room for a piece of pie.

Aphrodite’s Café and Pie Shop: Organic Delights

3598 West 4th Avenue

604-733-8308