New West Farmers Market

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This week, we’re putting aside our two favourite colours, purple and khaki, to show our other favourite colour combination as we hoist the Canadian flag and wish our fellow neighbours a Happy Canada Day.

Canada Flag at Dawn Photo by waferboard

And there is much to celebrate! The rise in popularity at Farmers Markets means that people are more and more interested in eating locally produced, more nutritious, craft-made foods. The connection between farmer and shopper is getting stronger and we are so proud that we are able to help connect the two. If you are what you eat, then knowing what you eat is pretty important!

Here in New West there is much to do on Canada Day. Check out the annual celebration at Queens’ Park from 11:30-3:30 and then wander on down to the market. Bring a blanket and enjoy a picnic in gorgeous Tipperary Park. We’re featuring a kids’ fishing derby and scavenger hunt, as well local favourite dixieland jazz trio Razzmajazz. We’re also bringing some lawn toys, and weather permitting, we’re hoping to start the (completely informal) annual RCFM Bocce tournie!

After we pack up at 7PM,  you can saunter over to City Hall lawn or even further to the Quay to watch the annual fireworks put on by the Hyack Festival Association at dusk. Who needs to go away for Canada Day when a day of fun, free, family friendly festivities are right here?

Here’s the details about this week:

Entertainment:

  • Razzmajazz Jazz Trio 3-7

Community Groups:

Art in the Park: (not a complete list; some artists are drop-in)

Vendors at this market : (not all vendors come to every market, so check this list if you’re looking for someone special – they are arranged categorically. Want a complete listing of all the vendors, even the ones not here this week? Here it is!)

Eat On Site

Produce

Dairy

Meat & Fish

Bread & Baking

Delectable Treats

Local Crafters

Gardening

Services

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Hello my Communards,

It’s been a while but, I will finally get the chance to inform you of what I have learned during the first two months of my apprenticeship! I could have chosen to take you right up to the present, but, there is just something special about the first two months. I think of it like this: If  you are learning a language  such as French (in my case), you will not really get all the subtle nuances and expressions until you have set foot in the culture and lived there for at least two months. Well, this is what I presume. I actually only stayed in France for two weeks, and my host family swore that it would take a full two months time to make me truly bilingual. I think this still holds true; lets take the word Irrigation as an example. I understood it before but now it has a much deeper meaning….. I have been sprayed, and soaked by orchard guck, a combination of: water, algae and leaf. In addition, a feat that one can add to a resume, I have helped to break a pump and learned how to fix it all in the same day! It is these cumulative experiences that elevate the word Irrigation to a whole new dimension. Now, I certainly have not witnessed the successes and toils of a full season but after these first two, almost three months, I  can proclaim, I speak Farm!

Ah, winter…. traditionally and seasonally the time of dormancy but, on a farm there is always work, albeit preparation, to do. Fortunately, Kevin and Annamarie were set on having the apprentices start at the beginning of March and I was looking forward to starting earlier in the season, too. True to the season I started working only six hours a day. Shortly after, this went up to seven. Still this gave me ample time to prepare for the season ahead. The tasks we tackled were all about laying the groundwork of a fruitful harvest. We pruned the many fruit trees of the farm, learned to wash eggs, press apples into sweet apple cider, and sort apples. A week or so in, we were introduced to the greenhouse and the duties of seeding and occasional transplanting in the greenhouse. When we hit the third week, we were still performing the same tasks but that is when the Klippers purchased three new greenhouses that needed to be dismantled and set-up on the farm. Of course, we still had bi-weekly winter farmers markets so every other week would involve packing the apples, eggs, frozen tomatoes, and frozen cherries. Friday, we would pack the trailer full of winter-time goodies and see the Klippers off. In my mind I would plan the activities of my weekend and know that once it had passed there was another market ahead.

Alex with his cucumber plant destined for the balcony railing. Beside him is Andrew, another apprentice.

April, will be forever imprinted in my mind as the month of onion transplanting. The days were cold, usually windy with a smattering of dust storms. Regardless of the weather we faithfully carried out the task.Now you must know,  Annamarie Klippenstein is lightning fast when it comes to planting onions. When I was first getting the feel for the task, a task that involved planting the onions in tiny holes of plastic mulch, she was 10 times faster than me. We would often joke that if onion planting were an olympic sport she would surely be a the gold medalist. Eventually she was only three times faster than me. A feat in its own right, I accomplished this by challenging myself to stuff more onions in my hand, and reaching farther than my comfortable limit. I felt a bit like an acrobat.

Apprentice Sheylin weeding onions, which were then transplanted

We also planted corn under cover, to reap an early season crop, and transplanted broccoli from the greenhouse. As the first two months came to a close, my body ached but in my mind, I knew that I was comfortable with the life I now found myself in.

Post Script: If you have any questions, please ask away. I simply can not address every aspect of my apprenticeship in these posts, but I would love to satiate your curiosity.

You may read my previous posts by clicking here.

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It is with a heavy heart that I write this post. Some of you may already be aware, but we wanted to be sure everyone knew. RCFM has lost a valuable member of our community this weekend. Ilona Schachner of Vienna Treasures passed away in her sleep Sunday after a battle with cancer. While Vienna Treasures was not a vendor with us this summer season, she was a vendor for the first two seasons of RCFM.

Additionally, Ilona served on our original board as the vendor representative. Because of her tireless work and dedication, RCFM is what it is today. She was thoughful, feisty, and positive, and an amazing resource for our organization. She brought vendors on board while RCFM was in its infancy, many of whom are still a part of our community.

Ilona with Jen last season, with a week to go.

Update June 25: The memorial for Ilona has been cancelled until further notice.

We will miss her a great deal.

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What Side Are You On?

Choose. There can only be one. One vegetable to rule them all. Pick your side.

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It’s summer! It’s summer! I can’t believe it’s summer!

The weather hasn’t been terribly co-operative, but there is something about that official shift from spring to summer that makes the temperature go up a few degrees. At least, in my head it does. Summer reminds me of sandals, canoes, BBQs, iced tea, and especially FARMERS MARKETS!

The June 24th Market is packed with amazing bounty for you to enjoy. And we aren’t just talking about food! Music, entertainment, community groups… it’s going to be a delight.

What’s on this week: (occasionally, things change, and we do our best to update this page as it happens):

Special Fun:

Cookbook Swap – bring your unloved, sad, dusty cookbooks and swap them for a new-to-you and exciting cookbook! Got some cookbooks but just want to minimize? Cookbook donations are happily accepted for future swaps, and if you find yourself cookbook-free but want to pick up a few new ones to try out,  we’ll accept cash donations on behalf of the Food Bank (minimum suggested donation of $3 per book please) and make sure it makes it their way.

Please note: due to storage issues, we can only accept cookbooks.

Entertainment and Music:

Art in the Park: (not a complete list; some artists are drop-in)

Community Group:

Vendors This Week : (not all vendors come to every market, so check this list if you’re looking for someone special – they are arranged categorically. Want a complete listing of all the vendors, even the ones not here this week? Here it is!)

Eat On Site

Produce

Dairy

Meat & Fish

Bread & Baking

Delectable Treats

Local Crafters

Gardening

Services

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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.