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Farmers Market Challenge Week 15: The Finale!

October 16, 2016 By newwestfarmers

Oh. My. Goodness.

Wow!

Is that real?

It can’t possibly be bread, it must be cake!

They assured us it was bread.

Chocolate bread!!!

Last week was the final week of the summer market bringing the $40 market-spending challenge to a close. And in proper, good Katie form, I went all out.

Early in the challenge, I would never have purchased an $8 loaf of bread, chocolate or not. My spending was based on a strict budget where veggies took precedent. But, as the summer market started preparing for fall, the veggie selection became less vast, and, well, sometimes you really do need a reward for doing a great job.

I think I did a great job; chocolate bread was my reward.

Sadly, I did not read the ingredients. I did not realize there was orange infused into that bread. I do not eat orange-infused sweet treats; haven’t since I was about five years old and some totally evil person decided to underhandedly slip marmalade onto my toast – blech! In my mind, orange does NOT belong in chocolate.

Sigh.

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Plus, we may have overdone the sweet factor: Chocolate French toast, syrup and all. Holy decadence!

 FINAL WEEK’S LOOT:

Zaklan Heritage Farm:                                     • 2 bunches of mustard greens: $5

  • 1 mini lettuce: $2
  • 2 purple onions: $2.65
  • 1 bunch parsley: $2

Ossome Acres:                                         • 1 zucchini: $2

Ripple Creek Organic Farm:                    • 1 garlic: $3

A Bread Affair:                                           • Chocolate bread: $8

Wild West Coast Seafoods:                     • 1 lb tuna: $16

Total spent was $40.65. 

When I started this challenge 16 weeks ago, I didn’t know what exactly it would present. I considered our family on the upper scale of health prior to going in, but admittedly we were a bit stale and stagnant in meal planning, eating the same-old, same-old week after week.

The market changed that.

It gave us new foods, new recipes, new cooking adventures, new menus, new tastes, new perspectives.

This is what the market gave my family:

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A collage of tasty goodness

In my first post of this challenge, I asked if the market was true to its negative stereotype of being “too expensive,” a sentiment I have heard echoed several times by my fellow Food, Nutrition and Health peers at UBC. After 16 weeks, I can handedly say that yes, some of the product is pricier than you’d get at grocery stores. But, and this is a huge but, the quality, flavour and freshness is bar none far superior to that of the chains.

When you know your food was picked that day, when you know your food hasn’t undergone chemical procedures to stall the ripening process, when you know every bite is going to be infused with an intense flavour that tickles your differing taste buds, when you know it’s going to last longer than a few days, as long as a FEW weeks even, that has to be factored into the budget.

When you know how to shop the market, as I quickly learned, when you know how to search out the best deals (two for $5 mustard greens made my list EVERY week), when you know how to plan, when you build relationships with the farmers, when you know how to use so-called wastes to your advantage (onion stems was a favourite discovery), you DO see a savings.

We did.

We stopped going to the veggie stand three times a week; our foods were lasting. We stopped buying salad dressings; the intensity of the greens didn’t require added flavouring. In meal planning, we started looking at multiple ways of using the entire vegetable – limited waste, so an environmental savings as well.

There were challenges. A vegetable one week was not guaranteed the next; something you had hoped would be there, didn’t make the cut that week; if you weren’t there early, chances were the items you wanted were all gone.

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The week of no perogies!

 

Our final market meal was a trusty favourite we discovered the third week of the challenge – tuna loin. Unfortunately it had jumped in price since the beginning of the summer; what cost $12 in June, cost $16 in October due to a “crummy” season. It meant fennel was scratched from the list. It meant none of the maybes on the list would get into our bag. But man, that tuna – a drool-worthy, dream-worthy delicacy! Worth every sacrifice. Worth every penny.

fm16-final-shop
Challenge complete. Where oh where to get my mustard greens now?

 

Dear summer market, so much of you I shall miss.

Luckily, winter is coming!

Winter market starts November 5, and runs the first and third Saturday of the month, uptown on Belmont street.

See you there.

Filed Under: Buying local, Favorite Finds, Uncategorized Tagged With: Baked Goods, buy local, eat local, family, Farmers, farmers market, food security, Fresh Food, Katie Bartel, kids, local food, locavore, new west, New Westminster, RCFM, Shop Local, Winter Market

The inaugural Long Table Dinner

October 9, 2016 By newwestfarmers

On September 29, we hosted our first ever Long Table Dinner as part of Tourism New West’s Feast on the Fraser celebration. Forty-five hungry RCFM supporters came out to dine under an open tent in Tipperary Park. The menu was filled with delectable items from our vendors.

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Menu

We were lucky to have a beautiful autumn day and the tables looked a treat thanks to a donation by the Bloom Bloom Room, a local florist based out of Sapperton.  The centrepiece garlands added the perfect ambiance for a harvest feast. The Uptown Business Association kindly allowed us to use their giant tents which set the stage.

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Table for two?

Diners were greeted with a glass of local Pacific Breeze wine and shrubs donated by Vancouver-based Mixers & Elixers. Shrubs are drinking vinegars—slightly sweet and slightly tart, we mixed them with soda water. They were served by marvelous volunteers from the New Westminster Youth Ambassadors Society.

The table held an abundance of bread donated by A Bread Affair and butter that was almost too pretty to eat. The Local Churn donated some unique combinations including tart cherry and sherry.

The opening course comprised a Caprese Salad that featured locally grown vine ripened tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and a balsamic reduction. There was also a Hundred Mile Salad with kale, spinach, beets, goat cheese, candied pecans and what I sincerely hope were edible flowers.

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The salads

Salads consumed, we then moved onto the entrees which included char-grilled, wild-caught BC salmon that was served with a roasted pineapple salsa. If you haven’t yet tried Wild West Coast Seafood’s products we can attest to their top-notch quality. The diners also feasted on mushroom-hunter grilled Rockweld Farm chicken breasts, another generous donation from one of our popular local vendors. This wasn’t one of those either/or situations—everyone got both salmon and chicken as well as mozzarella-ricotta stuffed agnolotti as a side. We also had roasted in-season local vegetables (because it was a Farmers Market event after all) and grilled corn on the cob from the Fraser Valley. We were lucky to be able to purchase ingredients from some favourite market vendors including Zaklan Heritage Farms, Bose + Sons Family Farm, Ossome Acres, and Greendale Herb & Vine.

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The entrees!

Unbelievably, diners still seemed to have room for the exquisite goodies donated by Sweet Thea and Delish Gluten Free Bakery. There was a choice of assorted tarts and gluten-free brownies and I do believe more than one person tried both a tart and a brownie (no judgement here!). Unfortunately no photos remain because anyone standing in the way of the dessert table would have been taking their life in their hands.

The Long Table Dinner was an incredible community feast! The generosity of local RCFM vendors + the company of good friends and neighbours + the deliciousness of eating local = the best kind of evenings in our books.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Blog, Buying local, Uncategorized, Vendors Tagged With: buy local, eat local, family, Farmers, farmers market, Farms, food security, Fresh Food, fundraiser, local food, locavore, LongTableDinner, new west, New Westminster, organic, Shop Local, Vendors, wine

Farmers Market Challenge: Some Like It Hot!

September 30, 2016 By newwestfarmers

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!

fm13stuffedpeppers
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?

 

Filed Under: Blog, Buying local, Community, Favorite Finds, Uncategorized Tagged With: eat local, family, Farmers, farmers market, Fresh Food, Katie Bartel, new west, New Westminster, veggies

July 28 Market

July 27, 2016 By newwestfarmers

corn3

Make sure to come to the market this week to pick up some delicious sweet corn! At RCFM we really look forward to this time of year. Corn is perfect for bbq’s, camping trips and a family get together. It’s a true summer treat! Want to preserve this season’s corn so it will last all year? Follow these easy instructions for freezing corn both on and off the cob!

You may also have seen FIGS at the market last week! Figs will be returning again this week and will be available to purchase at our Market Merchandise Table. What should you make with figs? Here are some recipes for you.

What’s happening at the market this week?

Entertainment

  • Roland Kaulfuss Music Stage presents Norine Braun.

Yoga

  • Free yoga class from 5:15 to 6:15 sponsored by Diane Haynes Yoga

For the Kids

  • Have fun in our Mini Farmers Market play area (free)
  • Chill out in our Baby/Parent “lounge” on the grass (free)
  • Fun crafty craft with RCFM Volunteers (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
  • Ripple Creek Organics – chard, kale, beets, nugget potatoes, zucchini, brocoli, green onions, green beans, fresh garlic, cabbage, cucumber, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes (Certified Organic)
  • Ossome Acres – pea shoots, oak leaf lettuce, eggs, raw walnuts, parsley, green onions, kale, swiss chard, mustard greens, rainbow chard, purple cabbage, broccoli, scallopini, scallions, sunflower shoots, wheat grass, transparent apples, kohlrabi, potatoes, cucumber, castile soap (Certified Organic)
  • Bose & Sons Family Farm – lettuce greens, carrots, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, radish, kale
  • Harvest Direct Farms – Cherries, apricots, peaches, plum, apricots, apples
  • Fresh Quality Produce Ltd – strawberries, blueberries, blackberries zucchinis, nugget potatoes, green beans, wax beans
  • Zaklan Heritage Farms – Cherries, pac choi, Leaf lettuce, head lettuce, mini gem head lettuce, baby beets, hakurei, radishes (all sorts), salad mix, mustard greens, arugula, swiss chard, kale, baby kale, spinach, mint, sage, oregano, thyme, brocoli, napa cabbage, green onions, baby cucumbers, zucchini, fava beans, snap peas, carrots
  • Country Village Market – raspberries, blueberries, strawberries
  • Nutrigreens – microgreens
  • RCFM Merchandise Stall – Dried morel mushrooms

Cut Flowers

  • Rancho Los Andes – expertly made bouquets for you to enjoy

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 butters
  • Greendale Herb & Vine – goats cheese

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
  • Local Beef & Eggs – wild blackberries, 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
  • Samaya Delights – turmeric muffins, baklava
  • Feeding Change – raw coconut cakes, ganaches and decadent desserts

Coffee & Snacks

  • Green Coast Craft Coffee – cold pour over coffee
  • Gary’s Kettlecorn – kettle corn (traditional and caramel)

Food Trucks & Eat On Site

  • Nellie’s Vietnamese Cuisine – fusion of flavours from Vietnam & Vancouver
  • D-Original Sausage House – sausages, bratwurst, salamis, pretzel buns
  • Country Village Market – delicious pakoras
  • Wheelhouse Seafoods – salmon burgers

Prepared Food (Dry Goods & Seasonings)

  • Greendale Herb & Vine – Nuts (hazelnuts), Muesli, Infused Vinegars, Popcorn Kernels, Herbal Teas, Dried Lavender

Prepared Foods (Pantry Staples)

  • Anne’s Gallery – jams, chutneys and preserves
  • BobAli – hummus, olive tapenades and delicious spreads
  • Lilise Applesauce – gourmet applesauce
  • Chanthorn Orchids & Thai Sauces – tasty sauces for authentic Thai dishes
  • Muy Rico – salsas, mayonnaise, mole sauces, tortilla chips and corn tortillas
  • Mindful Eating – frozen samosas and treats

Health and Beauty

  • Blue Rose Soaps – soaps and personal care products

Jewelry & Artisan Crafts

  • Anne’s Gallery – hand knit Irish sweaters
  • Bits & Keys – funky jewelry and fun crosstiches
  • Quality Oak Accents – hand crafted cutting boards by Louie
  • Out Designs – hand made local jewelry
  • Cindy’s Suitcase – crafty goodies made with love
  • Lighten Up Jewels – timeless pieces made by Holly
  • Faye – The Art of Melissa Mary Duncan

Wine, Beer & Spirits

  • Blind Tiger Winery – Lake Country wines
  • Dragon Mist Distillery – locally made vodka and gin

Special Thanks to our Music Stage Sponsor Roland Kaulfuss:

rolandkaulfuss logo

Filed Under: Blog, Buying local, Featured, Next Market, Uncategorized Tagged With: artisans, Baked Goods, buy local, family, Farmers, farmers market, food trucks, outside the box

June 23rd Market Day

June 21, 2016 By newwestfarmers

Flowers

The market is blooming with flowers this week. Pop by Rancho Los Andes to pick up an AMAZING bouquet of cut flowers. The perfect pick me up for a long week a the office! Zaklan Heritage Farm not only grows tasty veggies but they grow flowers too. Pick up a handful with your veggie purchase!

diane haynes yoga

The first official day of summer has passed us by (along with a full moon… anyone else feeling a little loopy?) and the arrival of lazy summer days means YOGA. Every Thursday Diane Haynes Yoga will be running a FREE class in Tipperary park from 5:15 to 6:15. This class is weather dependent so check outside before you come on down with your yoga mats.

What’s happening at the market this week?

Entertainment

  • Roland Kaulfuss Music Stage presents Norine Braun.

For the Kids

  • Have fun in our Mini Farmers Market play area (free)
  • Make a crafty craft with our friends at The Stage New West (free)
  • Face painting with Allyson ($)

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, tomatoes, eggplants, greens
  • Ripple Creek Organics – strawberries, blueberries, lettuce, spinach, salad mix, plant starts, radish, garlic scapes, chard, kale, nugget potatoes (Certified Organic)
  • Ossome Acres – rhubarb, radishes, pea shoots, spinach, arugula, oak leaf lettuce, eggs, raw walnuts (Certified Organic)
  • Bose & Sons Family Farm – lettuce greens, carrots
  • Harvest Direct Farms – Cherries
  • Fresh Quality Produce Ltd – raspberries, strawberries, zucchinis, nugget potatoes, peas, peppers
  • Zaklan Heritage Farms – Cherries, pac choi, Leaf lettuce, head lettuce, mini gem head lettuce, baby beets, hakurei, radishes (all sorts), salad mix, mustard greens, arugula, swiss chard, kale, baby kale, spinach, mint, sage, oregano, thyme, brocoli, napa cabbage, kohlrabi, green onions
  • Country Village Market – strawberries, raspberries, blueberries
  • Nutrigreens – microgreens
  • RCFM Merchandise Stall – Dried morel 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 butters
  • Greendale Herb & Vine – goats cheese

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, Lamb, Chicken, Turkey, Beef Broth, Pork all 100% grass fed (Certified Organic)
  • Local Beef & Eggs

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

Bakery

  • Sweet Thea Cakes – tarts, pies, cookies and cakes
  • Samaya Delights – turmeric muffins, baklava
  • Simply Scones – traditional English style scones

Coffee & Snacks

  • Handworks Coffee Studio – hot pour over coffee
  • Gary’s Kettlecorn – kettle corn (traditional and caramel)

Food Trucks & Eat On Site

  • Disco Cheetah – fusion Korean food truck
  • Gypsy Trunk Gourmet Fare – vegan burritos, quesadillas and sausages

Prepared Food (Dry Goods & Seasonings)

  • The Salt Dispensary – salted caramels, smoked salts and pepper mixes
  • Greendale Herb & Vine – Nuts (hazelnuts), Muesli, Infused Vinegars, Popcorn Kernels, Herbal Teas, Dried Lavender
  • The Raw Guy – kale chips, seasonings, raw cookies
  • Seedibles – all natural seasoning that increases nutritional content of meals

Prepared Foods (Pantry Staples)

  • Aldergrove Jam & Preserves – jams, chutneys and preserves
  • Urbani Foods – cured meats, risotto balls and more
  • KICS Lemonade Syrup – syrups and salad dressings
  • Aji Gourmet – salsas and delicious condiments
  • Old Country Perogi – frozen perogies (gluten free and vegan options available)
  • Sidney Smoke House – jerky made on Vancouver Island

Health and Beauty

  • Scentimental Creations – soaps and personal care products
  • Purely Clean – an all natural way to clean your home

Jewelry & Artisan Crafts

  • Angelque Creations – handmade jewelry inspired by the Ocean
  • Out Designs – beautiful jewelry
  • Quality Oak Accents – hand crafted cutting boards by Louie

Wine, Beer & Spirits

  • Pacific Breeze Winery – New West’s own garage winery

Special Thanks to our Music Stage Sponsor Roland Kaulfuss:

rolandkaulfuss logo

Filed Under: Blog, Featured, Next Market, Uncategorized Tagged With: berries, buy local, entertainment, family, farmers market, food, food trucks, kids, new west

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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.

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