The Newsletter of Vancouver's Farmers Markets
Each month at each market we have a great raffle which features prizes donated by our fabulous vendors. Don't miss the next raffle at your favourite market:
Cranberries will be available at the market starting at the end of the month through Thanksgiving.
market bag in a far-away place and we'll put it in the next issue of Market Share. This is an ongoing call for photos so send them in whenever you can. Photos can be sent to Jen in the market office either by mail or email (contact info below). Be sure to include where the photo was taken and your full name and address so we can thank you properly! Now get snapping! Next Up: Harvest Festival !
It's a great time to visit the market - all sorts of crops are at their peak and the sights, sounds and tastes couldn't be better! It is at this time of year that we celebrate a great harvest and highlight the beauty and bounty of everything local and seasonal with Harvest Festival. You can look forward to displays of the varieties of local apples, pears and squash, fall-themed crafts for kids, grain-milling and coffee roasting demonstrations.
Don't Forget! You have only until Wednesday to submit your entry form for the Best BC Apple Pie Competition - have your pie judged by some famous local foodies. Prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Judging and tastings (for the public too) will take place between 11 and 1pm.
Apple Pie Competition Entry Form
Harvest Festival Schedule
Market News
Have you lost something at the market?
Each week, market managers bring back to our office the lost travel mugs, sets of keys and wallets found at the market. All manner of things are turned in to our Informaiton Booth. We do our best to return these items to their rightful owners but unfortunately, many don't make it back home. Consequently, our collection of lost items has grown over the season and its now time to clean house. If you have lost something at the market, please give us a call at 604.879.3276 or email us at info@eatlocal.org - please include a description in your email so we can sort through our pile as fast as possible. Any items not claimed at the end of the season are donated to charity.
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Volunteers Needed
We're always looking for willing volunteers to help with various activities at the markets. Weekly we have kids' crafts at the Riley Park Market and bike valet at the Kitsilano Market Monthly we have special events that we can use extra hands for setup and staffing at all markets. Upcoming, we'll need help at all locations during Harvest Festivals and for our dot surveys through the park at Trout Lake Community Centre in October.
If you have some free time and are willing to lend a hand, please get in touch with Stephanie, our Volunteer Co-ordinator at volunteer@eatlocal.org
Community Events and Classes
Cobbing Workshop at MOBY Garden
Located at 1735 East 11th Ave Vancouver
When: Sept 14th, 20th, 21st, 27th and 28th 10 am to 4pm or 4:30 ish
What: Come and learn to cob! Cobbing is an ancient form of building using clay, sand and straw- it is an attractive and sustainable building practice.
Why: To help us finish a beautiful community building while learning from an expert. You will get an overview of cobbing, laying a foundation, wall thickness, and consistency of the cob mixture. Our building is almost ready for completion so this workshop will focus on
the finishing touches of building a cob structure, particularly around the roof.
How: Email moby_lize@yahoo.ca or call 604-787-4929. Space is limited to 10 people, so please respond ASAP. Feel free to email or call with any questions.
Cost: $200 which includes 30 hours of expert instruction and Lunch on each day (with veggie options). There is a $50 reimbursement for attending 4 out of the 5 days. $$ is due Sept 14th at the start of the workshop.
About the Expert: Steve Lay is a local cobbing expert helping individuals and groups build cob structures all over the lower mainland and BC. See some of his handy work at the Grandview community garden and Stanley Park.
About MOBY: check out www.myownbackyard.ca
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Ferment Your Own...
Friday September 19 ~ 2 til 5 pm - Learn to make your own Fermented Vegetables - sauerkraut, kimchi, beets and fermented fruits, yum! Also take home your own SCOBIE to make the delicious fermented and nutritious Kombucha. Only $40.
Thursday October 9 ~ 2 til 5 pm - Learn to make your own Yogurt, Butter, Buttermilk, Buttermilk Scones, Ghee, Soft and Hard Cheese Curds, Whey Based Soup and enjoy chocolate ghee! This is a very hands on workshop and you will both have a meal around the foods and go home with many samples and yogurt starter. $40.
Get three people together for either a fruit/veg fermentation workshop or a dairy workshop and we can arrange a time and date that suites you. Workshops held at 2290 Saint George Street.
To register for any of the above, contact Tomas Hicks at farmertomas@gmail.com www.cityfarmer.ca
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Food is Fundamental - A Conference on Mouths, Minds, Development & UBC Farm
Sept 23-27, 2008
Saturday (27th) will be the largest day of the conference
The Student Environment Centre (SEC) and Friends of the UBC Farm (FotF) are hosting the "Food is Fundamental" conference to educate, discuss and take action on pressing food issues. The conference brings world-renowned scholars, local activists and members of the community together to reflect on the place of food in the wide network of cultures, policies and economies. We aim at locating the place of the UBC Farm in the global context of food politics and the local context of land development at UBC campus. Theories will be transformed into action with workshops on fun ways to eat responsibly, samples of concrete growth strategies, and a chance to participate in a charrette on campus development. Film screenings, live music, and free dinner are all part of the fun! The conference is free for everyone, but 30 people who register before Sept 10 will get free lunch and dinner on Saturday, so register early! Come one, come all - and tell your friends about the conference: Food is FUNdaMENTAL
More info + register at: FoodisFundamental.com
On our calendar of upcoming events not to miss:
Apple Festival
Saturday & Sunday October 18 & 19, UBC Botanical Gardens
An event that appeals to all ages, UBC Botanical Garden's 17th Annual Apple Festival takes place this year on October 18th and 19th from 11 AM to 4 PM. Look for the Vancouver Farmers Markets booth at the festival too!
Van Dusen Gardens Plenty Celebration
Sunday, September 21 Van Dusen Gardens Great Lawn, Vancouver, 10am - 4pm
Join us as the Garden celebrates the bounty of the harvest season with a Farmers' Market, informative displays, demonstrations and exhibitors, sale of heritage fruit trees and berry bushes, good food, entertainment and old-fashioned fun. For more information or to book a booth, contact Kerry Burgi kerry.burgi@vancouver.ca
Opportunities
Farm Folk City Folk Needs a Volunteer for Admin Project
FFCF is looking for 1 or 2 volunteers to take on an easy research task.Turn an excel worksheet of 100+ businesses into a mailing list by doing the research to find the addresses. This task would require someone who has a computer and some basic web surfing skills.
If you are interested, the deadline for completing the project would be this Friday and itis expected to take up to 2 hours to do.
Contact Bonita at bonita@ffcf.bc.ca or (604)730-0450
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The Sixth Annual Farm-ade Needs Volunteers
When: Friday, September 26TH, 2008
Where: UBC FARM
What's in it for you? Enjoy the complementary food, music and atmosphere of the farm while sporting your very own coveted FARMADE T-Shirt!!!
If you want to volunteer: email Natalie @ nstafl@interchange.ubc.ca
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Be a Farm Friend!
Connect children with land, food, and community
as part of the INTERGENERATIONAL LANDED LEARNING PROJECT at the UBC Farm!
“Farm Friend” volunteers work in intergenerational teams of one elder and one young adult with 3-4 elementary school students to sow, grow, harvest, prepare, and eat food plants at the UBC Farm. Volunteers commit 12-15 mornings (Wednesday or Thursday, approximately every other week) from late September 2008 to June 2009 to work and learn with their Farm Friend teams. On-call volunteers are also sought to fill in as needed.
Find out more!
Contact Stacy Friedman, Program Manager, ycats77@yahoo.com 604-822-4842
Dr. Jolie Mayer-Smith 604-822-5293
Read This...
Local farmers' markets are growing strong
Participants profit by skipping the middleman
Brian Lewis, The Province
Published: Sunday, August 31, 2008
If you've driven through the Fraser Valley on Highway 1 on any recent weekend morning, chances are you've shared the road with westbound pickups and vans carrying full loads of fresh fruit or vegetables.
If Mary Forstbauer of Chilliwack and her farming friends throughout B.C. have their way, this early-morning ritual of veggie-laden vans or fruit-filled pick-ups heading into the city is about to expand significantly.
Read on
Nutrition Coupon Program
VANCOUVER FAMILIES EAT LOCAL, NUTRITIOUS FOOD
