The Newsletter of Vancouver's Farmers Markets
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! 
Market Openings
East Vancouver Opening Day - thanks to all of you for coming to the opening of our 15th season in East Vancouver. We were overwhelmed with the numbers of people who visited the market on that beautiful sunny day. We hope you enjoyed the market and will return again and again for the freshness, flavour and fun that the market offers each week. Here's a clip of a CTV report on the market opening.
West End - June 6 - This weekend we open the West End and Kitsilano Markets for the season. We know how these neighbourhoods have been anticipating this weekend so we're hoping for nice weather and a great turnout. You can look forward to more farmers this year and hopefully more hot food to eat on site. We're working on growing our volunteer team in the West End too - so if you're interested, stop by the Market Info booth for a sign up form or chat with the Market Manager, Beck.
Kitsilano - June 7- It is great to be returning to Kitsilano this season and some exciting plans are in the work to make our fastest growing market even better. How about bicycle grocery delivery (Grocery Delivery Zone) and bike tuneups on site? We're adding more hot food on-site (coming soon) and hopefully some chef demos and tours with Kits Community Centre's own Chef Mark. It's going to be a great season!
Main Street Station - June 10 - Opening day at our new market location is coming up quickly. We hope you will stop on your way from work or school to shop and stay a while for some good old fashioned country-in-the-city sort of fun. The market is located next to Thornton Park which has lovely benches and flower beds for taking a moment to relax before heading home. We'll also be offering free bicycle grocery delivery if you've shopped so much you can't take it all home. Here's a map of the delivery zone: Grocery Delivery Zone
Gastown Farmers Market - August & September
You may have heard that a farmers market has been approved for August and September in Gastown as part of the City's new "Summer Spaces" initiative. We are very excited to announce that we will be partnering with the Gastown Business Improvement Society to bring a farmers market to Gastown Sundays in August and September. The location will be the 200 Block of Carrall Street. More information to come soon - but mark your calendars! This is going to be a great spot for residents and visitors featuring entertainment, sidewalk cafes and a great selection of produce, prepared foods and high quality crafts.
Market News
Bike to Market Month - Lots of fun to be had at the markets for cyclists this month. Highlights include a NEW! Bike Valet service at our East Van (Trout Lake) Market as well as bicycle grocery delivery at Kits and Main Street Station. Get your bike engraved for security reasons by the West End Coal Harbour Community Policing office at the West End Market too! Here are all the details.
Sinclair Centre Mini Market - work in the downtown core - somewhere around Granville and Hastings perhaps? Well, check out a mini-market happening at Sinclair Centre (757 West Hastings) on June 18 from 2:30 - 5:30 in the Lower Atrium of the mall. There will be a small selection of prepared food and farm vendors offering a sampling of what you can find at any of our 4 summer locations. Pick up information about our new Gastown market here too!
Market T-shirts - our new market t-shirts are a hit! We're so happy you like our 2009 t-shirt design and our choice of made in BC cotton/bamboo shirts. Adult sizes are $20 each, kids and babies - $15. Members get discounts so don't forget to show your card when purchasing! More sizes and colours coming soon due to popular demand!
Market Money - we know there are often more great things at the market than you have money in your pocket and not many of our locations are near bank machines. So, to help encourage you to stay and shop, we've introduced a Market Money system which works like a cash machine but instead we dispense wooden tokens worth $5 each. Vendors take these tokens like cash and you can get the money out using your DEBIT 
card (no credit cards accepted at this time). So far the system is working great and people are enjoying the convenience of having a "cash machine" on hand. Visit the market information booth at Main Street and Kits and "The Corner Store" at Trout Lake. There is a $2 fee per transactions to cover the cost of administration of the system.
My Markets News - have you signed up for weekly email vendor lists delivered to your inbox? This service is great for planning your trip to the market. All Vancouver Farmers Markets are participating and many more beyond Vancouver too! Sign up at www.mymarketsnews.com
Vendor News
Maan Farms has U-Pick Strawberries Soon - Come visit award winning Maan Farms (Abbotsford) and start a new family tradition. U-pick strawberries available soon. Visit www.maanfarms.com for details. Maan Farms also sells at our Main Street Station and West End locations.
Conservation Holiday at Glen Valley Farm: Experience a weekend in the life of an organic farm
Conservation Holidays with TLC The Land Conservancy of BC are a great way to experience special places all over the province. By participating in the efforts that go into caring for these sites, people will gain new knowledge and understanding about things such as: the protection of agricultural land and issues around food security, sustainable forestry practices, the restoration of salmon habitat, and much more. For people looking for something a little different during their holiday time, this is a unique way to get outdoors, as well as a great way to meet new people.
Glen Valley Organic Farm is an interesting example of the impact that small-scale agriculture can have. With eight full-time members of the farm team through the summer, the farm demonstrates that small-scale agriculture that works in concert with natural systems can be productive as well as ecologically sensible.
This holiday is happening at a time when the farm is in full form and bustling with activity. Participants will get insight into what a typical work day of a farmer is like at the height of the season, leading up to a weekend full of farmers markets. We are also having a workshop on sustainable building methods, including the creation of an earth oven – a treat because we normally wouldn’t have time for this in the height of summer.
Accommodation will be camping in a beautiful, sheltered meadow on the farm next to a forested area. Indoor accommodation is available in a finished barn loft in the event of inclement weather.
When: July 9, 2009 to July 12, 2009
Where: Glen Valley Organic Farm in Abbotsford
For more information or to book this holiday: Call 1-888-738-0533 or visit www.conservationholidays.ca
Classes and Events
Michael Pollan at UBC Farm Fundraising Event - June 6
In partnership with Barbara-Jo's Books to Cooks, the UBC Farm is pleased to announce a Saturday afternoon presentation and book signing with award-winning author, Michael Pollan. Vancouver will be Michael's only Canadian city on his book tour for the paperback version of In Defense of Food.
This unique opportunity to meet Michael takes place at UBC Farm on Saturday, June 6 at 1:00 p.m. At this fundraiser for UBC Farm, Michael will share his manifesto of: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants." He will also be available to sign copies of In Defense of Food.
Tickets to this rain or shine event are $45 (includes GST) and are sold exclusively through Barbara-Jo's Books to Cooks. The ticket price includes a paperback version of In Defense of Food, and all proceeds from the event will go to support the UBC Farm.
For more information about this and other events, visit Barbara-Jo's Books to Cooks website at www.bookstocooks.com. Please call 604-688-6755 to purchase tickets.
VOLUNTEER: Help MOBY (My Own BackYard) Build a Playground!
When: June 6th,
Build: 8am to 3pm (volunteer for as many hours as you wish)
Entertainment: 3pm to 6pm
Where: 1736 East 11th Ave (near Commercial Dr)
Sign up to VOLUNTEER on line.
More info? Email: moby_lize@yahoo.ca, or call: 604-251-0900
On Saturday June 6, 2009 a community-designed and community-built playground will be constructed at 11th Avenue East and Commercial Drive in Vancouver. The creation of the MOBY Playground is the partnership of MOBY, the City of Vancouver, MOSAIC, and Whole Foods Market. The project has been initiated to provide a much needed free play space for residents and to beautify an undesirable property that has been a litter-filled magnet for crime. Completion of the project will result in a community-designed play space that enhances the existing green space and provides an opportunity for residents to play and interact with each other. The increased foot traffic and sense of ownership over the space will also increase neighborhood safety.
GARDEN LECTURE: A History of Plant-Based Medicine
Date: Monday June 8, 2009
Time: 12:00pm to 1:00pm
Lecture Details: From prehistoric times, through the Greek Empire, into the Middle Ages and modern day, plants have played a vital role in the development of medicine and thus are deeply entwined in the history and survival of humankind. In this lecture, Nadine will share her research on the history of plant-based medicine and its relationship to historical events and figures, which yielded the current disciplines of herbal and conventional medicine. Following the lecture, Nadine will lead interested participants on a brief walk to the Physic Garden, a 16th Century medicinal herb garden that historically would have grown, adjacent to universities, for the education of physicians and apothecaries. In the Physic Garden, she will introduce botanical specimens with a role in this history, leaving participants with an appreciation for plants as the basis for human health, the medicine of humankind. The medicine of our appetites since the time of the hunter gatherer, the medicine of our ailments since ancient civilizations, and the medicine of our spirit through their beauty, fragrance and the pastime of gardening.
Location: UBC Botanical Garden Reception Centre. 6804 South West Marine Dr, Vancouver.
Cost: $5.00 Cash At The Door.
Please Note: Bring a bag lunch. Coffee and tea supplied. Fee collected at the door. Please contact 604-822-3928 or botg@interchange.ubc.ca in advance to book a seat
JoieFarm Revealed
Inspirations, Stories and Old World Reference Points of winemakers Heidi Noble & Michael Dinn at Salt Tasting Room
Monday June 8th ~ 7:00 pm ~ $80 incl. wine, food, tax, grat
This evening of charcuterie, cheese and four flights of wine will examine the wines and regions that have directly influenced the winemaking at JoieFarm. Six relevant old world wines from Alsace, Burgundy, the Loire Valley and Spain will be poured alongside JoieFarm's A Noble Blend 2008, Rosé 2008, Reserve Chardonnay 2007 and PTG 2007. These flights have been chosen to illustrate why JoieFarm has made the choices that they have about what and how to make their wines. This evening will also be an exclusive preview to the very limited production of the 2007 Reserve wines to be released in September 2009.
Guests will enjoy sampling ten wines, along with various plates of artisan cheeses, hand-crafted charcuterie, condiments and mixed Terra Breads, along with Heidi Noble's Alsatian Onion Tart, all for $80 -which is all-inclusive of food, wine, taxes and gratuity.
Buying a ticket for this event automatically enters you into a draw for a magnum of Joie wine that Heidi & Michael will be giving away as part of the evening.
To purchase a ticket, visit SaltTastingRoom.com/Cellar or call us at 604-633-1912.
Michael Ableman and Foxglove Farm are pleased to announce the launch of the Centre for Arts, Ecology & Agriculture.
The Centre was established to demonstrate and interpret the vital connections between farming, land stewardship, food, the arts, and community well being, to model the economic possibilities for small and medium scale sustainable agricultural and forestry projects, and to nurture the human spirit through public programs, classes, and events.
This year, from July through September, the Centre will be offering workshops on topics ranging from organic seed production, home food growing and preserving, to ecoforestry, landscape painting, illustrated journaling and Brazilian samba. The Centre is also offering a children’s farm camp. The programs will take place at the historic 120 acre Foxglove Farm on beautiful Salt Spring Island.
Come stay in one of our heritage cottages, or camp in a quiet farm meadow, eat fresh farm food (meals are included in workshop fees), and learn from some of North America’s most accomplished farmers, artists, and foresters. Please see www.foxglovefarmbc.ca for more information and workshop registration. We look forward to seeing you on the farm this summer!
Please see www.foxglovefarmbc.ca.
FUN Camps - Environmental education just got a whole lot more FUN
The first Camp in the Vancouver area to focus on leadership and sustainability for youth!
The second exciting summer of FUN Camps is here! Friends Uniting for Nature (FUN) Camps are a non-profit, summer leadership program for 8-16 year olds, focused on providing environmental education through fun, hands-on activity. For youth aged 13-16 we are offering a Peer Leader Program!
The programs will be held in the Penthouse of the UBC Graduate Student Centre, with the majority of the curriculum being delivered outdoors. Camps run weekly from July 6th to August 28th. Camps run Monday – Friday, 9am-4pm. Registration is now open at www.funcamps.ca and space is limited. A limited number of scholarships may be available on a case-by-case basis, if financial need is demonstrated.
