Did you know that Royal City Farmers Market is a non profit society under the BC Societies Act? We’re required to have an Annual General Meeting each year and elect a volunteer Board of Directors that guide the operation of the farmers market. We also think that an AGM is also an excellent opportunity to touch base with our members and highlight the year just passed.
This year we are pleased to host guest speaker John Gibeau, from the Honeybee Centre in Langley. John is a New Westminster resident and is going to share his expertise on honeybees, why they are so critical to world food supplies and how to identify wasps and what to do about them.
The AGM will take place at New Westminster Public Library on January 26th. Doors and registration is at 6:00pm, and the evening will get underway at 7:00pm. Memberships are available to purchase at the AGM for just $10, and membership is required to vote in the election of our new Board of Directors.
Do you ever feel like ditching the big city life of Metro Vancouver for an afternoon, or even overnight, and exploring one of the wonderful farm countries in our area? But maybe you just don’t know where to go? Circle Farm Self-Guided Tours could be just thing for you!
To sum it up, Circle Farm Tours are a collection of road maps in five farming communities around Metro Vancouver. There is Abbotsford, Langley, Chilliwack, Agassiz/ Harrison Mills and Maple Ridge/ Pitt Meadows. There are brochures available for each of these places, included in the brochure is a road map and a list of places to visit. There are farms, with farm-gate vendors, open air markets, delicious local restaurants and cafes, heritage sites, fairs and special events. Check out the list bellow to see a more detailed report of what you can expect in each place.
Abbotsford
The Abbotsford Circle Farm Tour has thirteen year round stops, and three seasonal ones. There are restaurants (Restaurant 62 designs their menu to be in sync with the season), an Antique store (Granny & Grumpa’s Antiques has possibly the largest personal collection of antiques in BC), farms and dairy’s (Goat’s Pride Dairy produces organic goats milk, yogurt and cheeses), a winery (Mt. Lehman Winery produces delicious organic wines) and more! Special events coming up for the Abbotsford Circle Tour are Grandparents Day at Maan Farms (July 23rd), Abbotsford Agrifair and Might Fraser Rodeo (July 28 – Aug. 1st) and the Annual Free Family Fun Day at Campbell’s Gold Honey Farm and Meadery (Aug. 20th).
Langley
Langley’s Circle Farm Tour has fourteen year round stops. Places include four wineries (Township 7 Wineyards and Winery opens their winery for art shows, live music, wine seminars and more!), farms and dairy’s (Driediger Farms specializes in all of the different berries BC has to offer!), the weekly Langley Farmers Market (every Wednesday, 2 – 4pm), and more (don’t forget to visit Fort Langley!). Events coming up in Langley are the Farmers Feat at Krause Berry Farms (July 17th), Driediger Farm’s Langley Eats Local (Aug. 28th) and Art in the Vines at Township 7 Winery (Aug. 28th).
Chilliwack
The Chilliwack Circle Farm Tour features ten year round stops and three seasonal ones. There are plenty of place to buy souvenirs here (Rustic Soap Co. specializes in natural, herbal soap), farms and gardens (Minter Country Garden is an 18 acre plot that has plants from all over the world), restaurants (Hofstede’s Country Barn can fill you up with a homemade lunch or dinner), and come fall don’t forget to check out the Chilliwack Corn Maze! Upcoming events in Chilliwack are the 9th Annual Classic Car Show at Minter Gardens (July 17th), the 3rd Annual Slow Food Cycle Tour (July 24th) and the 6th Annual Greendale Country Sampler Tour (Aug. 20th).
Agassiz/ Harrison Mills
There are eight year round stop and two seasonal stops on the Agassiz/ Harrison Mills Circle Farm Tour. Their stops include farms and a dairy (Canadian Hazelnut produces a variety of different kinds of hazelnuts), a historical site and museum, a pottery studio (as well as being a pottery studio The Back Porch also roasts their own coffee!), and the Sparkes Corn Barn(enjoy some tasty handpicked corn and strawberries!). Don’t miss these events coming up soon in Agassiz/ Harrison Mills: the Harrison Festival of the Arts (July 9th – 17th), the Agassiz Slow Food Cycle Tour (July 23rd) and the Sts’ailes Art in the Garden (Aug. 6th).
Maple Ridge/ Pitt Meadows
There are twelve stops on the Maple Ridge/ Pitt Meadows Circle Farm Tour. This Circle Tour features markets (Bruce’s County Market specializes in fresh and smoked salmon, produce, grocery items and even dinners!), farms (Heather Hills Farm Society has plenty of fresh cut heather, hazelnuts and vegetables), a winery (Blue Heron Fruit Winery has a variety of table and dessert wines for you to pick from!), and a few fun stops good for the whole family (Honeyland Canada will introduce you to the world of bees!). Events upcoming in the Maple Ridge/ Pitt Meadows area are: Country Fest at Memorial Peace Park (July 23rd & 24th) and Golfing in the Dark at Heather Hill’s Farm (Sept. 24th).
There are lists of all of the activities for each for the tours available on the Circle Farm Tours website: http://circlefarmtour.com/
The brochures (which include a map and list of stops) are available by pdf.
This week we will be having a special market to support the fabulous non-profit organizations in New Westminster. With over 15 non-profits attending – each one will have their own booth set up – this market is sure to be a blast! Come join us and learn about some of the non-profits in your neighbourhood, attendees include (but are not limited to!): the Wildlife Rescue Association, Fraser River Discovery Centre, Royal City Gogos, FortisGas, BC Hydro, Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition, Abreast in a Boat, and many more!
We will of course have all of our wonderful vendors in attendance, as well as Art in the Park and out Kids’ Craft area – sponsored by Derrick Thornhill. Music this week will be provided by the wandering jazz duo, Quinn and Ogilvie. The Heritage Grill continues to support all of our entertainment at the market. My Garden Footprint will also be in attendance this week, and they will be giving out prizes!
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 14 market is below, but remember to check back for cancelations and updates!
Non-profits attending this market:
- Abreast in a Boat
- BC Hydro
- Burns Bog Conservation Society
- Cops for Cancer
- Downtown Residents Association
- Kids New West
- FortisGas
- Fraser River Discover Centre
- Kidney Foundation of Canada, BC Branch
- New Westminster Area Community Corrections
- New Westminster Community Gardens
- Royal City Gogos
- Simon Fraser Society for Community Living
- Taoist Tai Chi Society
- Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition
- Wildlife Rescue Association
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 - produce from 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.
- Sunrise Pita Company – pitas, chips, dips, baklava and and banana bread
- 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
- Anne’s Gallery – Jams, jellies & knitting
- Gary’s Kettlecorn – Kettlecorn
- Gourmet Savories – antipasto and pesto
- Jane’s Honey Bees – honey and other bee products
- Nonna Pia’s – balsamic reductions
- 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
- Black Bamboo Artisans – hand made glazed pottery and knitting
- Ildiko Jewelry – hand forged sterling silver jewelry
- Quality Oak Accents – handmade wooden cutting boards and small furniture
- Scentimental Creations – Soaps, lotions, hand made cosmetics
Gardening
- Secret Garden – cut flowers and hand tied bouquets
Services
- Harmony Works Chair Massage – on site chair massage
We are pleased to be associated with a very special event coming up this Canada Day. Food from the Ground Up! is a special one day festival at River Market (formerly Westminster Quay) celebrating the artistic, sustainable, and delicious nature of food. Food from the Ground Up is the brainchild of Laura Vladamirova, who won a community grant from River Market to put on her event. Mary Forstbauer of Forstbauer Farms, Doug Lowe of Greendale Herb and Vine, and Training Wheels Farm will be there with products to sell and the fine folks at Glen Valley Organic Farm will also be contributing. Check out the photo gallery, sample delicious goodies, and a celebration of food origins. Food from the Ground Up is from 11-3 and is a part of Canada Day events at River Market.
Check out a New Westminster NewsLeader article here for a little bit more info. You can email eattheseeds@gmail.com or check them out on Twitter. Hope we see you there!
There is always a lot to in the summer. The weather is warm (hopefully!), the days are longer, and generally good times are had. There are music festivals, farmers markets and festivals to go to. With all of these hip happening things going on, it’s hard to keep track. In hopes of helping ease the stress of all that event coordinating, I have developed a list of the top seven food events happening this summer, enjoy!
Royal City Farmers Market Fundraiser
May 26th, 6-10pm – Heritage Bar & Grill, New Westminster
The Royal City Farmers Market fundraiser is a key necessity in keeping the market running. With tickets only $20 (includes a burger and drink) it’s a steal of a deal for a great cause!
June 2 – 5, various times – various locations around Tofino
Now in its third year, the Tofino Food and Wine Festival features amazing (and delicious!) events such as an Epicurean Showcase, Bienvenue! A taste of BC Bubbles, The Cocktail Show, and, their main events, Grazing in the Gardens —located at the beautiful Tofino Botanical Gardens. Tickets to the festival differ per event.
EAT! Vancouver, Food & Cooking Festival
June 10 – 12, various times – the new Vancouver Convention Centre, West Wing
Eat! Vancouver is a massive event that gives people the opportunity to learn about different food, and different ways of cooking. Chefs from restaurants all around Vancouver will have samples of their best dishes available for a small charge ($1 – $2.50). Venture over to the Grapes and Hops Stage to try out wine and beer from all over BC. Adult tickets are $16.
June 17 -18, various times — Comox, BC
The BC Shellfish Festival is the largest seafood festival in BC. This year it will have exciting events such as a Chef’s Dinner (tickets – $120), and two main stages (tickets – $5) featuring cooking demos, an Oyster Shucking competition and a Chowder Challenge, and live music! The event promises to be fun for the whole family!
July 1, 9 – 11am — Krauseberry Farms, Langley
Come out and celebrate Canada Day and contribute to a great cause — Breast Cancer Research. There will be hay-rides, horse-drawn wagon rides, face painting, live entertainment and, of course, a delicious pancake breakfast. Entry is by donation (all proceeds go to Breast Cancer Research)
July 10, 4pm – Glorious Organics, Aldergrove, BC
Outstanding in the Field is a traveling culinary adventure that moves around North America trying to reconnect food eaters with the food they eat. This year Outstanding in the Field will take place at the Glorious Organics farm, who is a major distributor to restaurants throughout Vancouver. Tickets are $190.00.
July 17 – Krauseberry Farms, Langley
This year will mark the 6th Annual Farmers Feat. Come out to Krauseberry Farms and meet the local farmers and business people in your community. This is a great oppurtiunty to learn some new things about farming and the business behind it. There will also be tasty food, live entertainment, hay-rides, horse-drawn wagon rides, face painting and a petting farm!
We can’t wait to see you all at the 4th Annual Dinner and Silent Auction on May 26th from 6-10pm at the Heritage Grill. The event will feature live music and a silent auction full of amazing donated goods. Your ticket includes your choice of pasta primavera or beef, chicken, veggie, or lamb burger with fries or salad as well as a glass of house wine or draft beer. This event will sell out – please don’t wait to get your tickets.
We thank our very generous supporters for their donated goods. Please check out this page for a listing and support those who support us. Goods include a artist signed and numbered framed Carl Brenders print, a two hour social media strategy consultation, pet sitting services, gift baskets, produce, gift certificates and much more!
Tickets for the fundraiser are now available online through Eventbrite for a small fee to cover the administrative costs. You can also call us at 778-928-7236 or email at info@rcfm.ca to have us set aside tickets at the door.
While this may seem unrelated to farming, we did want to let you know about an upcoming music event that one of our familiar volunteers, Alex Stark, has brought to our attention.
Alex writes:
To all those with a passion for music, I would like to invite you to an exciting evening of ballads, lullabies and other folk songs by my choir les Echos du pacifique. It takes place Saturday, April 30th, please see the attached poster for more details. Tickets will be 12 dollars at the door but I am able to sell them directly to you for 9 dollars. Feel free to contact me at (604)522-1110 should you wish to purchase some tickets.
Here’s the poster. Click to embiggen.
RCFM is again participating in the well attended and fun 9th Annual Festival of Volunteers, put on by the Community Volunteer Connections. The festival takes place at Royal City Centre on January 29th from 9:30am to 3:30pm. We hope to see you there! Check out CVC’s website for further details and a list of attending community organizations!
We are thrilled to announce the details of our Annual General Meeting. It will take place Saturday February 5th at Holy Trinity Cathedral located at 514 Carnarvon Street – it’s the same place as our winter market. Doors open at 5:30PM and light refreshments will be served.
Memberships for the 2011 season will be available for $10. In order to vote or stand for election for our Board of Directors, you must be a member. Cash and cheque are accepted. The AGM will be called to order at 6PM. All are welcome to attend and we encourage you to bring a friend to come and see what RCFM is all about. Get involved!
From 7-7:30 we’ll have an intermission and social in the lounge, and at 7:30, for the first time in New Westminster, a special public screening of The Clean Bin Project will take place. The Clean Bin Project was originally a contest between three friends to live waste free for a year. It has since become a highly acclaimed documentary and valuable resource for info on lowering your waste.
Admission for the film screening is a very special price of $3 for 2011 members of RCFM, and a sliding scale of $5-$10 for general admission. This is a must see documentary 76 minutes in length. Jen and Grant will be on hand to present their film and will be available afterward for questions and answers.
Any questions, please don’t hesitate to email us at info@rcfm.ca
RCFM is partnering with the Quayside Community Board and offering a mini market on Saturday, August 21st, in the Quayside neighbourhood from 10AM to 3PM. A map is available on www.quaysideboard.com
A selection of our high quality vendors will be in attendance:
- Eat It Up -delicious gluten free and no sugar added pies, cookies, breads, and agave nectar
- A Bread Affair – hand crafted artisan and organic breads
- Quality Oak Accents - true craftsmanship in the form of wood cutting boards, rolling pins, and other home accents
- Scentimental Creations – fresh, clean, gorgeous smelling body and homecare products
- Maan Farms – produce grown in Abbotsford
- Canwest Farms – specializing in 5 and 10lb boxes of blueberries, picked fresh in Richmond
- Simply Delish – attractively packaged dry layered soup and salad mixes
- Copeland Foods - hot vegetarian samosas, and frozen take home meat pies and dinner entrees – also, sodas!
As well as our friendly volunteer-run info tent with information about the market and what we offer each week.
Please come down and see us!
