As we mentioned in our post announcing the details to the fundraiser, Head Chef Todd Bright is creating a special menu for ticketholders to choose from featuring local foods – which aligns with our overall market goals. To help offset the cost of the gourmet menu offerings without raising the ticket price for our loyal supporters, generous sponsors have stepped up to the plate and I wanted to point out their generosity and support. The menu includes:

• Barbeque pork with steamed vegetables and jasmine rice – sponsored by the fine folks at Re-Up BBQ who are opening their brick and mortar store at River Market very soon and who have donated the pork for the dish.
• Mushrooms with crispy tofu on jasmine rice (vegan) – sponsored by the New Veganminster Project, who promotes vegan food by putting on events and gatherings in New Westminster and specializes in food-that-doesn’t-taste-vegan-to-omnivores (trust me, I know!).
• chicken with red peppers, snow peas, and bok choy on Shanghai noodles – sponsored by Rockweld Farm – a returning farmers market vendor who have generously donated the chicken to be used by the chef. They are BCSPCA certified and feed their chickens organic grain.

We are also thrilled to be able to produce our own tickets at a reduced printing cost because of local design firm Of Desks. Of Desks has donated the design for our tickets instead of us having to pay a ticket service with lots of hidden charges!

We are still seeking donations for our silent auction and would love to hear from you if you have something you can donate. Please get in touch with us at marketmanager@rcfm.ca.

There are still some tickets available although tickets are going fast! To buy online, you can check out the right sidebar and follow the link to Paypal. Get in touch with us at 778-928-7236 or info@rcfm.ca to buy in person.

On Sunday May 13, RCFM is excited to be presenting a special bonus mini market at River Market from 11-3. With  focus on sweets, crafts, and other delectable goodies, consider bringing Mom down to the market to browse and wander after brunch. There are a number of restaurants in the area serving up special meals for mom and what better way to digest than to wander lazily in the beautiful setting of River Market?

It’s the only market until we return June 7  for our regular weekly summer spot at Tipperary Park on Thursdays, so don’t miss it!

Tickets for the fundraiser will also be on sale.

Sweet on Mom takes place May 13 from 11-3 and will feature a kids’ craft area as well. River Market is located at 810 Quayside Drive in New Westminster.

Our 5th annual fundraiser has been finalized, and this year we are so pleased to be teaming up with the lovely folks at Wild Rice to celebrate the amazing foods British Columbia food producers have to offer. Mark your calendars for May 31 (one week before our summer season starts up!), and join us to kick off our summer season. Festivities start at 6pm on at Wild Rice, located in River Market at 810 Quayside Drive.

Early crowds at last year's event

Like previous years, ticket holders get a meal and an adult beverage, and the very talented Chef Todd Bright has developed unique dishes just for our fundraiser that feature some of the best our vendors have to offer. We are drooling just typing this! Ticket holders may choose from:

• Barbeque pork with steamed vegetables and jasmine rice
• Mushrooms with crispy tofu on jasmine rice (vegan)
• Rockweld Farms chicken with red peppers, snow peas, and bok choy on Shanghai noodles

Wild Rice is creating a specially featured, seasonally-inspired cocktail to pair with the meals and it is included in the ticket price. (You can opt for a draft beer, highball, or specially selected red or white wine if a cocktail isn’t your thing).

The silent auction table from last year

As at our past fundraisers, we will feature a silent auction and 50/50 draw. We are currently seeking donations of goods and services and if you are willing to donate, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us to arrange pickup.

Tickets are just $24. We suggest buying now to avoid disappointment as we have sold out the past three years and expect to again.

Update! Tickets are now available for purchase online! Just hit up our home page, and look for the link in to top right sidebar.

If you’re interested in buying tickets, please email us at info@rcfm.ca.  We can arrange to hold tickets for you at the door. We can take payment via good old fashioned cash, or credit card using paypal. We can also mail you tickets if you’d like. They do need to be paid for in advance.

Please note this event welcomes families with kids to attend – just be aware it is likely to be loud and busy.

Please help us kick start the 2012 summer season and join us May 31 at Wild Rice.

Micro-Gardens Balcony-Side

It seems as if there’s a never ending struggle for space in this day and age, especially when we’re crammed in rows of apartments or condominiums. It’s hard to fully enjoy horticulture at its finest when your apartment window is fifty feet above ground, but why not bring some of the home garden right onto your balcony? Growing plants can bring colour to your outdoor space and even add some flavour to your cooking without invading on your personal space.

Oregano

I live by using oregano when I am cooking, especially in pastas or on barbequed meats. It can easily improve a meal with its aromatic scent and spicy flavour. What’s just as easy is this plant can be grown balcony-side in small pots, as long as there is ample sunlight. It’s best to start the oregano plant off inside then gradually transfer your pots outdoors. Oregano grows best when temperatures are above seven degrees Celsius (45 degrees Fahrenheit), and in well-drained soil that is rich, as to help reduce the strong flavour. When planting your oregano seeds, simply cover them lightly with soil as they need some light to grow and keep the soil moist until the seeds start to spout.

After this point, your plant will not require as much water. Sprouting can take up to two weeks, and approximately five weeks after seedlings appear you can trim your plant to help it grow denser and bushier. Like most herbs, oregano tastes best before its flowers form. You can start harvesting when your plant is four to five inches tall but you can also harvest at any time in the growing period. Cut your plant stems down to the soil so that your next batch can grow more stems.

Sprinkle some of your fresh oregano on your dish closer to the end of cooking (so it does not become bitter from overheating), and you’re ready to go. Oregano can also be easily dehydrated. Just wash and pat dry your stems then put them in a paper bag or filter and keep them in a well-ventilated area out of the sun. Remove the oregano leaves from the stems when dry, store in an air-tight container and you’re ready for any emergency spice calls.

Strawberries

You can’t beat fresh fruit, and what could be fresher than picking ripe fruit right off your balcony? It’s as easy as growing strawberries right outside your door. For strawberry pots, the best types of strawberries are the ever-bearing and day-neutral varieties as they will give you regular harvests from late spring until early fall. Strawberries can be grown inside or outside, as long as they can get around six to eight hours of sunlight a day. Yes, New Westminster might not get the most sun in all of B.C., but the summer season is just around the corner.

When you start to plant, it’s important to know that strawberries need rich potting soil and good drainage to thrive. Specially designed strawberry pots like clay planters with side pouches work best. Fill your strawberry pot with soil up to the lowest pockets then insert your strawberry seeds and fill soil around them. Insert a PVC pipe drilled with holes into the centre of the pot to ensure even watering of the plants. Continue to add soil and strawberry plants until you get two inches below the pot’s rim. Add an extra few plants at the top and water thoroughly.

You’re done the easy part! Now the hard part: waiting. Your plants will need continual watering during the entire growing season. Be patient though, as strawberry seeds can take a couple months to grow. When that time comes, your strawberries are ready to be picked when they’ve turned plump and red.

Tomatoes

Salads can never have enough fixings, which is why having a pot of fresh cherry tomatoes on the balcony can easily garnish a lunchtime meal. There are a variety of cherry tomatoes to choose from when wanting to grow them in small pots. Anmore Treasures, Lyana, Tiny Tim and Yellow Pygmy are some types but Early Dwarf Cherry Tomatoes are great for indoors, because they don’t need as much light as other cherry tomatoes. After you’ve picked which cherry tomatoes you want to grow, you need a pot with holes in the bottom of the pot and a layer of stones for good drainage. Pack potting soil gently into the pot, poke quarter-deep holes in the soil and fill with one or two seeds. Water the plants just enough to keep the soil moist, which can mean watering them daily.

Tomato plants should be kept in a place where they can get lots of sunlight and where it’s relatively warm. Plants will thrive in temperatures around 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit). You should keep the plants inside to begin with then when the sprouts are between four to six inches high, transfer them outside. Tomatoes can take between 55 to 85 days to ripen. When they’re firm and red they’re ready for picking for salads, salsas or pastas.

A creative alternative to planting tomatoes is Lee Valley’s upside-down tomato planter that adds design to your balcony and also protects your plants from pests.

Getting started on your outdoor micro-garden is as easy as borrowing a book from the New Westminster Public Library, such as Stephanie Donaldson’s The Container Garden that features over 40 different designs for planters, pots, boxes, baskets and tubs or Fern Richardson’s Small-space Container Garden to help get your balcony, porch or patio summer-ready.

 She’ll be transitioning over the summer season to take the lead as Operations Manager.

“I’m very excited to be taking on the Operations Manager position for the Royal City Farmers Market over the 2012 summer season,” says Jodi.

She brings to the market years of administrative and program management experience, her love for running special events, and her passion for gardening and community building.

Currently residing in Kitsilano, Jodi spent several years as a New Westminster resident in the late 90s and is happy to be back working in the area using her skills to help continue the great work RCFM has already started.

In addition to gardening and hiking, Jodi loves cycling and is planning to make the trek to the market by bike several times this summer and encourages other market goers to try to do the same. [editor's note: do I smell a challenge?]

“Jodi is a really great addition to the RCFM team. I’m really looking forward to working with her,” says Jen Arbo.

“She has all the skills to seamlessly take over from me, and I have every confidence she will do as good or better job than I. I can’t wait to see what she brings to the market. This is such an exciting season for RCFM.”

To get in touch with Jodi this season, email her at assistantmanager@rcfm.ca. And don’t be afraid to say hi!

Image by Maurizio Carta, used under Creative Commons license

At our recent RCFM Board Meeting, the members of the Board unanimously passed a motion to declare our market a GMO Free Zone.

We feel the expansion of GMOs into our mainstream food supply without labeling denies consumers the right to know what’s in their food and we felt it appropriate to make a statement on what our position was on this matter.

Of the three main GMO crops (canola, corn, and soy) we are only aware of GMO corn being grown in our region, and we will be monitoring the origin of any corn that appears at our Market as well as soy and canola products should a BC vendor apply that sells those.

There are some exciting developments in the struggle to achieve truth in labeling. In California,  volunteers are frantically collecting 500,000 signatures in order to force a referendum in the fall to have GMOs labeled. Polls indicate strong support for this initiative. In Guelph, Ontario, the research project to introduce a GE or “Enviro Pig” into the marketplace has been abandoned and hopefully the same fate will befall the genetically engineered salmon the company AquaBounty has been trying to get approval for.

We are joining other British Columbia communities: Powell River, Saltspring Island, Rossland, Nelson, and soon, Richmond, in making this declaration. Declaring ourselves a GMO Free Zone is more a reflection of our values than a heavy handed enforcement tool. We believe that one of the main reasons consumers are supporting farmers markets in record numbers is a lack of trust in the products being offered by conventional retail outlets. Declaring ourselves a GMO Free Zone is a commitment to the trust our customers have placed in us that we will do everything in our power to ensure the products being offered at our Market are GMO free.

Sincerely,

Andrew Murray

President

Royal City Farmers Market Association

RCFM is excited to sponsor Naramata on the River, a night of fine wine dining, as part of the 11^th Annual British Columbia Cultural Crawl at the River Market in New Westminster.

Naramata Bench Wineries can be found near Penticton in the Southern Okanagan. It’s not enough that they get less rain and hotter weather than us New Westminsterians, but Naramata Bench also gets to sit on sand cliffs with views of mountains, vineyards and Okanagan Lake with a fresh glass of sun-soaked wine.

The one big perk with Naramata on the River is that you don’t have to drive the five hours to get to the wine: the wine is coming to you. On April 24, 2012, the River Market at the New Westminster Quay will be hosting Naramata Bench Wineries from 6:30pm to 9:00pm. Plan a Tuesday night in the town and walk, bike or skytrain to the River Market to taste test new wines.

Rest assured there will be no shortages of red or white wine choices between the 21 members associated with Naramata Bench, including Laughing Stock Vineyards, the 2011 Canadian Wine Awards gold medal winner for Syrah 2009. A full list of the participating wineries is located at the bottom of this post. The Spring wine releases will be paired with dishes from Vancouver restaurants, including the Hamilton Street Grill, Hagensborg Chocolates and Naramata’s personal Hillside Bistro to complete your wine tasting experience.

As if dining by the River listening to live music by the Sarah Kennedy Jazz Trio and New Westminster singer and songwriter Gillian Hobbs isn’t enough, you will get the chance to meet and greet Naramata winemakers and bid on silent auctions for Naramata wines, Naramata Wine Country Getaways, Behind the Scenes Wine Experiences and Canadian artworks.

This event promises to be an evening of fine wining, dining and spending quality time with family and friends.

Participating wineries:

Black Widow Winery
D’Angelo Estate Winery
Elephant Island Orchard Wines
Hillside Estate Winery & Bistro
Kettle Valley Winery
La Frenz Winery
Lake Breeze Vineyards
Laughing Stock Vineyards
Misconduct Wine Co.
Monster Vineyards
Moraine Estate Winery
Nichol Vineyard & Estate Winery
Perseus Winery
Poplar Grove Winery
Red Rooster Winery
Serendipity Winery
Therapy Vineyards
Township 7 Vineyards & Winery
Upper Bench Estate Winery
Van Westen Vineyards
3 Mile Estate Winery

Click here to order tickets online.

Visit www.bcculturalcrawl.com for tickets or more information on Naramata on the River.
Visit www.naramatabench.com to learn more about Naramata Bench Wineries.

Beautiful loaves from A Bread Affair

This Saturday marks our final winter market for this season. After this market, we’ll be taking a short hiatus to get organized for the summer (but you can see our info booth at the Naramata at the River wine event April 24) and we’ll be returning to Tipperary Park on Thursdays from 3-7 from June 7 to October 4.

But! Winter market season is not over yet despite the return of spring and daylight savings and this market will be our most packed yet this season! We hope you can join us.

You can pick up your tickets for the Naramata Bench Spring Wine Release event on April 24 at the market on Saturday – they’ll be upstairs just outside the circus school. Kids crafts are generously sponsored by Yoyomama.ca and you can find them upstairs, too. The BC Hydro PowerSmart team will also be on hand with activities and information. Outside on the west end, find the local Brownie pack with information about Girl Guides of Canada. We are pleased to have Karla Sleightholme, a talented local saxaphone player, performing live throughout the market. Local environmental group, New Westminster Environmental Partners will also be there to provide info and gather your input on the Master Transportation Plan in New Westminster.

You can reach the market on foot via McInnes Street, Begbie Street or via the overhead walkway from Hyack Square at the foot of 8th Street. There is a bike rack on the south west end of the market. Free parking is available courtesy of the City of New Westminster on the B deck of the downtown waterfront parkade. You can enter it via 6th or 4th Streets. Park on the B deck, at the southwest end and use the stairs to access Quayside Drive. And pay parking is available to the west and east of River Market for $1.50 for 2 hours.

The market takes place inside (both upstairs and downstairs) and outside (on the patio and on the west end). There are lots of yummy hot food choices as well as amazing handmade crafts, prepared delicacies, and produce – yes! Produce. Here’s what’s in season right now.

Here are the vendors confirmed. Stop by the RCFM info booth if you need help finding a specific vendor’s location. Please note not all vendors come to every market, so to stay up to date, subscribe using www.mymarketsnews.com - we’ll send you a reminder a few days before the market with a list of whose signed up to come.

Eat On Site

• Gina’s Greek Food Catering – delicious Greek food ready to eat
• Ovenmonkey Bakery – selling fresh Langos – Hungarian fried flatbread
• Pazzarella Auto Pizzeria - wood fired oven baked pizza
• Re-Up BBQ – southern pulled pork, beef brisket, lemonade, sweet tea, and bacon!
• Samosa Guy - hot vegetarian samosas and pakoras, as well as frozen take home samosas

Produce

• 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

Dairy

• Greendale Herb and Vine – Cheddar cheese, cheese curds, herbs, nut butters and honeycomb

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.
• Sweet Thea Cake Company – tarts, pies, cookies, and cakes

Delectable Treats and Prepared Yummies

• AJI Gourmet Products – sauces made using aji spice
• Anne’s Gallery – Jams, jellies & knitting
• Dundarave Olive Company – unique olive products
• Gary’s Kettlecorn – Kettlecorn
• Gourmet Savories – antipasto and pesto
• Maples’ Sugar Shack - maple syrup products
• My Father’s Garden – preserves and seasonal baking
• Momma Nellie’s Goodies – Salsa, crisps, and cranberry jelly
• 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

• Affera Cosmetics – mineral makeup made in Burnaby
• Amanda McCracken – one of a kind crocheted 3D stuffed toys
• Calido Art Glass – lampworked beads and jewelry
• Dingolay Glass Creations - African and Caribbean fused glass jewelry
• Hoover Crafted Jewelry - beaded jewelry made in New Westminster
• Ildiko Jewelry – hand forged sterling silver jewelry
• Jolene’s Handmade Soap – cold process soaps coloured with spices
• My Secret Cravings – miniature food inspired polymer clay jewelry
• The Other Eden - cold process soaps scented with essential & fragrance oils, room sprays, body products
• Pretty Up Parties – upcycled and unique craft supplies
• Quality Oak Accents – Fine wood creations

macarons - delicious!

We here at the market have started the work for summer, including seeking new vendors and also seeking a new Operations Manager. Check out the links if you’re interested.

But that doesn’t mean we aren’t excited for the last two winter markets! We are pleased this month to have Pretty Up Parties returning as our kids activity sponsor in front of the circus school, and Melissa has a really fun craft planned. We will also have balloon artist Kemal upstairs for your entertainment, and our musical guest this month is Karla Sleightholme, a jazz sax player. We are also happy to be supporting the community group this month. Lunchgroup Heavy Industries, a fun team fundraising and riding in the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer (and their team captain happens to be a former board member). The community group area is located upstairs near the escalator.

Don’t forget to check out the vendors outdoors – both on the patio on the riverside and on the west end of the market. We’ve got a few new ones this month we think you’ll really like.

You can reach the market on foot via McInnes Street, Begbie Street or via the overhead walkway from Hyack Square at the foot of 8th Street. There is a bike rack on the south west end of the market. Free parking is available courtesy of the City of New Westminster on the B deck of the downtown waterfront parkade. You can enter it via McKenzie, 6th, or 4th Streets. Park on the B deck, at the southwest end and use the stairs to access Quayside Drive. And pay parking is available to the west and east of River Market for $1.50 for 2 hours.

The market takes place inside (both upstairs and downstairs) and outside (on the patio and on the west end). There are lots of yummy hot food choices as well as amazing handmade crafts, prepared delicacies, and produce – yes! Produce. Here’s what’s in season right now.

Here are the vendors confirmed. Stop by the RCFM info booth if you need help finding a specific vendor’s location. Please note not all vendors come to every market, so to stay up to date, subscribe using www.mymarketsnews.com - we’ll send you a reminder a few days before the market with a list of whose signed up to come.

Here’s who is slated for this Saturday (current as of February 27):

Eat On Site

• Gina’s Greek Food Catering – delicious Greek food ready to eat
• Ovenmonkey Bakery – selling fresh Langos – Hungarian fried flatbread
• Pazzarella Auto Pizzeria - wood fired oven baked pizza
• Re-Up BBQ – southern pulled pork, beef brisket, lemonade, sweet tea, and bacon!
• Samosa Guy - hot vegetarian samosas and pakoras, as well as frozen take home samosas

Produce

• Forstbauer Family Natural Food Farm – organic produce, eggs, and beef
• Golden West Farms - Okanagan fruit grown in Summerland, many certified organic

• Greendale Herb and Vine – Cheddar cheese, cheese curds, herbs, nut butters and honeycomb

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.
• Sweet Thea Cake Company – tarts, pies, cookies, and cakes

Delectable Treats and Prepared Yummies

• AJI Gourmet Products – sauces made using aji spice
• Anne’s Gallery – Jams, jellies & knitting
• Dundarave Olive Company – unique olive products
• Gourmet Savories – antipasto and pesto
• Momma Nellie’s Goodies – Salsa, crisps, and cranberry jelly
• Rascal’s Goodies – flavoured popcorns and old fashioned candies
• Simply Delish Soup Co - layered soup mix, rice pilaf mix, and spice rubs
• TK Chocolates – small batch flavoured chocolates

Local Crafters

• Dingolay Glass Creations - African and Caribbean fused glass jewelry
• Gracious Gowns and Gifts - custom and unique beautiful hospital gowns
• Jolene’s Handmade Soap – cold process soaps coloured with spices
• My Secret Cravings – miniature food inspired polymer clay jewelry
• Pretty Up Parties – upcycled and unique craft supplies
• Quality Oak Accents – Fine wood creations
• Scentimental Creations – Soaps, lotions, hand made cosmetics

Jen Arbo

I’ve been the Operations Manager for RCFM since 2009 and have really enjoyed being a part of such a supportive and happy community. I feel thankful to have had such a unique perspective on local food and to see neighbours coming together each week.

In late 2010, I co-founded a digital strategy consulting business with a friend of mine, Briana Tomkinson, called Hyack Interactive. Our business has been steadily building and we recently received the Best Home Based Business of the Year Award from the New Westminster Chamber of Commerce. We’re really proud of our success and I love the work I do with Hyack Interactive.

With success comes a price, and that price has been a tug on my time. As a work from home parent, there are a limited number of hours in a day I can set aside for completing my work and doing it well. As a result, I’ve made the incredibly difficult choice to make this summer my last with RCFM. I will miss my market life terribly, but for my family, it’s the right choice. I hope to continue to contribute to the market as a volunteer. I am grateful for the trust and opportunity afforded to me by the Board of Directors, current and past, and know how valuable RCFM is to New Westminster.

We’ve started our search for my replacement early so we may find just the right person to replace me and to give them the chance to be introduced to all aspects of the position with on-the-job learning over this summer season. An Operations Manager requires a huge degree of organization, juggling, patience, and flexibility. For most weeks of the market, I have back up plans on top of back up plans and rely on the Board of Directors and valued volunteers for support to make the market happen.

It is critical to all of us at RCFM that we make this transition seamless so the community that has supported us since our inception in 2008 sees no hiccups and continues to enjoy the weekly summer market. If you or someone you know is a suitable candidate, and is interested in part time work, we’d love to hear from you. A detailed job description with instructions on how to apply is here. We are accepting applications until March 16.

Finally, I want to say thank you to the market shoppers and supporters for making my job so much more than a plain old job, and for all of the positive comments I have received since first announcing my intention to hand over the reins to someone new.