CSFS students Colin Dring and Tori Otenso featured in Richmond News

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A chef and farmer; what a perfect combination! Returning UBC Farm Market vendor Growing, Cooking and Eating is a venture started by Chef Carla Hick three years ago, now in its second year selling at the UBC Farm Market. Alongside delicious vegetables grown in Burnaby, teas, and crackers all made locally, your also get the chance to chat with a chef who has incredible ideas for what to create with your produce when you get home! We had the chance to hear more about the business from Carla herself.

Why did you start your business? What motivates you in your work?

I love growing, cooking and eating! Ever since a child eating has brought me great joy. After high school I pursued a career as a chef, then moved into working in a culinary garden fell in love with growing and now I am studying agriculture at UBC. The name Growing, Cooking & Eating started as signing my food related emails with “Happy Growing, Cooking & Eating”, has evolved into a facebook page and website to share the joy of all things growing, cooking and eating. This year, since I have more land to grow I am able to share some of my bounty with fellow people.

Ronde de Nice zucchini at their market stall

Please share a memorable or meaningful interaction you have had with a shopper (at any market or sales venue):

When I first started making my tea blends I received a lot of support! I always remember one lady who was very enthusiastic of taste testing my teas, she always referred to them as beautiful, unique and was stoked over the fact I grew and dehydrated all the ingredients myself.

Among the products/services you sell, what is your personal favourite and why?

Ronde de Nice Zucchini! A round zucchini with delicate stripes, amazing! Lemon Calm Tea! A blend of lemon balm, lemon verbena and yellow violas! Uplifts the soul and calms the mind, not to mention extremely tasty.

We can’t help asking, since you’re a chef: do you have a recipe for your produce to share?

Nasturtium Compound Butter

Ingredients: 1/2 Pound Butter, 25 Large Nasturtium Leaves, 2 Shallots, 3 Garlic Cloves, S & P

Method:

1. Bring butter to room temperature.
2. Wash the produce and pat to dry.
3. Fine dice the shallots and garlic then saute lightly in a tsp of butter. Season lightly and cool.
4. Stack nasturtium leaves on top of one another, roll into a log and finely chiffonade crossways.
5. Whip the room temperature butter in a mixer with the paddle attachment (bowl and wooden spoon works too) for 5 minutes on medium speed (about 15 by hand) until it is light, fluffy and slightly more white in colour.
6. Reduce speed of mixer to low, add the shallots and garlic, mix to combine.
   

   Carla, second from the left, at the farm site in Burnaby

7. Add the nasturtium leaves slowly and mix to combine.
8. Place a large piece of saran wrap on the counter. With a spatula scrape half the butter into the middle. Roll the butter into a uniform log, and secure ends. Important: Do not roll the saran wrap inside the butter, must remain completely on the perimeter. Then wrap the log in aluminum foil, twist the ends at the same time to squish the butter into an even more uniform log.
9. Repeat step 8 with the other half of the butter.
10. Freeze the logs.
11. When you have a nice piece of fish, steak or veggies remove the log from the freezer, unravel partially and slice of some nice medallions to garnish your food! It will look very professional and adds a nice butter and pepper taste to your food. Happy Growing, Cooking & Eating!

If you want to learn more about Growing, Cooking & Eating, check out their Facebook page and their website. They will be at the UBC Farm Saturday Farmers’ Market next on August 18. Learn more about other market vendors and topics on our Saturday Farmers’ Market blog!

These weekly market blog posts are linked from our newsletter when they are posted; to get regular updates, make sure to join our newsletter here.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice-cream! This week, we will be sharing a bit about Salt Lick Ice Cream founded by Ingrid Severson in March 2015 right here in Vancouver. She makes small batch artisanal ice-cream, using local seasonal ingredients (her bourbon peach featured right now uses BC peaches and Vancouver Island sea salt). Can ice cream get any better than this? She will be returning to the market this week, so be sure to drop by, sample some of her incredible flavours and grab yourself a half-pint to enjoy while you stroll the market or a full pint to take home for the weekend!

What inspired you to start making ice-cream as a business?

I’m a chef so I was inspired by seasonal flavours. Bought a small home machine and started churning!

Where is your ice-cream made and how do you source your ingredients?

Some of Salt Lick’s flavours at their last UBC Farm Market date

I make my ice-cream at Commissary Connect and source local seasonal ingredients whenever possible.

If you could describe your business in three words, what would they be and why?

Sweet tooth, Seasonal, Savoury

What makes Salt Lick Ice-cream different from other ice-creams available in Vancouver?

My flavours have a twist, leaning towards savoury ingredients

What is your favourite flavour available right now?

My favourite flavour I make is gjetost (Norwegian goat cheese)

Pints aplenty when you peek inside Salt Lick’s cooler at the market!

Where else can we find your ice-cream?

Bennys Market and Les Amis du Fromages

If you want to learn more about Salt Lick Ice Cream, check out their Facebook page and their instagram.

Salt Lick will be at the UBC Farm Satyrday Farmers’ Market August 11, August 18, September 8, and September 22. Learn more about other market vendors and topics on our Saturday Farmers’ Market blog!

These weekly market blog posts are linked from our newsletter when they are posted; to get regular updates, make sure to join our newsletter here.

A regularly vendor at the Saturday Farmers’ Market since 2016, Rockweld Farm is a core part of the market community! With friendly staff, a wide selection of SPCA-certified meat, and eggs aplenty, Rockweld’s recognizable “chicken truck” is an essential stop during your trip to the market.

Aaron took the time to share a bit with us about this family business and how it came to be. They have been in operation for 20 years; owners Tim and Flo moved to Abbotsford and their children had health concerns so they tried searching for healthy chicken. Despite their efforts, they couldn’t find anything, so they decided to create a chicken farm themselves!

They grow and process their own chicken at Rockweld; their chicken do not contain any antibiotics or vaccines, are fed certified organic feed, and are SPCA certified (learn more about SPCA certification for farms and what it means here). You can find everything made with exclusively their own chicken: from full roasting birds to breasts, wings, thighs, sausages, burger patties, pepperoni and more. If you’ve got the freezer space or you have a big group to cook for, they even offer larger quantities or packages for discounts! The flavour of their humanely-raised, local chicken is unbeatable and their eggs are always flying fast among marketgoers. Whether it’s a special meal or a weeknight dinner on the barbecue, Rockweld has you covered!

Find Rockweld Farm Ltd.:

• instagram
• facebook
• their website
• At the UBC Farm Saturday Farmers’ Market every other Saturday (next date: July 28) until the end of October.

Learn more about other market vendors and topics on our Saturday Farmers’ Market blog!