“Storing carbon in the soil is essential for healthy crops and important for reducing CO2 emissions.”
Dr. Sean Smukler, UBC LFS professor, recently gave comments in the Natural Observer about the reduction of soil fertility in the Fraser Valley, and why this is problematic for farming.
“People have unstable or inadequate access to food because they don’t have the financial means.”
Dr. Jennifer Black, CSFS Associate and LFS Professor, recently spoke with iHeartRadio about how the pandemic has widened food insecurity in Canada.
We recently sent one of our Autumn Frost squash to Sage Restaurant, and were gifted a recipe in return! Bree Hargraves is a friend of the Farm and chef at Sage Restaurant and Catering on campus. The Autumn Frost squash is a variety new to us this year – with rich butternut flavour and a natural bloom on the skin, it is sure to become a new favourite. Delight your dinner table with this recipe, and try the vegetarian switch up. It’s worth every bite!
Pick up produce at our weekly markets: Saturdays 10AM-2PM at UBC Farm. Learn more about our produce and browse other recipes in our Market Recipe Blog. Recieve regular market recipes from our newsletter here.
This week we are featuring Salty Cabbage, a first year vendor at our market! Salty Cabbage offers kimchi made from a variety of locally-sourced produce, all are gluten-free and without preservatives and a great source of probiotic goodness. We recently had the pleasure of chatting with owner and UBC alumni, Kailyn Chunn, to find out more.
We started last September, so it has been almost 9months. We started making and selling kimchi because it’s hard to find good kimchi in Vancouver. They are all imported from Korea and China and most of them are over fermented by the time customers purchase them. Most of them have MSG and preservatives and are non-vegan. We offer clean, fresh kimchi and have 2 types of vegan-friendly kimchi.
What are the three most important things you think people should know about Salty Cabbage?Kimchi is simply salted napa cabbage marinated in different spices. You start eating them when it’s fresh and it slowly gets fermented over time. It is one of the healthiest food in the world because of the amount of probiotics and vitamins it has.
Korean people started making kimchi when napa cabbages were first imported from China. Back in the old days there was no refrigeration, so people started preserving vegetables before winter and eat them throughout long cold winter days.
What makes yours unique?
. We just make 4 of those hundred different types- Classic, Vegan Classic, White, and Radish kimchi. It’s the most well-known and the most common kimchi you will see in Korea. However, our kimchi stands out from other commercial brands because our kimchi is homestyle, authentic, and only use real ingredients. It’s different in texture, smell, and taste. A lot of new customers become regular customers and order our bulk tub monthly.
When we buy local ingredients, I buy them from someone I trust, usually farmers I meet from farmers markets. Their products might be pricier than those mass-produced products. However, the quality from local farmers are much better since they put so much effort and care into their products. Another perk of buying ingredients from local farmers at farmers’ market is that you can check the quality and the taste of their products weekly at the market.
If you could only have one of your kimchis for the rest of your life which one would it be?
It would definitely be our classic kimchi. I love the sweet and spicy flavour when it’s fresh and the fizziness and tangy flavour when it’s fermented. I eat a jar of classic kimchi daily and I can’t survive without it.
I graduated from UBC so I get newsletters and updates on social media platforms regularly. UBC Market was the very first market I had in mind when I first researched on markets. I love how it is set up right on the farm and there are so many unique vendors here.
You can find us at UBC farmers market, Mt. Pleasant farmers market and West end farmers market. For retail stores, we are at Sungiven foods, West Wood Organics in Kerrisdale, The federal store, Meinhardt, Nourish Market, Larry’s market, Pomme natural, and Grocery checkout UBC. We are also at C market coffee in Coquitlam and spent grounds coffee roasters in Surrey. If you place an order on our website, we deliver for free once a month in certain regions
“Saving our climate — and the future of food — could be as simple as planting fields of clover or putting cows to pasture on wheat fields in winter.”
Dr. Sean Smukler, UBC LFS professor, recently gave comments in the Natural Observer about farming techniques that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as how managing nitrous oxide emissions is complicated.
This week we are featuring Occasionally Honey, a first-year vendor at our market! Occasionally Honey provides a variety of gluten-free and mostly vegan baked goods and frozen desserts. All desserts are loaded with flavour so those with food intolerances aren’t missing out. We recently had the pleasure of chatting with the owner, Nicole Fraser, to find out more.
A little over three years. Having spent over a decade working in the food industry, paired with not being able to eat gluten for 12 years, I wanted to create a business that made those with food intolerances have more options and not feel excluded anymore. Seeing people get excited because they can eat an ice cream sandwich for the first time in 10 years always brings me joy and reminds me of why I started this business in the first place.
What are the three most important things you think people should know about Occasionally Honey?
I know there are many people with sensitivities to both gluten and dairy. Personally, adjusting to not being able to eat gluten many years ago was difficult, so I can only imagine how difficult it is for those with multiple food intolerances. Having worked with vegan cuisine for many years, I was confident I could create many recipes that were both gluten and dairy-free so they could be enjoyed by more people.
Can you tell us about the process for developing recipes?
Mostly a lot of trial and error over the years, combined with reading up on food science to understand what exactly makes each baked good the way it is. Finding out what makes a muffin rise, or a cookie soft or chewy is important in baking and becomes more complex when you remove certain ingredients like gluten or eggs. Making many mistakes, taking notes and seeing how to improve upon next time and not giving up is usually how the process goes.
Using real ingredients is very important. It feels better when you eat a cookie with maple syrup and nothing artificial compared to a cookie that’s filled with lard and food dyes. Our bodies know the difference. While it’s still dessert and should be eaten in moderation, it’s nice to feel good after eating an Occasionally Honey dessert.
Why did you choose to come to the UBC Saturday Market specifically?I’ve heard so many good things about the market from other vendors and it sounded like a great fit.
This is the toughest question so far, but I’d probably have to say the caramelized banana coco cream sandwich.
The best bet would be to check out the online store on the website. Products can be ordered there and picked up in Coquitlam. Whether it’s a cake, cookies, or a bulk order of frozen desserts, you can place an order on the website anytime and arrange to pick up.
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Due to rising concerns associated with antibiotic-resistant pathogens, there are rekindled interests in using bacteriophages due to benefits such as their unique self-replication ability, lack of negative sensory effects and nontoxicity to humans. In this presentation, we will discuss about the past, present and future of bacteriophages. The focus will be on our current research work on using bacteriophages to tackle various food safety and security issues in British Columbia in collaboration with stakeholders from the Agri-Food community.
Dr. Siyun Wang is an Associate Professor of Food Safety Engineering at UBC and the principal investigator of the Wang Laboratory of Molecular Food Safety. Her research group employs systems biology and Omics approaches to understand the microorganisms that post major threats to food safety, food security and public health. Dr. Wang works with the UBC Farm to develop sustainable strategies for reducing human and plant pathogen contamination of food crops.
Monday, December 7th from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. PST
CSFS Associate Seminars are part of the CSFS Future of Food Global Dialogue Series, and are brought to you by the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems.
This week we are featuring Elena’s Pasta, a first year vendor at our market! With the motto “Pasta is for sharing”, Elena’s Pasta brings delicious fresh artisan pasta across Vancouver. We recently had the pleasure of chatting with owner and UBC alumni, Elena Adiletta, to find out more.
Officially, Elena’s Pasta was started this year. However, unofficially, it has been around for years, as I have made lots of fresh pasta for family and friends over the years. My parents are pasta machine manufacturers so from a very young age I learned how to make fresh pasta and I was always surrounded by different kinds of pasta machines.
What are the three most important things you think people should know about Elena’s Pasta?
When sourcing my ingredients, I am looking for high quality and fresh ingredients. The flavored pastas are all made from fresh vegetables that are juiced and made into flavors such as jalapeño fusilli and basil garganelli. The high-quality semolina flour I use has a distinct yellow color, smell, and grainy/coarse texture that brings Elena’s Pasta its grit and bite.
What types of pasta do you sell?
I sell predominantly semolina and flavoured fresh pastas. Some of those flavors include my jalapeño fusilli and basil garganelli but I also have a whole wheat-based pasta. I also recently acquired new pasta dies which means over the coming weeks there will be new pasta shapes available to buy at the market.
I chose the UBC Saturday Market because UBC has been an important community to me over the years. I recently graduated with a Food Science degree from UBC this past May and wanted to bring a simple yet versatile product to the market where I can connect my food science degree and love for fresh pasta with the UBC community.
If you could only have
one of your pastas for the rest of your life which one would it be?This is tough to answer because I love all pasta, especially a good flavor like basil garganelli but if I had to choose, I’d keep it simple with a semolina-based pasta such as my semolina radiatori. The ridges of the radiatori allow it to hold sauces well and there are so many different sauce and food pairings that go with semolina-based pasta.
Look out for new flavors and shapes that will be making their way into the market over the coming weeks!
Market Dates| Facebook Page | InstagramIn this panel, speakers discuss the status of food sovereignty in Africa prior to and emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, as local communities seek to reclaim and rebuild their food systems following border closures and critical levels of food insecurity. Speakers discuss topics related to valuing and strengthening Indigenous food systems, improving food and nutritional security, and seed sovereignty. Sponsored by CSFS and the Liu Institute Network for Africa.
Dr. Million Belay
Dr. Million Belay coordinates the Alliance for Food Sovereignty for Africa, a network
of networks of major networks in Africa. He is a member of the International
Panel of Experts on the Sustainable of Food Systems (IPES-Food). Million is a
founder of MELCA – Ethiopia, an indigenous NGO working on issues of agro-
ecology, intergenerational learning, advocacy and livelihood improvement of
local and indigenous peoples. Million has been working over two decades on the
issues of intergenerational learning of bio-cultural diversity, sustainable
agriculture, the right of local communities for seed and food sovereignty and
forest issues.
His main interest is now advocacy on food sovereignty, learning
among generations, knowledge dialogues and the use of participatory mapping
for social learning, identity building and mobilization of memory for resilience.
He has PhD in environmental learning and MsC in tourism and conservation and
BsC in Biology.
Selalelo Mpotokwane
Selalelo Mpotokwane is a Senior Research Scientist at the National Food Technology Research Centre (NFTRC), Botswana. He develops technologies, technical manuals, training materials and standards for the food industry. He is an accredited Trainer.
Selalelo holds an MSc. in Food Science and Technology from the University of Ghent (Belgium), an LLM in Intellectual Property from the University of Turin (Italy) World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)/ programme, and a BSc. in Agriculture from the University of Botswana.
Mr. Mpotokwane’s research interests are in developing and commercialising Botswana’s indigenous-raw-material-based foods. He is a task team member on Botswana’s domestication of the CBD’s Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS), a notable output being the Drafting Instructions for Botswana’s upcoming ABS Bill. He is a Natural Resources Technical Committee member, and was also a member of the Botswana’s Indigenous Knowledge Systems Policy (IKS) reference group, and the Climate-Smart Agriculture Working Group.
Kefilwe Moalosi
Kefilwe Moalosi is a Nutrition and Food Systems specialist and currently the acting Head of Nutrition under the supervision of the Director of Human Capital and Institutions Development within the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD). Her current capacity provides technical
support to Regional Economic Communities (RECs), African Union Member States and Development Partners in planning, programming and implementation of the Global Nutrition Agenda and the African Union Agenda 2063. Her key focus includes scaling up Home Grown School Feeding and other related continental initiatives and programs. She was key in developing the AUDA-NEPAD Nutrition and Food Systems Implementation Strategy (2019-2025). Prior to NEPAD, she served for seven years at the Ministry of Health, Public Health Directorate as Food Safety and Nutrition Officer in Botswana.
She holds an MSc in Food Safety and Quality Management from the University of Greenwich in England and BSc in Food and Nutrition (Food and Consumer Sciences) from Cape Peninsula University of Technology in South Africa.
Dr. Hannah Wittman
Dr. Hannah Wittman’s research examines the ways that the rights to produce and consume food are contested and transformed through struggles for agrarian reform, food sovereignty, and agrarian agriculture. Her projects include community-based research on farmland access, transition to organic agriculture, and seed sovereignty in BC, agro-ecological transition and the role of institutional procurement in the transition to food sovereignty in Ecuador and Brazil, and the role that urban agriculture and farm-to-school nutrition initiatives plan in food literacy education.
Tebogo T Leepile
Tebogo T Leepile from Botswana is in the final stages of her PhD in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems under the supervision of Drs Eduardo Jovel and Crystal Karakochuk. Her work broadly focuses on understanding and leveraging the intersections between food environments, nutrition, and health in alleviating food and nutrition vulnerabilities among the less privileged especially women and children. She is also passionate about implementation science, specifically the effectiveness of public policy efforts that seek to bridge the gender gaps in education and agriculture. Tebby is a committed and engaged leader and scholar who continues to serve in different roles across UBC and beyond. Most notably, she co-founded the Liu Network for Africa (LINA), a platform that serves as a focal point for research, discussions, and policy actions on Africa’s governance and development issues.
The Building Resilient Food Systems During COVID-19 and Beyond series is brought to you by the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems (CSFS), the BC Food Web, the Faculty of Land and Food Systems (LFS), and the Royal Bank of Canada. This webinar series focuses on answering fundamental questions about the resiliency of our food system during and beyond COVID-19.
This week we are featuring Aurora View Farms, a third-year vendor at our market! Aurora View Farms is a farmily- run, certified Organic ranch that provides 100% grass-fed and finished beef. We recently had the pleasure of chatting with co-owner, Liz L’Heureux, to find out more.
This is our 4th year of farming. We decided to make a lifestyle change and go ranching for our children. Matt (my husband) was working away from home and we have 5 small kids. I found it difficult having Matt away all the time so we wanted to start something that we could do together and with our kids. We also had bought a side of beef from a local farmer and tasted the difference immediately. We sold everything and bought a working ranch and cattle. We hadn’t even driven a tractor beforehand.
What are the three most important things you think people should know about Aurora View Farms ?Growing our own feed allows us to be completely in control of what goes into our cattle. We also focus on soil health because healthy soil produces healthy grasses and feeds our animals. It’s a full cycle and we want our farm to be there for our grandkids. Producing your own feed is also environmentally stable- we know exactly how many animals our land can sustain.
You had are certified organic, would you minding telling people what this involves for ranching?
Conventionally cattle are fed and live in feedlots. This allows feedlot operators to fatten up the cattle in the shortest amount of time possible. Average animal is ready for butchering at 18 months of age.
Free roaming animals- are given larger areas to live and graze. It is a slower growing process, for example we butcher at about 30 months of age. However, the beef is leaner and healthier and we feel confident that we give our animals the best possible life. Allowing them the grow the way nature intended.
If you could only have one cut of your beef for the rest of your life which one would it be?
Ribsteak any day of the week. But we have been enjoying experimenting with different more unknown cuts of beef such as shank, skirt steak and oxtail. Matt loves beef tongue sandwiches.
We wanted to start selling in the Vancouver area and we loved the farm feel of the UBC market.
My favourite part is the time we spend outdoors as a family. Having the ranch during COVID has been such a blessing. The kids spend so much time with our animals and helping with regular day to day activities. We move our cattle by calling them. Even our 1 year old knows the call “Here Moo cows!” and the cows just follow us to the next pasture.
Where else can customers find you? And is there anything else you want them to know?We also sell at the Vancouver Farmers markets and online. People can order packages online and we offer free home delivery. Follow me on Instagram if you wanted to see more of our ranch life and updates. I would also like to thank all our customers that continue to support us on our crazy adventure! We really appreciate it.
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