Saturday Market Vendor Feature: Darsana Tea

By rachel ma on October 18, 2018

Saturday Market Vendor Feature: Darsana Tea

This week, we will be featuring Darsana Tea, which is a one-person business started by Renée Fulsom right here in Vancouver just a year ago specializing in 7 different Chakra blends of tea that you can get in your favourite tea base!

What is included in your Chakra blends?

7 ingredients of fruits, roots, flowers, leaves, plus a base of dark, white, green or nettle tea cupped together. All together, we have 28 different types of teas for you to pick from!

What are the 7 chakras?

The first is wisdom (crown chakra), which is how you perceive the world. Vision (3rd eye chakra)- the lens which you view the world. Voice (throat chakra)- power of how you create your world. Love (heart chakra)- connection with universal consciousness (solar plexus chakra). Service- generosity, harmony, and balance. Freedom (seal of soul chakra)-forgiveness of self and others. Ascension (root chakra)- grounded, and being as one.

What’s different about Darsana Tea that you won’t find in other tea companies?

We source our teas from organic suppliers and packaging that is environmentally friendly, compostable/reusable/recyclable, ethically sourced, and with a small footprint, which was hard because pretty much everything manufacturing wise has been sent to China.

What’s your favourite of them all?

I can’t pick just one. I created all of them and love all of them. They are all my favourites.

Where can I purchase your teas?

We were at 5 farmers markets in Vancouver this season, including UBC Farm. We still have one more date at Riley Park Saturday Farmers Market on Oct 27th, but after the market season, our website continues to be open year-round for you to purchase our teas!

If you want to learn more about Darsana Tea Company, check them out on instagram, facebook, or their website. You can see all of their upcoming dates at the UBC Farm Market here. 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.

Read More | No Comments

Market Recipe Blog: Autumn Squash Salad

By Joyce Liao on October 16, 2018

Market Recipe Blog: Autumn Squash Salad

Autumn Squash Salad

Salads do not have to be boring, or as one of my friends call it, “crunchy water”; nobody likes a plate of crunchy water! Fall is here, so this means squash of all colours, sizes, tastes, and textures are available at the market… and what better way to enjoy their sweet flavour than to feature it front and center in an autumn salad?

Yield: 2 as a main, 4 as a side

Recipe

SALAD

½ small kabocha, kuri or hubbard squash, sliced
Oil, salt & pepper for roasting
3 big handfuls of mixed greens
1 apple, finely sliced
About ½ cup finely sliced red cabbage

DRESSING

Juice of ½ a lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp honey or maple syrup
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
½ shallot, finely minced
A pinch each of sea salt and black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss sliced kabocha squash in a drizzle of oil and a dash of salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on prepared baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, or until browned and easily pierced with a fork.
To make the dressing, add all dressing ingredients into a small jar and shake to combine.
To assemble, toss mixed greens with red cabbage, sliced apples, roasted squash, and dressing to taste. Garnish with crumbled pieces of oat crackers.

Pick up produce at any of our three weekly markets: Tuesdays 4-6:30PM at the UBC Farm, Wednesdays 11:30AM-1:30PM at the UBC Bookstore, and 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.

Read More | No Comments

Oct. 10: Infant food insecurity in Canada: The breastfeeding paradox, politics of infant food charity, and second-hand baby food environments with Lesley Frank

By rachel ma on October 10, 2018

Oct. 10: Infant food insecurity in Canada: The breastfeeding paradox, politics of infant food charity, and second-hand baby food environments with Lesley Frank

Wednesday, October 10, 2018, 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Liu Institute for Global Issues – Multipurpose Room, 6476 NW Marine Drive.

Join us for Infant food insecurity in Canada: The breastfeeding paradox, politics of infant food charity, and second-hand baby food environments with Lesley Frank, Associate Professor of Sociology, Acadia University.

Dr. Lesley Frank is an Associate Professor of Sociology from Acadia University and a Visiting Associate professor in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems. In this talk, Dr. Frank will share insights from a number of her projects on Infant Food Insecurity in Canada. She will describe several key issues related to the topic, such as the relationship between household food insecurity and breastfeeding outcomes, the threats to breastfeeding in a sustainable food system, the challenges of finding formula when infant feeding politics trumps infants’ right to food, and the resulting quest for infant food in the second-hand goods economy on-line. Collectively these issues reveal serious problems of unequal food access, potential food risk, and food inequities that are unique to families and infants in food insecure households.

Dr. Frank researches primarily in the areas of child and family poverty, food insecurity, infant feeding, and social welfare policy. Dr. Frank is a leading emerging scholar in the area of infant food insecurity in Canada with research published in the Journal of Food, Culture and Society, Food and Foodways, Canadian Food Studies Journal, and Canadian Medical Association Journal.

This event is co-sponsored by the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs.

Read More | No Comments

Market Recipe Blog: Carrot Cake Truffles

By Joyce Liao on October 9, 2018

Market Recipe Blog: Carrot Cake Truffles

Carrot Cake Truffles

Sometimes, we want carrot cake but simply don’t have time to whip up a batch of carrot cake muffins in the oven. If you don’t have access to an oven, and need a healthy afternoon pick-me-up and satisfy your sweet tooth all at once, this recipe is perfect for you! These truffles may or may not beat the usual carrot-sticks-with-ranch-dip-in-a-ziploc-bag, and it’s your call to find out!

Yield: 16 truffles

Recipe

½ cup unsweetened medium shredded coconut, plus extra for decorating
1 cup walnuts
2 carrots
2 tsp cinnamon
A pinch each of nutmeg, ginger, and salt
About 10 large Medjool dates, pitted*
1 tbsp molasses (optional)

Instructions

Toast walnuts and shredded coconut in a preheated 300°F oven until golden brown. About 10 minutes but varies depending on your oven.
Using a grater or a food processor, shred carrots. You will need about 2 cups. Use a thin cloth (ideally a cheesecloth) and squeeze out all excess liquid over a bowl.
Drink the super sweet carrot juice! Yes, this is part of the procedure.
Add walnuts to food processor, fitted with a blade, and pulse a few times until chopped into rough chunks. Add coconut, carrots, and spices. Process until combined; scrape down with a spatula if necessary.
Add pitted dates and molasses and pulse until thoroughly combined.
At this point, test the consistency of the mixture by pressing between your fingers. If it is too crumbly, add more dates or water or molasses, anything wet. If its too dry, add more coconut or nuts.
Using a cookie scoop to measure, roll dough into round balls with hands.
Roll finished truffles into extra toasted coconut, chopped nuts, dunk into melted white and/or dark chocolate (a handful of chocolate chips + 1 tsp of coconut oil, melted together; use vegan chocolate as needed), or sprinkle with additional cinnamon. Store Carrot Cake Truffles in refrigerator, that is, if you don’t eat them all…

Read More | No Comments

Saturday Market Vendor Feature: The True NOSH Company

By rachel ma on October 9, 2018

Saturday Market Vendor Feature: The True NOSH Company

The True NOSH Company is in their second year selling at our market with a diverse line of drinks, treats, sauces and more that are flavourful and diabetic-friendly. We talked to Iris about their origin story, what motivates them, and why their business is so connected to UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems. We also had the chance to interview a loyal True Nosh customer to find out just why their granola is so addictive! Read on to find out more.

Founder Renee Chan

What inspired True Nosh?

The founder is Renee Chan. I’m one of her employees, Iris. What inspired True NOSH was her dad struggling with diabetes and trying to find ways to eat while maintaining his health. So as a registered dietitian, she decided to create a food line that would be as guilt-free as possible and healthy while still having flavour and a traditional touch from their heritage.

Is everything made in Vancouver?

Yes, we make everything in Vancouver. Our commercial kitchen is in Burnaby at YVR Prep.

What brought you guys to UBC Farm?

I did! I’m an LFS student and I really like the farm, and I’ve seen the farmers market and I really like the environment of this particular farmers market. It’s just very friendly and it’s great to be outside. Plus it’s very affordable for us to come here. So for a start up like ours, it’s really nice to be able to have lower stakes every time we come to the market, so we are able to sell our products and share them with the community.

True Nosh’s table at the market

What’s your most popular product?

That’s a hard one, but I think it’s the granola. It’s also one of my favourites!

If you could describe True Nosh in three words, what would they be?

Punny- the labels of our products are all based on puns. Our hot sauce line is called “hot dates” because our hot sauces are sweetened with dates, and all our other sauces also have really punny labels! The other words would be Healthy and Delicious.

What would you like customers to know about your business?

I think what Renee would like them to know is the passion that is involved in the production of our products. We really try to make sure that we listen to our clientele, and keep things fun and delicious, and as innovative as possible.

So none of the products you sell have any added sugars?

Yes, we do everything with just fruits and vegetables. Any sort of sweeteners would come from fruit, savoury would come from vegetables or spices. Just whole ingredients! For example, our granola is completely date-sweetened, and our sweet and sour sauce is sweetened with pineapple and cherries!

What’s your favourite sauce that you have here?

Black bean! That one actually has a nice story to it because myself and another previous employee here (we’re both LFS students), and along with a couple other LFS students, we co-created the sauce and entered it to the Pulse competition and won second in BC! That was really cool, and Renee had a lot of input for us and really helped and guided us.

After our interview with True NOSH, a regular customer of theirs, Greg, came by and wanted to share a few words about the business and his favourite product!

The famous goji berry granola!

What’s your favourite thing about True NOSH?

The granola is amazing for sure, but I think overall how the company is organized and how they operate with the sense of all the right ingredients, all the right spirit… so I’m hooked. You have to love the product in order to be hooked to it, but for me it just happened instantaneously.

Do you know Renee?

I’ve gotten to know her. So over the last year, every month I’d pick up granola at their office and I’m on the “granola hookup”, so I pay for a year’s worth of granola, and I just go pick it up every month.

Is the “Granola hookup” exclusive?

No I was just the first one who started it because on one of their last farmers market of the season, I came up to them and said ‘I really love your granola. How can we figure out something so I can have regular access to it?’, and we just figured out the logistics from there. They have a couple other customers on the hookup as well now! It’s brilliant; if you want to find out more, look on their website!

Any other words you want to share?

I think we all need to be smart in our food shopping and all trying to find great products that align with what we value, so this is why I come here. Pay a little extra more, but what I find with the granola and the other products at True NOSH is that the price point is great, and when you shop around, what they put into it is fantastic, and I have sweet teeth (not just one), and this granola is just sweetened in a way that just works for me.

You really LOVE the granola! How do you like to enjoy it?

I’m trying not to be addicted to the point where I burn out on it, but during the day, I would just pop a handful as a snack, but normally I’d like to eat it in a bowl with some peaches and blueberries, some milk. My sons love it too! You just gotta try it! … hahahah do I sound like a part of the team?

If you want to learn more about the True Nosh Company, check them out on instagram, twitter, facebook, or their website. You can see all of their upcoming dates at the UBC Farm Market here. 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.

Read More | No Comments

Oct. 3: The Emancipatory Politics of Food Sovereignty with Annette Desmarais

By Salloum on October 3, 2018

Oct. 3: The Emancipatory Politics of Food Sovereignty with Annette Desmarais

Wednesday, October 3, 2018 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Macmillan Building – Room 350, UBC

Dr. Annette Demarais

By analyzing how food sovereignty is conceptualized and practiced in the Basque Country, this presentation will explore what kind of global political project food sovereignty seeks to build and mobilize. This case highlights the significance of building solidarities from below and across space in struggles for transformative social change.

About Dr. Desmarais:

Annette Aurélie Desmarais is Canada Research Chair in Human Rights, Social Justice and Food Sovereignty. She is the author of La Vía Campesina: Globalization and the Power of Peasants (2007) that has been published in French, Spanish, Korean, Italian and Portuguese. She also co-edited Food Sovereignty: Reconnecting Food, Nature and Community (2010) and Food Sovereignty in Canada: Creating Just and Sustainable Food Systems (2011). Prior to obtaining her doctorate in geography, Annette was a small-scale cattle and grain farmer in Canada for fourteen years. She also worked as technical support to La Via Campesina for a decade and continues to conduct participatory research with member organizations of this transnational agrarian movement.

This talk is presented by the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems.

Read More | No Comments

Oct. 2: Big Food ‘Feeding’ the Hungry Poor? Economic Democracy, Food Justice and Human Rights

By Salloum on October 2, 2018

Oct. 2: Big Food ‘Feeding’ the Hungry Poor? Economic Democracy, Food Justice and Human Rights

Tuesday, October 2, 2018 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. C.K. Choi Building – Room 120, 1855 West Mall

Join us for a triple book launch to explore the topics of civil society, public policies and the right to food with Andy Fisher (Big Hunger), Annette Aurélie Desmarais (Public Policies for Food Sovereignty) and Graham Riches (Food Bank Nations).

Our speakers include:

Andy Fisher, a founding director of the Community Food Security Coalition in the USA and author of Big Hunger: The Unholy Alliance between Corporate America and Anti Hunger Groups (MIT Press, 2017).

Annette Aurélie Desmarais, CRC in Human Rights, Social Justice and Food Sovereignty, University of Manitoba and co-editor of Public Policies for Food Sovereignty: Social Movements and the State (Routledge, 2017).

Graham Riches, emeritus professor of social work, UBC and author of Food Bank Nations: Poverty, Corporate Charity and the Right to Food (Routledge, 2018).

Moderated by Laura Castrejon Violante, ISGP PhD student, Land Use and Global Environment (LUGE) lab, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs and Liu Scholar.

Copies of books will be available to purchase. Light refreshments will be provided, please RSVP.

Co-hosted by: UBC School of Social Work, UBC School of Public Policy & Global Affairs, the Liu Institute for Global Issues, the Food Systems Network (a Liu Scholars and CSFS group), and the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems (CSFS) at the UBC Farm.

Read More | No Comments

Market Recipe Blog: Herby Apple Stuffing

By Joyce Liao on October 2, 2018

Market Recipe Blog: Herby Apple Stuffing

Herby Apple Stuffing

One of the most frequently-asked questions at market is: what do I do with this herb? Buying a whole bunch can be intimidating but this recipe provides a great excuse to use them up and bask in the incredible aromas that will fill your kitchen in the process! Apples bring a delicious tart brightness to this stuffing recipe and are balanced well by sweet walla walla onions and fragrant farm herbs. And you heard it here first: stuffing isn’t just for Thanksgiving, you can make it any time you want!

Yield: 8 servings

Recipe

1 large walla walla onion
A few stalks of celery or 2 Tbsp fresh lovage herb
2-3 tart apples (UBC Farm varieties Margil, Poppy’s Wonder, and Sundance are a great fit)
1 cup vegetable stock or chicken broth
1 egg (or substitute for 1 Tbsp ground flax or chia seed mixed with 2.5 Tbsp water and left to rest for 5 minutes)
1/2 bunch each of fresh thyme, sage, and rosemary
1/2 bunch parsley
1/2 cup toasted and chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans or pine nuts are a favourite)
2 loaves of bread or gluten-free bread (something with a lot of crust, like a baguette, works well)
5 Tbsp butter or olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F. Chop or tear bread into 1″ cubes and spread on a baking sheet. Stir occasionally and bake until lightly toasted, 10-15 minutes. Let cool.
Grease a baking dish (like a loaf pan or 9″ square dish) with butter/oil.
Melt butter/oil in a large pan on medium heat and sautée chopped onion, chopped herbs (except parsley), salt and pepper until onions are translucent. Add celery or lovage for few minutes until tender, then add and cook chopped apple until it is tender. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, mix toasted bread cubes and sauteéd vegetables together. Pour whisked egg (or flax/chia egg) and stock/broth over top. Stir in chopped parsley and nuts. Let set for a few minutes as the bread absorbs liquid. Add a bit more broth if it looks too dry. Spoon into the greased dish.
Bake for 30-45 minutes, until brown on top and cooked through or use to stuff a turkey and cook that way.

Read More | No Comments

Saturday Market Vendor Feature: Brazilian Roots Food Truck

By rachel ma on October 2, 2018

Saturday Market Vendor Feature: Brazilian Roots Food Truck

Marketgoers will recognize returning food truck Brazilian Roots, which sells beiju, an indigenous flatbread traditional to Brazil made with cassava flour and naturally plant-based and gluten-free. Come out for their last market date of the 2018 season and try your own: you’ll find it filling and flavourful, sweet or savoury, and always served with a smile from friendly owner Luciano!

How did your business start and what drives you?

Beijú Foods is a Canadian company proudly founded in BC by Brazilian immigrants to honor their roots and promote the best of Brazil’s creative and flavourful food culture. Beijú Foods is focused on indigenous culinary traditions, native crops, and its fusion with African and European cuisine during Brazil’s colonization. Above all, we are passionate about ancestral cultures that are simplistically rich, and that can show us how to live harmoniously with our ecosystems, and to adapt to challenging situations. Our mission is to bring new, healthy and sustainable food alternatives to your daily life so you can enjoy a healthier diet with exotic ethnic flavours. Beijú Foods main core values are Quality, Sustainability, and Community. We source our products from carefully chosen premium suppliers, who work at fair ethical conditions that are sustainable for the community and the planet. High quality and sustainability also mean health – our products are gluten-free, non-GMO and minimally processed to avoid the use of artificial ingredients and preservatives. Also, we invest in the latest packaging technology to keep our products fresh and 100% natural. We actively advocate for indigenous rights and the environment. We believe in a more respectful and holistic connection between individuals, communities, cultures and nature.

What do you sell from your food truck?

Our featured item is Beiju – an indigenous gluten-free flatbread, made one hundred percent from cassava. Boost its nutrients by adding seeds and nuts, as well as fillings like meat, cheese, fruits and vegan options. Baking a beiju is a magical trick that is healthy and delicious! The Brazilian Roots Truck also offers other “forest foods”, like açaí smoothies, yerba mate and guaraná. We also serve cassava based bread, cassava cheese balls (pão de queijo), paninis and other seasonal options. In addition to offering a fusion of traditional Brazilian flavours, our kitchen pays special attention to nutrition and will strive to make recipes as healthy as possible, using wholesome local ingredients.

What is cassava flour?

Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is a shrub original from Brazil whose roots are edible. It was used for thousands of years as a main source of energy by the pre-Colombian population of the Americas. Nowadays, it is common to find indigenous arts that make references to this plant, as it is a vital part of their lives. In the 16th century, Portuguese traders took cassava to Africa and today no other crop is as important as a food source for the resource-poor African regions. In Asia, cassava also became a staple foods and Thailand is currently its biggest world producer, followed by Vietnam and Indonesia. As a drought-resistant crop that does well in poor soils, cassava is a starch-heavy lifesaver for low-income areas throughout the world. Cassava and its vast spectrum of sub-products and recipes are still one of the main staple foods in Brazil, and the most famous Brazilian dishes have some form of cassava component in them. Cassava permeates all Brazilian social classes: it was the base of slaves’ meals until the 19th century and is still a daily resource for Brazil’s poorer populations, nonetheless higher classes also eat cassava broadly and daily. Lately, cassava has gained a strong popularity with athletes and other functional diet seekers because it is such a great and pure source of energy!

If you want to learn more about the Brazilian Roots Truck, check them out on instagram, facebook, or their website. You can see all of their upcoming dates at the UBC Farm Market here. 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.

Read More | No Comments

Market Recipe Blog: Potato Broccoli Cheez Soup (GF + V)

By Joyce Liao on September 25, 2018

Market Recipe Blog: Potato Broccoli Cheez Soup (GF + V)

As a kid, broccoli cheese soup is one of my favourites in the winter months. The secret ingredient to a silky smooth soup without the dairy is a good ol’ potato! This root vegetable has always been super versatile and provides substance into any meal. Not only that, but potatoes are a great source of many vitamins and minerals and fiber for digestive health.

Potato Broccoli Cheez Soup (Gluten-free & Vegan)

Recipe

1 carrot, chopped into chunks
1 yellow potato, cubed
¾ cup nutritional yeast
2 cups water + 2 cups water, divided
1 tbsp mustard
2 small crowns broccoli
Salt, freshly cracked pepper, paprika to taste

Instructions

1. In a medium pot, cook chopped potatoes and carrots in boiling water until soft.
2. Keep the water you used to boil the potatoes and carrots to use as the soup base for later, so you don’t need to use broth!
3. In a blender or food processor, add in the cooked potatoes, carrots, nutritional yeast, 2 cups of the saved starchy water used to boil the potatoes/carrots, and mustard. Blend until smooth.
4. Pour the cheezy mixture back into the pot and add in broccoli and the additional 2 cups of water to thin it into a soup consistency. Add in additional water or broth to reach the consistency you like.
5. Bring to a boil to cook the broccoli. You can choose to blend up the broccoli with an immersion blender if you wish, but we left the soup chunky as pictured.
6. Serve immediately with some cheesy soldiers or toast!

Read More | No Comments