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Saturday Farmers’ Market Vendor Feature: Aurora View Farms
Saturday Farmers’ Market Vendor Feature: Aurora View Farms
Hot summer days are prefect for grilling and what better way to complement your local veggies than with certified organic burgers, sausages or steaks from our new vendor Aurora View Farms!
This new family farm is based in Prince George and motivated by a commitment to high quality grass-fed organic beef from field to plate. For years we have had shoppers asking us for more meat vendors and this year we are excited to have our first certified organic & regularly-attending beef vendor join us. Their pepperoni and hamburgers especially have been a big hit with our market team (their flavourful hamburgers are even gluten-free!) and they offer specials on different packs of their meat. Shoppers have welcomed them warmly into the market community and have shown them so much support.
If you are a beef lover, you’ve come to the right place: Aurora View Farms Ltd is owned by Matt and Lizzie L’Heureux. They bought a ranch and herd of cows in Prince George in 2016 to provide their customers beef free from any antibiotics, hormones and steroids. Their cattle are fed a diet of grasses that they grow exclusively; that’s truly local meat production! Their fields have never been treated with any chemical pesticides or herbicides. Their beef is Certified Organic by the British Columbia Association of Regenerative Agriculture (BCARA). We had the opportunity to meet Matt and ask him a few questions:
How did your company start?
Together with my wife, we bought a farm in February 2016. Having an organic farm was always our dream.
What makes you passionate about it?
We love beef and we were always interested in organic practices. Our beef are 100% grass fed & finished and Free Roaming. We grow all feed in our farm.
What brought you to the UBC farm?
We started initially by selling our products in Stong’s market, which increased our interest in locations near Dunbar st. We came across the UBC farm and thought it would be a great opportunity!
What products do you sell?
All beef certified organic. We sell beef cuts, pepperoni, garlic sausage, burger patties, beef jerky, beef bones and mennonite sausage.
Find Aurora View Farms on instagram @auroraviewfarms, their website, and at the UBC Farm Saturday Farmers’ Market every other Saturday until Oct 27 (next date: July 7). 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.
Saturday Farmers’ Market Vendor Feature: KULA
Saturday Farmers’ Market Vendor Feature: KULA
This week we are featuring KULA, one of the newest additions to the UBC Farm Saturday Farmers’ Market! We are thrilled to have this business at our market this year providing healthy Afro-Vegan foods that are perfect for sharing.
Co-owner Asha Wheeldon comes from Kenya and works alongside co-owner Jessica Fyffe to incorporate traditional Kenyan flavours into their meals. On KULA’s first market date we were wowed by the rich and complex flavours of their Sukuma stew; apparently so were shoppers that day because they were entirely sold out by the end of the day! We had the opportunity to ask Asha about KULA and the foods they make.
How did your company start?
After we transitioned to plant based diet, we noticed opportunity for more of the comfort food we grew up enjoying. We often found ourselves sharing meals and preparing with our friends; this led us to Kula, which means, “Eat” in Swahili. Our food is inspired by the diverse Kenyan flavours, where Asha grew up.
What makes you passionate about it?
We love the reaction when people try our food for the first time. We are passionate about sharing food and building a brand that aligns with our value and heritage.
What brought you to the UBC farm?
Part of our core pillar is food sustainability and we love UBC farm’s commitment to sustainable food systems.
Have you had any memorable experiences at the UBC farm so far?
We had a great first experience at UBC farm market. We found the staff and students helpful, positive experience with other vendors. The highlight of the day was when a boy sampled our food on his own and felt compelled to bring his family over to sample and purchase our products.
KULA’s Mandazi and Sukuma
What products do you sell?
We sell Afro vegan food inspired by rich and diverse Kenyan flavours. Our first product line includes, Sukuma stew made with lentils and collard greens, Chapati flatbread, and Mandazi half cake doughnuts.
What are some ways a customer can use your products?
Our stew can be used as a side or main over rice, a dip, chapati can be enjoyed as a side with Sukuma stew or a wrap, Mandazi is a great snack alone with coffee/tea or heat up and enjoy with ice cream or sauce.
Do you have any other information you want to share?
We are holding community-dining series starting July 6th at Juice Truck; this is a great opportunity to enjoy our signature food hot and sample more Kenyan food we will introduce.
Find KULA on Instagram: @kulakitchen and at the UBC Farm Saturday Farmers’ Market on June 30, Jul 14, Jul 28, Aug 11, Aug 18, Sept 01, Sept 22, Oct 06, Oct 20 and Oct 27. 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.
Saturday Farmers’ Market Vendor Feature: The Good Chocolatier
Saturday Farmers’ Market Vendor Feature: The Good Chocolatier
This week we are excited to feature The Good Chocolatier, now in their second year vending at the UBC Farm Market. Owner Mara Mennicken’s committment to sustainability, nutrition, local processing, and of course incredible flavour captured the attention (and taste buds) of our market community last year and we are thrilled to have her back at the 2018 market for even more dates.
We took this opportunity to ask Mara some of the questions that we know marketgoers often have when it comes to her chocolate. Read on to find out what inspired her to become a chocolatier, how she makes her chocolate, and why her chocolate bars are so much more healthy than conventional chocolate bars!
How was The Good Chocolatier started? What inspired you to get involved in this business?
When I first came to Canada three years ago, to study at Capilano University, the sustainability team on campus had organized a farmers Market, so students could ‘meet (some of) the makers’ in Vancouver. I was browsing around and there I saw it, chocolate! I couldn’t help but stop. Pierre Gruget, the owner of the former company Chocolate Naturel gave me samples, explanations, statistics, many reasons to why he was making the chocolate the way he was. We got into chatting for a good half an hour because I was so impressed by his practices, knowledge, and his dedication to be as ethical and sustainable as he could. And of course, his delicious chocolate. There my journey began, I went to start volunteering with him in the background, in the beginning only for wrapping his bars, then selling, and finally I entered the kitchen so see how his chocolate was made. Two years passed and for family reasons, he decided to move back to France… so I gave it a shot! We are still in contact, occasionally I ask him for advice and he tells me how horrible some chocolate is that he finds while travelling!
What makes The Good Chocolatier different from conventional chocolate bars?
So much! If you appreciate your health and moreover, the plants and the ecosystem around you, you might know about most organic chocolate bars out there. Organic is a good start, but when it comes to chocolate, we find, it is not enough. Cacao, like clothing and coffee, are resources that often have a bloody past before we access them here in North America. Child labour, child trafficking, and slavery are terribly common in the chocolate industry. We do not purchase cacao from sub-Saharan Africa, where most child laborer are employed and instead, found a fair trade source in Ecuador, that has flavour notes like no other cacao. Criollo, the name of the bean means translated ‘wildly-grown’ and is also hand-picked. It’s flavour profile is nutty, floral, not too bitter, and highly nutritious. On top of that, we don’t use cane sugar, no soy lecithin, no additives.. no gluten or anything else that doesn’t belong into a good chocolate bar. It’s simply chocolate, pure and rich. Oh yes, and it’s handmade! Machines probably don’t put as much love into the chocolate as I do…
Where are all your products made?
In East Vancouver, at a commercial commissary kitchen that I share with three other vendors. It is the best to be in a maker’s space and have exchanges about food, business, markets and all that a small business entails. It’s a fun and productive environment, thank you to my co-workers Oguz from Temple Soda, Trudy-Ann with her Chai Tea, and Imbue Kombucha!
Mara’s busy stall at the market in the fall of 2017Are there health benefits to your chocolate? What are they?
YES! There was a study conducted in collaboration with UBC, which found that The Good Chocolatier’s chocolate is six times more healthy than conventional chocolate bars. This is due to the use of a well-fermented bean, low temperature roasting, and clean, organic ingredients. The main reasons to eat chocolate are because of it’s extremely high antioxidant content (some sources say it’s the food with THE most antioxidants), which are polyphenols, catechins, and epicatechins (the same antioxidants that are contained in red wine and green tea). These antioxidants prevent premature aging and prevent cells from free radical damage, and thus, major disease. Cacao is also the best natural food source of magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, and theobromine, which provide you with many other goodies for your heart and brain. The list goes on, check the web for more! This godly food is real interesting.
If you could describe your business in three words, what would they be and why?
Authentic, addictive, and community. (usually I would say handcrafted, organic, fair trade but we covered those already). Why? I only use what I say I use, which is nothing that our body doesn’t know or like, the packaging is transparent and not double the size of the bar, and my chocolate remains hand-made and 100% organic. The authenticity is part of why our chocolate is so addictive! Every bite feels so nourishing, real and full in your mouth and belly that it is hard to go back. Lastly, community or social because I chose to work with socially marginalized communities, and PALS Autism Society in particular, to be more inclusive, social and to strengthen the local economy with the support of everyone who lives here. I also love to be a part of Vancouver’s unique makers community, of course!
What brought you to UBC Farm? Is there anything different about this farm market compared to other markets in Vancouver?
Jillian form Amai Vegan Treats told me about this market last summer, when I just took over the business from Pierre. I remembered the study that he conducted a while ago with UBC and since I am selling to Stong’s Market close by, I thought it would be a good starting point. UBC Farmers Market was actually my very first Farmers Market and I totally fell in love with it. The customers are happy, the land and farm is beautiful, the musicians are talented and UBC farms produce is absolutely delightful.
Where else can people find you and purchase your products?
- Stong’s Market on Dunbar
- Green’s Organic on Broadway
- Safe On Foods in North Van (Brooksbank & Tilford)
- Nourish Market in Lynn Valley
- Tama Organic Life on E Hastings Street
- Crème de la Crumb on Clark Drive
- Stone Moth in Smithers, BC
- Online at www.thegoodchocolatier.com
- Coming soon: Vegan Supply in Chinatown
Find The Good Chocolatier at the UBC Farm Saturday Farmers’ Market on June 23, July 21, July 28, August 4, August 18, August 25, September 1, September 15, September 29, October 13, and October 27. Want to learn more? Visit their Instagram or Facebook page. 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.
Three-day Coordinated Distributed Experimental Network (CDEN) Research Design Workshop
Three-day Coordinated Distributed Experimental Network (CDEN) Research Design Workshop
June 12-14, 2018 at the UBC Farm
The Cluster hosted its first CDEN Research Design Workshop at UBC Farm, with local and global researchers. The goal of the workshop was to establish the CDEN experimental design and develop collaborative and transformative action research – moving from applied and fundamental research questions in agroecosystem research to action. The workshop included discussions on replicated experiments on crucial areas such as nutrient management, biodiversity and food security. See workshop discussion notes here.
The research included characterizing the level of diversification across farm systems over time, and space to explore socio-ecological outcomes, and investigating the barriers to diversification across scales. In addition, investigating diversified systems and trade-offs between ecosystem services including biodiversity, soil health, labour, profit, food and nutrition security, cultural values.
The workshop laid the foundation for an experimental network of diversified farming systems research and developed research on thematic areas:
- Methodological Standards and Protocols
- Diversification Transitions
- Experimental Campus Farm Network
- Observational Agroecology and Big Data
The Cluster is continuing the development of these research areas and collaboration.
Saturday Farmers’ Market Vendor Feature: Oyster & King Mushrooms
Saturday Farmers’ Market Vendor Feature: Oyster & King Mushrooms
Regular shoppers at the UBC Farm market are passionate about high-quality organic mushrooms, thanks to regular vendor Oyster & King!
Now in their third year vending at our market, Oyster & King sell local and organic specialty mushrooms from their family farm in Cloverdale, BC as well as from other local mushroom suppliers. Their mission includes a focus on “local sustainable wild produce distribution” and a “transparent and fair supply chain” between producers and consumers or chefs. Last week, market intern Rachel Chew had the chance to talk to owner and fun-gi David Xiao to find out a little more about their local business.
Did you know their business roots go back to the UBC Farm site in the mid-’90s, before the Farm began?
Where are you guys located?
We are located in Cloverdale, Surrey. We have a family farm there.
What brought you to UBC farm?
Owner David Xiao, right, with brother Alan
We originally started here. We used to grow mushrooms in the harvest hut, and we had shipping containers come out of it. Our boiler room and set up was set up in there before we moved to Cloverdale.
Where else can people find Oyster and King?
We do a lot of wholesale to local chefs here in Vancouver, but aside from UBC Farm Market on Saturdays, you can find us at Mount Pleasant farmers market at Dude Chilling Park on Sundays, as well as Coquitlam Farmers Market also on Sundays.
What practices do you use to grow your mushrooms?
We grow our specialty mushrooms organically in alder sawdust and we spore to fruit, which means we do our own lab work and produce our own culture. We work with local foragers, like the morels we have right now… one of them being Sunfire Forage!
What’s your favourite mushroom?
I like all mushrooms. I have phases; recently, I’ve been into morels because they are in season. I like shiitakes as well!
What’s your favourite way to eat your mushrooms?
I like the bigger shiitakes in heartier cooking, like soups and stews. Smaller shiitakes, I like to use them in stir frys. Portobellos are versatile and hold well to the grill and you can stuff them. Oysters are good for light cooking, like light stir frys.
Just for fun… if you were to be a mushroom, which type would you be?
Oh man, I would definitely be a matsutake. I would be elusive, seasonal, and very tasty.
Owner David Xiao, right, with brother Alan
Find Oyster & King at the market every Saturday until September 1. Want to learn more? Visit their Instagram or Facebook page. Learn more about other market vendors and topics on our Saturday Farmers’ Market blog! Watch this space for stories about our vendors, explorations of some of the common questions that get asked by shoppers at the market, and discussions of relevant concepts to the local food economy. These blog posts will be linked from our newsletter each week; to get regular updates, make sure to join our newsletter here.
Saturday Farmers’ Market Vendor Feature: Seed of Life Farm
Saturday Farmers’ Market Vendor Feature: Seed of Life Farm
This week we are excited to feature one of our returning vendors who was a regular at our market last year: Seed of Life Farm.
You may recognize the friendly faces of Krystyna and Jason, who started Seed of Life Farm just last year and offer a wide variety of vegetables, herbs and flowers, grown with a focus on sustainable practices. They love to hear how people use their produce and herbs at home and especially how certain flavours and aromas bring people great memories.
We asked Krystyna why they started they business and what motivates them in their work.
Jason and I feel a strong connection with the earth and with the people living on it. We are fascinated by the beauty and the complexity of plants and it is with so much happiness that we go play in the dirt and interact with nature everyday. We are both epicurians, loving delightful foods but loving even more to know where they come from and how they have been grown. It is in respect of the earth and in respect of the people of our community that we grow all of the food we bring to market. Seed of Life has the mission to make food produced with organic practices available for all incomes. It is our way to make the change we want to see in the world.
Among the products/services you sell, what is your personal favourite and why?
We love our herbs! Fresh they transform a simple dish into a delight, and a simple glass of water into a tasty refreshment! Dried, we steep them and they make warm comforting teas filled with medicinal properties!
Last season, Seed of Life wowed market shoppers with the unique and wonderful vegetable varieties they grew, including basil mint, tromboncino squash, and beautiful spotted pumpkins that even won them first prize in the Weirdest Veggie Contest at the September Fall Fair Market!
Find Seed of Life Farm at the market every Saturday until October 27. Want to learn more? Visit their Facebook page. Learn more about other market vendors and topics on our Saturday Farmers’ Market blog! Watch this space for stories about our vendors, explorations of some of the common questions that get asked by shoppers at the market, and discussions of relevant concepts to the local food economy. These blog posts will be linked from our newsletter each week; to get regular updates, make sure to join our newsletter here.