While most local-food loving Vancouverites get down to a farmers market in the summer months there are more than 15 going on in the Lower Mainland at the height of the season winter is another story.
The Winter Farmers Market at Nat Bailey Stadium is open every Saturday, no matter the weather, and has everything a locavore would need.
But chef Andrea Carlson of Harvest Community Foods (and the soon-to-open Burdock and Co.), has come up with another great way to enjoy the seasons bounty of hardy greens, root crops and apples with a well-curated box of local produce, available for pick-up every two weeks.
Were so lucky to have such an abundance of year round, local produce at our fingertips here in Vancouver, says Carlson. I wanted to create an opportunity to keep local food as accessible as possible, for those without time or a car and for when the weather makes the trek to the winter farmers market daunting.
Carlson used the model of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) to structure her own custom-designed CSA program at Harvest. A CSA offers consumers the opportunity to buy direct from farmers. Traditionally, a CSA share, or membership, is purchased from the farmer in the early spring. Once summer rolls around the share, or box of farm-fresh produce, is picked up weekly and the farmer and consumer get to meet.
Having been around for over 25 years, CSAs allow farmers to receive payment early in the season, when they need it most, while the consumer gets to enjoy the freshest food there is, packed full of flavour, nutrients and vibrancy, and know exactly where it comes from.
With most CSAs, the food is chosen by the farmer by what is available that particular week. Seasonality never tasted so real when the winter kale and cabbage make way for springtime asparagus and spinach, until the abundance of summers sweetness is exploding in cherries, peas, strawberries, lettuce.
You are introduced to a variety of foods that might not find their way into the cart at the grocery store. And it is a chance to be inspired, educated and have your at-home menu reinvigorated.
At Harvest a CSA box can be ordered up to two days before pick-up day at the Chinatown eatery. Inside is a variety of ingredients that changes each time veggies, fruits, nuts, legumes and all are carefully curated by Carlson. Its perfect for two people.
Carlson has been building strong relationships with local producers for years now and has quite a community of farmers who support the Harvest CSA. Whereas a regular CSA is from only one farm, Carlson calls around to see who has what and whats the tastiest: Foxglove Farms on Saltspring Island has grains, Klippers Organics in Cawston has apples, North Arm Farms in Pemberton has potatoes and sunchokes, Fresh Roots Urban Farms has greens and Hives For Humanity, a downtown beekeeping project, supply honey. And a well-rounded cornucopia for two is created.
Just like having a professional chef in the kitchen, Carlson and her team provide some inspiration, and introduction to the ingredients. Many people arent familiar with many of the veggies we have through the winter, like sunchokes, or kale and need a little help.
When picking up a Harvest CSA, the staff are sure to explain all the contents and remove any first-time uncertainty even offering a taste of a Tokyo turnip (which is so delicious and sweet.) Once home, tucked within each bag is a custom-made, easy-to-follow recipe, using the supplied ingredients.
To order, sign up for the newsletter on Harvests website. Every two weeks, youll be reminded of the order deadline and introduced to the weeks producers. And while youre picking up your veggies, dont forget dessert the shelves at Harvest are adequately supplied with Beta 5 chocolate bars and Ernest Ice Cream. Yum yum!
