There is more to fall food than squash and kale. Even though the variety at the market is lessening, there is still so much to choose from.
I chatted with Chris of Ripple Creek Organics, which will continue to bring fresh salad greens, including lettuce heads, for the next while as well as broccoli and leeks. Why not bake a light broccoli leek quiche for lunch one day?
My quiche cheat is to line a pie plate with a tortilla shell — that makes a great thin crust. Simply sauté a cup of chopped broccoli, a thinly sliced leek in a bit of olive oil, place it in the bottom of the tortilla lined pie plate, top with some grated cheese from Cheesecrafters and pour a mixture of four Rockweld eggs blended with half a cup of half-and-half on top. Season with salt, pepper and some freshly grated nutmeg, then pop in a 350 F oven for about 40 minutes. Easy.
Serve it with some of the salad greens topped with microgreens from Nutrigreens (who are hoping to come to market all winter) and some shredded Forstbauer carrots for a burst of colour, and you have a great lunch or light supper.
Let’s have a look at who else will continue to bring freshness to the winter markets. Don’t forget that beginning Nov. 5, the market moves to the Port Moody recreation complex.
Never Say Die will be there with their perfect garlic. Grab a bag to keep in a cool, dark place so you can enjoy it for the months ahead. From Beds to Bowls will be back too, bringing squash, onions, leeks, cabbages and radishes. All their crops are grown outside under row cover, so they will join us at Port Moody as long as the weather doesn’t get too cold. While not organic, Beds to Bowls do not use any sprays on their crops. Mandair Farms will be anchoring the west corner and Jas will have an eclectic mix of food with her: frozen berries (blueberries, strawberries and raspberries) cabbage and kale, and, of course, her famous pakoras.
We are excited to welcome two new vendors to the market. Central Park Farms will be bringing chicken, pork and beef, all pasture-raised. That means that all Kendall’s animals have 24/7 access to the great outdoors, along with other things that encourage natural behaviours for the animals.
Wheelhouse Seafood is coming, too. Trevor and Katherine have a combined fisher and restaurant heritage, which makes for some pretty tasty products. Along with local, sustainable seafood, they will be bringing crab, lobster and prawn cakes, seafood chowder and seafood pasta to share. I can tell you the crab cakes are amazing.
I’m running out of room so I will leave the rest of the vendor highlights for next month. Make sure you stop by the Coquitlam market Sunday at Dogwood Pavilion for our last market of the season. Bring the little ones for trick or treating and the costume parade, and enjoy the vendor costumes as well
The Port Moody market opens Nov. 5 and the first workshop will be Nov. 26. Get the lowdown on soil from master gardener Lori Greyell. Learn about what to look for in your backyard garden, or in a pot, and how and when to amend for spring. Participants will do a soil analysis in the workshop and learn how to do it themselves at home.
Karen Curtis is the Lemonade Lady (kicslemonade.ca and kicslemonade.blogspot.ca) at the Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam farmers markets. Her column runs monthly.
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A TASTY FALL RECIPE
CHICKEN & SWEET POTATO SKILLET
Adapted from primaverakitchen.com
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. extra-lean ground chicken
1 tsp garlic clove, minced
½ cup onions, diced
½ cup yellow pepper, diced
1 ½ cup sweet potato, diced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch of red chili flakes
½ cup shredded havarti
fresh parsley for garnishing
Directions:
In a cast iron skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add ground chicken and garlic. Use a wood spoon to break up the chicken while it cooks. Stir occasionally and cook for about 7 minutes. Add onions and yellow peppers and cook until onions are gold brown. Add the sweet potato, chili pepper, salt and pepper. Cover the skillet and cook until they are tender. Don’t forget to stir occasionally. If necessary, add more olive oil or a little bit of water to cook the sweet potato faster.
While the sweet potato is cooking, pre-heat the oven to 400 F. When the sweet potato is tender, add shredded mozzarella cheese, and put the skillet in the oven to melt the cheese (alternately, you can just put the lid on the skillet for 5 minutes and the cheese will melt). When the cheese melts, remove from the oven, garnish with parsley and serve.
CLARIFICATION
Sonja and Raymond Barker of Silverhill Orchards have asked me to pass on that they are no longer at market due to health challenges. Had it been a planned retirement, they would have said a fond and proper goodbye to the market friends they have made over the last 16 years. Sonja says that each and every one of you has left “footprints on their hearts.” We wish them well on their path to wellness.
