Welcome to the winter market season! Opening day of the Port Moody Winter Market is this Sunday.
This is the second year the market will be running weekly and it is kicking of with a bang. The stalls are sold out, the food trucks are lined up and there will even be cooking demos featuring yours truly.
Make sure you come early if you want to get in on our opening special. Bring a copy of this column to the information booth for a special offer. The market will give away limited numbers of products from some of our vendors. Will you choose a pound of grass-fed beef, a loaf of bread, a dozen eggs or a bottle of lemonade syrup?
If you miss out on this offer, your child can get in on the action. There will be a scavenger hunt for the kids. Game cards are also available at the info table and the prize is a yummy cookie from Sweet Thea.
Winter doesn’t have to mean the end of fresh, locally grown produce. We will have five veggie growers and two fruit growers at market this season. Thanks to innovative growing practices, you will be able to source a large variety of fresh food. Root crops such as beets, carrots and potatoes, along with squashes, greens and tree fruits are all available.
And speaking of innovative growing practices, be sure to sign up for the November workshop. Here are the details: Growing Food Indoors, Nov. 29, 10:30 a.m. to noon: Learn tips and techniques for utilizing indoor space to grow food during the cold months. Techniques discussed will include what kind of lights to use to grow salad greens, sprouting seeds and mushrooms. Participants will receive a mason jar full of seeds to start the growing process. Cost is $10 but you will receive $10 in market money immediately following the workshop.
You can take that market money and spend it at one of 45 vendors, including 19 new ones. Half Pint pies will be there with their yummy little take-and-bake pies. Peregrine Supply Co. is bringing men’s skin and beard care to the market. While their line is geared toward men, I love the Bonsai Citrus soap. Muy Rico Mexican foods will be joining us, too. Their handmade tortilla chips are incredible and pair perfectly with any of the salsas they make. The market is also welcoming Kalala Organic Winery and Sons of Vancouver Distillery — Chili Vodka, anyone?
All in all, it is shaping up to be a banner winter market season. Fresh local food and artisan products, workshops, cooking demos, Instagram contests, veggie of the month, the list goes on and on. Stop by the Port Moody recreation complex every Sunday to see what’s new.
--Karen Curtis is the Lemonade Lady (www.kicslemonade.ca and kicslemonade.blogspot.ca) at the Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam farmers markets. Her column runs monthly.
•••••
RECIPE: TATER TIME
Make sure you stock up on potatoes — the November veggie of the month — so you can make this delicious potato gratin. I found the recipe on a food blog called Ferdakost and adapted it using market ingredients.
POTATO GRATIN
50 ml olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
100 grams lightly smoked bacon cut into matchsticks
125 ml dry white wine such as Kalala’s Pinot Gris
6 waxy potatoes cut into small cubes (leaving skin on)
100 ml whipping cream
250 grams Gouda from Golden Ears Cheesecrafters
Fresh thyme, for decoration (optional)
Preheat oven to 180 C. Heat oil in large deep-sided frying pan, add onion and bacon and cook over low heat until onion is soft (5-10 minutes), add wine and cook until evaporated (2-3 minutes). Add potato and cook until tender (10-15 minutes), then season to taste. Add cream, cook for 1 minute and remove from heat.
Lay half the potato mixture in an 8-cup-capacity casserole or two 4-cup-capacity baking dishes; scatter over half the cheese, then repeat with remaining potato mixture and cheese. Bake until dish is golden and bubbling and potato is tender (30-45 minutes). Serve immediately with plenty of crusty bread. The double-baked Swiss from Gesundheit would be amazing.
