August is the peak of local perfection. Virtually every vegetable is in season, berries are still available, tree fruits are here and corn on the cob is ready.
Who needs processed food when there is this much bounty available?
Coquitlam Farmers Market offers several choices for fruits and vegetables. There are big and small family farms, organic and non-organic farms and orchards, and even a backyard grower or two. All are committed to bringing you the freshest food available. And not only is it fresh - as in picked that morning - there are some really unique varieties of produce available too.
Here are some of them:
Tomatoes: The Coquitlam market has Roma, beefsteak, heirloom, cherry and coloured tomatoes. Have you ever eaten a yellow tomato? How about an heirloom one? Heirloom tomatoes are not uniformly coloured or shaped. They can be striped, yellow, green, pink, white, orange red or deep red. They lack the genetic mutation that gives commercial tomatoes their uniform colour, shape and cardboard taste. The sweetness of a heirloom tomato rivals that of an apple.
Carrots: Who knew carrots can be white? Never Say Die farms in Pitt Meadows grow white carrots that taste out of this world. Biting into one takes me right back to my grandfather's garden. No bagged mini carrots for me. Purple carrots have a higher antioxidant value than commercially grown carrots too.
Peaches: Snowy Mountain Organics, from the Cawston Valley, has 18 varieties of peaches. Have you ever eaten a white champagne peach? Walter and Lauren experiment with new and heritage varieties to balance the whims of Mother Nature and feed their passion for farming and good food. Their rainbow tent reflects the rainbow of colour you will find in all their produce.
Blueberries: The Beckman farm in Mission is renowned for its amazing blueberries. Grown without sprays, the berries are huge. Their farm is ideally located for blueberries as the water table is high enough that they don't need to irrigate. When blueberries have all the natural water they need, they become big, juicy and sweet. You really can taste the difference.
Celebrate the bounty at the market on Sunday, Aug. 19. The Coquitlam Farmers Market will be hosting its annual Blueberry Pancake breakfast. And don't forget about the Spirit Square Market Friday evenings.
Recipe: Summer Corn Cakes with Tomato Blueberry Salsa
(I found this recipe on the food blog ezrapoundcake.com, which used a recipe from Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen.)
3 ears corn
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons buttermilk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
canola oil, for frying
chopped tomato and blueberry salsa (recipe follows)
Preheat oven to 200 F. Line a baking sheet with a brown paper bag.
Cut the corn from the cobs into a large bowl, and scrape the stripped cobs with the back of the knife (or a spoon) to release the juices into the bowl.
Place 2 cups of the corn kernels into a food processor, and pulse several times, until the corn is slightly pureed but still chunky. Scrape into the bowl with the remaining corn kernels.
Add flour, cornmeal, onion, basil, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper to the corn. Stir to mix.
Add the eggs, buttermilk and butter, and stir just to combine (do not over-mix).
Place a large skillet over medium heat and add just enough canola oil to barely cover the bottom, then heat until sizzling hot.
One heaping tablespoon at a time, scoop the batter into the skillet. Cooking in batches of 4 to 5 to avoid overcrowding, fry the cakes 1 to 2 minutes per side, until golden brown.
Drain on the lined baking sheet, and place in the oven to keep warm while cooking the remaining corn cakes. Serve warm topped with a heap of Chopped Tomato and Blueberry Salsa.
Chopped Tomato and Blueberry Salsa
Makes about 2 cups
1 large tomato, cored and chopped
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 scallion, trimmed and minced
1/2 jalapeño pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced
juice of 1/2 lime
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Place all of the ingredients in a bowl, and stir to mix. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve, for up to 2 days.
(This salsa would be equally as good made with fresh peaches.)
Karen Curtis is the Lemonade Lady (www.kicslemonade.ca and kicslemonade.blogspot.ca) at the Coquitlam Farmers Market. Her column runs once a month during market season.
