WL Farmer's Market

The right to use raw unpasteurized Milk etc - Debbie Irvins meeting with Donna Barnett

2012-01-27T11:22:00.000-08:00

This was forwarded to us from Debbie Irvine and we urge you to read and send as many letters as possible. Please also forward this blog post to anyone interested. It is a very important issue

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Hi everyone!

I had a good meeting yesterday (Jan. 5) with our MLA Donna Barnett regarding the freedom of food choices and raw milk in particular. She is very much ‘onside’ with having freedom of food choices. She grew up in Richmond – on raw milk and home produced food. She said she would be discussing the availability of raw milk with the Minister of Agriculture, Don McCrae, and also the MP for Cariboo South, Cathy McLeod. She also said she would provide me with a letter which I could share with the media.

In the meantime, she said that it ‘wouldn’t hurt’ to receive more letters from folks that are concerned about the freedom to obtain raw milk. Your letters don’t have to be long, just convey the thought that you want freedom of choice. If you grew up with raw milk, raised your family on it, realize the health benefits, or whatever experience you have had, include that too!

A great website to check out is http://www.freewebs.com/bovinity/. It is put out by Gordon Watson, a Freedom of Choice advocate, who has been involved with cowshare programs in the Lower Mainland for at least 10 years. I have had some correspondence with Mr. Watson, and he has told me that one of their cowshare members is currently speaking with the Minister of Agriculture, Don McCrae about raw milk. So……….it would seem timely to also be showing support by writing a letter to Ms. Barnett.

If anyone needs help with a letter please let me know – I would be happy to help out. Some points to include, if they are applicable to your situation, would be: you were raised with raw milk in your diet; you raised your children with raw milk; you minimize your use of pasteurized dairy products, however if raw milk and raw milk products were readily available you would purchase 2 to 3 times the amount of dairy that you currently do; you believe in the right to have freedom of choice on what you consume.

The address for Donna is:

Donna Barnett

MLA Cariboo-Chilcotin

#301 – 383 Oliver Street

Williams Lake, BC

V2G 1M4

And a cc. to the Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Don McCrae would be a great idea! His address is:

Honourable Don McRae

Minister of Agriculture

Room 301

Parliament Buildings

Victoria, BC V8V 1X4

I feel that the ball is finally rolling a bit – let us have it gain great momentum and have the choice of raw milk! After all, if we don’t speak up now, then we have no one to blame but ourselves when we can’t buy eggs, honey, veggies, fruit, or whatever, directly from our local producers.

Please forward this on to anyone you know who is interested in having the freedom of choice for raw milk. Anyone outside the Cariboo-Chilcotin area would send their letter to their local MLA. Addresses for MLA’s can be found at http://www.leg.bc.ca/mla/3-1-6.htm , or Google BC MLA’s.

If you want any more information please contact me at 250-392-9418 or dirvine@thelakebc.ca

A parting thought: organic food was considered ‘trendy’ and a bit weird in the 1980’s, when in fact it is the way food used to be produced. Look at the strength of organic food purchasing today. Surely raw milk and raw milk products can be the next HUGE health item for the supermarkets – but we have to let them know!

Cheers and to your good health!

            Debbie Irvine, B.Sc.(Agr) RHN RNCP
            Registered Holistic Nutritionist
            Registered Nutritional Consulting Practitioner

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Zwiebelkuchen - Onion Tart = delicious!

2011-09-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

The air is getting crisp and the onions are in abundance and that means it's time for Zwiebelkuchen, an old delicacy from Germany.

Ingredients:

Dough:

500g All-purpose Flour (I used probably about 1/2 cup less, but it depends. You might need it all; so keep a bit aside and use if your dough is too sticky)

2 Eggs

100 g Butter, melted

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 cup of Milk, warmed

2 1/4 tsp Active dry yeast

Mix yeast into warmed Milk. Let sit for about 10 minutes. Add melted butter, eggs and salt and mix well. Add into flour and mix til dough forms, kneading for about 7 or 8 minutes.

Let rest in greased bowl in a warm location for about 1/2 hour.

Topping:

8oz of thick sliced bacon

2kg Onions (about 4 large ones)

1 cup of Sour Cream

4 Eggs

40g of All-purpose Flour

1 tsp Caraway Sees

Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 425F

Slice Bacon and Onions.

Fry the chopped bacon til crispy and drain on paper towel. Let cool.

Saute onions in a bit of vegetable oil til translucent but not brown. Let cool.

In bowl, combine Sour Cream, Eggs, Flour, Caraway Seeds and Bacon. Mix well.

Add cooled onions and mix. Season with salt.

In the meantime, roll out your dough and place into greased 9x13 inch baking dish

pour filling into the dish and sprinkle a few more Caraway Seeds on top if you like.

Bake in middle of the oven for 45 minutes or til set. Cool for about 15 minutes, slice and serve. ;)

Enjoy!

Preserving summer

2011-09-19T10:13:00.001-07:00

As summer is coming to an end and the Williams Lake Farmers Market is entering its last few weeks of the season, this is a great time to share a quick recipe of what to do with all the tomatoes you might have in your garden (or have picked up from Gerry the Fruit Guy!) ;)

Roasted Tomatoes

you'll need:
several pounds of ripe Tomatoes
Salt, Pepper, Basil
Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 400F.
Wash and dry tomatoes.

Slice in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Place in a large baking dish and drizzle with a bit of Olive Oil.

Sprinkle liberally with Salt, Pepper and fresh basil and roast for approx. 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool.

At this stage, you can either put the tomatoes and the juices into freezer bags and freeze for later use or use for such things as tomato soup or pasta sauce.
Enjoy!

Congrats to our newest winner

2011-08-10T12:52:00.001-07:00

The second draw of the $50.00 Market Cash went to Pat Boate of WL. Congratulations from all of us at the Williams Lake Farmers Market!
The next draw will be September 2nd. Don't forget to enter your name at the Coffee Station, Fridays 9am - 2pm at Boitanio Park.

Entertainers Wanted

2011-07-28T10:44:00.001-07:00

Come and win some cash

2011-06-23T11:32:00.000-07:00

Anybody could use an extra $50, right? This is what we believe, too, so we've decided to hold a monthly draw for 50 buckaroos of Market Cash. Enter yourself for the first draw of the season, held on July 8th and be eligible to win the Cash. Your winnings will be redeemable on Fridays between 9am and 2pm with any of our vendors at the Williams Lake Farmer's Market at Boitanio Park.
Enter your name at the coffee station.
First draw: July 8th, 2011

We're back for another great season

2011-06-06T17:33:00.000-07:00

The Williams Lake Farmer's Market is back for another season and we've extended our hours from 9am - 2pm every Friday at Boitanio Park.
Come see all the Goodies we have to offer again this year.
*Artisan Baking
*Homemade Pasta
*Seasonal Veggies
*Bedding Plants
*Artisan Soaps and Body Products
*Natural Meat Products
*Handcrafted Birdhouses
*Handcrafted Baskets
and so much more.

NEW THIS YEAR:
*Lunches such as Souvlaki, Samosas, Raw Food, Gyros

Here some recent Market Snapshots:

Pumpkin Spice Cake

2010-12-16T17:42:00.000-08:00

At the last Farmer's Market, Monika of Springhouse Scents brought this cake for Customer Appreciation Day. It was raved about and she received a few requests to post this recipe, so here it is:

Pumpkin Spice Cake:

1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 can pumpkin -- (15 ounce)
puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups white sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 10 inch bundt or tube pan.

Cream oil, beaten eggs, pumpkin and vanilla together.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, ground nutmeg, ground allspice, ground cinnamon, ground cloves and salt together. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix until just combined. If desired, stir in some chopped nuts. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan for 5 minutes then turn out onto a plate and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

Rhubarb Cobbler

2010-06-28T11:47:00.000-07:00

I have made this recipe many times before and wanted to share it with you, since Rhubarb has been available at the Williams Lake Farmers Market again.

Rhubarb Cobbler (courtesy of Monika Petersen of Springhouse Scents)

3/4 cup white sugar
2 TBSP cornstarch
4 cups chopped garden fresh rhubarb
1 TBSP water
1 TBSP butter, diced
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 TBSP white sugar
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 farm fresh egg, lightly beaten
2 TBSP sugar

Preheat oven to 200C / 400F. Lightly grease a 9 inch square baking dish.

In a saucepan, mix 3/4 cups sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the rhubarb and water. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 1 minute.

Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Dot with butter, and sprinkle with cinnamon.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, 1 TBSP sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
In a small bowl, mix the milk and egg. Add all at once to dry ingredients, stirring just to moisten. Drop by teaspoonfuls on top of the rhubarb mixture. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until crisp and lightly browned.

Enjoy!!

Did you know...?

2010-05-12T12:55:00.001-07:00

... that the Williams Lake Farmers Market is back again?
Come see us every Friday from now to October 8th 2010 in Boitanio Park (behind Save-On Foods).
We're open from 9am - 1pm and are looking forward to serving you with some of the freshest products the Cariboo has to offer. Find Meat, Baking, Produce, Soaps, Jewelry, Clothing and other handmade items our vendors have for sale.

Also, come see us for a wonderful selection of Bedding Plants for your Gardens. Vegetable Plants and Flowers available now!

Peach Salsa

2009-08-13T05:32:00.000-07:00

I've canned peaches this week, since they are so plenty at the Williams Lake Farmers Market but I needed to find a way of using up some more of that crate I bought. I took a look through my canning book and found a fairly easy Peach Salsa. Yes, that was the perfect recipe to get rid of a few more of those babies.
Here's the recipe if you'd like to try it:

6 cups prepared peaches (about 6 large peaches)
1 1/4 cups chopped red onion
2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 tbsp liquid honey
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Blanch, peel, pit and chop peaches; measure 6 cups. combine peaches, onion, peppers, cilantro, vinegar, honey, garlic, cumin and cayenne pepper in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Boil gently, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Ladle hot salsa into hot jars to within 1/2 inch of top rim. Using nonmetallic utensil, remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim removing any stickiness. Centre Lid onto jar, apply screw band fingertip tight.
Resume with your regular canning method...

yields approx 8x250ml jars

Use with Nacho Chips or grilled fish, seafood or chicken

courtesy of Monika Petersen

Dill Pickles and Chard Relish

2009-07-27T11:50:00.000-07:00

Debbie Lloyd of Whiskey Creek Acres, is kindly sharing two recipes with all of you.

Dill Pickles:
(this works well if you want to do one bottle at a time; or multiply accordingly)

2 heads of dill
1 - 2 garlic cloves
small pickling cucumbers

Brine:
1 1/2 cups of water
1/2 cups of white vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp coarse pickling salt
1 tsp sugar

For the brine combine water, vinegar, salt and sugar in pot. Bring to boil.

In hot, sterilized quart jars, place dill and garlic cloves with a small amount of hot brine into jar. Fill with small cucumbers to within 1 inch of top.
Pour hot brine over cucumbers to within 1/4 inch of top. Seal. makes 1 quart.

For additional jars, just multiply amount of brine for jars to be filled. Let stand 4 weeks before serving.

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Chard Relish:

10 cups Swiss Chard, stalks only, diced
1/4 cup coarse pickling salt
2 medium onions, diced
2 cups white vinegar
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp mustard seed

Sauce:
1/4 cup conrstarch
1 tsp Mustard powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Curry powder
1/4 cup water

Place chard in large pot. Sprinkle with salt. Let stand 2 hours.
Stir in onion. Let stand 1/2 hour. Drain well.
Add vinegar, sugar, celery seed and mustard seed. Bring to boil, stirring often. Cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
Sauce: In small bowl combine cornstarch, mustard powder, turmeric and curry powder. Stir in water and mix til smooth. Stir into chard misture. Boil for 10 minutes more, stirring often. Fill hot sterilized jars to within 1/4 inch of top. Seal. Makes 7 half pints.

Rustic Apricot Tart - a little different

2009-07-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

With beautiful Apricots available at the Williams Lake Farmers Market, I wanted to share a recipe with everyone for something a little bit different.
I came across a beautiful rustic Apricot Tart from Simply Recipes and thought that it sounded interesting with the addition of Cardamom and Chipotle Powder. So, here's the recipe for you all to try:

Ingredients:
1 recipe pate brisee pie crust
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder or plain chile powder
1 pound pitted and halved fresh apricots
1/4 cup raisins
2 Tbsp chopped pecans
Method

1. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, flour, cardamom and chipotle chile powder. Fold in the apricot halves and raisins, until they are well coated with the mixture. Set aside and let macerate for 10 minutes.

2. If you are working with chilled pie dough, remove from the refrigerator to let stand for 10 minutes before rolling out.

3. Lightly flour a clean surface and roll out the pie dough to a 13-inch round of even thickness.

4. If you are cooking on the grill, transfer the rolled-out pie dough to a large, lightly buttered, doubled over square of aluminum foil. If you are baking in the oven, transfer to small-rimmed, lightly buttered baking sheet.
5. Place the apricot mixture in the center of the pie dough round, leaving a border of 2 inches on all sides. Sprinkle the top with the chopped pecans. Fold the edges of the pie crust up and over so that a small circle of filling is visible.

6a. Grilling Directions.
Prepare grill (either charcoal or gas) for indirect medium heat. Carefully transfer the tart on foil to the grill. Make sure it isn't directly over any coals or gas flame. Cover the grill. If your grill has a temperature gauge, try to keep the temp between 350°F and 400°F. Cook for 40-50 minutes, until crust is lightly browned and the filling is bubbly.

6b. Oven Directions.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook tart for 45-50 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned and the filling is bubbly.

Great served with vanilla ice cream.

Makes 6 servings.

They're baaack!

2009-07-21T11:30:00.000-07:00

Who's back you're wondering?
The Fruit Guys! Jerry and the Gang of Similkameen Produce are back again this season with their wonderful produce.
So far there's Cherries, Apricots, Peaches and real soon, they'll be adding Pears, Tomatoes, Plums, Corn and so much more to they're selection.
Come check out some of the gorgeous fruit and produce that they have to offer at the Williams Lake Farmers Market.

Spinach Pesto

2009-06-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what to do with all that Spinach? One way to use up lots of these leafy delights is to use them in a tasty Pesto. And it's easier and more versatile than you think. Here's what you'll need:

3 cups market fresh Spinach Leaves (washed)
1/3 cup toasted Almonds
1/3 cup grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese
1 large clove of garlic, chopped
1/3 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Add Spinach Leaves, Almonds and chopped Garlic into Food Processor. (this can also be done with a mortar and pestle, but who needs the extra work..) and pulse til everything is chopped up. Slowly drizzle Olive Oil into feeder and let it whirl til you have a fairly smooth, thick sauce. Add grated Parmesan and Salt and Pepper to taste and you are finished. Now wasn't that easy?

Don't have spinach? Use Basil or Arugula or a combo of them all. No Almonds? Use Walnuts or Pine Nuts.
Pesto tastes great tossed with hot pasta and some cherry tomatoes perhaps, or use it instead of Tomato Sauce on Pizza, as a sandwich spread, a dip for veggie sticks or a filling for chicken breasts with some additional cheese. There is no limit on how you can use this and it's a great way to get more leafy greens into your diet.

recipe courtesy of Monika Petersen

Hey you! Do you have a special talent?

2009-06-12T16:28:00.000-07:00

The Williams Lake Farmers Market welcomes all entertainment: musicians, jugglers, dance performers, comedians etc.
Practice and show your gift in Boitanio Park during the Farmers Market Season.

Please call Brigitte Wenger at 250-392-3500 to book a spot.

Come and join us

2009-06-10T07:40:00.000-07:00

It's been several weeks now, since the Williams Lake Farmers Market has opened its gates at Boitanio Park and, we have to say that the turnout has been wonderful. It's so great to see our regular visitors as well as new ones.
As we are always striving to make our market an even bigger success, we are calling for anybody that would be interested in joining us as a vendor.
You can get more information by calling Debbie Lloyd @ 250-989-1522 (please no calls after 8pm) or come see her at Boitanio Park Fridays between 9am and 2pm.
We look forward to welcoming you to our Vendor Family.

Almond Rhubarb Cake

2009-06-09T20:17:00.000-07:00

With all the beautiful heavenly stalks of delicious rhubarb for offer at the Williams Lake Farmers Market, there are plenty of wonderful recipes for you to try. Lets begin with this delicious Almond Rhubarb Cake that Monika of Springhouse Scents provided for you.

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2/3 cups vegetable oil
1 farm fresh egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup milk
about 2 cups finely chopped fresh Rhubarb
1/2 cup ground Almonds

Topping:

1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 cup sliced Almonds

Procedure:

Beat brown sugar, oil, egg & vanilla until smooth. Combine flour, cinnamon, salt & baking soda; add to sugar mixture alternatly with milk. Beat until smooth. Stir in Rhubarb & ground Almonds. Pour into greased 9-inch springform cake pan. For topping, combine sugar & butter; stir in almonds. Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 50 minutes or til cake tests done.

For many other Rhubarb Recipes, check this site for ideas: Canadian Living Magazine

The season's about to start...

2009-05-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

... at the Williams Lake Farmer's Market.
Yes, May is here and we are ready to open our tents for another fun-filled market season.
It's been a long winter, with what seems like below average temperatures and above average snow amounts and you can understand that we are eager to get back to Boitanio Park with all of our produce, meat products, delicious baked goods, handcrafted items such as vegan and non-vegan artisan soaps, beautiful British Columbia photography, gorgeous paintings, handcrafted baskets and so much more.
What's new this year? We are still at the same location inside Boitanio Park (behind Save-On Foods) every Friday til October, but this years opening hours will be from 9am to 1pm to accommodate all of you early risers.
We hope to see you on May 15th, when we officially start this years season.
Thank you for your continued support of our farmers and vendors and remember: Buy local!

Vendor Contact Information

2008-06-10T08:35:00.000-07:00

*Barter Gardens
Jamie Barter
250-392-5856

*Big Bear Ranch
organic beef and pork
Rainer & Gigi Krumsiek
250-620-3353
http://bigbearranch.com
info@bigbearranch.com

*B&W Horsefly Service
Frank Wijma
Bedding Plants
250-620-0032
frank_wijma@telus.net

*Cariboo Country Inn
artisan bread
Monika Schlaepfer
250-620-3434
http://cariboocountryinn.com/
Howdy@CaribooCountryInn.com

*Chimney Lake Gardens
Michael and Vicky Atwood
250-398-5106

*Creative Expressions Gifts
Barbara Lindsay
decorative artist
rustic birdhouses and benches, hand painted wine sets etc
250-398-6296
barbara.lindsay21@yahoo.ca

*Julie Krynen
250-747-8496

*Meldrum Ranch Produce
Rebecca Meldrum
250-392-5329
bmeldrum@telus.net

*Similkameen Produce
fruits and vegetables
250-499-5276
horsman@nethop.net

*Springhouse Scents
natural handmade vegan and non-vegan soaps and body products, british columbia photography cards
Monika Petersen
250-392-7223
http://springhousescents.com
http://photographybymoni.etsy.com
soaps@springhousescents.com

*Wee Two Treasures
Mavis Hlookoff
250-620-3349
wm5683@uniserve.com

*Wenger Sheep Farm
all natural lamb, ewe, mutton, homemade pasta, vinegars, baked goods, pet food
Henry & Brigitte Wenger
250-392-3500
wengerhb@telus.net

*Whiskey Creek Acres
vegetables, paintings, handcrafted baskets, jam, biscotti
Debbie Lloyd
250-989-1522