I have been asked if I would ever consider doing a class that included a small tour of a farmers’ market, instead of a class – I’d rather share a bit about the farmers and producers in a way that is more accessible to everyone. I’ll be posting on my blog every few weeks about the producers I buy from – why I do, who they are, where to find them and sharing a recipe featuring something from their farm!
August Organics
Who: Kristine + Dan Vriend
What: August Organics produces some of the best fruit and vegetable we can access in Edmonton. It’s an exciting time of year as their table is starting to fill up each week with more and more. As I think about writing a list of what I buy from them, I know I will sure to miss something – so I will just say this, most of my vegetables through the summer come from their farm, and all of my root veg come from them through the fall and winter months.
Where / When: Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market Saturdays all year 8am – 3pm
Why: I often get asked if I’d rather buy organic than local, the best (for me) is to buy organic and local, but I will buy ingredients that aren’t organic but are still local. So for me, local is I suppose more important than organic. I don’t want to buy vegetables that are picked before they are ready, spend far too much time on a truck be transported from the States or Mexico to Canada but are organic for several reasons, which I won’t go into right now. This is the exact reason why I buy from Kirstine and Dan – they are local and organic – because I trust what they are doing, they care about soil health, and everything that they sell is grown JUST outside of Edmonton spending about 30 minutes on a truck getting to the market. It really is the best of the best. Head down to Old Strathcona on a Saturday and talk to either of them about what they are doing, organic certification and regulations, and support their farm! I promise you won’t be disappointed!
Recipe: Auntie Lil’s Rhubarb Pie – A recipe I have shared before, but it’s so good I thought I’d share again.
Auntie Lil’s Rhubarb Pie
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp cream
2 tbsp flour
2 cups rhubarb, chopped
Mix the butter, brown sugar, egg, cream and flour together. Place the 2 cups of rhubarb into the base of a baked pie shell, and cover with the sugar mixture. Bake in a preheated oven (425F) for 10 minutes, turn the oven down to 350F and bake for a further 20 – 25 minutes.