MARKET MUSINGS
Thoughts and news from the market team.
Recipe Highlight | Pumpkin Spice Latte
It is time to accept fall- and that means jumping on the Pumpkin Spice Latte train! Here is our recipe for a fresh, local take on this trendy fall season staple. Use your market haul to impress your friends with how relevant, and DIY savvy you are! This is also a great one to use up your leftover pumpkin puree from your pie or ravioli recipe.
Ingredients:
2 c. milk
1/4 c. pumpkin puree (sugar pumpkins are best!)
2 tbsp Honey
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 c. hot espresso or dark roast coffee
1/2 whipped cream (optional)
2 tbsp caramel ice cream topping (optional)
Directions:
Roast pumpkin in oven at 400 degrees for 35-45 mins until soft (cut in half; place flat half down on baking sheet; coat in oil; it is done when a fork can be stuck easily into it)
Mash pumpkin and set aside 1/4 c. - save the rest for a pumpkin pie or pumpkin ravioli!
Heat milk, pumpkin puree, honey and spices in a saucepan over medium low heat for approximately 5 mins or until hot (but not boiling!). Stir often to combine and keep from burning!
Remove from heat and whisk vigorously until it is foamy.
Pour coffee or espresso into two large mugs and add foamed milk.
Add whipped cream and caramel topping if desired!
Recipe Highlight | Salsa Fest Fresca!
Congratulations to our 2018 Big Tomato Winner!
Tatiana's Salsa was bright, fresh and all around tasty!
We would never give away their secret recipe, so here is a word search recipe for you to make your very own Salsa Fresca!
Fresh Food Basket | Summer Fundraiser 2018
The Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Association Fresh Food Basket Program provides an anonymous, dignified and sustainable strategy to improving access to good, healthy food. We see an average of 60 families weekly, distributing over 350 portions of fresh food each week. Our donations come from a variety of sources including local food organizations and businesses, local Farmers and community gardeners, and individuals. Though we hope to source all the required food from these channels, often we need to supplement our portions by shopping at our local grocery stores. Although it is not ideal, we recognize the importance of having a reliable program, and seek to provide the same level of support week after week.
This program does not seek to solve food insecurity. Poverty and the inaccessibility of our food systems are complex issues, and cannot be solved with basic needs programming. However, we hope that this program allows the families that access it to feel more at ease about where their groceries will be coming from, and allows us to make connections with participants and offer support in other areas. The Fresh Food Basket is a first step in community engagement. When basic needs are met, vulnerability decreases, and we see an increase in the ability to create connection and participate in community.
Moving forward, we hope to depend less and less on donations, and hope to see an uptake of this style of program across other communities in Calgary. This program is one that requires little infrastructure to start-up, but provides a highly valuable service to our community.
This summer we have seen an increase in food donations from our Farmers' Market vendors, and have received many donations from community members!
Here are some updates from the current Summer Fundraiser:
$250 from the Sun Fun Summer Program Bake Sales
$530 from Community Members like YOU
Weekly donations of lettuce, spinach, chard, rhubarb and herbs from St. Barnabus Community Garden
One-time donation of greens from the Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Garden
Frequent donations of greens, peas and zucchinis from Kensington First Community Garden
Frequent donations of chard, kale, beans, peas and beets from the Sunnyside Shared Garden
We are currently accepting monetary donations for our Summer Fundraising Campaign. The Sun Fun Summer Program baking club will also be at market throughout August selling their baked goods to raise funds- add an extra buck or two to your purchase to receive a ballot for the 'World Tour' Gift Basket.
If you donate AT MARKET, you will be entered to win our Farmers' Market 'World Tour' Gift Basket. This basket with donations from each of our vendors, is worth almost $500! Donate multiple weeks to get more entries. The basket winner will be chose at the END OF AUGUST, so you only have 3 more weeks to donate for your chance to win.
If you require more information about this program, please contact Heather at heather.r@hsca.ca.
Pedal Powered Picnic
A few riders enjoying a sunny view of the city from their park stop on St. Patrick's Island
The Hillhurst Sunnyside Farmers’ Market is proud to be a hub for our community, taking our good food community beyond access to local food, and into education and connection. We hope you have felt the shift this year with our Speaker Series’, special events, bike valet and more. One of our favourite additions to our Farmers’ Market family this year is our community-led cycling group.
Each week, community member Rory Allen hosts ‘Pedal Powered Picnic’ from our Farmers’ Market. Participants meet at market at 6:30pm to grab picnic supplies and hangout before riding off together to a nearby park. This is an open group that anyone looking to connect with new friends, and live a healthy, active lifestyle is welcome to join. We are so happy to have Pedal Powered Picnic adding to our ‘good food community’ at the Farmers’ Market! You can also stop into the free Lifesport bike valet and tune-up tent and get a once-over on your bike before you ride off.
All ages and riding levels are welcome in this casual community group. We cycle as a group making sure everyone is comfortable and leaving no one behind. The group works together to have a safe ride and promote awareness on the road, but please take your own safety precautions including wearing a helmet, and having lights for your bike. Pedal Powered Picnic can be found on Facebook, and will be running for the entirety of the outdoor Farmers’ Market season (last outdoor day October 11th). Join us!
Zucchini Season Recipe Highlight
It's Zucchini Season! Although zucchini cake and fries are delicious, we've probably all had 'em hundreds of times. YYC's own Dinner with Julie makes zucchini exciting again with her recipe for fritters. You can find an abundance of Alberta grown zucchini's at market on Wednesdays. Check out Michelle's Market, YYC Growers, Shirley's Greenhouse, Thompson Small Farm and Calico Farms for the ingredients you'll need to make this dish happen.
Crispy Zucchini-Feta Fritters
recipe by Julie Van Rosendaal
Ingredients
1 large-ish or 2 medium-small zucchini
1 tsp. coarse salt
1/3-1/2 cup crumbled feta
1 large egg
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
Freshly ground pepper
Olive or canola oil, for cooking
Directions
Place a couple sheets of paper towel on a cutting board or work surface, and grate your zucchini onto it using the coarse side (the big holes) of a box grater. Sprinkle with salt and let sit a few minutes. Place another paper towel on top, gather up the zucchini inside the towels and wring out as much liquid as you can - if you like, squeeze it into a bowl and use the liquid in soup or pasta. (It will be salty.)
Transfer the shredded zucchini to a bowl, add the feta, then stir in the egg and some freshly ground black pepper, tossing to combine it all. In a small bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder, then stir it into the zucchini mixture.
In a large, heavy skillet, heat a generous drizzle of oil over medium-high heat. Drop the batter in large spoonfuls, then flatten with the spoon until they are 2-3" in diameter. Cook for a few minutes, until the bottoms are golden, then flip and cook for another couple minutes on the other side. If they are browning too quickly, turn the heat down a bit. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel. If you like, keep them warm in a 250F oven while you cook the rest. Serve immediately, while still warm.