You did it!!!

I am so proud of us.
All of those letters that you sent, emails that you typed, and calls that you made actually did something! Two things in fact.

1. Farmers can now legally grow potatoes and sell them at Farmers Markets and Roadside stands without having to go through the Peak of the Market marketing board. Peak has changed its rules to make these two categories of retail allowable.
It's still illegal for farmers to grow potatoes and sell them to other retail locations such as national chains or even independent retailers in Manitoba.

2. Peak of the Market has granted my farmer a concession. Because he grows only immature potatoes not for storage, he is currently being legally allowed to sell his product to some independent stores in Manitoba without having to go though the Peak of the Market marketing board. As part of this concession he must allow Peak of the Market inspectors to come onto his property once per year in the fall to inspect his facility to ensure that he isn't secretly growing any potatoes for winter storage (which is what Peak of the Market controls).

Though it may seem small, I consider this a huge victory. For better or for worse marketing boards have played a large role in Canadian agriculture for decades. They are powerful institutions whose business practices are rarely held to public inspection, and so whose policies are rarely swayed by public opinion.

Each sector's marketing board benefits some farmers, while stifling innovation for others. Sometimes, but not always, the marketing boards benefit those farmers who hold office in the board of directors, and stifle innovation from small farmers in direct competition. I sincerely hope that the current trend of consumer concsiousness will hold these Agricultural Marketing Boards to a higher standard of behaviour.

Thank you for caring about Manitoba Farmers!!

Take Care
Erin

Letter writing campaign

Feel free to copy and paste the below form letters. They are intended for those who share our sentiments as to the recent Peak of the Market controversy, but who have writers block. Feel free to add your own sentiments, change the letters to better suit your views, or just copy and paste them into your own email system to send off to the intended recipients.

We recommend sending 3 letters. One to the Minister of Agriculture Rosann Wowchuck whose office may be a able to apply pressure to change the current legislation. One to your MLA for the same purpose. One to Peak of the market to express your concern in this issue.

If you are feeling particularly activist, we also recommend that you send letters to both the Conservative party of Manitoba, as well as the new NDP candidates running for election.
Hugh McFadyen hugh.mcfadyen@leg.gov.mb.ca
pcmanitoba@pcmanitoba.com

NDP Candidates to contact
Steve Ashton steve.ashton@leg.gov.mb.ca
Gregory Sellinger greg.selinger@leg.gov.mb.ca
Andrew Swan andrew.swan@leg.gov.mb.ca

For Peak of the Market

Larry McIntosh
larry@peakmarket.com
Peak of the Market
1200 King Edward St
Winnipeg, MB
R3H 0R5

Dear Larry

I was recently appalled to learn that Peak of the Market is the controlling marketing board for potatoes in Manitoba. Until this point in time your friendly TV commercials, marketing campaigns and branding strategy led me to believe that you were an opt-in growers marketing co-operative. I feel deceived by your company.

I am now aware that Peak of the Market is a government legislated body which legally controls all potato marketing in the province. I am also now aware that this body makes it essentially illegal for any small farmers in Manitoba to market ANY of their own potato crops independently of Peak of the Market.

I make the conscious choice to shop at farmers markets, small independent grocers, and road side stands. Personal consumer choice in the marketplace is important to me. I feel that Peak of the Market is both denying me that choice, and denying small Manitoba farmers the right to support their families by supplying an alternate choice in the market place to Peak.

I want to express my intense concern in this matter. It must become legal for small Manitoba potato farmers to continue to supply these locations with their product without any interference from Peak of the Market.

As a resident of Manitoba, a local food aficionado, and a small business supporter, I demand that Manitoba farmers be given the right to market immature potatoes as they see fit, with NO interference from Peak of the Market. I want this right to be clearly written in a legal document with no chance of mis-interpretation. I want this document to be in place in time for Manitoba farmers to purchase their seed for spring 2010, so they can plan their crops.


I look forward to a personal response from your office.

Kind Regards

For your MLA

Dear

I was recently appalled to learn that Peak of the Market is the controlling marketing board for potatoes in Manitoba. Until this point in time POTM’s friendly TV commercials and marketing campaigns led me to believe that they were an opt-in growers marketing co-operative. I feel deceived.

I am now aware that Peak of the Market is a government legislated body which legally controls all potato marketing in the province. I am also now aware that this body makes it essentially illegal for any small farmers in Manitoba to market ANY of their own potato crops independently of Peak of the Market.

I make the conscious choice to shop at farmers markets, small independent grocers, and road side stands. I want to express my intense concern in this matter. It must become legal for small Manitoba potato farmers to continue to supply these locations with their product without any interference from Peak of the Market.

As a resident of Manitoba, a local food aficionado, and a small business supporter, I demand that Manitoba farmers be given the right to market immature potatoes as they see fit, with NO interference from Peak of the Market. I also request that the Province of Manitoba oversees Peak of the Market in the writing of this legislation as this organization clearly can not be trusted to have small Manitoba farmers’ best interests at heart.






I look forward to a personal response from your office.

Kind Regards

For the Minister of Agriculture

Minister of Agriculture
Rosann Wowchuk
minagr@leg.gov.mb.ca
Minister’s Office
165 Legistlative Building
450 Broadway
Winnipeg MB
R3C 0V8


Dear Ms. Wowchuck

I was recently appalled to learn that Peak of the Market is the controlling marketing board for potatoes in Manitoba. Until this point in time POTM’s friendly TV commercials and marketing campaigns led me to believe that they were an opt-in growers marketing co-operative. I feel deceived.

I am now aware that Peak of the Market is a government legislated body which legally controls all potato marketing in the province. I am also now aware that this body makes it essentially illegal for any small farmers in Manitoba to market ANY of their own potato crops independently of Peak of the Market.

I make the conscious choice to shop at farmers markets, small independent grocers, and road side stands. I want to express my intense concern in this matter. It must become legal for small Manitoba potato farmers to continue to supply these locations with their product without any interference from Peak of the Market.

As a resident of Manitoba, a local food aficionado, and a small business supporter, I demand that Manitoba farmers be given the right to market immature potatos as they see fit, with NO interference from Peak of the Market. I also request that the Province of Manitoba oversees Peak of the Market in the writing of this legislation as this organization clearly can not be trusted to have small Manitoba farmers’ best interests at heart.






I look forward to a personal response from your office.

Kind Regards

Hot Spuds Controversy

The newest news that I have on the Peak of the Market controversy...

Rachel Lagacé from CTV news came over to interview me today. After our interview was done she continued her sleuthing, chatting with the province and Larry M. from Peak of the Market regarding this issue. Once the sleuthing was done, she let my farmer know what she had found out, who then passed on the info to me...

According to 'the province' (I don't know which governmental agency she is referring to here) Peak of the Market never allowed a 4 acre maximum for farmers to market their own potatoes. The 4 acres referred to in the Peak documents simply was there to classify those growers as 'small growers'. But they should still have, by law, been marketing their potatoes through Peak. This 'change' in their document taking away the 4 acres was in fact not a change at all, just a clarification of the law.
Also according to Peak, my farmer could just become a licenced producer to legally sell his potatoes. I will have to look much more into this, but it is my understanding that to become a licenced producer you have to purchase quota from Peak. Quota is not readily available, and the category of immature potatoes does not exist. Peak of the Market also charges farmers a 'marketing fee' on all product sold through them.

What do I personally think about this???

1. I think that the Peak document was purposely written in a convoluted manner. If the agency who enforces the regulations of a document also gets to write those regulations, it is to their advantage to include a lot of grey areas, giving them more power.

2. As far as I am aware, Peak of the Market does not handle new crop 'immature' local potatoes. I have been informed by a few farmers that Peak does not sell quota in this category. These are the potatoes that I would like to buy. Peak does not sell them, but Manitoba farmers are prevented from legally growing and selling them to me.

3. If Peak of the Market began to handle new crop 'immature' local potatoes, I would still prefer to buy them directly from a grower who I know picked them 2 hours prior to their delivery. I believe that I should have this market choice. I believe that my customers should have this choice.

4. I don't like that farmers are scared of Peak of the Market. I have heard many stories from farmers about wasted product, threats of lawsuits, and general tomfoolery in regards to Peak, yet none are willing to speak to the media for fear of retribution.


Do your own research and make up your own mind about this issue. But if you feel as I do, that local potato farmers should not be forced to market their crops through Peak, please write to your MLA AND to our Agricultural Minister Roseann Wowchuck

Her email address is minagr@leg.gov.mb.ca

Phone number 945-3722

http://www.gov.mb.ca/minister/minagr.html

And when next summer our local new crop potatoes are not up to their usual standards....you won't have to ask me why.

Bad news for Manitoba Potato eaters....and growers

We were supposed to receive 2 more deliveries of those beautiful small new crop potatoes this week. That was before Peak of the Market served my farmer with a cease and desist order. The farmer ignored the papers served to him at first. Then Peak of the Market lawyers showed up at his door with fines unless he stopped marketing his potato crop. This left him with the choice of harvesting the crop to give away to foodbanks, or to destroy the potato crop. The purported fine was for lot of money so my potato farmer destroyed some of his fields by tilling them up, and harvested the remainder of the crop, delivering it to a hutterite colony nearby.

So right you you are probably wondering what the FRICK is going on!! I'll bet that you all thought that Peak of the Market supported small Manitoba farmers, that is what is implied in their TV commercials. Here's the scoop.

Peak of the Market legally controls potato production in Manitoba. Until this year, farmers who did not grow potatoes for Peak of the Market were allowed to grow 4 acres of potatoes to sell on their own. This year Peak of the Market changed the rules as of July 15th. Now farmers are not allowed to grow potatoes to sell unless they have a Peak of the Market quota and sell only to Peak of the Market. This includes small gardeners who wish to sell at farmers markets, as well as farmers who wish to sell to independent grocery stores like mine. It is now illegal to grow and sell your own potatoes in Manitoba. Peak of the Market has the legal authority to fine farmers who break these rules, and the fines are high.

Because I still want to purchase potatoes from local small independant farmers, I will no longer be posting where our potatoes come from, and I will be telling neither my staff nor my customers the names of the farmers who produce them. This is to protect these growers from Peak of the Market legal action.

Here's the kicker. It is legal for these local farmers to import potatoes from BC, Alberta, Ontario, or the US for resale. But they can't legally grow their own potato crops to sell.

This action by Peak of the Market to protect their monopoly outrages me. But every action of theirs has been legal!
You should be mad too.
WRITE TO YOUR MLA, click the link below to find your MLA's contact details

http://www.manitoba.ca/legislature/members/alphabetical.html

Farmers are scared to go to the Media, we have to do it for them. Write letters to the editor.

Contact Peak of the Market to voice your outrage.

email them at Peak@PeakMarket.com

Ken Krochenski Vice President of Operations, 632-7325 extention 222 kenk@peakmarket.com
Larry Mc Intosh President and CEO 632-7325 extension 223 larry@peakmarket.com



If you are in doubt that Peak of the Market has the power to do these things, just follow this links outlining the regulations.


http://web2.gov.mb.ca/laws/regs/pdf/f047-117.09.pdf

http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/potatoes/bda04s03.html

Local Melons and Fred corn have arrived

If you shopped here last year during corn season, you will remember the buzz that my grower's "Fred" corn created. Perhaps the best yellow corn ever created, they want to keep the variety name to themselves (they did lots of research to find the variety), so have fondly named it Fred. Easy to remember, while keeping the varietal to themselves. Sweet, large kernels, with an amazing shelf life of 7 days in your fridge. This is the variety that you should be freezing for winter eating. Of course the bi coloured cobs that we currently have in stock are also great for winter freezing.

We received our first shipment of locally grown cantaloupe and honeydew melons in today. Syrupy sweet with a beautifully firm texture, local melons have their imports beat hands down.
Choosing local Melons is easy!

DO NOT poke, prod, tap, shake or thump them. None of these things will tell you anything about the melons readiness and will most likely end up in a bruised unhappy cantaloupe or honeydew.

DO, check the stem end of the melon. If the stem end is hollow with no remnants of stem attached, the melon should be ripe. A nice fragrant aroma as well as blush coloured undertones will also indicate that the melon is ready to eat!

The local apple season is going strong with 8 varieties currently available for your eating pleasure.
The local corn season should last until first frost.
The local small new season potatoes are pretty much finished for the year. We still have larger sized new season potatoes which have the same taste and texture as the small ones, they just aren't as pretty.
The local fall bearing strawberries are slowly moving along with supplies being low and deliveries infrequent.
We will be receiving our last shipment of wild harvested blueberries later on today. If you needed to scratch that blueberry itch, or get some in the freezer for the winter, this will be your last chance.

Take Care
Erin Crampton

More Strawberries

We have received another shipment of fall bearing strawberries. Not newsy enough for an email, but newsy enough for a blog post.

Cheers
Erin

Local Strawberries again

Woo Hoo!

The local fall bearing strawberries have arrived. They are large, a deep red, firm and delicious. Always in shorter supply than the July bearing berries, therefore higher in price. But they are such a fabulous fruit that they are well worth the monetary price to pay for summer tastes in September.


The Fall bearing strawberry season should continue through until first frost.
Cheers
Erin

The times they are a changin...

We will be open through the September long weekend, Saturday, Sunday, and the holiday Monday 9-6. Once the long weekend is over, we will be moving to fall hours at the shop.
As of Tuesday, September 8th, Crampton's Market will be open
Monday-Friday 9-7
Saturday and Sunday 9-6

So much news about produce. Lots of new things in, and a few seasons coming to a close. Read on....

We will be receiving our last shipment of BC cherries on Thursday of this week. That means that this September long weekend willl be the last weekend of 2009 for Canadian grown cherries. If you haven't had your fill by now, this is the time to gorge.

Well the locally grown field tomatoes are slowly being delivered to the shop, the local green peppers are in full swing, and the local onions are in season and as tasty as they will ever be right now. If you are thinking about doing some canning and getting some salsa or tomato sauce going for the winter, the next 3 weeks are the time to do it.

-We expect the locally grown corn season to last until the first hard frost. (hopefully not until well into October)
-The wild blueberry crop is still going strong with deliveries coming in twice weekly for the next few weeks. This is the time for jamming and freezing.
-The local winter squash season has now begun with hubbart, buttercup, spaghetti, stripini, and vegetable marrow currently available. Pie pumpkins will begin this week.
-The local bean season should last for another week to 10 days, hopefully longer if the sun stays out and the plants recover from the rain stresses from the last few wet weeks.
-The local Garlic is now cured enough for winter storage. If you keep it in a cool, dry, dark place, it will last with all of its local garlic flavour until next year May or June.
-The local green pepper, zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli seasons should all last until first frost, or until the fields have been picked clean, whichever comes first.

That's it for now
Take Care
Erin

Local corn finally here!

Hello fellow gluttons.

Though every time of year is the season for eating well, this is the season for eating fresh, local, and in season. Today is the day for Greek salad, borscht, pan fried beans, new potato salad, grilled BC nectarines with mascarpone cheese or vanilla ice cream, steamed baby carrots with John Russell's maple syrup infused honey, steamed cauliflower and broccoli without the cheese sauce. Now is when we start to run out of space at the market with all of the oodles of local goodies on offer. This week alone we received our first shipments of local apples, corn, squash, kohlrabi, turnips! Add that to the produce that we already in the store, and it means that we are bursting at the seams. This is the season of plenty, revel in it, be grateful for it, take advantage of it, fresh produce waits for no one.

My very stoic farmers have been breaking their equipment lately attempting to harvest after this week's rain fall. With some of my farmers receiving 4 inches and more of rain, they are getting stuck in the mud. One of my growers told me that after walking for 30 paces in the cucumber field their boots were weighted down with 20 pounds of mud. Potatoes, carrots and beets are needing to be triple washed to get the mud off, and that's if they can get the equipment into the field.


Local Corn on the way!!!
Here it finally is folks, Il have received my first shipment of local corn! Maybe the anticipation will make it taste better than ever this year. By now we all know that locally produced fruits and veggies taste so much better than the imports. Corn is no exception. I know that you have probably been driving around town seeing lots of signs on the sides of trucks proudly stating "LOCAL CORN" and wondering...when the heck will Crampton's get with the program. While others may consider corn from Minnesota locally grown....I prefer to wait until our own Manitoba farmers start to pick corn before calling it local. I get corn from 3 farm areas, Otterburne MB (near st. Pierre), Halbstadt (near Altona) and the Elie area.



Choosing local Corn
Forget everything that your mother taught you about choosing corn. Unless you have been in the corn farming business within the last 5 years, seriously, please do. Corn varieties and growing techniques have changed so much in the last 5 years that the old rules no longer apply.
My corn is hand picked each evening, put into a bin, topped with a hundred pounds of ice, and rolled into a blast cooler to be cooled to a temperature of 1 degree. If the corn that you purchase anywhere has a strong sweet corn scent....it means that the corn has heated, and the smell that you are smelling are all of the corn's sugars converting into starches. Cooling the corn nixes the smell, but preserves the sugars.
You want your cob of corn to be heavy for its size, the husks at this early stage should be green, with a barely visible fuzz on them (like a peach). With the rainy weather that we have been having, I wouldn't be surprised if there is a little bit of mud around, but this would in no way effect flavour. Variety of corn determines kernel size, kernel colour and sheen, cob size, and tip fill (if the kernels go all the way to the top or not). It is no longer true that smaller kernels mean a 'younger' cob of corn. It just means that it is a variety bred to have small kernels Please please refrain from pulling back corn husks. We ask for you to trust us. I know my growers, I know what varieties they grow, their harvesting, storage, and transportation techniques. I know that the Manitoba corn that you buy from me will be good. If you insist on pulling back the husks, please pull them down a full 4 inches, just taking a peek at the top will not give you a good idea of how the cob looks. Remember, tip fill is variety dependant, not age dependant.

Storing
Refrigerate refrigerate refrigerate! From the time that it is picked, if corn is not refrigerated, it will lose 50% of its sugars in one day! Imagine what it does sitting in the back of a truck in the sun all day.... If it is refrigerated to the ideal temperature of 35 degrees F. it only loses 5% of its sugars in one day. Most people only notice a change in taste after a 20 to 25% loss in sugars, so you have 4-5 days to use your corn after you buy it! Corn that is picked, and refrigerated, should last 5 days without ANY taste difference. I receive shipments of local corn on a daily or bi-daily basis meaning that my customers should have 3-4 days to keep their corn in the fridge before a taste change will occur. If you are heading out to the cottage, bring a cooler for the corn, or let it travel in the air conditioned front with you. If you do not refrigerate your corn, a sugar decrease and taste change can occur within 12 hours.

Cooking
Most people over cook their corn. Many people's mothers or grandmothers used to cook corn for 10-15 minutes. This kind of treatment would turn modern SS or SE (see variety info below) corn into tasteless mush! Today's local corn is so sweet and so tender that you really don't need to cook it at all, just heat up the kernels to eating temperature. Think of how small the kernels are, they are what you are cooking, not the centre of the cob. It takes hardly any time at all to cook those itty bitty sweet kernels. If you over-cook your corn, you may want to keep an eye out of your kitchen window for the Crampton's market corn police....

Boiling
Place husked corn into an pot of already boiling water. Time for 2-3 minutes as soon as you drop the corn in the pot. Serve immediately. I like to serve boiled corn with some lime butter spread over it.

Barbequing
Soak cob of unhusked corn in cold water for 10 minutes. Remove corn silks (stringy bits at top) so that they don't catch fire. Place on hot bbq. Time for 2 minutes per turn, turning 4-6 times. Remove corn from BBQ, and husk with oven mitts, point away from your face to prevent steam burns(it'll be HOT), serve immediately.

Microwave
As everyone's microwave cooks differently you will have to experiment with times.
Husk corn, wrap in paper towel, cook on high for 2-3 minutes.
Serve immediately.

Freezing Corn
Blanch corn (plunge in boiling water), for 1 minute. Let corn cool and dry on tea towels (some people like to plunge the corn in a cold water bath after the blanching, I find that this makes the corn a bit watery, but to each their own), cut kernels off of cob. Place in freezer bags in amounts suitable to your family's needs, freeze for up to 1 year. If you have the freezer space, you can feel free to pop the whole cob of corn into a freezer bag to have corn on the cob throughout the winter.


The inside scoop.....for all of you info junkies out there (also called Erin's yearly corn rant)

Varieties
There are hundreds and hundreds of varieties of corn that farmers grow for human consumption. They are classified in the seed catalogues as SS (super sweet), or SE (sugar enhanced). or S (synergistic). In just the past year new categories may have been developed that I don't even know about yet. Some corn varieties need to be isolated from other varieties of corn so that they don't cross pollinate. It's very technical business. When breeders are cross breeding and creating new varieties of corn, they make each new variety of corn into both yellow (all yellow corn), and bi-colour (corn with 2 colours, yellow and white). Some customer bases prefer the look of yellow corn, some bi-colour, so the scientists make certain that each grower has the choice to grow each variety in either bi- colour or yellow. So even though some customers insist that they prefer one to the other, current varieties mean that you could be eating the exact same variety of corn, with the only difference being colour.

So what about "Peaches and Cream"?
Well, 'Peaches and Cream' was the first variety of corn ever created that was of 2 colours. It is a bantam cob (very small, about 4 inches), and has a very low sugar content by today's standards. Some retailers have gotten into the unfortunate habit of calling all of their bi-colour corn 'peaches and cream' even though that variety has not been grown for 30 years or so. So if you like the look of 2 colour corn, look for my "bi-colour" signs. Many people have asked me why I don't conform and call it "peaches and cream" like everyone else does. I refuse to assume that my intelligent customers want to be fooled. When the sign above my cherries says B.C. it's because they came from British Colombia, when my sign says Local Bi-colour corn, it means that it is 2 colour corn from Manitoba. If any farmer ever chooses to grow the "Peaches and Cream" variety again, then I will change my sign. (I'm stubborn, I know)

So throughout the season you will see many varieties will pass by, varieties with names like Bodacious, Argent, King Arthur, Redemption, Sir Lancelot, or boring names like SE2150. I like to write the variety name, characteristics, and cooking time above the corn...that way you know EXACTLY what you are getting. My farmers stagger their corn plantings by about 7 days. That means that each week, the variety of corn may change. Early in the season we will be getting corn varieties that can build up sugars quickly, later on in the season, we will be getting verities which have had time to build up a bigger cob size before building up the sugars in the kernels.


THE HAND PICKED DIFFERENCE
All of the corn that I get in at the Market is hand picked. Larger farms, because of their scale, must machine pick their corn. The machine scrapes its way up the whole stalk of corn, scooping up the cob along the way. In order to make sure that the corn is not destroyed by this process, larger growers must grow varieties of corn that have smaller, harder cobs. The machine cuts the cob from the stalk, leaving a knife mark that oxidizes and turns the end brown. If the cobs are not positioned properly, one side of the cob may be scraped, causing broken kernels. Because of these drawbacks, Crampton's Market only carries hand picked corn. Smaller growers hand pick their corn, Hand picking is labour intensive, especially if the fields are muddy, or if it is hot outside (corn fields block any breezes from cooling off the workers). One stalk of corn only produces one cob, so the pickers must visit 12 stalks to get the dozen corn that you buy. Hand picked cobs are usually larger as there are no mechanical restrictions as to size of cob, and more tender varieties can be grown as there is not the squish factor of machine harvesting. Because the cobs are ripped off as opposed to cut, they have more greenery attached to them which helps it keep for longer in your refrigerator. Though it makes for huge labour costs, there is no comparison in taste, size, texture and overall quality to machine picked corn.


Interesting fact about corn
The silks at the top of the cob are actually flowers. Each silk leads to the individual kernel of corn that it pollinates. If you find a cob of corn that has spaces between kernels, it means that the silk was not pollinated.

That brings our local produce count up to
Baby Dill
Basil
Beans, green and yellow
Beets
Bulk carrots
Bunched Carrots
Broccoli
Bunched onions
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Corn
Cucumbers (salad, and slicing)
Garlic
Lettuces
Onions, Spanish and red
Potatoes
Tomatoes (hot house)
Turnips
Zucchini (green and yellow)
BC Blueberries
BC Cherries
BC Nectarines
BC Peaches
Ontario Peaches
Now That's a list!!


Take Care
Erin


Crampton's
Selling good food to nice people
Monday to Friday 9-9
Saturday and Sunday 9--6

Rain rain go away

I have had farmers breaking equipment left right and center all week long because of the muddy muddy fields. They're having a hard time diggin potatoes and carrots, and they are getting huge leg muscles dragging around 20 or so pounds of mud while they pick the cucumbers. It's a challenging year. The wild blueberry pickers are sitting in a very wet bush waiting for the rain to stop, so even the wild fruits are being slowed down by this weather.

But things are looking up. With the cool weather we still have peas! Crops that by now are usually stressed because of the heat are still going strong, or haven't even started yet! And just think of all of the good things yet to come in late August and September. Corn, pickling cucumbers, melons, apples, squash, field tomatoes, fall bearing strawberries and raspberries. It will be a bonanza.

Take care
Erin

It's time to eat and be merry!

It may have come a few weeks late, but here we finally are, it's local eating time.

With the Manitoba garlic, green and yellow beans, carrots, beets, peas, cucumbers, lettuces, hot house tomatoes, potatoes, strawberries, raspberries and saskatoons now all in season, there is no excuse for not eating well right now. If you have friends or family members who have been 'off' vegetables for a while, now is the time to re-introduce them to what in season fruits and vegetables SHOULD taste like. I have many customers' kids who suddenly eat things that they never would in the winter.

The freezing and pickling season will be starting in a few weeks, so now is the time to start gathering your jars, vinegar, and salt in preparation. I will be sure to let you all know when the time will be right.

Take Care
Erin

Local Raspberries join the Strawberries and Saskatoons

This has been an incredibly challenging growing season for farmers. Some of my growers have guesstimated a 40% crop loss. What with the freezing spring (literally, many whole vegetable fields had to be replanted several times because they froze out), cool nights, heavy rains etc etc... it's a wonder that we have anything at all this summer. But my brave farmers are carrying on, what else can they do.

The local raspberry season has now begun. Cool weather may be keeping the berries from ripening on mass but it's also keeping the quality high with firm berries that don't leak. When the weather gets super hot, the delicate little red droplets that make up the berry break down and juice out no matter what you do. This cool weather may not be great for getting crops to grow, but at least the raspberry quality will be high because of it (glass half full).

Early season raspberries will produce for about 2 weeks. Once they are finished, the fall bearing varieties start to produce. Fall bearing raspberries are usually larger, more firm and prettier than the smaller more delicate summer season berries.

I will be receiving my first shipment of Manitoba grown beans tomorrow. It's taking their pickers much longer than expected, but there are finally a few beans out in the field to harvest. Hopefully within a week or so, quantities will be high enough for case lot sales for those customers who are wanting to can or freeze for the winter.

We anticipate the shelled pea season to start shortly. Give us a call at the market and we'll put you on our 'to call' list when we know which dates the already shelled peas will arrive.

So that brings our local produce count up to
Baby Dill
New Potatoes
Salad Cucumbers
Lettuces
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Bunched Carrots
Lettuces
Strawberries
Raspberries
Saskatoons
Rhubarb (season ending soon)
Beans
Pod Peas
Garlic
Bunched Onions
Not bad for an exceedingly cool summer.

Take Care
Erin

Local Cucumbers and Garlic

The local garden cucumbers have just arrived. Garden cucumbers are graded by size, 1-3 inches makes a pickling cucumber, 3-5 inches makes a salad cucumber, and 6 inches and over makes an oversized relish cucumber. All the same vegetable from the same plant, just picked at different sizes.

Because the season has just started, farmers harvest their cucumbers at salad size for the first few weeks. It takes so long to go through the field to find those few first ones it is not yet economically viable for the farmers to pick pickling sized cucumbers. In a few weeks when production is up, they'll start in on harvesting the smaller cucumbers. Picking cucumbers is a prickly ordeal with the vines leaving scratches on your arms and hands, and the cucumbers themselves having prickles that sometimes sliver themselves right between your fingers. It's a job that I would not wish on my worst enemy. Thank goodness that we have such hard working farmers who slog it out for us all.

The local garlic season has just started!
I received my first shipment of locally grown garlic today. Juicy, aromatic, and much more pungent than its imported counterparts. Local garlic roasts into a sweet creamy paste that you can mash into potatoes or spread on bread. Really, if at this time of year you aren't consuming at least a clove a day....well I'll just feel sorry for you.

The garlic is still to high in humidity to store for winter use, but later on in the season when the garlic dries down, I'll let you know and you can store it for use throughout the winter.

Take Care
Erin

Manitoba Saskatoons...

The local Saskatoon Season has now begun!!!

A prairie favourite and a health buff's friend, this indigenous berry is loaded with antioxidants! This fruit is a member of the rose and apple family and has more to its credit than just a good family name. Saskatoons are fabulous eaten fresh, frozen, in baking, jams, jellies, syrups and preserves. Yummm!!! The season usually lasts from 7-14 days depending on the weather. We will be having pints and quarts of saskatoons in stock this weekend, and if you would like to reserve a 4 litre ice cream pail for your own nefarious plans, just give us a call at the shop

(269-3355) and we can book large orders in.

Please do remember, saskatoons are incredibly high in fibre...feel free to indulge to your heart's content...but be prepared for the next day's results.

New potatoes have arrived

The new crop of local potatoes has now begun!

Sometimes called creamer potatoes, sometimes called butter potatoes, always delicious.

NEW POTATOES!!!

These creamy, buttery delights should grace your table from now until early September. What makes a new potato taste so different than the old crop ones? New potatoes have a very high water content, very few starches, and a very creamy buttery texture, a completely different tuber than those that we eat all winter long. These potatoes are best served boiled, steamed or roasted. They have much too high of a water content to make a nice light flakey baking potato.

Choosing

Size doesn't matter! Really, it doesn't when it comes to new potatoes. All sizes of new crop potatoes will taste the same as long as the skins are very thin and rub off easily under thumb pressure. Some tricky farmers have begun to choose varieties whose red skins stick to the potato with a bit more vigour, don't let this fool you! Just use very firm thumb pressure to try your skin rub off test. Some people like to choose the smallest of the small potatoes to make the dishes that they create with them look like they've popped off of the page of a magazine (they are very pretty), but the big ones taste just as nice. Knowing that Martha Stewart has left her mark on the world, farmers have begun to separate the small potatoes from the larger ones, charging a premium for the smaller size. Feel free to spend the extra money on the smaller ones if you would like, but the larger sizes taste just the same.

Storage

Because new potatoes have very few starches in them, you have to keep them refrigerated. Keep new potatoes in the fridge, in a plastic bag (prevents dehydration), for up to 2 weeks. If you leave them out of the fridge, they will turn brown and wrinkly within a few days. This will not affect the taste when cooked, but makes them look less appealing.

Preparation

Don't peel new potatoes. Simply wash to remove dirt, keeping as much of the delicate skins on as possible. Cut potatoes to a uniform size and cook. You can

Boil- Place potatoes in salted water and boil until tender (20-30 minutes depending on the size), then serve topped with butter, salt pepper, and fresh dill (I like to toss in a little lemon juice and zest in with the potatoes too).

Roast- cut new potatoes up to uniform size, place in baking pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper (I add a lot of minced garlic to this one too), and bake in the oven at 300 degrees turning every 10 minutes until tender. (20-30 minutes)

Potato Salad- Boil new potatoes until tender. Let cool, cut into bite sized slices or pieces and toss with either a garlic, rosemary and olive oil vinaigrette. Or with my Lemon Dill Dressing, or a dilly vinaigrette of your choice. Devine, and low in fat!

I always prepare more potatoes than needed so that I can fry the left over potatoes the next morning for some very heavenly hashbrowns.

Remember to improvise, if you have fresh herbs in your garden, serve them with the new potatoes, roasted fennel goes wonderfully in a mix with roasted new potatoes. And who says that you can't have a meal of strictly new potatoes and peas in the pod. Seasonal vegetables are just that, seasonal. Enjoy them while you can!

Take Care
Erin

Suddenly lots of berries

Suddenly out of nowhere, enough berries have ripened for 4 litre container sales. We should have plenty of Strawberries in stock over the weekend for whatever you plan to do with them.

Also, pickers are currently out in a very muddy pea field (Friday July 10th), and are aiming to deliver another batch of peas by mid afternoon.

Take Care
Have a great weekend.

Strawberry fields for the next 3 weeks

Hello Everyone!
The local strawberry season is just on the cusp of starting. One of my growers will be going through their field for the first this morning (Tuesday) and will bring me what they can. Chances are that quantities will be very low over the next couple of days, just enough for some lucky customers who happen to hit the timing right to go home with a few pints of berries to either hide from, or share with their families. Either way, we won't judge.

My larger berry producers hope to start picking this coming Friday, so some time next week Strawberry season will start in earnest. Once production is in full force, we will be selling 4 litre containers of berries (price yet to be set as my growers haven't figured out their selling price to me yet, they have to add up their gas bills). Right now we're taking down people's names and numbers so that we can start calling them when the large baskets of berries become available. We can't really book for specific dates yet as we don't know what production will be like this year.

Way too much information about local Strawberries

Once the season starts in earnest, the farmers start out in the fields at about 6 am, ready for our pick up at around 9 am, meaning that we get back to the shop with them by 11am....give or take. If it has rained, the farmer may decide to let the berries dry for a few hours before picking which may delay delivery, or may have to wait until the rain stops before picking. I keep a keen eye on the forecast, if several days of rain is predicted, I increase my berry orders for the day before the rain. I figure that everyone prefers day old berries (still 500 times better than the imports) to no berries at all.

Choosing local Strawberries

-Strawberries will not ripen once picked so be sure to choose berries that have full red coverage. Shade of red (light red to dark purple) has more to do with variety of berry than ripeness. Kent, a preferred variety in Manitoba, has a fatter shape and clearer red colour than the gluescap variety which is a deep red/purple colour. Many customers often mistake Gluescap berries for overripe discards. Californian berries are bred with the priority being "able to withstand shipping" rather than being "tasty and juicy". Local berries will look less uniform and may bruise more easily than the imports....but the taste makes their diversity of look so very worthwhile.

Caring for your berries

Strawberries have a very high water content and a porous skin. Store berries unwashed, in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, away from strongly smelling foods (onions, garlic) whose flavours and smells the berry may pick up.

Wash your berries just before you plan to use them, removing the calyx (green caps on top) AFTER washing to prevent water absorption. As with all other soft fruit, we recommend serving strawberries at room temperature to bring out the sugars...mmmm

If you purchase berries that are wet from a recent rain, gently pour your container of berries out onto a cookie sheet covered in a towel before placing in your fridge. The towel will help to absorbed any moisture from the fields!

Freezing local berries

Local strawberries in your freezer make a Manitoba winter downright enjoyable. It's simple

1. Wash berries with caps still on

2. Remove green caps, let dry

3 Lay in a single layer on a cookie sheet

4. Place in freezer until frozen solid

5. Bag in freezer bags in sizes appropriate for your family.

6. Store in the freezer for up to one year.

Nutrition
100 g strawberries (about 10)
27 Kcals
0.0 g fat
2.7 g fibre
77 mg vitamin C (192% RDA)
20 mg folic acid (10% RDA)
0.06 mg vitamin B6 (9% RDA)
They contain more vitamin C than oranges, are high in fibre, low in calories and a good source of folic acid

????????

So why are locally grown strawberries so darned good, and why do they cost more than the imported berries from far far away?

Good questions, I'm glad that you asked.

1.Locally produced strawberries taste better than their imported counterparts because

-our soil is a heavier clay loam rather than the sandy soils of California. Soil type in itself changes the characteristics of what it grows.

-Because our growers don't export to far away places they can choose to grow verities for flavour rather than for shape retention and can pick their berries when they are at their peak ripeness without having to worry about them squishing during transport.

-We have winter, it makes for a hardier plant that I believe produces a sweeter, juicier berry.

-I think our local small producers put extra love in their berries

2. Locally produced strawberries are more expensive than their California counterparts because

-Farmers in Manitoba do not enjoy the same government subsidized petroleum products that farmers in the USA do

-Manitoba farmers have to plant strawberry plants, cover them with straw to make them survive the winter, and uncover them in the spring before they get their first crop off of the field. Our winters really shorten the berry production season, meaning that for the same amount of work, our growers harvest strawberries for about a third of the amount of time that a California grower can.

-Our minimum wage is almost $9.00 per hour, on top of this hourly pay local growers have to provide free inspected housing, airfare, and HR services to migrant workers from Mexico who pick our berries for us as it is impossible for the growers to find a reliable local work force willing to do field work.

-The economy of scale. The US growers sell to 300 million people in the US, making shipping routes, warehousing and all of the paraphernalia needed for cheap big business possible. Manitoba just doesn't have the population to keep up with the big boys....and I kinda like it that way.

Remember folks, Strawberry season is a short but sweet 3 weeks long. They wait for no one, so enjoy them while you can.

Surprise Peas!

While 3 of my pea growers still won't have a harvest for another week, I received a surprise shipment of peas this morning from a 4th producer. What a great day! We should have plenty in stock for the whole weekend and through to Monday. If rain hits, we may have some gaps in production as pickers can't harvest in a muddy field.

Everything that you wanted to know but were afraid to ask about peas!!

Choosing Peas in the Pod

The variety of pod pea for sale will be changing approximately every 5-7 days throughout the season. As such, the colour, size, texture and overall appearance of the pea will keep changing. Early varieties have shorter pods that mature more quickly in cool weather, while later varieties are bred to withstand the heat of the summer and have longer pods with more peas in them. Different varieties fill out the pod differently so it is often difficult to gauge what the pea will taste like by mere appearance. As the wind moves the plant around in the field, pods are often brushed against the ground, causing small markings. Blossom ends get stuck to the pod leaving dried little pieces of brown flowers on the end. None of this affects the taste of the pea inside. The odd pod that is whitish in appearance, heavily textured, and bursting to the seams full is probably overripe and should be avoided. When you are tasting that one pod as a quality check before filling up your bag (it's okay, we all do it), we would really appreciate your adding that empty shell to your bag of peas to help us keep the store neat....we find empty pea shells in the strangest places at this time of year.

Storing Peas in the Pod

Pod peas must be kept refrigerated. Farmers try to pick their pod peas when the sugars are at the highest and starches are at their lowest. Once the peas are picked, the sugars begin to turn to starches. The easiest way to slow this process down is to refrigerate the peas. Peas kept at 2 degrees Celsius will keep well with minimal sugar loss for up to 4 days. Peas kept at room temperature can convert half of their sugars into starches within 4 hours....hmmmmm...

Using peas in the Pod

Most people just eat peas in the pod fresh. Just press your thumb against the natural seam in the pea to split it open, scoop out and eat the peas that are inside. It's the guild free snack of the summer since a 1 cup serving of peas contains more protein than a whole egg or a tablespoon of peanut butter yet has less than half a gram of fat. It takes a pound of peas in the pod to get that 1 cup of shelled peas.

If you are of the rare variety of people who can actually manage to get enough peas shelled to cook with, without eating them all first...kudos to you.

Gently steam or boil peas for just one minute, they'll turn bright green when they are fully heated up. Remember, when their sugars are this high, you don't really need to be 'cooking' the pea, just heating it up all of the way through.

Another option is to sauté until bright green, then top with fresh dill.

Freezing Peas in the Pod

Hand shelling pod peas to freeze is a long, arduous, and expensive proposition. Pod peas are all hand picked each day, meaning that costs stay high throughout the season. When the pea season is at its peak, my farmer supplies me with big 10 pound bags of shelled peas at a much more reasonable price. How can this be you ask? If farmers are harvesting peas for canning or freezing, they can use a machine which scoops up the whole pea plant and plops it in a bin, when full, the round bin turns end over end, tumbling the plants, breaking open the pea pods and letting the peas inside fall through a metal grate into a hopper. Because of the bruising action of the machine, these peas must be processed within 24 hours of harvest. I'll be letting you know when these bags of shelled peas become available.

July Calendar of Events

There's a lot going on at the Market in the month of July, we have quite a few classes and sessions going on and what we plan for August will depend on attendance for the July Sessions. So come down to the July classes to make sure that we keep the August plans alive.

Sunday, July 5 at 1pm. Backyard composting class courtesy of Resource Conservation Manitoba. Learn how to effectively compost in your own back yard. Free to all who register first at the shop.

Monday July 6th at 7pm. Session with our Registered Dietitian. This week's topic. Supplements, how they can help and how they can harm. Join us to figure out which supplements make sense for you health. Cost $10, sign up at the market to join the session.

Monday, July 20 at 6:30 pm we will be having a canning for beginners class. Canning expert from the University of Manitoba will be here to walk first time canners through the procedures needed for safe home canning. Just in time for pickling and jamming season! This 2 hour session is available at a cost of $15 per participant, sign up at the shop.

We are expecting so much of the local produce to start in around July 10th this year. Peas, Strawberries, cucumbers and New Potatoes should all make a first appearance around this time. We will of course keep you posted.

Take Care
Erin

FINALLY

After weeks of waiting our local produce count is finally on the rise. As of this morning we finally have locally grown baby dill (goes wonderfully with the local asparagus), shallots, radishes and spinach to add to our rhubarb, garlic greens, asparagus and hot house tomatoes.

I love baby dill. To me it's the perfect fresh herb for summer. Mixed with a little (or a lot of) crushed garlic and lemon, it makes a fabulous salad dressing, marinade or topping for just about anything. The easiest way to work with dill is with a pair of scissors. Just cut up the fresh dill over whatever you like, potatoes, veggies, in a salad etc. It really couldn't be any easier.

If you are feeling ambitions and you would like to freeze the dill for winter use the following is a fool proof method.

Rinse dill, and snip up with your scissors. Mix with water to form a slurry, pour slurry into ice cube trays until frozen. Pop the cubes out and keep in a freezer bag in the freezer until you need to use them. The water keeps the dill from drying out which destroys the delicate oils that create the flavour. This method is also wonderful for freezing basil which does not dry well.

The local strawberry and pea seasons are each about 10 days late with their anticipated arrivals being approximately July 10th. The good news is that it looks so far like crops will be heavy. Better late than never!!!

TIP OF THE WEEK
Right now the Peaches and Nectarines are just sublime. If you are looking for a quick dessert idea, cut fruit in half, remove pit, brush with a little balsamic vinegar, grill on your bbq on low for about 6 minutes per side, serve with vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt. Easy, healthy, and darned is it yummy.

Take Care
Erin

Crampton's Market
Mon-Friday 9-8
Sat, Sun and Holidays 9-6

Time to freeze Asparagus

Hello everyone!

My most favourite asparagus grower will be delivering the first of their harvest this Wednesday, June 17th. I find the variety that they grow to be exceptionally tender and sweet AND they do a great job of cutting of the tougher bits at the end of the stalks. They had some red river flooding on their fields this spring so they are not too certain for how long they will be harvesting this year. They are uncertain as to any root stock damage that may have occured during the flooding.

So my advise would be, if you would like to freeze locally grown asparagus, get it done within the next ten days.

How to freeze asparagus
Rinse your asparagus well, trim to the size that you would like the frozen spears to be.
I like to blanch my asparagus (plunge in boiling water) for no more than one minute, then let dry on tea towles until cool enough to bag and freeze
Though the common reccomendation is to blanch for 3 minutes, then plunge in cold water to stop the cooking process before bagging and freezing.

Once yoy have blanched your asparagus you can
1. bag in freezer bags in sizes appropriate for you family's meal
2. lay out on a cookie sheet, place in a chest freezer until frozen, then bag and replace in the freezer. This method will allow you to take out as many spears from the freezer as you would like at one time.

The local morel mushrooms still haven't really started in earnest, but the BC morels have been very tasty. Pickers tell me that the locally grown ones will be ready in a week or so.

Enjoy the sunshine!!

Take Care
Erin
Let asparagus

Nectarines and Peaches

It is still decidedly un-summer-like here, but California is trucking right along. I will be receiving my first shipment of tree ripened nectarines and peaches on Wednesday, June 10. With daytime highs this week reaching a scorching 12 degrees....I'm hoping that trucking up some summer will help the jet stream get over us.

We've had a few customers on Saturday mornings exclaiming over the hustle and bustle around the place. Yup, we're usually hopping on a Saturday morning. If you're looking to have the whole shop to yourself, come on over on Sunday morning. We open at 9 am on Sundays and usually don't get bustling until mid afternoon.

Remember, this Monday June 8th is the first of our sessions with a registered dietitian. This first session is free for all and will take place at the market at 7PM.

Take Care!

Erin

Spring Garlic Greens

It's not newsy enough to send out an email, but today I received my first shipment of spring garlic greens.
Spring garlic greens are the first shoots that the garlic bulb sends out. They are tender, garlicy, and reek of spring. Lucky for me, I have a farmer who needs to thin his garlic rows and so he'll be bringing me more of these pungent delights on Thursday. If you are planning a stir fry, a stew, or a caesar salad this is the ingredient that you need. I just made up a big pot of lamb shanks with puy lentils and the garlic greens were the perfect seasoning.
Cooked or fresh, you can use these greens in any dish where you want a clear garlic taste to come through.

Take Care
Erin

Rhubarb, Asparagus, Fiddleheads and Hothouse Tomatoes

The local produce count is climbing despite the unseasonably cool weather. The Local Asparagus is in season, fiddleheads should last another week or so, and the locally grown Rhubarb is now available. We still of course have the gloriously tasty local hot house tomatoes, cucumbers and basil.

Though it's a pity that patio weather hasn't really made a permanent appearance yet, just be thankful that you're not a farmer. One of my growers has had to replant his corn fields 3 times already as his seed has frozen, then rotted, in the ground. Fall plantings of garlic have mostly rotted out, the local onion crops have already been lost once, and the broccoli transplants perished in the night time frosts that we had a few weeks ago. Lucky for us, farmers have no choice but to replant. The only other option would be to have a year with no income but a lot of seed bills.

On the brighter side, perennial plantings such as strawberry, asparagus, and orchards of saskatoon and raspberry are all looking really good. Heavy winter snows meant that the plants were well insulated from the crazily cold winter that we had. AND it's still early enough to make a turn around. If we get some good heat in the next few weeks, the soil will warm up, and things will get back on track. As things stand right now, we're looking at a late growing season, with most crops 2 weeks late. But of course, late is better than never.

I'll keep you all posted.
Take Care
Erin

Manitoba Asparagus!

ASPARAGUS

The local Asparagus is now available. Hot hot hot weather will push the asparagus along, wearing down its growing reserves and shortening the season. A break with some cooler weather in the season will lengthen the season. It should be available for the next month or so though.

Everything that you always wanted to know about ASPARAGUS

Choosing local asparagus

Choose asparagus that has tight, dry tips that come to a point. Currently the tips are all bent over because of the hurricane force winds that we have been getting lately. Contrary to popular belief, thin asparagus does not a more tender stalk make. With local asparagus, especially the variety that I get from the wonderful grower that I have, the thicker stems are more tender than the thinner ones....trust me, it's true! Fine dining restaurants have been insisting on their suppliers providing them with thicker stalks of asparagus for so long that it is now a separate category. Mass produced asparagus is sorted with the thicker stems going to restaurants for a premium price (cause the chefs know what the good stuff is) and the thinner stems going to retail where customers mistakenly believe the thinner stems to be more tender.

Though there are many people who insist that you should snap the 'woody ends' off of your asparagus don't bother unless the bunch has a peak of the market tag on it! My local growers cut those ends off of the asparagus delivering only the most succulent of stems to the store! If your mother's voice keeps echoing in your ears to snap the bottoms off though, please make sure that you at least save the snapped off ends for freezing for winter soup stocks

Storing

Store local asparagus, upright in your fridge, in a container of water ( the water should cover one to two inches of the base of the asparagus). This keeps your asparagus hydrated and makes sure that it keeps plump and firm. Asparagus has even been proven to keep on growing when stored with this method, so you may gain a few micrometers of asparagus after you bring it home! Asparagus will keep in your fridge for up to 5 days.

Cooking

I personally prefer asparagus stir fried with garlic until it turns bright green, then tossed with parmesan cheese!! YUM! Mom likes to munch on Asparagus raw as she thinks that it tastes somewhat like raw peas. Though I don't like to eat asparagus raw by the spear, I do like it chopped and added to coleslaw, or vegetable salads. Brushed with olive oil and chucked on the grill makes for tender spears that keep the stove off during those summer bar b que days.

Boiling

Rinse your asparagus off to get any mud off. Bring enough water to cover asparagus to a boil. When boiling, place asparagus in water, and keep in water until it turns bright green. For slightly crunchy asparagus, boil for 2-3 minutes, for fully cooked soft asparagus, boil for 5-6 minutes. Asparagus tips cook faster than the stalks, so you may want to prepare them separately, or steam them standing up.

Steaming

Because asparagus tips cook faster than the stems, steaming asparagus upright is a great solution Find yourself an old coffee perk, or a tall stock pot. Bring enough water to come about an inch up the asparagus stems to a boil. Once the water is boiling add the asparagus spears upright, and cover immediately, cook for 4-8 minutes depending on thickness of stems,

Freezing

Asparagus freezes very well, just blanch (plunge in boiling water), for one minute, then let dry, place in freezer bags and freeze for up to one year.

The organic section at the store is now up and running, with a FABULOUS selection from a distributor in BC.

If the warm weather keeps up, there should be morels this weekend. I'll let you all know as soon as any come in.

Take Care
Erin

The times, they are a changin...

We'll be changing our hours at the shop effective this Monday, May 25th.
Crampton's Hours
Monday to Friday 9-8
Saturday, Sunday and Holidays 9-6

Sam and Ira's
Monday to Friday 10-8
Saturday and Sundays 10-6

An organic experiment

Hello everyone!

Finally the risk of frost is as good as gone, so we're now stocking organically grown herbs for your garden, as well as tomato plants and some fun flowers. If you've been itching to get your green thumbs going, now is the time.

We've brought in some heirloom/heritage varieties of tomato plants as well. These are the old timers, the varieties that have not been tinkered with in a lab. In our great grandparents age tomatoes, carrots, and potatoes were all different colours and shapes depending on where you lived and what kind of seed you had access to. Then international shipping took over and the agricultural industry started to standardize the 'ideal' colour, size and shape of products. Suddenly all carrots were straight, long and orange, all tomatoes were red and round, and all sweet peppers had 3-4 lobes. In the case of tomatoes in particular, taste took a back seat to looks. People are now rediscovering the heritage varieities of lots of different foods now. We are currently carrying over a dozen varieties of heritage tomato plants (all raised spray free), for you to try out in your garden. These varieties may not be as disease resistant, or produce as much fruit as newer varieties, but the taste is beyond compare. AND they look just so super cool! Give a couple a try in your garden this year.

The world of Manitoba local produce is still pretty slow. This sun and the promised heat for next week could quickly change things. The asparagus is starting to peek up out of the ground, so it could really take off once the heat hits. I will of course keep you posted.

The fiddleheads are still going strong and should be around for another week or so before they disappear again until next spring. The morels are taking a break but the season is by no means done. Some heat will get them rolling again, I will keep you posted.

So now for the experiment part. I have found a distributor out of BC who will ship organic fruits and veggies to little stores like mine. More this year than ever we have been having customers request organics. We aim to please, so we're about to give it a shot. I'll be placing my first order for some organic produce (bananas, apples, oranges, lettuces, onions etc) on Monday the 25th, with a delivery date of Wednesday the 27th. As with all experiments, we'll be counting on you to make it a success. If we're not carrying what you've been hankering for, let us know. And if you would like for us to keep stocking organics, let us know AND buy some of them. We'll give the trial period a few weeks but if sales in the organics section is a complete flop, we'll have to consider the experiment a failure.

Never fear though, as always my business will focus on local first. If it is the season for local asparagus, Manitoba grown will always trump import organics.

Now get out there and enjoy the sunshine!!!

Take Care
Erin

Fiddleheads and Morels

Who would have thunk!

I just received a phone call from my wild harvester, and I expect the first shipment of Fiddleheads and morel mushrooms to arrive this Friday morning.!! How exciting. It must be spring.


I'll send out an email as soon as they arrive.

Everything that you wanted to know but were afraid to ask about fiddleheads.

WHAT THE HECK.......

Now, what the heck is a fiddlehead and what do I do with it???

A fiddlehead is the unfurling frond of the ostrich fern. We harvest the greens when the fern is still tightly curled in the shape of its namesake. The fronds are covered with a brownish, onion-skin like coating that must be removed before eating. This can be done by rubbing with your hands. After the chafe is removed, wash the fiddleheads well under cold running water to remove dirt before cooking. Aboriginal people from across the globe (Canada to New Zealand) have been eating fiddleheads for centuries . As the first green to appear after a winter of meat only diet....it's not surprising that they were considered to have medicinal and cleansing properties!!! On top of that fiddleheads are rich in iron, potassium, niacin, riboflavin, magnesium, phosphorus and vitamins A and C. Phew!!!

STORAGE

Store your fiddleheads in a reusable plastic container, in your fridge, for up to 3 days.

*****Please note******

Fiddleheads contain an enzyme that some people cannot digest. Thorough cooking or freezing destroys the enzyme. Health Canada advises that fiddleheads should be cooked thoroughly before eating. Consuming raw or undercooked fiddleheads may cause ‘green apple’ symptoms including diarrhoea, nausea and upset stomach ewwww...

FIDDLEHEADS WITH SESAME SEEDS
A quick and easy vegetable dish that’s good warm or cold.
3 cups fiddleheads
2 Tbsps sesame oil
1 thinly sliced hot or sweet pepper, to suit taste
1 clove minced garlic
2 tsps lemon juice
seasoned salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds (or slivered almonds)
lemon slices to garnish
Boil or steam fiddleheads until fork tender. While cooking, heat oil in small skillet and sauté pepper and garlic until soft. Remove from heat and add lemon juice and seasonings. Drain fiddleheads and toss with the oil mixture. Sprinkle with seeds and garnish with lemon.

TO FREEZE FIDDLEHEADS FOR WINTER USE
They freeze very well so you might want to put some up for winter enjoyment. Fiddleheads will last in the freezer from one season to the next. To freeze, blanch cleaned fiddleheads in boiling lightly salted water for 1 minute. Drain, cool then put in air-tight bags and freeze.

More more morels
Morel mushrooms, especially when they have been rained on, smell bad. Kinda like fish. But don't let the pungent aroma turn you off! They have a deep woodsy, heady mushroom flavour. A little goes a long way.
Prepare a bath of lightly salted cold water. Immerse the mushrooms in the water for a few minutes. This will make any small woodland insects that have crept into the mushroom crevices creep out again. Drain mushrooms until dry.

Prefered morel meal
15-20 fresh morels cut in half if large
1 large shallot chopped fine
1 large clove garlic chopped fine
2 TBS butter (best with unsalted)
2 TBS olive oil
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Put olive oil in heated pan over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots, stir and sauté until softened but not brown. Add butter until melted then add morels. Stir and cook until mushrooms start to brown, about 4 min. Add chicken stock and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add cream and cook on low until reduced and thickened. Classically served on toast, but the best on grilled New York Strip steaks.

Morels dry incredibly well, retaining all of their flavour. To rehydrate in the winter time, simple soak in water until plump, be sure to use the remaining liquid when making soups and stews.

Cheers
Erin

We'll warm up the house to warm up the weather.

Hello Everyone!

This Thursday evening is supposed to drop down to -5 degrees. If you have jumped the gun and have already planted things, it's time to cover them up. I prefer to keep my herbs, tomato plants and flowers in the safety of a greenhouse until June 1. Once the ground is warm and the sun is shining, my late planted blooms quickly catch up with any plants that had to struggle through cold nights with a blanket tossed over them. But I understand itchy fingers and wanting to get into your garden.

This cool weather is getting a lot of people down, so I figured, let's warm things up. We'll be having a house warming type do at the shop this Saturday, May 16th. Between noon and 2 pm some of our new suppliers will be at the shop to tell you about their wares, and let you have a taste. It'll be a great way to try new products that you have been wondering about, and to meet some of the makers of the products! We plan to have more of these days throughout the season, giving each producer a turn to tell their story, meet you the eaters of their food, and have you sample some of their wares.

In a vain attempt to bring on some hot weather, I've brought in some of those huge Texas Watermelon. We'll see over the next few days if it worked or not.

Take care
Erin

Crampton's Market AND Sam & Ira's
Monday to Friday 9-9
Saturday, Sunday and Holidays 9-6
(this Victoria day Monday, we will be open from 9-6)

Over the first day jitters, now trying to keep warm.

Hello everyone!

Every year I get those nervous first date jitters on opening day. Will people come? Will they like the place? Will they remember that I'm here? What if I have spinach in my teeth? It's a little nerve wracking. This year upped the first date jitters to a new high as I really hoped that I had not been overselling the new building to anyone. I am so glad to now be in the swing of things again!

It's no news to anyone that the weather has not been the warmest lately. So far there have been no fiddlehead, morel mushroom or asparagus sightings. So when are things going to get rolling already??? Local produce runs on a schedule that considers daylight hours, ground temperature, air temperature and sunniness in much higher esteem than date. It may be May but as far as the first crops are concerned, it's still April. It's easy to forget here in high and dry Winnipeg, but some of our province's growers are still under water. One of my asparagus grower's plants are currently under 4 feet of Red river. Your back yard dries and warms up much faster than a farmer's field, so what the plants in your garden are doing is often not the best gauge of what plants in fields out in the open are doing.

The good news is that things can turn on a dime. Ten days of warm weather could catch us right back up to where we should be. Right now my growers are seeding corn and planting out onions and potatoes. Crops like cucumber and cantaloupe that they started in their greenhouses will have to wait until the risk of frost isn't so grave. This means late plantings of a lot of things, which means that unless we have a mighty hot June, many crops will be a little late in coming this year.

Last year we had a slightly cool spring and so the local strawberries only came in on July 7th, but in 2007, we had a cool May, then a really hot June and the strawberries were in on June 26th. I love the variation in timing, it's what makes local produce fun for me. It's one of the few things left that are still special. No matter who you are, what you do, or how much money or power you have, you can't eat field grown local produce until it's ready for you.

I will be bringing in organic herb and heritage tomato plants as soon as the weather turns. It's too cold for you to be planting them right now, and they will do better in a warm greenhouse than your garage. I also expect the quality of most greenhouse plants to be down this year. When the cloudy weather sets in like it has, greenhouse growers have to hold back on watering their plants for fear of mould and rot setting in. Right now greenhouses are watering their plants just enough to keep them alive so they look all sad and droopy. It's a tricky balance.

Current local produce count
Hydroponic Basil
Hothouse Cucumbers
Hothouse Tomatoes
Hothouse Cherry Tomatoes

Coming attractions....
Rhubarb, fiddleheads, morels, asparagus.....sun???

Take Care
Erin

Nearing the Start line

Here we are, just 2 days away from opening the new market. I have staff in the new shop getting all of the products priced, labeled, displayed neatly, it's amazing how much time all of the details take.

We have lots more room at the new shop, so have quite a few new products. How exciting. Even more exciting is that we have a House Warming planned!
On Saturday, May 16th, between the hours of 11am and 2pm we will be sampling some of our new products, and generally having a good time. You'll have to make sure to head on over and join us in warming up the new digs!

For our opening day we will be having locally grown hot house tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and english cucumbers. The rest of the locally grown veggies and fruits are in desperate need of some warm sunny days! We will once again be carrying heritage tomato plants and fun herbs for your gardens, but only once the risk of frost has gone away. After the Victoria long weekend.

I can't wait to show you the new place.
See you Wednesday
Erin

Sam & Ira's lunch menu

Here it is everyone.

THE MENU

We will serve each of these items at Sam & Ira's on a rotating basis, spending the month of May working through serving these beautiful lunch specials. To start with we will be offering at least 3 lunch options daily until we get into our groove and feel out what kind of demand we have. I will of course be adding new goodies as we get practiced at making this menu, and as I get bored with it.

Grilled Sandwiches (you could take them away cold if you would like, but the grilling makes them so much better)
1.Berkshire ham with blue cheese, walnuts and sauteed mushrooms
2.Chevre and roasted red pepper
3.Corned Bison with local tomato and home made dill pickles
4.Berkshire ham with chevre and mushroom
5.Natural pulled pork
6.The veganator, roasted red peppers, mushrooms, humus, and Manitoba tomatoes

Salads
1.Paulette's Bean salad
2.Aleasha's Bean salad (they really are very different)
3.Chickpea and roast vegetables salad
4.Creamy potato salad with berkshire ham
5.Lentil Salad served over dressed yamguini (you'll have to wait to see what yamguini is!!!)
6.Warm potato and chorizo salad

And each and every day we will be serving fairly traded coffee, various baked delectables, and our real fruit ice cream and frozen yogurt served in made in house waffle cones.

Now summer just HAS to start...right?

Take Care
Erin

It's a date!

Here it is folks, the only way to stay on schedule is to set a due date.

Crampton's Market will be opening for the 2009 summer season on Wednesday May 6th!

Hours of operation
Monday to Friday 9-9
Saturday and Sunday 9-6

"But Erin", you say, "I want the bread and cinnamon buns and cookies that I have been craving all winter NOW!"

Never fear. The old market building that we all were so well acquainted with is now a Sandwich/Ice cream/coffee shop called Sam and Ira's.
Sam and Ira's will be opening for the 2009 season on Friday May 1st!
And until the big new building opens up on the 6th, we'll be selling our baked goods out of Sam and Ira's.
Hours of Operation
10-6. 7 days a week.


I've decided to get Sam and Ira's up and running a few days earlier so that we can spend some time training our staff, putting the finishing touches on the new building (I really hope that you like it) and taking care of that cinnamon bun craving that we all have been having over the winter.
This spring is starting off a little slowly for my growers. With the very cold winter and wet wet spring, it will probably take a wee while before the first of the Asparagus, fiddleheads and Morels start to poke their heads out of the ground.

Within the next few weeks as things green up my growers will be checking their perennial plantings like strawberries and raspberries for winter damage. We should know very soon if the harsh winter damaged anything.

That's it for now, I'll be posting the Sam and Ira's menu soon.

Cheers
Erin

Moving forward despite the snow

I'm dealing with this down turn in the weather the same way in which I am dealing with the down turn of the economy. I'm putting my hands over my ears and saying 'I can't hear you!'. I figure if I ignore them long enough, both will end up whooshing away in a puff of smoke.

So today I ordered Winnipeg's first ever evaporating toilet. With my new expansion the city of Winnipeg Property and Planning made a public toilet a necessity for my plan. Not an easy proposition as my shop is not hooked up to the City of Winnipeg waste and water system. I have 2 underground holding tanks that I get water hauled into and used liquid hauled out of. The location of the tanks made putting a public toilet on them nearly impossible, plus they are not sized for such needs. My water system is also one of the many reasons that I don't stay open through the winter.

I had done some research on composting toilets and found in the process that it is against a new city of Winnipeg bylaw to install a composting toilet if your building is hooked up to the City of Winnipeg waste and water system. This bylaw came into being after Mountain Equipment Coop hooked up a composting toilet system. Not really understanding the process of composting human waste, the powers that be were concerned with the final product from the composting toilets being left out for the garbage crews to pick up. Thus the bylaw. Which I find interesting as Winnipeg's septic system can't meet our city's needs; the city dumps raw effluent into the river several times a year when the system can't cope with the volume. But I digress.

So after much research and pricing out, I found a toilet that unlike composting toilets needs no electricity to run, needs no PH management, and needs emptying only every 4 years. The evaporating toilet! Check out www.swsloo.com who are a distributor of the enviro loo toilets.

Once I have it installed and up and running for every one's use I'll be keeping some stats to chart its performance. You may find a clipboard in the loo this year to check off a list of inputs. Don't worry, I won't ask for names. If it performs well under my conditions, I'll know if I should recommend it to other organizations or not. It could be the ideal system for cottages, parks, camps, or other areas where water conservation and waste management is an issue.

It was very expensive, so I really want everyone to tell me how lovely it is when you see it.

Now I just need for it to warm up and stop snowing!

Think spring thoughts..

Erin

Welcome to the new Crampton's Blog

Welcome everyone!

I've been spending a lot of time this fall and winter working on improving things around the Market...both physically and electronically.


I've subscribed to a new mail manager system which should eliminate multiple emails sent out to one person, AND I've started this new blog. Some people in the past mentioned a few things about my emails being just a tad too long for their liking. This blog solves that problem! I'll be able to send out shorter, more concise emails, then put all of the nitty gritty information up here for those true info junkies like myself.

If I can figure out how, there will be a link on the emails that I send out to this site, so when you receive an email from me, you will just have to click on the link to get here. And as all back postings will stay up on this site, you can use it to reference information from past emails! This means that I'll be able to post up recipes, calendars of events and other information without constantly emailing you.

If you've driven by my corner lately, and you have better than 20-400 vision, you will have noticed the expansion. It was a lot of work but my Dad, Len the carpenter, a family friend named Edgar and myself had the place up with interior finishing in 3 months. I'm still a little bit tired. It was a marathon. We're still not quite finished, but the weather is getting better every day, meaning that I'll be able to get things going again soon, just in time for an occupancy permit and opening day.


I'm very excited for this year to begin. With all of the new space I'm planning on being able to provide more community services, classes, and info sessions for everyone at the store. There are so many huge faceless places going up in our little corner of the city. I really hope that my store can be the place where you can laugh with us, meet your friends, shop for good food, bring the kids, learn about nutrition, grab a meal, and slow down a little.

Take Care
Erin Crampton