Food Farm Direct

Besides checking out the local Farmer's Markets people in Vancouver can visit local farms to buy food farm direct.

The easiest farms to visit are in Richmond just south of Vancouver. When you drive along Steveston Highway you'll see farms with small roadside stands or markets with their home grown produce for sale.

Across the Port Mann bridge one can drive to farms in the Fraser Valley. A favourite fall activity is to visit the corn mazes. Adults and children alike enjoy getting lost in these massive corn fields.

As a Vancouverite I believe it is important to visit these farms to remind ourselves where our food comes from. Imagine buying a vine ripened tomato from a local grower and buying a tomato grown in Mexico. Just let this concept play through your mind a bit.

The tomato grown locally was allowed to ripen under the sun whereas the tomato from Mexico was probably picked "green" and was shipped thousands of miles.

Eat Fresh and Eat Local is better because you reduce your carbon footprint, plus you know where and how your food was grown.

Vancouver Farmers Markets

Farmer's Markets are a great way to get fresh locally grown food into the consumers hands. Large cities like Vancouver benefit because Farmer's Markets connect growers and consumers first hand.

So often when consumers buy food from a supermarket little thought is given to where the food was grown or how it was grown. At a Farmer's Market people can talk with the grower and  feel confident that the product they are buying is healthy.  Shopping at a Farmer's Market totally endorses the concept of Eat Fresh and Eat Local. You reduce green house gases by reduced shipping of the product and you encourage the local economy. A win win situation.

Local Farmer's Markets include Trout Lake, Steveston, Kitsilano, West End, Main Street Station and Granville Island.
Check out the BC Farmer's Market Association for a listing of local and province wide Farmer's Markets.

Fresh Fish Fresh Fish Fresh Fish

Buying fresh locally sourced seafood is easy when you live in Metro Vancouver. Places like the Steveston Fish Market in Richmond sell fresh and frozen-at-sea salmon, shrimp, prawns, halibut, cod and tuna.

This fish market is open year round seven days a week. Each fisher vessel sells when they have a new catch so keep watch for what fish is seasonally in stock.

Once you've picked up a fresh salmon or cod right from the boat you'll be convinced this is the best way to buy fish. Buying fish right from the dock is healthy eating, it reduces your carbon footprint and employs the local fishermen.  Remember to Eat Fresh and Eat Local. This is a win win situation.

Check out Steveston Fish Market for fresh fish along with it's cafes, restaurants, historic sites, boardwalk and more. You won't be disappointed.

Vancouver Community Gardens Flourish

With the high population density that Vancouver is facing, people are living in homes with no yards or no garden space. Condo living with its limitations is now the "in thing".

To meet the need for people to get back to nature and grow their own food, community gardens play an important role.

Vancouver has 74 community gardens. When you go to the City of Vancouver community gardens website, you'll find the locations and contact information to join.

It's amazing how much food can be grown in a community garden plot. Many gardeners don't just grow food for themselves, they share freely with others. Participants in these gardens are helpful and share green thumb information, seedlings and crops with one another.

Some Vancouver residents also open their yards to interested gardener's to grow food. It seems that if someone is looking for a small plot to grow some food, a space comes available.

Community gardens help city people to Eat Fresh and Eat Local by growing their own food.