Vert-à-Go

The Cyclones Road and Track Club is once again selling cow manure as a fundraiser for the next 4-6 weeks. I got a delivery of it last year and it was a great soil amender, very well-composted with no smell. It’s also a great chance to support these dedicated and talented Saskatoon athletes!

Prices

• buy 1 bag for $10
• get free delivery on orders of 5 bags or more
• with an order of 10 bags, you’ll get one free (so 11 bags for $100)
• 1/2 yard bulk (unbagged) is $50, full yard is $100

To order, drop by their table at the Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings or call Rick on 955-1986 or 229-1086. For bulk delivery, call Ben on 241-3119.

The Environmental Working Group has just released the 5th edition of its Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides. This handy cut-out-and-carry card lists which fruits and vegetables have the highest (and lowest) levels of pesticides so you can see at a glance when it’s most important to buy organically-grown produce and when the benefits of organic are less dramatic.

An EWG simulation of thousands of consumers eating high and low pesticide diets shows that people can lower their pesticide exposure by almost 80 percent by avoiding the top twelve most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated instead. Eating the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables will expose a person to about 10 pesticides per day, on average. Eating the 15 least contaminated will expose a person to less than 2 pesticides per day. (Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides)

Living in Saskatchewan, it’s much easier to find organic versions of some of the Dirty Dozen than others, especially if you prefer to buy more locally-grown produce. For instance:

• I don’t remember ever seeing organic BC peaches, nectarines,  pears, or cherries–I have seen Washington-grown ones at Safeway, but their taste was disappointing (I’ve eaten amazing organic soft fruit while in Washington, so freshness is obviously the issue, not inherent quality!). Most times, I would really rather eat something else entirely rather than risk spending a lot of money on imported out-of-season fruit that turns out to be sour or woody.
• Grandora Gardens (at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market) and other vendors sell bell peppers treated with biological controls during late-spring/summer/early-autumn. You can grow your own in the summer.
• It has become much easier to buy organically-grown strawberries in the supermarket–both Safeway and Extra Foods often have Driscoll’s organic berries for sale during the spring and summer (imported from California). Local u-pick strawberries are not organically grown and although they certainly try to minimise chemical application, I am unsure about the level of pesticides involved. It’s pretty easy to grow your own–they are perennials and like all berries, taste a thousand times better picked straight off the plant.
• Organically-grown celery is easily found at (most/selected branches) Safeway, Sobey’s, and Extra Foods–let me know if you have trouble tracking it down.
• I’ve not seen organically-grown kale, but suspect it would be available at Dad’s–this is not really something I ever buy as there are so many other options for locally-grown greens (buy grow, freeze, or sprout your own year-round).
• Lettuce, again, is available from Grandora Gardens and other farmers’ market vendors in season. It is also ridiculously easy to grow your own from early May-September.
• Chilean grapes are often treated with up to 17 different pesticides. If you can’t find organic ones, US-grown grapes use fewer pesticides.
• Organically-grown carrots are available in grocery stores, but the ones from the farmers’ market are far superior in taste. I don’t know if conventional Saskatchewan carrot growers need to use as many pesticides on their carrots as those grown further south–our drier climate and colder winters can help reduce the need for many fungicides/insecticides.

And as far as the Clean 15 goes?

1. I tend to buy onions either from the farmers’ market, but I have no qualms about buying conventional Manitoba-grown ones from the grocery store.
2. I don’t buy a lot of avocados but will likely continue to get the odd regular one from the grocery store.
3. I tend to buy fresh corn in season from the farmers’ market, and then conventionally-grown frozen.
4. I generally have a greater concern about whether pineapple (and other tropical fruit) is fair trade and what the working conditions are for the farm workers than whether it’s organic.
5. I’m not a huge mango fan!
6. I buy asparagus in season from the farmers’ market. I never buy it from South America as the food miles are just too appalling.
7. I buy fresh peas from the farmers’ market and am still trying to find a large-enough, sunny-enough patch to grow my own. Otherwise, frozen conventional.
8. Kiwi fruit gives me an anaphylactic reaction, so I never buy them! It is very high on the list of allergy-inducing fruit, so be careful before giving it to children or serving it to guests.
9. I buy cabbage from the farmers’ market is so fresh and delicious and economical, but good to know that the grocery store is an acceptable backup.
10. I have personally never figured out how to make eggplant edible, myself! I’ll happily eat someone else’s.
11. I don’t think I’ve ever bought a papaya!
12. I never buy watermelon out of the summer season because it comes so far and tastes so dreadful, but will feel more comfortable about buying it from the grocery store when I do (now, if I could just find a fool-proof method for choosing a good one! Any advice?).
13. Interesting that broccoli rates so highly. I would have thought it would have ranked much worse because of all the tiny flowers that are vulnerable to pests! I like to buy it locally when it’s in season because it’s so beautiful and fresh, and bought organic when it’s on sale. But I will feel much happier about picking up a bag of regularly-grown from the bargain bin in future!
14. Again, interesting that tomatoes rated so highly. I would have thought they’d be worse, although I suppose if they’re grown in a greenhouse, pests are not a huge problem. My main issue is that grocery store tomatoes taste vile, and conventionally-grown tomatoes can be vulnerable to salmonella due to bad growing practices. Avoiding pesticide residue is not the only reason to buy organic! I grow my own in the summer, and buy from Grandora/other farmers’ market vendors during late spring/summer/autumn. (it takes a *lot* of energy to heat a greenhouse in Saskatchewan, or even BC, in the winter–very possibly moreso than growing them in a hot southern field and trucking them north). Seasonality is my main consideration–I haven’t bought a fresh tomato for months (and yes, I am missing them A LOT).
15. Sweet potato is something else that I’d usually get at the regular grocery store.

Here are the lists of the best and the worst–you can get a printable version of the EWG Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides that you can put in your wallet here. Remember, avoiding pesticide residue is not the sole reason for buying organically grown produce–organic practices can help improve soil, reduce water usage, improve environmental conditions for animals, birds, and insects, and may (but certainly not always!) go hand in hand with better working conditions for farm workers. It often (but again, certainly not always) may have a lower risk of disease or contamination. Conversely, local conventionally-grown produce may in fact have a better environmental footprint than imported organic. But reducing pesticide exposure is a pretty major concern for most organic consumers, and so it pays to know exactly what you’re eating.

The Dirty Dozen (always buy organic)

1. peach
2. apple
3. bell pepper
4. celery
5. nectarine
6. strawberries
7. cherries
8. kale
9. lettuce
10. grapes–imported (this is a US guide, so this would mean non-US-grown grapes)
11. carrot
12. pear

The Clean 15 (lowest in pesticides)

1. onion
2. avocado
3. corn
4. pineapple
5. mango
6. asparagus
7. peas
8. kiwi
9. cabbage
10. eggplant
11. papaya
12. watermelon
13. broccoli
14. tomato
15. sweet potato

The WinterShines Festival will kick off tomorrow night at Market Square (the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market). Everyone is invited to come celebrate all the fun and beauty that the Saskatoon winter has to offer during this fun 16-day festival. The opening ceremonies will begin at 6:30pm and there will also be ice carvings, entertainment, and hot chocolate throughout the evening. Don’t forget to dress warmly, bring a lantern, and join in for the in motion “Illuminate the Night” walk.

The River Landing Market Showcase will also take place between 6-9pm, so head inside to warm up and enjoy the hospitality of your friendly local farmers, food vendors, and merchants! Samples of market food and beverages will be on offer and there will be music throughout the evening.

River Landing Market Showcase/WinterShines 2009 Festival kick-off

When: Saturday 24 January, 6-9pm

Where: Market Square (Saskatoon Farmers’ Market), River Landing, 414 Ave B South, Saskatoon, SK (Google map)

For more information: WinterShines Festival, Tourism Saskatoon, (306) 242-1206

19th Street is finally open again! Hoorah! This means no more detour for people coming from the east to the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. And the Little Market Store now plans to be open 11am-7pm, Wednesdays through Saturdays, throughout the winter. This handy stall sells a variety of products from various market vendors, including eggs, focaccia, chocolates, and produce–today they had containers of fresh cherry tomatoes.

The public market businesses will now also be open up to 7 days a week as well, starting next Wednesday 26 November. Here are their opening hours:

Giuseppe’s food service
Sunday 11 am-5pm
Tuesday-Friday 9am-7pm
Saturday 8am-2pm

Bulk Cheese at the Market (fresh pasta, sauces, cheese, meats)
Sunday 11am-5pm
Monday-Friday 11am-7pm
Saturdays 8am-5pm

Jolly Juicer (juice bar and waffles)
Petal Pushers (flower shop)
Park Cafe at the Market (seafood)
Wednesday-Friday 11am-7pm
Saturday 8 am-2pm

Please use the east doors during the week (if you’re coming by car, parking is available on the east and south side of the building).

The start of the fall/winter season has brought some changes to the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market schedule and roster of vendors.

The full Wednesday produce market is now done for the year. However, a new co-op stall has opened that offers products from a number of different vendors. This one-stop shop, called the Little Market Store, will continue to open on Wednesdays between 10am-2pm (along with the other remaining Wednesday tenants). It will also be open during the Saturday markets from 8am-2pm.

Products at the Little Market Store will tend to vary somewhat from week to week, depending on availability. Yesterday, it was selling frozen Saskatchewan blueberries and cranberries, free range eggs, noodles, focaccia, preserves, and cases of BC gala apples, as well as jewellery and photo greeting cards. A selection of produce should be available starting next week, and it will begin selling chocolates in another week or two.

Once 19th Street has been re-opened (soon! please!), the market plans to open from Wednesdays-Saturdays so it can provide locally-produced products four days a week. Regular market tenants (Giuseppi’s, Bulk Cheese at the Market, Jolly Juicer, Petal Pushers, and Park Cafe at the Market) will also be on site from Wednesdays-Saturdays at that point. Hours of operation are still to be decided–I’ll keep you posted.

Streetscaping of Avenue B has started this week, so the entire stretch of Ave B on the west side of the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market is now fenced off. You can still park in the parking lot and there is access at the Ave B & 19th Street intersection to cross over to the market.

Debby Claude, manager of operations, suggests that you avoid the west side entirely for the next month if possible and enter by the east side (by the outdoor selling area). She says there is usually parking down Avenue A (a few street spaces and a small paid lot), or you can park about a block away behind the old Adilman’s building at the corner of Ave B & 20th Street. And if you’re arriving by foot or on bike, then you don’t have to worry about the parking palaver at all. Clever you!