How to Eat Local in Vancouver

A few weeks ago, we wrote a blog post about the benefits of buying & eating locally-produced foods. The idea of eating local is central to living sustainably. Many people understand this & want to begin ‘eating local,’ but don’t know where to start. So, we decided to provide you with a list of various restaurants, farms, grocery stores, & farmers markets that you can visit to get some fresh, healthy, local food!

Restaurants: because sometimes it’s more relaxing to just let someone else do the cooking…Am I right?

• C Restaurant in Vancouver, BC – an industry leader in working with top-quality sustainable seafood.

• Forage in Vancouver, BC – emphasizes the fresh harvest of the fertile Fraser delta & the bounty of the Pacific.

• Nu Greek in Vancouver, BC – inspired by the history & culture of the Mediterranean & Aegean.

• Rain City Grill in Vancouver, BC – home of Canada’s premier 100-Mile Menu.

• Visit this website for 50+ more restaurant options!

Farms: many of which offer meat, dairy, or produce delivery! Yum!

• Big Bear Ranch in Horsefly, BC (with monthly delivery to the Lower Mainland) – certified Organic beef, pork, lamb, poultry, dog food, honey – & you can order online!

• Common Ground Community Farm in Burnaby, BC – has farm fresh produce for you to buy directly from their farm or through their CSA delivery program.

• Duende Farm in Maple Ridge, BC – the home of Gusto garlic.

• Forstbauer Family Natural Food Farm in Chilliwack, BC – biodynamic farm that is Certified Organic, offering fresh vegetables, fresh & frozen berries, beef & eggs.

• Glenwood Valley Farms in Langley, BC – Long English cucumbers, mini cucumbers, eggplants, mini peppers, hot & spicy peppers & crescendo red peppers. They also process homemade pickles & preserves.

• Goat’s Pride Dairy in Abbotsford, BC – Certified Organic goat dairy. Their milk, yogurts, & cheeses are handmade on their farm.

• And MANY more! If you are interested, there is an extensive list available here.

Grocery Stores: for your daily & weekly shopping needs!

• Choice’s Markets in Vancouver (various locations), Burnaby, Surrey, Kelowna, BC – 100% BC-owned & operated company dedicated to supporting local food producers.

• Drive Organics in East Vancouver, BC – East Vancouver’s largest organic & natural food store. They feature local products from small-scale, sustainable producers.

• East End Food Co-op in Vancouver, BC – Vancouver’s longest serving co-operative grocer. They emphasize buying local, healthy, organic, & fair-trade products.

• Green Earth Organics (Delivery) in Vancouver, BC – locally-owned, organic grocery delivery service.

• Stong’s Market in Vancouver, BC – a mainstay in Vancouver since 1931. They have maintained a commitment to supporting our local community, as well as BC food producers.

• This site provides a list which contains several other markets

Farmer’s Markets: as spring has sprung, & summer is not far behind, farmer’s markets are going to start popping up everywhere. A great, fun weekend activity!

• Winter Farmer’s Market (OPEN NOW) at Nat Bailey Stadium in Vancouver, BC – Saturdays 10AM-2PM.

• Trout Lake Farmer’s Market (Opens May 10th) at Trout Lake in Vancouver, BC – Saturdays 9AM-2PM.

• Kitsilano Farmer’s Market (Opens May 11th) at the Kitsilano Community Center in Vancouver, BC – Sundays 10AM-2PM.

• West End Farmer’s Market (Opens May 31st) in the 1100 block of Comox St. in Vancouver, BC – Saturdays 9AM-2PM.

• Main St. Station Farmer’s Market (Opens June 4th) in the 1100 block of Station St. in Vancouver, BC – Wednesdays 3PM-7PM.

• Kerrisdale Village Farmer’s Market (Opens June 14th) near Kerrisdale Arena in Vancouver, BC – Saturdays 10AM-2PM.

• Mount Pleasant Farmer’s Market (Opens June 15th) between Mount Pleasant Elementary School & Guelph Park – Sundays 10AM-2PM.

• Yaletown Farmer’s Market (Opens May 1st) on Mainland St. between Davie & Helmcken in Vancouver, BC – Thursdays 2PM-6PM.

I know that was A LOT of information, but that just goes to show how many opportunities there are in the greater Vancouver area to eat local. Starting to visit one of these local & sustainable grocery stores or farmer’s markets to get your weekly groceries could be the first step. This would be a baby step in the right direction. Once you get in the routine of opting for local grocers, you will not miss those large chain supermarkets. (I promise!) Your next step could be trying out some of the restaurants in Vancouver whose menu was created with fresh, local ingredients. If you’re going to pay for a delicious meal, why not get it from somewhere who values our community and uses local ingredients! And last, but definitely not least, you could plan to order a bulk meat delivery from a local farm. These farms can provide you with months–or years–worth of protein. And this is organic meat…the good stuff! Because it’s coming from a farm in BC, it makes the process more sustainable–AND you know the animal was treated fairly and not injected with any hormones. Making room in the freezer may be a great idea.

I hope this helped making ‘eating local’ seem a little less difficult.

Comments are encouraged! Have a great day!

– BK

Buy Local, Eat Fresh!

As Canadians, we are lucky to live in a country that is capable of growing or producing many of the foods we eat.  While not all foods Canadians consume can be grown in Canada, it is better to choose foods that are made/grown locally in Canada.

Why is it better to eat locally produced foods?

Locally produced foods are healthier and taste better! They also last longer when they are picked fresh and do not have to be sealed in plastic and shipped great distances to reach your table. Imported foods that spend a lot of time traveling hundreds or thousands of kilometres can lose nutritional value over time, whereas local foods can reach your table much faster and therefore, retain more of its nutritional value. Also, locally grown foods usually have a lower carbon footprint than imported foods, which is better for the environment.

Most local foods are seasonal. This means that local foods will be full of flavour and therefore, taste better than food that was grown elsewhere during the year and picked before it was ripe in order to reach your table.

Local foods can promote food safety. The fewer steps there are between where your food comes from and your table, the less opportunity the food has to be contaminated. Also, if you know where your food comes from and who grows it, you will have more knowledge about the food you eat.  Eating locally means you can ask food growers about how the food is made and what practices were used.  Knowing where your food comes from can also connect you to the people who grow and raise it and help build community relationships.

Buying local foods can help maintain farmland and green space in your community and support the local economy.  Money that is spent on local foods is more likely to benefit the rest of the community, as it can be reinvested in other business and services in the local area.

How do you find out which foods are produced locally or made in Canada? 

When at your local grocer, ask questions or look for the maple leaf symbol with a description that tells you if the food or some of its ingredients were made or grown in Canada.

The following video by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada gives an overview of how to look for products that are made in Canada or with Canadian ingredients:

For more information on food labels and Canadian-produced foods, check out http://www.eatcanadian.ca

– TL