Jenny Feniak
managing editor
Our general health has earned greater importance and attention in the last couple decades, but specific trends have definitely sprouted out of this movement.
Eating local foods has become a priority for many, as has ensuring their food is produced organically.
According to Stephanie Szakacs, former Grant MacEwan University student and general manager of the Old Strathcona Farmer’s Market (OSFM), the market accommodates vendors operating within a 160 km radius of Edmonton.
“We only accept vendors who personally make, bake or grow their products,” she said, explaining B.C fruit and seafood, which cannot be produced here, is an exception.
In Edmonton, with a short growing season, eating local is not always easy, but it’s possible with a few extra efforts such as careful storage and creative approaches.
Traditional preservation
OSFM vendors offer carrots and turnips, varieties of potatoes and cabbages that have been stored in cold rooms, perforated bags and burlap sacks all winter. There are rows of pickled and preserved vegetables from beets, beans and cauliflower to stewed tomatoes and salsas. There’s also an assortment of local berries made into jams, preserves and sweets.
Micro-greens
Newly sprouted seeds, which can be grown in homes all year, became a way to get fresh, local greens in winter, but micro-greens have quickly overtaken sprouts as the new trend. According to Sunrise Gardens’ founder Dawn Boileau, instead of just consuming the initial plant growth, “you wait for the first stage of leaves, and even sometimes the second.” This ensures more nutrients, as does the fact micro-greens are grown in a nutrient-rich soil medium rather than just water like most sprouts.
Organic Wine
Prior to 2005, to have a winery in Alberta, a farm had to produce 20,000 bottles, a huge operation. Before passing away, Victor Chrapko approached his MLA and helped establish the Cottage Wine Act, which allows smaller farms to produce wines, and mead and sell them locally. Now, his wife and two daughters run enSante Winery, producing and selling organic orchard wines and meads throughout the city.
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