UBC Farm Market
Last market of 2009 - October 24th
Our Saturday market season is almost over! Come out to the last market on Saturday, October 24th from 9am-1pm for an assortment of fall produce including carrots, beets, winter squash, kale, Swiss chard and more. To receive a weekly update letting you know what produce and other vendors will be at the market - in addition to information about off-farm sales, farm workshops and other events during the winter months - sign up for the market e-mail list. Hope to see you at the farm!
Support UBC Farm with your 2010 Green Zebra guide!
Green Zebra is Vancouver 's only green living guide and coupon book...all in one! The book contains over 300 exclusive offers from eco-friendly, community-minded businesses like UBC Farm. Recipients save thousands of dollars at local restaurants, cafes, markets, organic produce delivery services, spas, clothing stores, green home services, theatres, and more. A resource for more than just savings, Green Zebra guide also offers tips and ideas for today to help ensure a greener tomorrow.
The UBC Farm has a coupon in the guide that will give you a discount at our Saturday Markets next season. Also, we're selling copies of the guide as a fundraiser for the Farm, so if you buy it directly from us, $10 of the $20 price is going directly to the UBC Farm to support our academic and community programming. We don't have online sales available at this time, but e-mail us at ubcfarm.market@gmail.com to arrange to purchase a guide, which you can then pick up at the Farm. Guides will also be for sale at our Saturday Markets. Buy yours today or give a green gift to friends and family. It's easy to change your stripes!
Market produce is:
- Fresh: harvested either on the day of, or the day before the market
- Local: Unless otherwise labelled, all the produce is grown right at the UBC Farm, a stone's throw away from where it's sold.
- Organic: Though we are not fully certified, we follow COABC guidelines for organic production, and we never use synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. You can chat with the staff and students who grew your food if you have any questions.
Other places to find UBC Farm produce
When seasonally available, UBC Farm produce continues to be featured on the menus of Pair Bistro, Provence Mediterranean Grill, CRU, C, Raincity Grill and Nu. We've also been working with Sage Bistro, Sprouts, Agora, Pie R Squared, Bernoulli's Bagels, The Pendulum, Place Vanier & other campus outlets to offer more farm-fresh food on-campus.
How to Get to the UBC Farm Market
The markets are held at the UBC Farm Harvest Hut at 6128 South Campus Road. You will see a blue "UBC Farm" sign at the farm gate on South Campus road. Parking is available outside the gate, and the harvest hut is directly west of the gate once you enter. There are signs to show the way.
Our contact page has more detailed directions
A little bit about the UBC Farm Market Garden
The idea for the market garden sprouted from a 2001 class project by two third-year agriculture science students, Rosy Smit, and Barb de Cook. The faculty and staff were so impressed with Rosy and Barb's project that they got the go ahead to start planting. This first year was very successful and we learned a whole bunch about growing, selling, and the devastating effects of wireworm on lettuce plants.
During the next five years, the market garden grew significantly. In 2006, the Market Garden includes approximately 1.5 ha in cultivation, which is more than a eightfold increase in capacity from its modest beginnings in 2001. All proceeds from the market garden are used in its operation, mostly for paying student workers. The market garden moves closer towards financial sustainability each year but as of 2006 still relies upon grants, wage subsidies, and considerable volunteer labour to break even. Based on the increases in efficiency over the last 5 seasons, we do anticipate the market garden to be financially self-sustaining by 2007.
In 2005, the market garden included almost 250 separate varieties of vegetables, herbs, flowers, and small fruits, and also manages a free-range poultry flock into the crop rotation. We grow a wide variety of crops including our signature salad mix, spicy salad mix, radishes, kale, peas, beans, artichokes, basil, turnips, bok choy, carrots and various herbs. As the season moves forward, it yields different types of squash, melons, cucumber, zucchini, pumpkins, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, and many varieties of flowers. All of our crops are grown according to COABC guidelines for organic production
Organic Certification
Though we have followed COABC guidelines in our crop and animal management practices since 2000, the market garden is not yet certified organic. This is an ongoing area of exploration for us here at the Farm.