Taking Local to the Next Level

I buy most of my produce from Kins Farm Market because I believe they represent the next best thing for buying produce straight from a local farmer. Plus their story is inspirational! Twenty-two years ago when the Leung family moved to Vancouver, they opened an 8-foot produce stand on Granville Island—and look at them now: running a produce empire with 26 stores!

Lately though, I’ve been getting frustrated with Kins their apparent lack of local produce. So last weekend, I took local to the next level by taking a drive to Emma-Lea Farms.

Emma-Lea is a family run farm located in Ladner, BC, where you cross the century old wooden bridge onto Westham Island. One of the great things about Emma-Lea is that you can pick your own berries. If you’re in a rush, you can buy already picked berries, but I think it’s more fun when you pick your own! So bring some lunch, buy an ice cream and it’ll seem like you’re 1,000,000 miles away from the city. It’s the perfect way to spend a sunny Saturday.

As an aside, this is an especially great place for parents with picky eaters—I’ve never seen so many children stuffing their faces with fruits and veggies!

P.S: I don’t mean to beat up on Kins because I know they mean well …but sometimes we need to be aware that even the ‘local’ option may not always be as ‘local’ as we think.

I’ve said this a million times, but again, be an active shopper.

It’s officially blueberry season – happy picking!

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Photo by Sage MacDonald