While visiting Richmond Country Farms yesterday not only did I grabbed myself some fresh produce I grabbed a coffee and wondered the gardens for a while.  Once I took in the new outdoor plant area I gathered up tender baby eggplants, gai-lan, leeks, beet greens, kale, English peas, new potatoes, 2 varieties of cherries, raspberries, rhubarb and strawberries.

I’m making a spiced ginger summer fruit chutney with the fruits listed above.

They carry a nice selection of local organic dairy including Rabbit River Farms organic eggs where they say “happy hens make happy eggs“.  They cook perfectly, white creamy whites and rich buttery yolks.  Well, I cooked them perfectly! Remember quality ingredients = quality taste.  As their website mentions you can see them July 20th and every other Sunday onwards at The Steveston Farmers Market. They will be selling several varieties of organic eggs, duck eggs to organic chicken.  Have a look at their website for more information.

Richmond Country Farms has always had a small garden and flower section, but since the closing of the huge Art Knapp’s just across highway 99 they have expanded to having a very large and beautiful outdoor garden. There are chairs randomly throughout the gardens.  Purchase cool drink and sit and enjoy!  I’m sure they won’t mind.

I loved the roosters that once roamed the property, they hid in trees!  I used to have a great photograph of a rooster staring at me from a tree.  How crazy it that? Well… sadly they are gone.  I don’t see ducks in the ponds scattered all over the property like there used to be as well.  One would imagine they got rid of them for health code regulations. Perhaps they are up to something big! I can’t wait to see what they have for us next year.  I think they are improving the property to become more of a tourist attraction or family outing destination in future.

To wrap my long rambling up… I can’t wait for corn season.  Call me weird, call me quirky, call me what ever you want. For me the anticipation of the first crop of corn, growing just off of Steveston Hwy is exciting. There has been many mornings on my way in to work that I have driven behind one of these tractors loaded with freshly picked corn on it’s way to Richmond Country Farms.  I actually in this instance don’t mind being caught behind slow moving vehicles.

At this moment the corn is about 2 1/2 feet tall…get your sweet butter ready!