Harvest Community Foods: Noodle Soups & CSA program

Hot girl summer is coming to an end, get ready for thicc ramen fall

Fall is just around the corner which means t’is the season for comfort food! My favourite kind always involve a form of carb in soup or sauce and it’s definitely the reason why I’m here forever working on my hot girl summer bod (let’s be real, who can resist not eating it all year round). Luckily, we are surrounded by healthy options in Vancouver and Harvest Community Foods is one of the first places I think of when I’m both in the mood for ramen and feeling health-conscious. They take pride in only using local, organic and sustainable ingredients; and majority of their menu is vegetarian and vegan friendly — they basically cater to any kind of diet. I follow them on Instagram to stay in the loop of their daily specials to avoid FOMO even on the days I can’t physically make it there.

In addition to oodles of noodles, Harvest is stocked with locally sourced produce, homemade preserves, and a selection of goodies from local small businesses — and you won’t miss their infamous display of salted chocolate cookies. I always get a glass of their seasonal kombucha ($3/glass) from their fridge while I watch my bowl get assembled.

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What we ate:

#39 — Pork Shoulder, Candied Bacon, Egg & Radish; Daily Special — Miso Mushroom Ginger Broth, Puff Tofu and Mixed Mushrooms; + Side of Maple & Pumpkin Seed Red Cabbage Salad for balance

The broth will be light compared to your go-to Japanese ramen spot but that's exactly what I'm in for; a wholesome and guilt-free bowl of sustenance that highlights the purity of each component.

Worth a mention:

Optional but personally necessary: try your dishes with Harvest’s homemade chilli oil – it doesn’t have too much heat to it but it’s extremely fragrant and added a tasty dimension to my noodles

If you're a local in Vancouver, I recommend checking out their Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, it’s the best way to receive fresh, in-season, and nutritious fruits and vegetables from local farmers. I received pea tips, leeks, easter egg radishes, potatoes, asparagus, kale florets, rhubarb, elderflower and sunflower sprouts collectively from North Arm Farms, Hazelmere Organic Farms and Klippers Organics in my share; we were able to utilize the produce in so many different ways!

Some of my favourites were —

pesto farfalle salad with cucumber, kale florets, sunflower sprouts & shaved parmesan

butter chicken rotini with red onion, grilled asparagus, and charred leeks

left — german potato salad topped with sunflower sprouts; right — oven roasted easter egg radishes

I promise we made a stir fry with those giant peatips and didn’t only use them as a styling prop. How did we do? What would you have done with the selected produce? What’s your favourite kind of comfort food? Let me know in the comments section below.