Sunterra Market
FRESH PICK
pineapple
Brighten up your plate (and your palate) with the sweet tropical taste of pineapple. APRIL 2014
FEATURE STORY
This story is part of our ongoing series showcasing our local producers and unique suppliers. This month we visited Gull Valley Greenhouses near Blackfalds, Alta.
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT Tomatoes ripening on the vine, Levi, Phil & Scott, baby Eva in a tomato basket, a flower that will soon be a jalapeno, vine-ripened tomatoes.
vine and dandy B Y N ATA S H A G L E I S E R
o
n a sunny, cold February morning in Central Alberta, many people are thinking about booking a tropical getaway. Or skipping work to watch the Olympic women’s hockey final. Or both. Phil Tiemstra and his son Levi are thinking about tomatoes. After all, they have a tropical getaway anytime they want, in the form of a gigantic, fresh-smelling humid greenhouse sprawled out under the prairie sky. And as owners of Gull Valley Greenhouses, any time can be break time. In fact, we eventually end up taking an intermission during our interview to watch the Canadian women win in overtime. The family, including Levi’s wife Carmen and infant daughter and Phil’s son-in-law Scott huddle in the office around a computer screen. After the win, Phil bursts out into the atrium, shouting, “We’ve got another gold!”
The next step is what Levi calls crop work. Each plant variety grows best with a certain number of tomatoes clustered together. For example, Endeavor tomatoes grow best in clusters of five. So the Gull Valley team combs through each plant, pruning the flowers that would become tomatoes. Throughout the process, beneficial bugs are used to control pests because the family believes in growing pesticide-free vegetables. Once the tomatoes have grown and fully ripened in the natural sunshine, it’s picking time. Because the tomatoes don’t have far to travel, Levi says he keeps them on the vine as long as possible to allow the plant sugars to fully develop in the fruit for best flavour. Often tomatoes that are shipped a longer distance are picked green and turn red in transit, he informs us.
So the team gets to work removing the ripe clusters by hand and placing them gently in reusable baskets that will be delivered straight to Sunterra. This system means no cardboard Shortly after the break, it’s time to get back to work. As it boxes and no damage to the tomatoes transferring them for turns out, tomatoes don’t grow themselves. The family, along delivery. And with deliveries to our markets two to three times with around a dozen seasonal workers, have a lot to do, starting with cleaning and scrubbing out the entire greenhouse a week from mid-April to October, you can be sure Gull Valley tomatoes are fresh, ripe and ready-to-eat. every fall. The entire, 120,000 square foot greenhouse. Since tomato plants only last one season, they get in new plants Although the tomatoes aren’t yet ripe during our visit, Scott every January. They are planted in long rows of ground-up disappears down a long row of foliage and returns shortly with coconut husks, meticulously labelled and fed water through a a green jalapeno for me to try. He assures me that it’s not ripe tube staked into the coconut coir. enough to be hot yet, and I muster up the courage to take a “Healthy plants give healthy fruit,” says Phil, explaining that the coconut husks hold water well and allow for lots of oxygen, which promotes healthy plant roots. And with around 30,000 plants and 14 different cultivars, Gull Valley certainly has a lot of healthy plants. And fruit.
bite. To my surprise, it is fantastic. I mean sweet, full of flavour, eat-a-dozen-in-one-sitting fantastic. “We choose plants that taste good,” says Levi. Agreed.
Pay with points! It’s as easy as pie. Use your Fresh Rewards points at a cashier’s till to take home many of the items below. Sunterra gift cards, cooking classes and catered meals can be paid with points, just not at the till. Ask a cashier for a redemption form or fill one out online at sunterramarket.com
Bakery
Single cookie ($0.99).................................................................. 40 pts Muffin, scone, or sliced loaf ������������������������������������������������������ 64 pts Square or brioche cinnamon bun ��������������������������������������������� 68 pts Scone or muffin 2-pack............................................................ 112 pts Full square pan......................................................................... 320 pts All fruit pies (9 in.).................................................................... 400 pts
Juice
Fresh squeezed juice (470mL) ������������������������������������������������ 140 pts Fresh squeezed juice (940mL) ������������������������������������������������ 224 pts
Deli
Yogurt & granola cup............................................................... 120 pts Greek yogurt parfait................................................................. 140 pts Soup of the day........................................................................ 144 pts All sandwiches.......................................................................... 240 pts Grab ‘n’ Go Meal ($5.99) �������������������������������������������������������� 240 pts Grab ‘n’ Go Pizza (uncooked) ������������������������������������������������� 280 pts Boxed Salad............................................................................. 320 pts Grab ‘n’ Go Meal ($8.99) �������������������������������������������������������� 360 pts Grab ‘n’ Go Dinner ($15.99) ��������������������������������������������������� 640 pts Friday Night Feast for Two (1 pack) ������������������������������������� 1,200 pts
APRIL stockboy specials
Grok Cheese Snacks (12g)......................................................... 56 pts Gerolsteiner Natural Mineral Water (750mL)............................. 72 pts A Good Portion Pistachios (80g).............................................. 136 pts Grok Cheese Snacks (60g)....................................................... 220 pts Braswell’s Dressing (270mL)..................................................... 256 pts Maison Orphée Organic Coconut Oil (454g) ......................... 440 pts Gerolsteiner Natural Mineral Water (15pk).............................. 960 pts
APRIL FEATURES
Valbella Pâté (100g)............................................................ 84-128 pts Piave Cheese (100g)................................................................ 200 pts Prepared Easter Meal (per person).......................................... 880 pts The following items can only be redeemed by filling out a redemption form. Ask a cashier or fill one out online at sunterramarket.com
Gift Cards
$20 .......................................................................................... 800 pts $50 ....................................................................................... 2,000 pts $60 ....................................................................................... 2,400 pts $100 ..................................................................................... 4,000 pts $150 ..................................................................................... 6,000 pts $200 ..................................................................................... 8,000 pts
Cooking Classes
Sunterra Lunch ’n’ Learn Cooking Class for 2 (Calgary Only) ...... 1,360 pts Sunterra Private Cooking Class for 10 ............................... 25,200 pts
Catered Meals
Sunterra Catered In-home Dinner for 10 (Standard Menu)..... 23,200 pts Sunterra Catered In-home Dinner for 10 (Premium Menu) ��� 28,000 pts
FRESH PICK
Pineapple This kind of taste doesn’t just grow on trees. Actually, it grows in the ground. And it takes years.
Generally pineapple plants grow for two to three years before producing a single pineapple. Once mature, the plants produce one pineapple at a time. Quite a long process, but so worth it for a taste of the vibrant, juicy and sharp-tasting fruit. Originally from South America, pineapples are so called because they look a lot like pine cones as they grow, with hundreds of tiny fruitlets fusing together to make the strange-looking fruit. They are harvested ripe, so look for pineapples that haven’t travelled too far. (We get ours from Costa Rica.) Choose a pineapple that is heavy for its size. Cut off the crown and base, then slice off the skin carefully so you don’t lose much of the tangy flesh. The core is edible, but you can quarter the fruit and remove it if you prefer. If you fancy yourself a gardener, you can even plant the crown (in a pot because our climate is just too darn cold for pineapples) and grow your own pineapple. If you can wait a few years, that is.
TIP: pinEapples pack a vitamin punch Pineapples are bursting with vitamin C and manganese, so you can feel good satiating your sweet tooth with slices, spears and chunks, or use pineapple in baking, preserves, smoothies and savoury dishes like stir frys.
Trendspotting
PIAVE CHEESE Use this hard Italian cheese grated in place of Parmigiano-Reggiano, or just eat it off the wheel with nuts and fruit like we do. Either way, be prepared to fall for its bright tropical flavour with nutty undertones.
House-made sandwiches piled high, rich pâté from Canmore and zesty pistachios are some of our favourite things this month.
Regular Price $5.99/100g Apr Stockboy Special $4.99/100g VALBELLA PÂTÉ Choose from gourmand flavours like wild boar, venison, duck liver, gourmet and pepper pâté, all made in Canmore from Alberta grown beef, pork, lamb, poultry and game. Bon appâté!
PORTABLE PERFECTION
Regular Price $2.29-$3.49/100g Apr Stockboy Special $2.09 - $3.19/100g MAISON ORPHÉE ORGANIC COCONUT OIL Use it for frying, baking, hair or skin care for its wide range of healthful benefits. Maison Orphée coconut oil is certified organic and ECOCERT Fair Trade. Regular Price $13.99 Apr Stockboy Special $10.99 A GOOD PORTION PISTACHIOS This Vancouver-based company is bringing in high-quality pistachios from around the world and infusing them with mouthwatering flavours like chili-saffron and limesaffron. And they’re gluten free, non-gmo and kosher certified.
FEATURE KITCHEN Ahh, the sandwich. They say there was life before it, but we’re not convinced. Bite into our new beef short rib sandwich with carmelized onions on a potato bread bun and you’ll catch our drift.
Regular Price $3.99 Apr Stockboy Special $3.39
Sunterra Cooking Class Schedule CALGARY* Apr. 3 Perfectly Paired Sangria & Tapas I 5 p.m. I $24.99
Apr. 22 Social Kitchen Mediterranean I 6 p.m. I $49.99
Apr. 4 Social Kitchen Hawaiian Surf ‘n’ Turf I 6 p.m. I $49.99
Apr. 24 Perfectly Paired Wine & Hagensborg Wild Boar Chocolate 5 p.m. I $24.99
Apr. 8 Art of Entertaining: Easter Meal I 6 p.m. I $49.99 Apr. 10 Perfectly Paired Bourbon & Alberta Beef I 5 p.m. I $24.99 Apr. 11 Lunch ‘n’ Learn Kale & Pomegranate Salad with Southwestern Grilled Chicken I 12 p.m. I $15.99
Apr. 25 Lunch ‘n’ Learn Thai Noodle Soup & Sesame Beef Rice Bowl 12 p.m. I $15.99 Apr. 26 Kid’s Kitchen Grilled Cheese I 1 p.m. I $14.99
Apr. 12 Kid’s Kitchen Easter Treats I 1 p.m. I $14.99
EDMONTON*
Apr. 16 Social Kitchen South America I 6 p.m. I $49.99
Apr. 22 World Kitchen Mediterranean I 6:30 p.m. I $49.99
Apr. 17 Perfectly Paired Wine & Salmon I 5 p.m. I $24.99
*Calgary classes held at Sunterra Market, Keynote. Edmonton classes held at Sunterra Market, Commerce Place. Visit sunterramarket.com for more information and how to register.
FEATURE FRIDAY NIGHT FEAST APRIL 18:
pineapple mango salsa salmon
FR
NIGHT FE
A ST
IDAY
pts 1,200 PAY WITH POINTS
We don’t mind slaving over a hot stove all day, really. Enjoy a three-course meal prepared from scratch - just reheat and eat, simple as that. Finally, a meal worthy of the best night of the week. $14.99 per person. Each bag contains two dinners for $29.98 or 1,200 Fresh Rewards points
Friday Night Feast Schedule APRIL 4
APRIL 18
Maple wasabi Asian noodle salad
Sweet potato and ginger soup
Lemon grass chicken breast on jasmine rice with asparagus
Pineapple mango salsa salmon with rice pilaf and vegetables
Strawberry carousel cake
Carrot cake
APRIL 11
APRIL 25
Kale, lentil and chickpea soup
Black bean soup
Valbella Chorizo pasta bake with garlic bread
Shoyu roasted chicken thighs with jasmine rice and vegetables
Dark chocolate mousse
Sinful chocolate cake
Our Friday Night Feast menus change weekly, find the schedule in our newsletter or online at sunterramarket.com