Farmers Market Smiles

Living in the West End of Vancouver is a bit like having a small-town community. There are social get-togethers, friendly nods, nice yards, and geriatric scooter drivers. In the summer the community feeling is truly cemented by the Saturday Farmers Market on Comox St. I have been looking forward to the start of the Farmers Market for weeks and was almost worried that it wouldn’t meet my high expectations from last year. Despite the fact that there are always fewer vendors at the beginning of the season, the market was wonderful and I have decided to do a weekly summary of my purchases with vendor information and my plans for cooking. Feedback is more than welcome!

Hui’s Farm. Certified organic mushrooms. Today I purchased oyster and baby shitake. Currently planning to use the shitake in a stir-fry with bok choy and baby corn. I have no plan for the oyster mushrooms, but they just looked too good to pass up. 

Forstbauer Farm. Squash blossoms!!! At sixty cents each, this is definitely a deal! Tomorrow for lunch they will be stuffed with fontina and basil, tempura battered, and fried. Delicious!

Klippers Organics. Leeks, golden beets, and the first of the season’s strawberries. I plan to caramelize the leeks and use them as a side dish later this week. The golden beets will go into my beet and goat cheese salad. The strawberries will be gone by midnight tonight. I should mention that Klippers was my favorite market vendor last year and that they have amazing produce at a reasonable price. I definitely recommend a visit during tomato season!

Cropthorne Farm. Bok choy and a Thai basil plant. The bok choy will be sautéed with my baby shitake mushrooms and baby corn. If I have any left it will likely go into a curry at the end of the week.

Remember that the market is open every Saturday from 9 am-2 pm. Support local farmers and have fun while doing it!