Produce of the Week

Finally the sun has come back to the fine city of Vancouver, making it a paradise once more! Naturally this meant that the market was flooded with people. Despite having a nearly full fridge, I braved the crowds for a small market haul and my bimonthly bacon wrap. This time at Pig on the Street, I tried the Southern Piggy, which consists of bacon, BBQ sauce, grilled peppers, corn, cheddar, and chipotle mayo. As always it was completely delicious and well worth the long line. While the Southern Piggy was just as good as the PigLT, I still have to rank the Porker as the best sandwich offered by Pig on the Street.

Paul’s Produce. Strawberries. Since Klippers is done with the strawberry season, I decided to try somewhere new. I have purchased from Paul’s Produce in the past without being disappointed, but these strawberries were a total letdown. I hate to seem overly harsh, but unless they drastically (and miraculously) improve in taste between tonight and tomorrow morning, I will likely be throwing them out.

Klippers. Romaine lettuce, purple kale. The romaine will be used in a Caesar salad later this week, or may be used in Vietnamese lettuce wraps if I choose to get wild. The kale will be lightly sautéed with garlic and lemon tomorrow night.

Forstbauer Farm. Golden beets. I hadn’t planned on buying beets today, but they just looked so good! My plans for those beauties are still up in the air.

Produce of the Week on $15

One of the most common complaints about buying local is the extra cost. People claim that farmers overcharge and that organic is not worth the price. Having spent my childhood in restaurant kitchens and behind farm stands, I am a vehement supporter of local growers. Today I decided that I would bypass my usual Saturday ATM trip and see what I could buy with just $15 cash at the market.

Klippers Organics. Strawberries and garlic scapes. I will be making garlic scape pesto for my business later this week. The strawberries, as always, were delicious and have been completely consumed.

Sandhu Produce Growers Ltd. First raspberries of the season! Tasty, but I have to be honest and say that raspberries will never be my favorite berry (I can’t wait for market blueberry season!). So far the berries have been eaten raw, soaked in wine, and I plan to make raspberry iced tea tomorrow.

Paul’s Produce. Carrots. These will be going in a batch of split pea soup which I plan to make during one of the inevitably rainy days this week.

On my way out of the market I had to stop at the Pig on the Street food cart once again and was overjoyed to see that they take both credit and debit. This time around I tried the Porker sandwich, was given the alias of "Ham Solo", and decided that these wraps will always be worth the long line. The Porker was even better than the Pig LT. Imagine delicious sausage and bacon wrapped together with goat gouda cheese, caramelized onions, and arugula. Now imagine being able to walk up to a van in downtown and buy one of those. Perfection!

Achin' For Bacon

 

I have previously mentioned that I find bacon to be one of the true joys of life. Breakfast, lunch, dinner? Anytime! Luckily there is a new food cart in the great city of Vancouver that is designed to serve bacon addicts like myself. While leaving the Farmer’s Market on Saturday I saw a pink-painted van that smelled enticingly like everyone’s favorite food. How could I possibly resist? I ordered a Pig LT and was given a pork themed pseudonym to listen for. While I waited for someone to call “Harry Trotter” I chatted with the woman next to me, aka “Ham Solo”, and watched as “Kevin Bacon” dug into his meal. 

At long last I was called up to fetch my flatbread wrap, which was full to bursting with arugula, bacon, and avocado. I honestly cannot think of a time when I have tasted a better bacon sandwich and at only $9 it was well worth the cost. Despite the knowledge that it may cause a heart attack, I look forward to trying every item on the menu. I wholeheartedly recommend that tourists and locals alike keep an eye out for a pink van that is jam packed with flavor.