One of the best things about Vancouver in the summer has got to be heading over to one of the Farmer's Markets on a sunny day to figure out what's for dinner based on what catches your eye. I finally made it out to the Trout Lake Market for the first time this season and it did not disappoint. If you haven't been yet you need to go. It's the mother of all Farmer's Markets. (And they even have freebies - have you seen this poster? Pretty cool.)
Sea asparagus harvested from the Sunshine Coast.
The first thing I saw that caught my eye was this sea asparagus. I've seen it before while kayaking but never thought you could eat it. I ended up buying some - fantastic! It has a stronger, more "vegetable" taste than regular asparagus and a slight salty sharpness to it. I bought some fresh morels to go along with...
Currently in season. A bit of earthy heaven in every bite.
If you have never tried a fresh morel you really ought to. We are lucky to live in a place where we can get them fresh when they are in season. Fresh morels don't need much attention ... they like lots of butter and a splash of white wine and were perfectly paired with the sea asparagus!
I chatted with this gentleman, who runs the farm stall where I bought the morels from. He used to live life in the fast lane and then became a farmer. I told him to check out Vancouver is Awesome but he doesn't read the internet, although he is aware it is 2010.
I tried to bring the internet to him.
Walking by these cutting boards I was utterly charmed by one shaped like an onion and decided to get it as a wedding present for some friends.
This may ruin the surprise.
They are handmade locally from maple wood and have a long life span. The vendors showed me a board brought in from some people earlier in the day for re-sanding and some general cutting board TLC. Apparently it has been used daily for six years, but looked in pretty good shape to me. A good investment!
There's lots to see and do at the market. Music, face painting for the kidlets, an amazing selection of fresh local food ... a great neighbourhood vibe. And you can walk around the lake after and maybe even have a picnic.
