This is the time of year when a visit to your local Farmer’s Market can pay off big time, in our case Kits Market & Trout Lake Markets.
It is a time to re-connect with vendors from past seasons and let them know how happy we are to see them again. We are especially looking forward to all the gorgeous produce that they grow for us to turn into wonderful meals and to stretch our imaginations by using things we may not be familiar with.
Last Sunday was a bounty. There were English peas that were blanched and used in a salad (utterly delicious and so sweet), garlic scapes that will become a tart for tonight’s dinner, pesto, and sautéed to include in an omelette or frittata, included in a stir fry and lastly frozen for use in soups and stews
One of my favorite “growers” is a lovely lady named Donna from Glen Valley Artichokes. She grows artichokes in the Fraser Valley. We met a few years ago when she was selling her artichokes at Trout Lake Market. The artichokes looked so beautiful that we couldn’t resist getting some even though we were unfamiliar with using them fresh. After that summer we were total converts. We stuffed and baked, marinated and barbequed, steamed, made a pasta sauce and more. Yumm… We were lucky enough to be in Rome for artichoke season two years ago; we had them every day. The “Carciofi alla Judea” were fabulous! Donna was at the Kit’s Market last Sunday so we simply had to go to say hi, get a hug and find out how the crop is coming along.
Checked in with Stein Mountain to see when our favourite “Red Russian” garlic braids will be available. Fresh garlic is so juicy, wish we could get it all year long. Also bought some of the best bread in town from Rise Artisan. Can hardly wait to make bruschetta! Dropped by Wenger Lamb for a brief visit and to buy her homemade, dried pasta.
**If you would like to find these vendors, please go to My Source List.
