West End Farmer's Market

Farmer's Market season has arrived! Vancouver offers a variety of Farmer's Markets, and there is sure to be one in your area!

My local area- the West End- is lucky to have a great Farmer's Market on Saturdays. It has been open for the past 2 Saturdays, but I finally got to go pay a visit yesterday!

I was surprised to see a bunch of familiar vendors from the Kitsilano Market- Paul's Produce, bluecometseafoods (mmm sashimi tuna loin!), Flippers Organic Acres, and many others!

Today's Farmer's Market purchases included:

Beets and tops
Cherry Tomatoes (absolutely unreal!)
Strawberry Spinach
Long English Cucumbers (some nice and solid ones this weekend!)
Radishes
New Potatoes (the teeny weeniest you've ever seen! so cute!)
Red Kale
Zucchini

Beautiful produce! 

The West End Farmer's Market is located between Bute and Thurlow on Comox St.
It's open Saturdays, from 9am- 2pm

Get there early to pick out the best stuff! Lots of vendors sell out of some of their goodies!
Go grab breakfast- there is always a food truck and coffee vendors for you to eat while you shop.

Also- don't forget cash, or if you do- you can get Market Money through your debit. It's a $2 charge per transaction.

Next week I'm looking forward to seeing a whole bunch of new vendors.
Check out the Interactive Market Map to see who will be there each weekend!

Food Trucks Are All The Rage

As the post title states, food trucks are all the rage in Vancouver these days. In downtown Vancouver, they're hard not to miss- stationed at some of the busiest corners in the downtown core.

Being a person with allergies, these food trucks come with a big red flag- we have no idea what the ingredients are- or really any way to look it up. Street meat is pretty much out. It's unfortunate because so many of these food trucks are raved about. They are definitely the hottest trend for "fast food", and some of the products coming out of these food trucks are absolutely gourmet.

I have discovered my first food truck which boasts an ENTIRELY gluten-free, and dairy-free menu. Not only that- the food is absolutely amazing.

This food truck is called "Off the Wagon". They describe themselves as a "mobile Taqueria specializing in fresh homemade tacos." Having been to Mexico City a couple times and eating authentic tacos right off the street, my standards for tacos are high.

The tacos at Off The Wagon are fantastic. Authentic, and drool-worthy.
I ordered 2 pulled pork tacos- and absolutely would get them again, and again, and again. They also have a vegetarian option (yam and beans) that I would love to try.

They have a Facebook page!

https://www.facebook.com/OffTheWagonTacos


You can find Off the Wagon at the Kitsilano Farmer's Market on Sundays. You can also find them at Dunsmuir and Burrard during weekdays!

Kitsilano Farmer's Market- Van Markets

The Kitsilano Farmer's Market is up and running!

Check out the Interactive Market Map!

I've visited the Kitsilano market the past two Sundays and have found some delicious treats from lovely vendors that I'd love to share with you!

First off, here are the details:

Kitsilano Farmer's Market
Just outside the Kitsilano Community Centre at 10th and Larch.
Sundays
10am-2pm

Parking is limited, but it is available. I had to loop around a couple times today until I found a spot. There is parking at the Community Centre, and also a few spots on the street.

Last week I rode my bike, and they were doing free bike tune ups, and also, the fantastic Bicycle Valet is there to keep your bike safe and sound as you shop!

Bring cash, but if you absolutely don't have time to grab some before hand, you can get "Market Money" by using your debit card- all vendors take Market Money, and will give you back exact change, when needed.

Favourite vendors so far:

Paul's Produce- a family farm in Abbotsford. Radishes are only $1 a bunch here! I don't think Paul's Produce is organic, but it is local, and is the best priced produce at the market.

High Crow Gluten-Free Foods- I've tried the Ginger cookie, and a Cranberry/Orange Loaf. Absolutely divine.

Hui's Farm- Mushrooms! Many varieties including many exotic looking mushrooms that I'm hesitant to try, but I've picked up a large amount of Crimini for $4 here. The cutest wee little mushrooms you've ever seen. Delicious.

Kalley Kandy- Almond Nougat. Need I say more. It's gluten-free, dairy-free, with no preservatives, additives, colourings, or gelatine, but it's made of egg-whites. $5 will get you a package of 6 generous pieces.

Jane's Honey Bees- Met "Jane" herself...but actually it's her middle name. Bought myself a LARGE jar of dark honey for $10. Love buying local.

A little tip for those purchasing fresh greens at the market:

Many vendors have laid out "salad bars" where they have chopped, prepared lettuce. A medium size bag will run you about $7-9, BUT if you buy the lettuces by the bunch and prepare it yourself, you will get about 5x as much for the same price. I bought 3 medium bunches for $7.50, and ended up with way more lettuce than I knew what to do with. Seriously. I've been eating lettuce for every. single. meal.

But it's delicious and healthy.

I'm looking forward to my local farmer's market opening up- West End! I will let you know how it goes.

EPIC Expo

YIKES! Apologies for the hiatus! This post below was one I drafted and never got back to...

SO here's my review of the EPIC Expo!

This weekend I attended the EPIC Sustainable Living Expo in Vancouver, BC. Conventions like this should happen all the time! It really was a wonderful event- lots to learn, and even more to eat and drink--even for me!

Let's start with my discoveries:

Mongozo Beer- now available in Canada- (less than 10 parts gluten per million, other parts?...equal to a milligram per litre). With this amount of gluten, they are allowed to certify it as "gluten-free".
I can tell you that I was absolutely fine after drinking it- I can't guarantee that if I went on a 3 day binge with this beer, I would feel the same. I'm going to try to track it down, because it really was delicious. Somehow they've come up with a process of "removing" the gluten from the barley that it is made with. Pretty innovative, and yes, it tastes like real beer!
Upon request, I was told, " It will likely be sold at 16th Street Liquor Store, Brewery Creek, Firefly, Legacy Liquor Store, The Strath or Viti Wine & Lagers"

Choices Markets were giving out samples of some of their products, and a couple of them were gluten-free!
They were:
Raw Cocoa-Nut Drop Cookie
Quinoa and Rice Granola

Both delicious- and I would likely purchase them!

Earth Balance spreads- Coconut spread, and regular. These are great! If you are vegan- rejoice and buy these products! They are made from vegetable oils and are NOT hydrogenated...I'm still doing my research on if they're "good" for you or not- but they certainly were delicious.

I'm really enjoying my exploration in local foods and producers. I've been going to the farmer's markets regularly, and loading up on my produce for the week! It's not only fun, but you feel good doing it. It's nice to see produce that LOOKS like real produce- you know, not the "cookie-cutter" vegetables at your regular grocery store that are obviously GMO or hybridized or sprayed with a zillion chemicals. These look, and TASTE like real vegetables.

Vancouver Farmer's Market- Earth Day Post

Vancouver has some wonderful Farmer's Markets, and lucky for us, even in the dreary, wet winter, we still have one! This "Winter" market is located right near Nat Bailey Stadium, and there is a moderate amount of parking facilities available. Lots of bike parking- so if you can, ride your bike there!

 I decided I absolutely had to go visit the market this weekend after watching a thought-provoking documentary called "Farmaggedon" on Friday evening. It focusses on the debate over raw milk (which I can't have anyways...but you lactose-intolerants apparently can!)...and how it is illegal in Canada and in some states in the US. It was eye-opening, but what really got to me was the idea of buying local.

Of course, of course, we all know it's better to buy local, but without proper planning, we find ourselves at the supermarket time and time again without knowledge of where our food is travelling from, and how far it had to travel to get to our plates. It's self-explanatory that local food is better for the earth. Think about all the emissions that go out into the atmosphere every day just getting food to people's plates. Even "every day" type veggies like cucumber, and lettuce travel thousands of miles- why?! It just seems so silly if you think about it.

 The Vancouver (Winter) Farmer's Market had an exceptional number of stands and a very happy crowd slowly moved their way around the market.

I managed to pick up:
cucumbers
apples
carrots
leeks
tomatos
wild pink salmon
sashimi-grade wild tuna loin
GLUTEN-FREE ginger cookie (inspiration for baking them later today...)
GLUTEN-FREE apple and pork sausages
and more.

There was so much available- all sorts of lettuces, peppers, dried fruits, juices, all sorts of meat. Mostly organic, all local. It really makes you feel good supporting these farmers. Supporting the local economy. Knowing where your food comes from.
Whether it's all psychological that it tastes better, or not, is up to you...but in my belief, these products not only are better for the earth and better for your body, but they taste better, too.

I wanted to make a shout out to a couple of vendors:

1. High-Crow Gluten Free. They were the ones who had several baked goods on hand at the market, including the chewy ginger cookie that I purchased. Honestly, this was probably one of the best cookies I've ever eaten in my life. Their products are available at the farmer's market, and Edible Canada Bistro on Granville Island uses some of their products. Their website is: http://www.highcrow.com/

2. Chefs Natural Sausage. A wide variety of sausages, made with locally grown meats. All are gluten-free, no MSG, and no nitrates. I purchased a pack of 4 apple and pork sausages for about $6. Great price- delicious sausages!

If you want to find out more about the farmer's markets in Vancouver check out eatlocal.org

Markets are available all over the city- so look to see when the one nearest you is opening. Until then, check out the one on Saturdays at Nat Bailey!

Being healthy and allergy-free, and eating delicious foods is easy. All it takes is a little extra planning.