The start of the farmers’ market in Vancouver’s West End is a delightful event that signals the start of summer. It’s held every Saturday, starting early June through October – this year’s market opened on Saturday, June 6th.
Going to the market on Saturday mornings has become a lovely summer ritual for me, and a great way to start the weekend. I’ve been going for as long as I’ve lived in the West End and I notice that the crowd gets bigger each year and the vendors too. The trend towards buying local, eating fresh, supporting the local farmer, and knowing our food source are among the many reasons why people are patronizing local farmer’s markets.
The West End Market takes place in Mole Hill on Comox Street in front of the quaint heritage houses and overlooks Nelson Park. It actually makes for a pleasant walk even if you don’t want to buy anything. Last Saturday had a nice assortment of vendors; there were seasonal vegetables, flowers, herbs, homemade pastries, fish, cheese, meat and handmade jewellery.
Bad Girl Chocolates have been at the market for as long as I’ve been going, these delicious treats are handmade and contains no preservative. They’re quite tasty and I took that bag home with me.
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Jean-Pierre Cote makes these amazing spices, seasoning and oil, he’s the nicest person you’ll ever meet. He has incredible tips and recipes – things you never thought you could do with your spices. I took home a bottle of vanilla beans from Papua New Guinea.
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And of course, there was entertainment!
Sadly, there weren’t that many fruits, I guess it’s not fruit season in BC yet – soon the market will be filled with cherries, peaches, strawberries, blackberries and the rest. Hmmmm… Okanagan cherries, I can’t wait, I ate so much my first year here that I the runs for days.
If you live in or are visiting the neighbourhood, be sure to visit the market on Saturday and tell them I said hi.
More pictures from Flickr
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