Good evening!
Hi Karly and Eric!
Care to try some Glo Bars?
YUM.
Double YUM.
Today was the hottest day at the market yet! It was at least 30-32C and with humidity it felt like 40C out there. Due to the extreme heat today, the market was very slow, probably the slowest day yet, but we still did on par with Week 1 so we were still quite pleased. Whenever the weather forecast calls for rain, it seems to really die off at the market (even though it didn’t rain until 1:45pm). I can’t even begin to tell you how hot we all were standing there for almost 6 hours. We MELTED today!
Had it not been for all the friendly people I spoke with, Eric, Karly, and friends that came to visit, it would not have been pleasant!
We have met so many amazing people over the past 5 weeks…yoga instructors, triathletes, runners, cyclists, Whole Foods employees, activists, entrepreneurs, vegans/vegetarians, among others! I also met a really nice lady who is interested in carrying my Glo Bars in her Oakville Hot Yoga studio. Very fun!
The Butterfly Bush next to our tent has blossomed…we saw lots of butterflies today!
Around noon, Eric went on a little photography spree of downtown Oakville.
Lakeshore is so beautiful! If I could live anywhere in the GTA it would be Oakville. It has such a great downtown strip with tons of cafes, restaurants, boutiques, bakeries, etc.
This sign is pretty funny…
LOL…is this for real???
No catapulting or somersaulting!?
Eric and I so wanted to catapult + somersault into the water after the market today! Total mood kill, Town of Oakville.
Ever tried kiwi-gold raspberries?
My lovely friend Pat (aka my Purslane dealer!!!) had these beauties in today, as well as 5 other varieties of raspberries! Who knew there were so many varieties of raspberries?
My two favourites (in addition to the Kiwi-golds) were the Canby and Taylor varieties…
Canby = Candy (That’s what I was calling them)
At noon, I proceeded to eat the entire lot of the Kiwi-gold berries. Ok, Ok Eric had a few that he pried from my kung-fu grip.
I’m kicking myself for not saving any for Kiwi-Gold Banana Soft Serve, but the hunger monster called and I had to listen! If there is one thing I have learned as a vegan it is that I need to eat as soon as I get hungry or I turn into a hunger monster. It ain’t pretty.
Last week Pat didn’t have any Purslane and I shed a single tear on her market table. Well, this week she picked some ‘just for me’ and I took home a huge bag! She is so good to me! Imagine her picking the Purslane in this awful heat for me.
She also had the real citrusy variety of Purslane today and boy did they taste just like citrus. Crazy. I can’t wait to have them in a Green Monster tomorrow. I think Purslane is my favourite green in a Green Monster! So smooth and buttery on the tongue thanks to all the healthy omega oils.
After a blistering day of heat and sun, the clouds rolled in quickly and a rain storm was a brewing!!!!
We didn’t mind…I welcomed the strong wind and rain with open arms.
A market chef brought around these vegan veggie spring rolls which were wrapped in rice paper.
This was my first time trying rice paper. I have had no desire to try rice paper as I think it looks gross, but I tried it anyways being the adventurous gal that I am.
To put it nicely, the rice paper was not my cup of tea.
Had I not been talking to Jessica and Alex at the time I would have discretely spit it out in a napkin!! They were all laughing at my reaction after trying it.
I chewed through this texture nightmare and somehow swallowed my bite. It felt like an hour had passed. Rice paper shall never touch my lips again. It was like eating sticky rubber, if you catch my drift….
Jess came to visit as well as a new friend Nancy and her daughter. Nancy brought me the cutest gift, I can’t wait to show you it.
A blog reader named Jen also biked all the way from Toronto today!!
What a trooper!
I also bartered with another vendor and scored these edible flowers…
In all the excitement, I forgot what they are called. I was told to stir-fry with them!
Raspberry photoshoot ensued…
I froze a bunch of raspberries for raspberry banana soft serve of course.
I also scored some Nasturtium which is also new for me…
It was so hot out, it wilted quite a bit.
Eric deemed this summer the ‘No Veggie Left Behind Tour’.
The heat really got to me today and I am just wiped. Eric and I might go out for Mexican food tonight if we can make it without passing out on the floor first. lol. Have a great Saturday night and I will see you tomorrow!
I love this post, you look STUNNING! I have one question, you said you might go get Mexican… As a vegan what do you order from a mexican restaurant?
Zucchini flowers! You can stuff them with goat cheese and pan fry them, they are DELICIOUS.
Girl, if I was walking around that market, I would totally buy from you because you’re just too stinkin cute!!! Are you sure you weren’t at a model shoot for glo bars? haha!
I have never seen zucchini flowers before – it sound interesting. Make sure to post a recipe when you make your stir fry!
haha thanks! :)
aw you look so purdy!!! congrats on the success of your business! i think it is soooooooo amazing foreal :)
Those flowers are squash blossoms. tehy are okay in stir fries, but are so much better stuffed! I’ve stuffed them with pretty much everything I can think of – black bean dip, hummus, cashew cheeze, anything creamy is really great. You just stuff them, and most people pan-fry them, but I like to broil them – they get a little crispier that way, without all the oil.
Those look like zucchini blossoms. My Nonna used to batter and deep fry them when I was a kid!
And I totally cracked up at your description of the rice paper wrapper! Yes, I got your drift, alright and won’t be running out to try it, either!!!
My aunt and uncle live right on that harbour…it’s so beautiful to just sit out there and enjoy the view when I visit from Montreal. (and a 2 minute walk to all those amazing shops is amazing, too!)
I wonder if the rice paper roll wasn’t cooked right? It should have a very easily chewed texture. It looks like it’s a bit chewy in the photo. Strange! You are so purrrdy! :)
Lol. Drift caught, and I don’t think I’ll be trying rice paper rolls any time soon!
I did try rice vermacelli for the first time recently, and it was also awful. Slimy and ick. And it went everywhere. People kept pulling it out of the sink afterwards while we were doing the dishes and shrieking “…there are WORMS in the sink!”
I agree with the others, those are definitely squash or zucchini blossoms. I like mine stuffed and fried, definitely not as healthy but oh so delicious. And sorry to hear you didn’t like the rice paper. I actually really enjoy the texture.
For some reason I think I remember seeing on the sign that those are zucchini flowers. Would that make sense? :) Did the new tent withstand the rain? Hope so!
yesss the tent held up beautifully!
here’s another recipe for stuffed zucchini flowers, no frying needed
http://www.grouprecipes.com/96543/vegetarian-stuffed-zucchini-flowers.html
i haven’t tried this particular recipe but i’ve had similarly prepared stuffed zucchini flowers and they were great. you can also serve/eat them cold like stuffed grape leaves, which is good for the summer.
I’m so glad to hear someone else uses purslane- I adore purslane in my GMs!
I moved to Syria a couple of months ago and it is impossible to find spinach in the souqs. I was so disappointed because my GM routine had to change. One of the farmers recommended purslane and I haven’t looked back since. You can buy enormous bunches of it here for only $.10.
My only problem is that it takes forever to get the leaves off the stalks. Do you ever use the stalks?
yup I use everything leaves and stalks :) yummm
Looks like you had a good day at the market, despite the ehat. Oakville looks really pretty – as do you!!
Yay! Thanks for the Oakville shout-out! I grew up here and am now raising my children here. Love it. I laughed at the “no somersaults” sign…It’s been worded like that for as long as I can remember. With this weather you can see how folks might WANT to jump into the lake from the bridge.
I love rice paper rolls but only if someone else makes them and ONLY with some sort of dipping sauce. They are a good vehicle for sweet chilli dipping sauce.
I would love to live in Oakville someday…so much character and energy!
love the raspberries, yum!
i think i have some of that purslane stuff growing in my yard…:)
Those are called zucchini flowers! :)
re: the rice paper- I could eat spring rolls every single day! For some reason the texture doesn’t bother me. I love the combination of the chewy rice paper and fresh, crisp veggies.
I also don’t mind the texture of the rice paper, they are some of my favorite foods to eat actually! Yum!
i hope this doesn’t come across as too weird, but Eric looks wonderful! he could have is own “Oh he glows” blog! hehe :) it looks like you’re having a blast at the farmer’s market! congrats on being so successful!
Eric says thank you for the compliment! Not weird, I definitely have noticed a change in him since he cut out coke and whatnot. He is doing awesome!
Ha ha, I was thinking the same thing. :) You and Eric look like complete babes!! Where did you get your red dress? I love it.
haha thank you…the dress is from Target in Macrh 2010 (Florida trip!)