FOODIE FRIDAY - FARMER'S MARKET FINDS

I went to a new local farmer's market on Sunday and it was pretty good. 

There were several vendors down there and we hope for more. The crowds sure showed up. It was nice to run into so many locals that I know. There were 4 people from my coffee group to start with. Then there were many that I hadn't seen in years. I even saw a few of my senior computer students. It always makes me happy to see them out and about keeping busy and enjoying life.

The first thing I grabbed were some organic free range eggs. When I had some for breakfast the next day I cracked one open to see two lovely yolks in the one egg. Mmm mmm good. 

 The bread stall had run out of nearly everything that day. I was lucky to get a baguette and a multi grain loaf. There were also pies and jams and jellies. Pickled asparagus and beans.

The one vegetable stall sells fabulous garlic and they were giving every customer a free giant clove of the hottest garlic I have ever tasted. I loved it scrubbed on some toasted baguette with some brie cheese. 

 This area is built along our river front. The town homes were built in a brownstone style and when it all grows in it will look lovely. 

 I had planned to open a gift ware store down there when they first started building the area but they got bogged down for years and I decided against it. 
 Too bad though because it is an interesting area for sure. 

Look at the petunia that was growing in a pot outside the florist's shop. I have never seen one like that before. 

There was also music, a clown for the kids, lots of dogs. I look forward to the next one.

I am joining in at Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday. Head on over to see foodie posts that will have your stomach growling for more.

If you liked a post please click on the SU button to stumble it.

LEPP FARM MARKET

When I hear about a new local place to visit for  great food or specialty items I am all over it. For a long time my coffee group would head out on road trips for the day and come home with bags of delicious local foods, cheeses, coffees, and vegetables. Corn on the cob was always high on that list and our favorite place was a little corn stand in an area called Abbotsford. The Lepp family has had a stand there for 15 years. The young ladies working there were always so pleasant but the corn was worth the drive all on its own. Well the corn stand is gone but look at what they built in its place. Lepp Farm Market.

Now that property has a market on it and it is soooo worth the drive out there. I went there on Saturday because I had heard from one of my friends how good it was. Off I went and I was not disappointed.
First of all I asked permission to take photographs in the store. One of the owners, Charlotte Lepp was immediately welcoming and agreeable to my taking pictures in their store. I would have taken many more if my batteries would have held up but those rechargeables lose their juice just sitting.

The wonderful thing about this market is that they raise their own chickens and hogs. Their meats have no growth hormones or antibiotics in them. Their animals are fed no animal byproducts.They also have beef raised for them that meets all of their guidelines.This crown roast of pork would have been perfect for Easter dinner wouldn't it? I know....look at that presentation.

I went with one of their ginormous...not a word I know....roasting chickens. The ones from the grocery stores are so puny you can't even make good gravy with them because they cook so quickly. This beauty cooked up a glorious brown with a nice rich brown base on which to make my gravy. It was so good. My BB Guy is going to make sure he has some with him for the next trip to the cabin.

Just look at this meat counter. Fifty feet long. Besides the chicken I bought a pork roast, stewing beef, in-house made andouille sausages and some pepperoni. We had the andouille in a pasta dish tonight. Smoky paprika flavour. Oh my. I had a nice chat with a fellow genealogist who worked behind the counter. Great service.

I wanted some of their olives and decided on one that I had never had before. After a sample I went with the Caserecce Schiacciate. They are really fruity and don't be fooled by the colour of my photo. They are a lovely green olive. The pits are in still but they easily release the stone from the fruit in your mouth.

I also bought a few sticks of their pepperoni. All this shopping has built up an appetite so I went to their lunch counter/studio kitchen. Oh yea, they are going to have classes here too. That is Charlotte in the middle. 

Hi Charlotte.

They have this beautiful water cooler on the counter for you to help yourself to ice cold water. Lots of moist towelettes too because the best thing to have for lunch in my opinion is a pulled pork sandwich. Several napkins and a towelette later I was full.

 Yup I ate the whole thing, myself, alone. Okay cut me some slack...I hadn't had breakfast and this was lunchtime. It was so good. My BB Guy will be getting some of this to go for sure.

On the left is the garlic cheese loaf I bought. That didn't last long at home. I only wish I had room to have a cinnamon bun or scone too. I do have my limits.

 Here is something unusual and unique. I have never seen these before. Sardines. Yup, sardines...made of chocolate. What a cool gift these would make in their little tin boxes. I love these. They have many other specialty items in the store. A produce section, a dairy section, cheeses, frozen items like their soups and chicken pies. Spices and condiments from all over the place. They have Farmhouse cheeses which I have written about before along with the Backporch coffee.

I bought some of the Himalayan Crystal Salt. It is pink and really tastes of the ocean though I don't equate the Himalayas with the ocean for salt. We love different salts and always try new ones.

 Once again thanks to Charlotte and all of her staff for being so friendly, welcoming and fun. I had a great morning and have been recommending this market to anyone and everyone. I can't wait to go back. They have a great website. Click here to see it and maybe grab a few recipes even though you can't visit in person.

Did you like a post? Click on the SU button to Stumble it. Thanks.

FOODIE FRIDAY - AJI SAUCE

Foodie Friday is brought to you by Designs by Gollum and as always will be filled with delicious foodie facts, recipes and run. Stop in to see the many different foodie items.

On Wednesday afternoon I went with a friend to a farmer's market. We stopped in at Darvonda Nursery first to visit Tamara from The Greenhouse Diaries and she gave us the most wonderful tour. I will save that for another post. Back to the market.

Image via Wikipedia

One of the booths at the market was for a product called Aji. This is pronounced AH HEE and is a Latin American word for all hot peppers. Traditionally it is used at every meal in moderation and is considered a digestive aid.

The booth was being run by the woman who mixes up this particular product from her own recipe and a young man who was offering tastings. He was so delightful. I think he thought I would eat all his samples. I did try everything they had and bought a jar of three of the four different sauces.

First I had the guacamole mixed with the regular Aji sauce. It was so very good. Did you know if you leave the avocado pit in the bowl of guacamole it won't brown as much? Me neither.

Then I tried the Honey Garlic sauce and my mouth did back flips. I love this so much. It can be used as a marinade or a sauce on top of chicken, fish or maybe pork tenderloins.
The Aji Hot is more to my liking than the regular one used in the guacamole so I bought that one. We all love our food spicy, spicy spicy here.
The last one I bought was the BBQ sauce. Not like your usual bbq sauce though. It isn't a ketchupy (not a word, I know) type sauce but more like a salsa with a smoky bbq taste.
This is a Canadian company that started in fall of 2005. They have been slowly making their way into the foodie type shops locally and I think they really do have a great product and I am a fussy one. Here is the link to their site @ Aji Gourmet Products. The product pictures are from their site. Oh ya, I almost forgot to mention the only calories are from the vegetables.