The first Sunday Whistler Farmer's Market of the season and I am sure I was the only one praying for rain.
Sunshine brings out too much shopping competition.
There is a definite strategy to ensuring you stock your bag with all of your favourite finds, and that means making your way to the Upper Village by 11 a.m. Even though the market continues on until 4 p.m., gem food finds are usually gone by the early afternoon.
So that is why I marked William Hayward's Planting Seed
Project kiosk as the first stop of the day. His out-of-this-world muffins may
not be quite off the planet, but sometimes Lytton, B.C. can feel that way.
Hayward’s farm has no running water and no electricity. The market's mad
scientist crafts every crumb of his muffins by hand: from the flour he grinds
to the sugar supplement (stevia) he crafts. In addition to his peach-raspberry
muffins, the scientist turned farmer also sells plant seed varietals he created
himself.
I logged onto the market website — www.whistlerfarmersmarket.org — in hopes of printing off a kiosk map so I could chart out the most effective run of attack for the first hour. Looking at grey skies, I decided to forgo my treasure map. Crowds would trickle out with the rain, or so I thought.
I arrived ready with cash in one hand (the market doesn’t have debit) and two canvas bags in the other (go green at the market), and I wasn’t the only one. Not by a long shot.
Whistler was too long deprived of vegetables still dressed in the dirt from whence they came, pastries pulled from the oven by the same woman who sells them, and that sweet yet salty popcorn that you swear you are going to save until you get home. (It always manages to disappear into thin air before you reach your car.)
It had been eight months, roughly 240 days, 5,360 hours and more minutes than I’d like since I sat down with my favourite book, a cup of tea and a box of Sweet Sarahendipity chocolates. Chocolatier Sarah Plummer put me out of my misery with her colourful display of handmade chocolates airbrushed into edible works of art, ready and waiting for her winter-starved fans. Although she changes up her varieties each week, a few of the classics were there: rice crisp, chewy and super soft caramel (a must, must, must), earl grey and raspberry. I took time and serious thought with my first chocolate choices of the season.
I thought I was a Sarahendipity nut until I met a woman who traveled all the way from Vancouver for her chocolate fix. She even brought her own Tupperware and gift boxes to stock up on the gorgeous handmade chocolates.
Loyal fans will also be pleased to know Sarah is now offering an even larger box, as well as a new nougat square addition.
I tried to pace myself at one a day, but I finished the nougats off in one sitting. Sweet chewy heaven wrapped around pistachios, dried fruit and almonds: how can anyone expect to be level headed?
Led by my sweet tooth, the next stop was Golden Crust Specialties for anything pastry. It’s hard to find good pies and pastries in this town but every market the sun shines on us pie lovers with Patricia Yendall’s golden grace. The pecan tarts and peach pie cried out to me, but my happily fitting jeans instead opted for a smaller bite of indulgence: the cherry turnover. Who knew turnovers could become an international attraction?
Others, like me, lined up for Yendall’s infamous turnovers of various fruit varieties. I also tried a pizza twist to fuel the next leg of my market run — really yummy — and encouraged myself to stray from my usual turnover and pecan tart choices and try the cinnamon buns and bread loaves at my next visit.
With a bag of popcorn already underway, even my sweet tooth was getting a little too sugar coated and I made my way over to the North Arm Farm booth. Fresh arugula, lettuce and potatoes packed away an awesome salad.
I was hoping to pick up some of Whistler Cook’s legendary candied ginger sesame dressing to make my salad bowl party a local gathering, but owner Grant Cousar wasn’t manning his booth — he instead spent Father’s Day with his kids shopping at the market — he assured me his homemade dressings are making a weekly appearance at the market once again.
In addition to unique vegetables such as crones and chocolate-mint leaves, North Arm Farm also hosted fresh, red-right-to-the-centre strawberries. And rumour has it raspberries and blackberries will soon be on their way.
Farmers and food artisans aren’t the only things you’ll find at the market. Local musicians such as Susan Holden entertained strollers, hoola hoopers danced up a storm, Healing Hands kneaded out sore muscles and Lucia’s Gelato, new to the market this year, had me singing Italian arias after tasting hazelnut gelato made fresh that morning.
