The Magic of Produce Markets

I'm taking a long weekend out in the Pacific Northwest. I have a very dear old high school friend who lives now in Seattle and a pair of friends whom I lived with in Ghana who are now in Vancouver. Although as rainy as their reputation suggests, these cities are wonderful for exploring. One of my favorite explorations so far took us to the market on Granville Island. Much like Philadelphia's Amish marketplace, this market is full of stall after stall of locally grown food and produce. There are rows of gourmet dried and fresh mushrooms, unique sausages, hand-made bagels and muffins, preserves, and berries. Tons of fresh berries. Succulent black berries, plump raspberries, sweet blueberries, strawberries, and of course cherries. In addition to Bing and Rainier varieties, there were several other heirloom varieties.

Wandering market spaces inspires a particularly healthy worship of food. It draws attention to locally produced, seasonally ripe, produce. Macrobiotic eating philosophy strongly emphasizes eating seasonally available local foods to improve health. Thankfully in the summer months local, seasonal eating is not only easy, but delightful. All of the gorgeous cherries have planted some ideas in my head about a dinner menu planned around these little summer treats. Preliminarily, I am thinking roast lamb with cherry sauce and a dessert improvised on traditional French clafoutis.