Great Granola Find ~ The Calgary Farmer's Market

   Overcast and chilly, I spent the majority of my Saturday at home, online. It wasn't until 2:30 that I decided I had better make use of the daylight before I burned it all up doing nothing. I headed for Timmies to grab a coffee and there I ran into my dear friend and neighbor, Marie.

*Picture courtesy of calgaryfarmersmarket.ca

   We decided to go check out the new Calgary Farmer's Market. What a Fantastic find!

*Picture courtesy of calgaryfarmersmarket.ca

   The new location is at Heritage Drive and Blackfoot Trail S.E. Not knowing there was plenty of parking behind the building, (600 paved spots in fact) we parallel parked on the front street. Upon entering, I noticed it quite resembled the location at Currie Barracks except somehow nicer. The stalls and aisles are situated in the same formation and many, if not all, of the vendors are also the same.

*Picture courtesy of calgaryfarmersmarket.ca

   Newly diagnosed with Gluten Intolerance, I thought many of the ready made food vendors would have no options for me. Boy was I wrong! Simple Simon Pies had a whole freezer worth of Gluten Free Products! They allow you to taste anything on their menu before you buy it. I left with 2 Gluten Free Chicken Curry with Mango Chutney Container Pies, a Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble and a Gluten Free Coconut Cheesecake. Marie even bought from the Gluten Free freezer, she loved it, now that's sayin' somethin', wow!

   Our next stop was Innisfail growers Co-op where they had fresh spinach, asparagus, tomatoes and other goodies. They had preserves, flowers and tomato plants too! Marie bought asparagus and tomatoes and I bought a beautifully lush Tumbling Tom red tomato plant. This baby would have cost me easily $15 - $20 in a store but I got him for a smokin' deal, only $6.95. He already has teeny tomatoes growing and hundreds of buds ready to burst with delicious little tomatoes. Mmmm... yummy goodness.

   Our last stop in the new market was an absolute favorite from the old market, Margarita’s Dishes. Who doesn't enjoy Ukrainian food? The cute-as-a-button fella behind the counter caught me eyeing up the forbidden food and was quick to assure me that the bratwurst, the sauerkraut and the mixed veggies were homemade and definitely Gluten Free. He dished me up and my grand total was $3.75. I gobbled up almost all of the mixed veggies (oh-so-good) before I thought to take a picture, shoot. Margarita's also carries fresh squeezed juices which I forgot to order, double shoot.

   All in all, we had a fine afternoon looking, touching, smelling and sampling the fares at the new location of the Calgary Farmer's market. What a Great Granola Find indeed!

Until next time, I'm off to plant my tomatoes...