It finally feels like summer’s here! Crazy how in just a week, the trees just burst into full bloom. I hope you’re able to get outside and enjoy it! On to this week’s food notes:
- The next Live Local dinner is taking place at The Dish on June 3. If it’s anything like the meal Blue Plate Diner hosted in March, I think it will be a great success!
- Greens, Eggs and Ham is hosting a farm tour and a reading by Foodshed author Dee Hobsbawn-Smith on June 11 at 6pm. RSVP to Mary Ellen if you’re interested – and yes, there will be food samples!
- I had no idea until Jeff’s comment that Highlands would be hosting a farmers’ market on Thursdays from 5-9pm starting on June 7. That makes four markets on Thursday nights – Salisbury, Alberta Avenue, and the 124 Street Grand Market, which just debuted last week. How many is too many? Do we have enough demand, customers, and producers to shop and staff four markets?
- Century Hospitality has kicked up a bit of controversy with the naming of their latest restaurant. MKT (short for “beer market”), may be carving out its own identity, featuring a gastropub menu and a wide selection of beer, but its name being just one letter shy of MRKT is much too similar for some. MKT is set to open in mid-June.
- The chefs who will be competing in this year’s Gold Medal Plates has been announced!
- Liane will be leading a tour of food truck central – Portland – in August. It sounds like it will be a delicious outing!
- Mack wrote a great post about the bylaws pertaining to food trucks in Edmonton – worth a read if you want to know more about what’s behind the Drift and Grandma Lee’s dispute.
- In case you missed the recipes that have been published in Taste Alberta in the last year, not to worry, Company’s Coming has collated them into a cookbook.
- We had the best weather yet at Truck Stop last week. Calm, sunny skies were a welcome change from the overcast, windy conditions we’ve received over the past month. I also finally got to try The Act’s PB & J burger for the first time. The beef was particularly tasty, and the peanut butter actually didn’t overwhelm the burger itself. Check the website for the menus for the final Truck Stop in May.
PB & J Burger
Mack’s halibut burger
- Although I love asparagus (and picked up a bunch from Edgar Farms this weekend), my favourite of the spring vegetables has to be pea shoots. I love how fresh and light they taste, and how versatile they are. Yesterday, we had Greens, Eggs and Ham shoots on homemade pizza, topped with prosciutto, mushrooms, and Gull Valley Tomatoes.
I heart pea shoots
Only Here for the Food 
Dee’s book is called Foodshed, if I am not mistaken? The book and the readings are both amazing. Wish I could go for this!
Michelle – yes, you are totally right! I got too caught up in trying to spell her name correctly that I butchered the title of the book. Corrected, thanks!
Regarding the number of outdoor markets, I am also wondering about the increase in outdoor markets this year. To be fair, I haven’t yet visited any of the new markets, so my I can’t judge on the quality of the markets.
I’m not sure why there has been an increase of neighbourhood markets. Is it consumer/customer demand? Is it for neighbourhood spirit and revitalization? Is it vendor-driven? Is it easy to organize a street market and make a decent profit (ie. not lose money)?
I also can’t help but think about some of the major Canadian outdoor/indoor markets that I’ve been to like Granville Island and Byward (and St. Lawrence, but I haven’t been there) and I wonder if Edmonton should try and have a major market area that is open more than one day per week and can open all year round. There seems to be quite a bit of consumer demand to support local vendors. So, it would seem that such a major market area can be supported.