Cariwest – Only Here for the Food

Were you awoken by the wicked storm last night too? There was so much water accumulating on 104 Street I was sure the City Market vendors would be setting up knee-deep in puddles. But the weather ended up surprising us, and the sun was actually out when we finally got up this morning. The bad news was, a fierce spell of wind tore through the area as the vendors were setting up this morning, and destroyed more than a few tents.

Going tent-less

Given the market’s third cultural festival was planned for today, it was even more imperative that the weather cooperate (especially since the Filipino Festival had terrible weather). We made sure to take in some of the dances at India Fest.

Solo performance

Loved the music!

We also filled up our shopping basket, though maybe not as much as last week when I went a bit overboard with produce that we are still trying to eat our way through.

Strawberries from Steve & Dan’s

Broccoli from Sundog Organic Farm

Pattypan squash from Sundog Organic Farm

Multicoloured carrots from Greens, Eggs and Ham

Radishes from Kuhlmann’s

Golden jubilee beets from Kuhlmann’s

Swiss chard from Kuhlmann’s

Dragon tongue beans from Riverbend Gardens

We also bought a BLTC (bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheddar) crepe from the Fork and Spoon Brigade for lunch. It was delicious! Crispy bacon makes everything better.

BLTC crepe

We dropped off our groceries upstairs, and headed down to Jasper Avenue to take in some of the Cariwest parade. A few of us were joking that the organizers must be on Caribbean time, because the route was more than an hour late. But when it arrived, it did so with a bang!

Beautiful costumes

I love that it feels like one giant dance party, with those participating in the parade never afraid to share a beat with bystanders.

Dance!

I made mention of it last year, and still feel like a prude doing so, but for a family-friendly event, some of the dancing was on the suggestive side – only worth saying because it’s often the Pride Parade that gets flack from the public, but in fact, is much more tame.

Mobile band

Go Councillor Henderson!

We didn’t stay for the entire parade because we had other plans for the afternoon, but it was fun to get a taste of the music and the energy. You can continue to enjoy the Cariwest festivities tomorrow, August 7, at Churchill Square.

Hope you had a good Saturday as well!

So we did end up cruising the City Market early on Saturday, due to some last-minute shopping for the Wild Boar and Beer BBQ to take place the following day.

Great weather for a stroll

After the errands were completed, I made my rounds. It was good to see Julianna, Gabe and Zach out – they were selling the last of their We Eat Together inventory.

Julianna, Gabe, Zach

I know I’ve become a broken record, but I am continuously amazed with Sundog Organic’s selection of produce. I picked up some spinach, kale, basil and cilantro, but marvelled at the rest of the gorgeous goods. I was also happy to hear that their farm tour last week went over well; they hope to offer more tours in the future.

Eggplant!

Field peppers

At Greens, Eggs and Ham, I picked up some lean ground turkey that I had pre-ordered (a privilege of being a member of their Futures program). I saw their rat’s tail radishes for the first time this season – small green pods that resemble a cross between a pea and a chili pepper, but are crunchy, and taste like radishes. They are often eaten as a bar snack.

Rat’s tail radishes

Patty pan squash from Kuhlmann’s

Green beans from Kuhlmann’s

Sarah of Belua Designs made her biggest monster yet (he required 7 socks!)

I love seeing new vendors at the Market, and this week, there were two to meet. First, Barr Estate Winery actually chose the City Market to debut their product in their first official day of business (they were told by their marketing person that the City Market is the place to be – I have to agree!). They have a small fruit orchard on their property in Sherwood Park, and in their spare time (Rick and Amy work as heart researchers during the day), they make wine. At the moment, they have two varieties –raspberry and rhubarb. Between Barr and en Sante, I think it’s a boon for shoppers to be able to pick up local wines at the market to accompany their fresh produce!

Barr Estate Wineries

The second new vendor is Sugar Sugar Bakery, joining Whimsical Cupcakes to expand the Market’s cupcake offerings. I love the cupcake names, many of which have been given a moniker from the Archie series of comics. Though we picked up four cupcakes for a friend’s birthday, we didn’t try any ourselves yet. That said, Maria said the honey cupcake (topped with a honeycomb – too cute) was her favourite.

Cupcakes!

The buskers at the Market play such a huge part at setting the tone at the atmosphere, and one of my favourites, Martin Kerr, was back, for his first City Market date this year. He’s set to return next week, if you’re interested in his acoustics!

Martin Kerr

At the end of the day, Mack and I headed to Patty Milligan (aka Lola Canola)’s booth to learn how to take down her tent (she was kind enough to lend us the tent for us at the Boar & Beer BBQ). While awaiting her return, Mack managed to sell two jars of honey on Patty’s behalf! He was all smiles after that.

Downtown was a busy place on Saturday, also hosting the festive Cariwest parade that afternoon. We could hear the music from our condo, and headed out to Jasper Avenue to watch the colourful procession.

Gorgeous costumes

The flatbed trucks, toting towers of speakers, DJs spinning and a steel drum band, were interesting modes of transportation – more so because of their sheer number!

And another one…

The costumes alone were definitely worth coming out for, and everyone in the parade looked like they were having a great time! I have to wonder though – there was some very suggestive dancing in places – for a family-friendly event, I would have thought those in the parade would have kept it PG.