It's always better when it's fresh!

For our weekly 'date day' Brandon chose the St. Lawrence Market as our destination. He knows the way to my heart is cheese, veggies and meat as far as the eye can see!

We're pretty lucky living in downtown Toronto to have access not only to the St. Lawrence market, but multiple other farmer's markets around the city. They are a wonderful way to spend a morning, exploring, sampling and getting new ideas. Not only is it a nice experience to go, but there are countless benefits to buying groceries there:

• you know where it all is coming from! Typically the people running the stands are the farmers or small business owners themselves so they know a lot about what they are selling to you and its background.

• there is an amazing variety - you'll often come across vegetables, and types of meat you've never seen before and it's a great way to experiment. Today we bought gorgeous tuna steaks and will be trying out a new recipe for seared tuna - something I wouldn't have really thought about if I hadn't seen the great fish store at the market. We also came across a butcher than specialized in wild game - he had kangaroo, bison, camel, elk and venison, in addition to the more typical fare. Great for when you want to experiment with new tastes and ideas!
• it's fresh: when you buy food at a market as compared to a grocery store, the difference in freshness is unreal! For example, when you buy fish at the grocery store, most likely it has been frozen for quite some time. If you buy fresh fish, often it will smell fishy (which means it's not going to be very good!) The secret to knowing if fish is fresh, is if it smells clean or has a more neutral smell to it. At the market you're much more likely to find it!
• it's affordable: we bought 4 bags of vegetables, 4lbs of skinless boneless chicken breasts, 1/2lb of back bacon, a large tuna steak, and sea scallops for $70. That's pretty tough to beat!
• you're supporting your local businesses and farmers - it goes without saying that this is a great bonus!

So go online and search out the local farmer's markets in your area! I promise you won't be disappointed!