Marché Jean Talon

Because it is such a big part of my life, I thought it would be fun to share it with everyone. The market (Marché Jean Talon) is literally next to my house. It is my tie to the cycles of seasons, food, socializing and upbringing of my little girl. We literally are there every day walking through the kiosks, saying hi to the familiar faces. Here are some photos I took today. Our main mission today was buying some herbs and flowers to fill our terrace for the summer season that appears to finally have set in in Montreal!

The market is filled with all sorts of foods. Typical things you find everywhere like tomatoes. 

And potatoes.

But the variety is what is different. These potatoes are the size of a quarter!

Or your plain 'ol eggs but....

You have Duck eggs,

Goose eggs,

Quail eggs, and PICKLED quail eggs,

AND it's called Le Capitaine Miel et Oeufs Frais! How cute!

You can find fun and local things from Apple cider and honey,

to maple butter and apples! I didn't know what maple butter is before I lived here. Basically it is maple syrup boiled down even more until you get like a quick-sand paste; it's hard if you hit it but soft if you slowly push down on it. I hope that makes sense. 

CURRENTLY IN SEASON

Asparagus and Rhubarb

Fiddlehead ferns (Tête de Violon)

Fiddlehead ferns are something I discovered during my first spring in Montreal. It is so beautiful to me. They are those huge ferns you see walking in the forest, however the have yet to bloom or open up! It is amazing for me that here you can walk in the forest and eat things that are all around you here. In Arizona you just don't touch, let alone ingest it! 

With Fiddlehead ferns, it is important to blanche them, as there is high risk for illness when they are not well washed/blanched. Below is the recipe the seller provided:

INSTRUCTIONS

Blanche in boiling water for 3 min. 

Rinse and change water

Blanche in boiling water for another 3 min.

Then you can either Cook it or eat it cold

COOKED

Sauté in some butter and your choice of spices

COLD

Add a vinaigrette and eat with salads.

I prefer cooked. They taste a bit like asparagus. 

Then there are the beautiful Mushrooms! All local and organic! There is so much to them I could do a whole post just on the mushrooms!

Some other fun "typical" Marché Jean Talon sights

Music and entertainment!

I can't resist to post the flower shops. The market opens up in when it is finally warmer. Half of the open market becomes flower and herb vendors, and the other half food.

This guy is kind of cranky, but he always has the most beautiful "wild" flowers. 

And because I can't resist, a few more beautiful flowers:

 Back to Today's Mission 

 We were off to buy some herbs and flowers. Here is what we ended up with all from the local organic growers

My "normal" herbs

Mint, chives, thyme, parsley (from left to right)

Four types of Basil!

Then the things I have never used before in fresh plants:

Echinacea, Lemon Balm, and Stevia (fro left to right)

I have never used stevia in my cooking, however this is a natural sweetener. To be continued with stevia...

This little plant is suppose to help me get rid of bugs... we'll see. 

And let's not forget edible flowers! Pansies!

 NOTE 

When purchasing edible flowers make sure they were cultivated to be eaten. Just because they are edible does not mean that they can be eaten from any source.

Needless to say the fun didn't end there. 

Or here,

But with a nice cold slice of watermelon!

Bon Appétit et à Bientôt!