I’ve been taking a course with Michael Stone down on Granville Island (more on that soon). The Island —which is technically not an Island but a Landfill—is an urban wonderland of hidden treasures and oddities. My coolest new discovery is the big green dumpster in front of the trés-upscale Public Market. Yesterday a quick exploration yielded carrots, green onions, and a package of baby pattypans. The day before, a fine cabbage, a perfectly good red pepper, many red and yellow potatoes, and a small spaghetti squash. There was lots more, considerately layered between waxed cardboard boxes to prevent the goods from getting crushed. But I only took what I needed, as i’m sure that dumpster gets a lot of customers. For our class potluck I made a spicy asian dumpster slaw. When people tell me it’s so expensive to live in Vancouver I just smile and say, depends where you shop.
Ha, ham, ha! The local Green Market is where most of my produce, eggs from free range hens, and raw butter comes from, too. Why shop anywhere else!