To market, to market…

As mentioned in a previous post, we visited more than one farm market on Prince Edward Island.

One was the Riverview Country Market in Charlottetown, where we bought and consumed some of the best dark pumpernickel (Holtzheuser Bros.) I’ve ever tasted, some Holland Gouda, and a Provolone that was aged and sharp. In fact, I feel compelled to run right down to the kitchen and have a little taste of that Provolone right now.

Chef Michael Smith has a great little video on Riverview Country Market. You can find it here. Better yet, hie thee to PEI and check it out for yourself. You know you want to.

My favorite spot was Balderston’s Farm Market, leading the farm market life on the Trans-Canada Highway — aka Route Transcanadienne — at Stratford, PE.

I love the little mini pumpkins perched atop this sign.

Balderston’s is where I picked up this:

AKA, Green Tomato Relish or Green Tomato Chow Chow. This was served with fish cakes I inhaled at the Prince Edward Island Preserve Company. I hunted everywhere for a jar to bring home.

The staff at Balderston’s assured me that this is eaten with any PEI holiday meal, be it turkey, ham, beef, pork, whatever. Wasn’t leaving without it. We eat holiday meals for all holidays.

Part of the exterior of this farm market. The farm is big. There are lots of pumpkins and autumn decorations on display right now, along with some brightly painted Adirondack chairs, which I tried with all my might to fit into the back of our car. No. Go.

Follow the pumpkin patch road.

Just begging for a home.

The day we stopped in here was windy. Everything was moving. You can see that in the market picture above.

I wanted to bring home a bag of new crop PEI potatoes and some Irish Cobbler potatoes (which are small, dry and white) and a dozen jars of pickles and chow, but we were planning a route home through the U.S., and there is something about bringing agricultural produce across the border. As it happens, we sprinted home through Canadaland.

Next time.

I’ll bring a truck.