Simple Saturday Supper starring Baby Bok Choy

When Saturdays start with a trip to the Hubbard's Market - you know it is going to be a wonderful day!

This market is such a special place - one meets old friends and makes new ones on every visit. The vendor behind the table grows, bakes, roasts or creates the product they are selling.

All of the usual marketer vendors were out - so nice to see they made it through the winter.
Music and laughter filled the air.  Happy customers lined up for coffee from The Laughing Whale Roaster and for artisanal breads at Julien's Boulangerie.



I told myself that I would stick to purchasing veggies and breads - and I did my best - HOWEVER,  it was not easy! I had to pass on adorable jewellery made from buttons and handmade lotions for my poor suffering gardening hands...oh, I almost forgot - I did buy some beeswax taper candles from Mike Bienstock - perfect hand dipped taper candles with the smell of honey wax. He looked at me with these innocent big blue eyes.... what could I do??
And one needs light, right?!

My bounty included a red lettuce, baby beet greens , baby bok choy, kale and basil to plant in my garden, a loaf of pumpernickel bread from Julien's , a roll for Will from Kirstens Kitchen - my bloggy buddy that I met for the first time face-to-face!

Ooooh, those button bracelets were so cute! The perfect gift for a friend or as a conversation starter on your wrist! Maybe she will be there next week! Restraint is not my middle name!

Lucky for me, restraint is not necessary regarding enjoying the gorgeous view on the way home!



The road home winds along the shore of beautiful St. Margaret's  Bay - we always stop at one of the many beaches.




                                                                                

Beach Baby Bella!


















 Will and Bella

When we returned home I grabbed my wagon and ran up the street to my neighbour buddies perennial and heirloom vegetable sale!


 These ladies are incredible gardeners! I didn't realize, until Niki moved into the neighbourhood, how much we could grow in our rocky and sometimes wet St Margaret's Bay!  Niki is a horticulturist with a radio show, magazine articles and a book in the making.



When I saw her garden photos in a local newspaper I couldn't  .......actually didn't........ , believe that this was grown three homes away from mine until I saw it with my own eyes!
That was the end of any excuses I had for not being able to grow veggies in my backyard!!


I didn't realize how many plants I bought until I returned home and had to create a couple of new spots to plant tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. Restraint....not my middle name! Do you get overzealous when shopping for plants?

Finally, onto the raison d'etre for this blog....a recipe for Stir Fried Baby Bok Choy! ( Sounds like a good name for a rap star! )

Baby Bok Choy is rich in calcium, vitamins A and C. It is best cooked lightly to keep its nice crisp texture. Alternatively to this recipe, it is also delish stir-fried with sesame oil and tossed with a little soy sauce and sesame seeds!

Stir Fried Baby Bok Choy




Trim off the ends so that leaves separate for cleaning

Cut the stems from the leaves, keeping them separate, cut into bite- size pieces.

Heat a glug of EVOO in a pan, add minced garlic and grated fresh ginger. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

TIP: Tip the pan and pool the oil when you add the garlic and ginger...that way they will swim in the oil and release more of their gorgeous flavour.

TIP: keep a hand of ginger in the freezer. Peel off a little skin at a time and grate or slice off what you need - no more little shriveled hands of ginger at the bottom of your produce drawer!

Add the Bok Choy stems and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add the leaves and cook for about 2 minutes.




Sprinkle with a little apple cider vinegar and freshly ground salt and pepper.

We had the bok choy with a couple of hard boiled eggs and the great pumpernickel bread.

A simple saturday supper on the sun porch!!



Life is good!!!