It's market time again! While the market has been going since April these hot days somehow seem quintessentially market time! There is a holiday feel in the air as people wander the market stands finding tasty bites of this and that to go with their coffee or pop in their shopping bags to take home for later. There are the French pastries from The Rendezvous Patisserie, bread and treats from Salt Spring Bread, just to name a few. A summer bounty of zucchini, peas, lettuce, cherries and raspberries beckon from the farm market tables like Hope Hill Farms. And the many crafts of island artisans tempt visitors. Malas from Purely Om and upcycled bags from Salt Spring Tweeds, beautiful woven shawls and scarves by Christine Johnston of Jaya Weaving and jewelry from Bohemian Arts.
Lots of visitors and locals alike stop by for a cup of Ometepe coffee as they wander and shop. The hot weather doesn't seem to deter the interest in coffee. The lovely brew, dark hot and delicious, perhaps with a little cream or milk and a bit of organic cane sugar if you need sweetening :)
It's always fun to chat with the people who stop by: the women from China who don't understand what decaf is. How do you explain that? The fellow from Sidney who roasts his own green Ometepe beans in a small drum roaster on his bbq. The visitors from North Carolina and Nevada and the friendly local faces of vendors who need their morning cup of joe to start the market day.
It's a fun way to watch the morning (or afternoon) fly by. If you love coffee and would like to be part of the good cause of supporting coffee farmers in Nicaragua and other good works there, come join this lovely group of volunteers.
