22 August 2011

san juan saturday market

The San Juan Saturday Market was fantastic. We didn't see it until our last day on the island, and I'm a little bummed we didn't arrive in time to see it at the beginning of our vacation. We could have stocked up on groceries for the whole week there, and saved a lot of time shopping. Fresh flowers, fresh bread and baked goods, every summer fruit and vegetable you can imagine, handmade cheeses and local meats. We would have been set.

As it was, we only had time to swing through while waiting for our ferry back home. We limited ourselves to some purple and yellow cauliflower (so fun for the kids!) that we knew would survive the  six hour drive home and some tasty treats from Cafe Demeter (pictured above and below). Hubs chose a spinach and feta croissant, Sweetpea chose a chocolate croissant, and Little Mister chose a plain bagel. Way to be adventurous, little guy.

My treat deserves its own paragraph. I'm kicking myself for failing to take a picture of it. I had an unbelievable cinnamon roll made with croissant dough (I know) liberally sprinkled with cinnamon sugar instead of icing. I was crunchy on the outside, grainy from the sprinkled sugar, and the inside was so soft it melted in my mouth. It absolutely begged to be accompanied by a steaming cup of coffee. I'm going in to my local bakery soon to beg them to make something similar. Or maybe I should look up how to make croissant dough. . . 

What was I saying? Oh yes, the market.
This tomato stand had lines on both sides for the entire 45 minutes we were there. Trays and bushels of beautiful tomatoes.

And with a backdrop like this, I'm tempted to go back just for the Saturday market. If I lived in the Seattle area, it would be worth the ferry fare for a special Saturday trip to this farmer's market. Seattle day trip, anyone?

The San Juan Saturday Market may not be as big as others, but for its size, it is packed full of summery goodness. What do you think? Is your Saturday market better? Tell me about it.