raw goodies

yesterday we spent the day on salt spring island. i lugged my camera around with me all day but forgot to take pictures til we were on the ferry heading home (and i got a photo of a whale pod WAY in the distance-- i might be able to make out part of a whale or 2 if i zoom and crop the photo). salt spring island is kind of known as a "hippie island" and their local market (that started its season yesterday) features handmade items local to the area. when we first started walking thru the market i was surprised none of the food stalls i had seen had anything labeled as vegan (some things may have been but i didn't ask). then i came across a very tiny stall with all raw items. they only had 4 or 5 things but the hazelnut biscotti sounded good so i got a piece and i liked it way better than any biscotti i've ever tried. on our second walk thru the market after brunch (i just got a tofu and veggie sandwich without the mayo-- nice but not amazing or anything) i came across a stall with a woman selling dehydrated things (like very expensive dried mango). she had kale chips (dried kale with herbs and spices). after sampling the 2 flavours i had to get a bag (they were soooooo good!). when we went back to the ferry we had some time to kill so we decided to get a coffee. the coffee shop was very raw/vegan friendly (they didn't even charge extra for soy). they had a display of raw chocolate and my brother decided to try the medicinal mushroom chocolate. after a tiny bite of his i had to get one of my own. it was the most amazing, rich, creamy chocolate i've ever had!
i think the last time i was on salt spring was probably in high school. in the future i think it'll have to be a regular place to visit on our trips to canada. we were supposed to go do a zipline yesterday (or the day before) but the weather has been too windy, a bit wet and cold so salt spring was the perfect substitute. next time i'm here we'll do the zipline.