Coming from the Okanagan Valley, I’ve often had a difficult time with the apples that we find here in Victoria. Growing up, I used to eat apples fresh off the tree and I’ve acquired a taste for apples that are tart and just slightly under ripe. It has been impossible to find good apples here… they are just not fresh enough. Yes, I guess that you could say that I’m an apple snob. But I’ll come back to that later.

Yesterday, we finally made it in to the Village Family Marketplace at 920 Pandora Avenue. This unique space has been created by a group of friends–originally 7, now 5, innovative and determined folk. The purpose of the venture is to support local food producers to bring their products to the restaurants and family homes of Victoria.

They have a variety of locally grown produce, as well as a good selection of grocery items, meats, poultry and fish. They stock “Kreatryx Living Foods” which is a line of raw foods imported by a local company. In addition, they carry bison from Comox Valley, hormone free pork from happy, free range pigs at Seabluff Farms, Duck and Chicken from Cowichan Bay Farm and Ireland Farms, Galloping Goose sausages and a selection of fish from our local waters.

Yesterday though, was the day that I learned that Kelowna wasn’t the only place to get a good apple and that, in fact, we now have a way to get the most beautiful, locally grown, pesticide free fruit right here in town! Justine casually handed an apple to my son. The  lack of ceremony meant that I was all the more surprised and delighted when I heard the characteristic juicy crunch of a fresh apple…then, I looked… and saw the most gorgeous pink interior! Truly, this must have been the apple that Eve offered to Adam. It would have been worth it.

Village Family Marketplace is an intrepid, idealistic business that we want to support and see succeed! Visit their deli section for a quick lunch prepared with love, or do some grocery shopping there. They are open seven days a week between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm Monday thru Friday; 10:00 am and 6:00 pm Saturday and Sunday.

ps. I bought some wonderful local honey with propolis. Truly wonderful!

UPDATE DEC 31, 2009

Took kids and grabbed fresh bags of locally grown organic greens (no comparison to stuff from California–these leaves were truly alive!), organic milk, and ate a delicious salad. The kids ventured to try the bison.

UPDATE MARCH 1, 2010

Stopped by and saw store almost totally empty and a mother and child doing clean up. I knocked at the window and asked what was going on. I regret to announce here that Village Family Marketplace is no longer in operation and the space is for sale. I murmured something about how it was that such an enlightened place as Victoria couldn’t support such a wonderful, innovative local connection between growers and families. It’s a great loss to our emergent local, organic web. As I was musing these thoughts, she corrected me. The store, she told me, received a great deal of love and support from the community. Even now, people keep coming by to offer their support and condolences. But, it takes more than a community to raise a child, or a business, and apparently there were other factors that contributed. When I mentioned that I was going to update the post about Village Family Marketplace, she asked me to extend her gratitude and the gratitude of the other partners for the wonderful outpouring of support that they have received and have been receiving.