Check out this Whistler Questions article for some great local food gifts.

Have you had a chance to try out the little Cafe in The Lost Lake PassivHaus yet? A nice addition to the Whistler healthy eating scene. They offer local and organic products and have gluten free options. they have grilled paninis and wraps as well as in shop made salsa and hummus for snack plates. Their food is nitrate and preservative free.

OK, this is a little out of scope for this blog, but Veg News recently published some great vegan food choices in Vancouver. Some if them aren’t the healthiest (donuts!), but some are for sure, And it’s nice to see East is East on the list – definitely one of my favourite Vancouver restaurants for healthy food.

Hey Pemberton and Whistler locals – RootDown Organic Farm is a small organic farm in Pemberton. They have a weekly harvest box program. It’s a $25 mix of organic vegetables, all grown on their farm,  for a 15 week period throughout the growing season.  Check out the details on the RootDown website click on the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) page.

The Whistler Farmers market is fabulous. Great variety of food and arts & crafts. It’s gets busy and I suggest getting their early as some vendors sell out as the day goes on.

Every Sunday from June 17 – Oct 8. In the Upper Village.

There’s will also be a Wednesday evening market from 3 pm until 7 pm at the base of Blackcomb Mountain from July 4th to August 29th.

The Squamish Farmers Market is every Sat from 10:00 – 3:00 pm May 12 – October 27 in downtown Squamish. Check their website for details on their winter farmer’s market too.

Pemberton also has a Farmers Market. Check out the Pemberton Farmers Institute website for details.

Yay – Dine In Whistler 2012 is upon us: April 23 – June 28, 2012. Many restaurants around Whittler have menus starting at $19 for 3 courses. This is a great time to try some restaurants at a great price. (The Rim Rock is my fav for fancy eating in Whistler).

I do try to keep the refined sugars to a minimum, but there are a couple locally made treats that get my attention:

• Lucia Gelato (website) is available at the local grocery stores and some Whistler restaurants. A very creative bunch of flavours. The gelato is made from dairy and the sorbetto is dairy-free. Mango Tango and Raspberry are my favourite sorbetto flavours. During the warmer months, Lucia Gelato is at the Whistler Farmers Market where they usually have a few tasty experimental flavours. They use locally sourced products whenever possible.
• Whistler Chocolate (website) has 3 tasty dark (72% cocoa) chocolate bars (plain, orange and hazelnut).  The cocoa beans used for their chocolate are from organic cocoa farms in the Dominican Republic and they use the  organic hazelnuts from BC. They have various milk chocolate (34% cocoa) bars too. You can find Whistler Chocolate at all the Whistler grocery stores.

My favourite eating and shopping spots in Pemberton include:

• Mount Currie Coffee Co
  2-7331 Arbutus Street
• Blackbird Bakery
  104-1436 Portage Road
• The Pony Espresso – I like the warm honey roasted veggie salad
  1392 Portage Road
• Be Natural Herbal Apothecary and Foods – a nice small health food store
  108 7433 Frontier
• North Arm Farm – u-pick berries, veggies and flowers, and a nice store with ready picked produce, baked goods and nice food products from thefoodlovers.ca
  1888 Sea to Sky Highway 99
• Pemberton Farmers Market – Wednesdays from 4 to 7 pm (June 24 to October 7). Located in the Legion parking lot beside the Pemberton Valley Supermarket.
• To get an idea of the farmers and food producers in the area, visit the Pemberton Farmer’s Institute website.
• Not totally food related – but I love the One Earth Collection store. They sell art, jewelry, soaps, crafts, and some food products from local artists. A beautiful assortment of local talent.
  104-7433 Frontier Street

Details about Dine-In Whistler 2011 are now available. This is a great time to try out various Whistler restaurants. It runs from April 25 to June 30 and many of Whistler restaurants have great specials during this time.

I love this tea – handcrafted in Whistler and available at the grocery stores and many of the restaurants. The ingredients in the Mountain Mint and Savasna teas are from the area too. The Namasthe teas are: Earl Grey, Mountain Mint, EchinaChai, Jasmine Green Dragon, Savasna and Fresh Tracks.