Mission Viejo Living

 One of the things I was most excited about visiting in California were their farmer's markets. The ones in Arizona are so sad - maybe one stand that actually sells fruits and vegetables, 40 minute waits in line to purchase said produce, and such a lack of variety. So, I eagerly jumped at the opportunity to attend one while visiting my parents.

To be honest? My memory didn't even match the beauty of these stands.

 

There is something so satisfying about interacting with the growers and picking food that just looks good. 

 

We had a great time choosing foods that looked delicious and trying to figure out how we could use them. 

 

This was our haul:

 

I may have been most excited about these grapefruits. They were probably the largest I'd ever seen (and were spectacularly delicious). 

 

We used some of the produce to make a Provencal salad (among other things) and took our bounty out on a boat on Lake Mission Viejo. 

 

We had such a great time. When I was younger, we used to rent a party boat probably every summer and I have very fond memories of it. 

 

This certainly didn't disappoint. 

 

While our visit wasn't long (just 5 days), it was lovely. The perfect way to start our trip.