We Love Whibley Island

We've been coming to Whidbey Island for the past decade or so much by the grace of our friends who have shared their homes with us.  When our kids were toddlers, they used to say, we love WhiBLEY Island, not being able to get the d and b pronounced in conjunction.  Over the years, it is more and more apparent how special a place this is.  Today marks the end of the first week of our stay here.  And I have officially unplugged.  Without my kitchen and all its inventory, I've been taking a little buffet hiatus of sorts.  Though we are not eating out, not wanting to leave the beach, we are eating simple.  As such, there's not much in the way of cooking to blog about.  Hence a little diversion in order to quench my still desire to write.


In my ever growing love for farmers markets and roadside vendors, I am sharing two great finds in Freeland on Whidbey Island.  We were on our way to Langley on a mission to buy some flowers, when what was on the side of the road but a little self serve flower stand.  For $5, we bought this gorgeous bouquet.  

An old cardboard container with a rubber lid with a slit cut out and a note that said "thank you"  was their check out system.  I wish I had my camera there with me to have photographed the modest stand.  And as we drove away, I wished I had left a note to say thank you to them for such a lovely experience.  My girls asked me, how do they know people will leave them the money?  Trust, I said.  We are all on the honor system.

Then oh happy day.  When we returned, the little farm stand next to where we are staying, was setting up shop.  We have visited this new little stand several times always buying a little something just because.  Also on the honor system, beautiful fresh vegetables are laid out for purchase, variety based on whatever is ready to be harvested.

We walked back with a bag of basil, some yellow potatoes and rockwell green beans which will all be making an appearance in dinner.  We left our money in a tin container asking us to make our own change.

I marvel at these folks who employ the honor system.  In a world where bad news travels like lightening on the information super highway, where it seems we fear to let our children do anything on their own, where our neighborhood newsletter alerts us of thefts in our area, I am so very thankful for Whidbey.  It's a place where my kids roam freely on the beach, where we don't have to lock our door, where the honor system still exists, and where despite my lack of kitchen inventory, we still eat like kings on simply prepared, fresh, locally farmed food.