Cannabis farmers markets are on the rise across the country, making their debut in the Bay Area this month at Harvest in San Francisco and Magnolia Wellness in Oakland. Intrigued by the idea, I decided to stop by Magnolia and check it out. The event was modest in size, with about 14 booths, some which were shared by multiple vendors. Fresh flowers, tasty edibles and community services all conveniently located in one sunny parking lot. Unfortunately, I didn't visit every booth. Sun Roots Farm and Humboldt Apothecary were too busy and I was too shy. Beezle Extracts and First Class Concentrates were packing up by the time I got there. 420 Fitness was too intimidating for my out of shape self. Operation EVAC was busy educating people on their wonderful services. But these are booths I did visit!

Clarified Confections makes medicated Ghee, a form of clarified butter, and delicious cookies with it. Jars of their organic and grass-fed Ghee were on sale for $50 and contained a whopping 2,000mg of THC. One teaspoon contained about 80mg, making it a potent product that was certainly worth the price. I didn't taste it, but the smell was pungent. I did taste one of the cookies, the Spiced Iced Pumpkin Cookie, which was amazing. I'm not a fan of sweets but I'm one of those people who loves anything pumpkin even if it's not autumn. The cookies came in 80mg doses, perfect to split with a friend or for all day snacking. 

We all love vape pens for their convenience, but know that they might not always be the most effective. Whether it be a faulty cartridge or battery, 'watered down' product or bad flavor, there are variables that can make them less enjoyable. humblt makes disposable vape pens with 200 precise doses, guaranteed. I tried the pen for the first time, the 'calm' high CBD variety. After 3 second of inhaling the pen vibrated, signaling me to stop. The flavor was there, smooth and sweet. I didn't even cough! Each pen is formulated with specific ratios of  THC, CBD, accessory cannabinoids and various terpenes to achieve different effects. This is an ideal product for novice users looking for a more controlled and precise medicating experience. They also have a pen recycling program which gets you a discount on your next purchase.

Soul Sugar Kitchen, also known as Edibles by Marcus, and winner of 'Best Packaging' in the edibles category at 2016's Happy Place Festival caught my eye with it's bright colors and fun imagery. The big bowls of medicated snack mix samples grabbed my attention too. Garlic Parmesan and Chesapeake Bay seasoned snack mix were the savory options. Handmade chocolate truffles and peanut butter cups with a variety of interesting flavors were the sweet options. The snacks were dosed at 100mg-200mg per bag with about 4 servings per bag, great for sharing and enjoying a few times yourself. 

Sonoma County based Absolute Xtracts, Care By Design and Satori Chocolates shared a colorful booth full of vape pen cartridges, medicated sweets and high CBD medicine. I was excited to see the Absolute Xtracts and Jeremy Fish collaboration "Fish Tanks" and there also were some Absolute Xtracts x Emerald Cup collaboration cartridges among the flavors available. I had never heard of Satori chocolates, and as someone who doesn't really like chocolate, I thought they were super tasty. You could tell by the taste and texture of the product that the ingredients are of quality. The strawberries, blueberries and raisins were my favorite. Each piece ranges in dosage from 1mg, 2mg, 3mg, 6mg and 10mg for easy dosing.

I was most intrigued with Care Be Design's line of sublingual sprays, drops and softgels. With a range of CBD:THC ratios between 1:1 to 18:1! This variety allows more or less psychoactivity in the high CBD products.  

Award winning cultivators, extract artists and overall badasses behind Empress Extracts were there showing off their flowers, extracts and amazing whole plant Rick Simpson Oil.  The first strain pictured escapes me but the second is Gorilla Glue. They both smelled amazing!

Have you ever heard of an Indica-dominant line of cannabis products? What a concept! Leisure Life, the chill edible, has created just that. Medicated popcorn came in cheddar and caramel flavors, a mix was available as well. Each bag contained 200mgs of THC, enough to leave one feeling pretty leisurely. Pre-rolls, cleverly named California Rolls, covered in C02 oil and high grade kief also had a spot on the table. Medicated ice cream was a freebee for those who purchased, a very exciting product to see, since there aren't a lot of frozen medicated treats on the market. 

Mendocino county has been known for it's cannabis production for decades. Flow Kana partners with select organic, sustainable farms throughout the Emerald Triangle to help bring them out of the shadows and into metropolitan areas like San Francisco and Los Angeles. Farmers from one of their partners, Rusty Shovel Ranch, was there to meet patients and talk about his products. All the flower smelled and looked great, who says outdoor isn't good?!

I never really thought about the idea of a cannabis wholesaler, until I came upon the River Collective booth. River partners with cultivators, extractors and infusers to help get their products in the hands of more patients. They also help guide their partners in brand management and operational logistics. As their motto says "to nourish the roots and carry the fruits."

I left my first cannabis farmers market feeling happy and high, I could not complain about my afternoon. I look forward to the future, and hope there only become bigger and better. Make sure to stop and smell the flowers on your way out! 

What's more romantic than freshly prepared French food for a Valentines Day dinner? Thanks to Feastly my boyfriend and I were able to enjoy an amazing evening catered by Chef Tommo. The venue was warm, well lit and our hosts eagerly met us with strawberries and champagne to get the night started. The 6 course menu focused on seafood and featured raw oysters, white fish tartare and poached lobster tail just to name a few. 

My boyfriend picked up a bottle of CaliCraft's The Bay double IPA. It was a big beer, full of strong tropical and fruit notes. Some would call it too big to pair with seafood, but we thought it worked really well. The beer was big, but the flavor was clean and crisp, with a pleasing balance of tropical and bitter. 

Our meal started with three large raw oysters, dressed with a light champagne vinaigrette. There was a harmony between the natural brininess of the oyster and the sweetness of the champagne vinegar. In my opinion oysters are best when prepared simply, so this was an ideal way to start a dinner in my book.

The white fish tartare was tossed in cucumber, green onion and capers. The fish was light, but the capers and cucumber really helped bring out it's natural sweetness while providing balance. The portion was small but ideal for the dish, just a few small bites and it was on to the next!

The next dish was improvised by our chef, as cooking doesn't always go as planned. I enjoyed the dish and the plating even, regardless of its last minute adjustments. Poached salmon and lobster on a bed of sauteed spinach and a wonderful tarragon sauce. The fish was tender and juicy while bits of lobster mixed in with the salmon added a nice surprise. The sauce really brought everything to life and the spinach added an overall heartiness to the dish, but it wasn't overbearing. 

The star of the show was a butter poached lobster tail with a rice pilaf. All I tasted in this dish was butter and lobster but I was not complaining . As I said earlier, seafood is best when prepared simply and lobster is protein that can definitely stand on its own. Sweet and buttery with a hint of the ocean, to me there's nothing better. 

The night ended with a cheese plate and dark chocolate mousse. The cheese plate had three types of cheese, I can't remember the exact kinds but one was tart and creamy, one was really sharp and one was more neutral. I ate them all without blinking an eye. When we got to the chocolate part, I was a bit hesitant. I've never been a fan of chocolate, especially dark chocolate, but once I tasted the strawberries at the bottom and the pistachio crumble I felt a lot better about the dish. There was nothing left in the ramekin by the time I was done. 

This has only been my second dinner with Feastly, but I think it's an excellent service. Bringing foodies together while giving chefs a night to shine and express themselves passionately. As both a lover of cooking food as well as eating it, these meals have been a great source of inspiration for me. I can't wait to attend more. You can read more about my first Feastly experience here.