Tuesday 27 September 2016

Laiki - local farmer's market

Every Monday and Friday we have the chance to buy fruit and vege from  local producers.   Our market is only about a dozen stalls and they sell seasonal fruit and vegetables.  If you want the freshest you're down there at sun-up along with the elderly women and the sleepless to pick over the best.  

Most of the produce comes from across on the mainland,  from the flat, fertile low lying fields just out of Galatas. There are also huge greenhouses for year round growing and acres and acres of carnations  grown for the bouzouki halls in Athens.  Throwing carnations took over from breaking plates some years ago.  





Market morning.  Along with the vegetables we can also buy honey from local hives.  Golden runny honey, pure and full of flavour.  This is the place to buy your tomato, lettuce or other garden plants and sometimes you'll find fresh flowers as well, olives fresh from the tree ready for pickling and the first bottles of this years olive oil in a few months time.

Most of the fruit and vegetables are from small growers like K's cousin who supports his family on what he sells at the Poros market and the markets across on the small mainland village of  Galatas




 What I got for 15 euros.  3kilos of tomatoes, a big bag of short cucumbers, a bunch of parsley, aubergines, a dozen fresh corn cobs, a kilo of green peppers, 5 kilos of potatoes and just over a kilo of red and white grapes.




Bounty from our own garden.  Lots of green peppers.  One plant is still producing.  6 cherry tomatoes and zucchini flowers.  We got loads of flowers this year as I have mentioned before and one squash which is still growing.  The flowers we ate stuffed, along with the tomatoes and peppers.  They really are wasted this way.  The flower disappears into the stuffing.  They are much tastier washed, dipped into a thin batter and lightly fried.

4 comments:

  1. I envy you the freshly pressed Olive Oil. I use a LOT, and have to buy it from the supermarket. Back in the UK I used to have a source of unfiltered, extra virgin, rustic oil, but France doesn't seem to like such things.

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    1. I'm surprised about the oil. We are in an olive area and buy from the press or from friends or relatives, tins of 17kilos.i suppose in Athens we would have to buy from the supermarket....or have one send it to us. Greeks love their fresh oil and most have a producer somewhere for at least a few bottles of fresh for their salad. We're almost out now and are waiting for picking to begin

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  2. I'd be there before anyone else, then as I'm triple qualified! I always try to support smaller producers (when I can afford to do so) but golden runny honey, frresh olive oil and produce like that would get me there anyway. Do you have arms down to you knees after carrying all of that?

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    1. We order the night before because we have an inside source, k's cousin and pick it up with our bikes. Load them up like donkeys. The honey Is wonderful, from hives nearby.

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