Farmer's Market Delights

Our apartment is in a great location for shopping, but I was even more delighted to find a farmer's on a big plaza surrounding a church nearby (Wednesday and Saturday morning). Above, a first view - notice the church in the background, the bikes chained to the lamp post, and the woman on her comfort bike further back. As James said already - this is really a great place to bike. Many people take the bike to the farmer's market and there's a decent amount of bike parking.

Maybe 1/3 of the market is fresh fruit and vegetables, as in the stand above. A pretty decent percentage is seasonal and locally grown, but there don't seem to be very strict rules. The fruit is marked by country of origin, so I know that I'm buying grapes from Africa, mango from Thailand, and strawberries and potatoes from Germany.

Speaking of potatoes - you would not believe the variety you can get here! I've always loved potatoes, and here I'm in potato heaven! So many different varieties, each with different characteristics for different purposes. Potato salad, hash browns, boiled, baked, fried, dumplings - each preparation requires a different potato. And then there's the new potatoes! (Not cheap but worth it).

The big deal at the farmer's market this time of year is asparagus, or, to be precise, white asparagus. A whole religion seems to have sprung up around asparagus since I last lived here. Each restaurant has an asparagus menu. And everyone wants to buy some at the farmer's market. Though at $5/pound, more or less, it's not cheap.

But the long lines are not at the asparagus stand, they are for the cut flowers. At least ten people queue up for tulips to bring the first flowers of spring home from the market.

Another large stand has potted plants for the balcony - but more about that in another post.

I like that I can pretty much do all my shopping here if I want. Fresh eggs, several bread stands, Feinkost - which is stuff like pesto, nuts, or dried fruit. Also fish.

And a huge stand with dried herbs. In contrast to Americans, who like their supplements in capsules, Germans seem to prefer herbal teas as natural remedies. And instead of tea bags, they'll go for the real thing. Not all the herbs are medicinal, many are used for flavoring. Or for both.

Should I have any other needs, the farmer's market might also have just the thing. Sprinkled amongst all the edible goodies (yes, there's even chocolate) are stand with scarves, socks, and cleaning supplies.

And the most fun is to watch everyone talk to the vendors, enjoy the bounty, have a glass of fresh juice or maybe a beer, and then go home to cook a meal - and put the flowers in the vase.