South italian markets. Part one - farmer's fruits and vegetables market

Near my house there is a large daily farmer’s market where you can buy everything - fruit and vegetables, cereals and legumes, herbs, fish and seafood ... There is a great variety of things - fresh, just ripped, just caught ...
I decided to divide this interesting topic into two parts - one about the farmer's market of fruits and vegetables, the second is about the fish market.
Today I invite you to go with me to buy some fresh vegetables :)
South Italian market bustling and noisy, every seller screams that his product is the best and cheapest, talks up its in verses and prose. I even had a desire to make record on Dictaphone of all this cacophony of sounds. Every seller rains compliments to pretty girls. I Can say for sure after I wakled with the camera on the market, now all sellers remember me :) They think I made them famous all over the world :)

What vegetables you can buy on the market? Any of the current season. Part of the market is occupied by the so-called "zero kilometer" market where local manufacturers bring their products. On the rest of the market there are products from more distant places - such as oranges from Sicily, apples from Aosta. And if in the supermarket you can find off-season fruits and vegetables, instead on the local market is likely to be sold only seasonal greens. And,of course, you can haggle. Often after you have weighed and paid, the seller throw a couple of extra zucchini or beans in your bag. Trifle , but nice!
In southern Italy, wild greens are very popular. This is a wild spinach and greens called chikureddi ( I askes at people, but I realized that no one knows the name of these plants in Italian, only in the local dialect) . There is another popular green called paparina, but when I was in the market , I didn’t find it.

These bulbs are called "pampachuni" and it is something like a wild onion. They must be boiled sooooo long, about 2 hours. 

Another local greens - "sponzali"  is something between a leek, usual onion and chives, you can find it with bulbs or only greens.

Now there is the midst of artichokes season, you can find them from 10 to 20 pieces for 1 euro. 

Also begins the season of fresh beans and peas.

Fennel and celery are ate only raw,  great in a fresh salad with olive oil.

Certainly there are eggplants and zucchini – very traditional in local cousine. I always buy eggplants only on the farmer’s market! One time my husband bought them at the supermarket -  they were beautiful, but just stuck to the grill and turned into something mashed and completely tasteless.
Cimi di rapa is a relative of normal radishes, but only buds and small leaves are edible. A very popular recipe here - orekkette (hand-made pasta in the form of ears) with Cimi di rapa.

Chicory is ate fresh or cooked - you can just boil it, or you can put out some tomatoes and garlic.

Some sellers cut minestrone from of fresh vegetables and greens.

There are fruits, of course. Now season of oranges – you can find a lot of both local and Sicilian oranges at very reasonable price. I love red ones. 

On the market there are also several sellers of cereals, beans, lentils and various marinated olives. Choice is  a large and quality is better than pre-packaged ones in the supermarket.

Also on the local market you can buy eggs, either normal or special, which can be eaten raw.
And of course, I can’t finish without the local delicacies - snails like small escargot, which were collected after the rain in fields. There are other type snails, very small.

In fact, it is impossible to write about everything in one article. Difficult to describe colors and sounds of the South Italian market, so come here :)

Vendemmia - vintage season in South Italy

This weekend in Salento the season  of vintage and new wine making is opening. This period in Italy is called vendemmia. This year, some wineries have decided to make the fiest of the first day of the vintage and invited people to participate. That's why we ended up in the vinery of Tenuta Rubino.
Tables with wine and seat for those who are tired were prepared.

Grapes are cutted off by hand using shears or a knife, I did not see any time in Salento machine harvesting. The damage done by machines and oxidation in contact with the metal get badly affect on the taste - and the wine loses its quality. Now, of course, seasonal workers are involved, often foreigners or immigrants, but traditionally the vintage is always done by women, who were helped by children, friends and relatives. Earlier, when every family had a vineyard, all families helped each other in vintage  season - today the whole village helping my family, tomorrow yours, and the next day to the neighbors. My husband when he was a child partecipated vendemmia.

Jokes, songs, music, laughter - are accompaning the vintage.

I also had a hand, so that in some of the bottles of wine are a few grapes Malvasia Rossa, which was cutted by me ))

Grapes are gently folded into boxes, which then will be transported by the tractor to the winery and in november we will tast the vine of 2013 season!

Spring inspiration

I have always been inspired by nature. And you? I can't say that one season I like more than others - each has its own beauty, its colors, its charm.

Today I'll show you the spring in Southern Italy. I love it for the rave of colors of flowers in the fields, for the fresh wind, for still empty golden beaches, where you can see traces of the animals and birds on the sand...

My latest collection of jewelery called Pastel Shades, and it is dedicated to the colors of the spring.

After Easter in Italy is traditionally a day off, which is all carried out in the nature, picnics. We also went to a wonderful place called Porto Selvaggio, on the way we stopped at a place with beaches, surrounded by dunes Spiaggiabella.

Thus, we begin the journey in the spring ...

Footprints of birds on the sand

The blue sea

The blue sky

Flowering peach tree

First delicate flowers under the olive trees

Ranunculus

Wistaria

Walking through the Cerano Forest

This Sunday we decided to go walking, but not far. Best idea we created was to walk along the coastal road. Going by car out of the city after about 5 km I saw the sign - Bosco di Cerano (Cerano Forest). We decided to change our plans and explore this forest, located so close to Brindisi and which for some reason we have not heard about.
For clarification I will say that the forest in our region - a rare thing, basically you can see olive groves, fields with vegetables or vinelands. Therefore, each grove is a national park in miniature.
The forest was divided by road along which we came. 

Both parts had had paths and benches for rest.

The paths sometimes came out on the sidelines of vinelands.  

Now it's spring and vines are covered with the first pale green leaves. 

And under them grow poppies and other flowers.

One of the paths led us to a huge field of yellow flowers, where sometimes poppies could have been seen.

I realized that yellow is the color of high noon spring in the southern Italy for me, because this color can be seen everywhere.

After the trees, I saw something bright yellow and scrambled through the brush I saw this huge mimosa tree in the full blow.  I didn't have enough space to make a photo of whole tree.

I liked contrast between mimosa and dry stock under it.

In the end we arrived to the sea and tired we decided to go back home.

We realized that we need to be sure prihat here for a picnic)

Flowering Peach Tree

Feel of spring ... There are first soft sweet-smelling flowers and of course peach and almond begin to bloom. Bright, elegant and delicate flowers of peach tree - the byword of spring.

Peach tree blooms in early spring, here in south Italy usually in February or beginning of March. The flowers are white, pink or dark red. Flowering begins when there are no leaves so the tree seems pink cloud on the background of the blue sky. Then flowers wither and leaves appear. This is a short-term beauty, just about a week or two we have to enjoy the flowering peach and almond trees.

Replacing charming fragrant flowers on branches of peach tree soon will appear equally attractive small velvety fruits. But it is - then ...

  First flowers under olive tree

Sunday by the Ionian Sea

Today was wonderful day, warm and sunny. That’s why we decided to go to the Ionian sea (Brindisi is near Adriatic sea). It's about 40 minutes from Brindisi. 

Water was splendid and turquoise. It’s not cold already and I wet my feet. Sand was hot and gold. We passed 2 hours at the beach walking and reading. Of course I have done what I prefere at the beach – gathering of the shells.  And of course I payed for this my a little burned shoulders) I don't know where I will use these sheel but I like them very much!

In the evening we gone in the other town, Porto Cesareo, for walking and looking the sunset.

This town is very famous for fishermans and there are many fish markets. We bought many kind of small fish and the sea food to do wonderful “Zuppa di pesce” – Fish soup. This is very particular plate of our region. Today I show you some photos made in fish markets and next week I will post recipe for this famouse plate of South Italy. 

The sign of one fish market:

Sword-fish:

Tunnies (tunas) and other fish:

Differernt fish:

Mussels: