Market day ~ what did you buy?

[kerouac2]

Consider any overfilling to be a barrier against covid-19.

[bixaorellana]

Yes ~ extra oxygen!

[tod2]

Kerouac - were they pink grapefruit ? That is the most variety we are offered at the green grocer.

[kerouac2]

Yes, pink pomelos.

[bixaorellana]

And now for something completely different ~

I'm a little embarrassed about this as I've not only seen these for sale any number of times over the years, but have also seen them growing without ever asking about them or trying them.
But today the sweet old lady who sells tenates in front of my market had guajilotes for sale. She and the two vendors on either side of her told me the name & how to cook them. They're to be boiled until tender & are supposed to be sweet. We shall see.

Apparently they sprout easily from seed, so lets see if I'll wind up with a crop in my own yard ~
www.healthbenefitstimes.com/know-about-cow-okra/
and for keen botanists:
www.monaconatureencyclopedia.com/parmentiera-aculeata/?lang=en

[casimira]

What an odd looking vegetable. Do keep us posted on how you prepare and what it's like. I'm very curious.

[kerouac2]

They look very interesting but I am not sure how I would want to use them if they are sweet. If they are a bit tart when raw, I could imagine them as part of a salad.

"Thanks for leaving your suitcases on the chair or floor" in the background of the video perplexed me a bit.

[kerouac2]

I was in my ancestral eastern France yesterday and was thrilled to see some beloved products at the hypermarket that I cannot find in Paris. I did buy some gras double (tripe) and pork brains to bring home, but what really had me drooling was sauerkraut land. Sauerkraut is a cold season delight in eastern France, probably far more than most of you would expect.

For example, here is the sauerkraut display.



I was recently looking for just plain sauerkraut (in a can) in Paris and could not find it anywhere. Not a problem here.



Of course they sell choucroute garnie packages with all the necessary ingredients for people who don't have the time to make the dish.



Neverthless, one should not believe that this area of France is retrograde. It was not even 9am yet, and the sushi people (six employees!) were hard at work.

[kerouac2]

[lagatta]

Is the Sidi Brahim for cooking or drinking -or both? I really want some nems...

[kerouac2]

The Sidi Brahim is for drinking. What annoys me is that when I buy it in Luxembourg, the price is less than 3 euros.

[htmb]

What is Badoit Rouge? Strawberry flavored Badoit, or something like that?

[kerouac2]

Badoit Rouge is the fiercely bubbly Badoit, since Badoit Vert has wimpy bubbles. Effervescence is a major debate in France, to the extent that Perrier had to offer Perrier Bleu (wimpy bubbles) in addition to the normal Perrier Vert (big bubbles). Most of the French are wimps in terms of bubbles.

[htmb]

Seriously? What’s wrong with you French people?

I’m a regular Badoit drinker when in France, but don’t recall ever having seen the rouge. I’ll have to try some next time I visit.

[kerouac2]

I have to buy Badoit Rouge at the Chinese supermarket because my Monoprix does not even sell it!

[kerouac2]

I bought this at the Turkish store next door because 1) it looks delicious and 2) the name brand mixed with product name is probably a bit unusual. It is actually a product from the U.A.E.

[bjd]

I went to the supermarket this morning. They finally had cooking oil other than olive oil. Mostly canola, labelled that it was French. And the price has about tripled from before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

[kerouac2]

Yes, they had it at my Leclerc, too. 2.05€ for colza.

[bjd]

Jun 10, 2022 10:35:14 GMT kerouac2 said:

Yes, they had it at my Leclerc, too. 2.05€ for colza.

At my Leclerc it was about 3€30. And it's usually cheaper here than in Paris.

[casimira]

I am always envious when I read about all the ethnic food markets in Paris, London, Montreal etc. NOLA has a very, very limited selection of grocery stores with specialty items. One huge Asian Market and a small handful of Hispanic food markets.

Whenever I travel to a foreign place, I always make a point of checking out the local groceries. Items I usually buy are teas and spices. Some of the items I buy are based on the how cool the label is and just about anything (usually the teas) that are in tins.

[Kimby]

Is there a separate thread for farmers markets, or is this it?

In Montana there are several items that are harvested locally that are very desirable and very dear price-wise. The morel mushrooms that grow in forests the year or two after a fire are picked early in the summer, often by Hmong immigrants who carry 5 gallon pails full out of the burnt forest. A very small bowlful goes for $5, but a little goes a long ways.

Later comes the huckleberry harvest, which is in full swing now. Huckleberries are native cousins to blueberries, smaller, darker and much more flavorful. We have seen and eaten wild hucks along the trails while hiking, but never stumbled onto a patch with enough berries to make a pie, much less sell by the bag full. Today a 1-pound bag of huckleberries was going for $20.

But I went to the market today with one goal in mind: Dixon Melons! These are the best cantaloupes I’ve ever had, and they are grown about 1 1/2 hours drive from here on a farm along the Flathead River. This farm sends pickup trucks full of melons to farmers markets all over western Montana, and at the peak of the season they deliver to many supermarkets. But as the season wears down the only place to get Dixon Melons is the farmers markets.

Our market opens at 8, but people start lining up for the melons at 7:30. I was able to snag three melons, then on my way back to the car got a dozen ears of white sweet corn, a bag of peaches and a couple tomatoes. Yum!

[bjd]

Melon season is pretty much over here and you can't find sweet corn anywhere, even though they grow loads of corn for oil or animal feed in the area. There are still tomatoes in people's gardens but they are also nearing the end of the season and it's hard to find peaches at my local market.

It should be the start of mushroom season but we have had heat but no rain. There was a guy selling some at the market last week but they came from Lozère, far east and north of here. A neighbour found a cèpe (porcini) just in front of our house the other day, but I missed it given that I am blind to mushrooms.

[Kimby]

Probably good to be blind to wild-growing mushrooms. Too many that can make you sick or worse. Fortunately morels are pretty distinctive-looking. I have eaten ones I found in the wild, and in my yard rarely, and lived to tell the tale.

[kerouac2]

I bought a delicacy from the distant past.

[bixaorellana]

My chicken guy gives those a better pedicure before bagging them up for the customers.

[cheerypeabrain]

On Saturday I went to a vast Garden Centre (Gates') out in the wilds of Leicestershire. It has an attached fancy-pants farm shop. I bought a beautiful, lean topside of beef but I'm in shock over the price. I made such a fuss about which piece to have, how thick and asked for a slab of fat to use when cooking it...so when the butcher slapped on the price ticket of £34 I was too embarrassed to back down.

Inside I was screaming 'PUT IT BACK IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE!'..but I shuffled to the till and paid. It's in the freezer and we'll have it at Christmas. I'm an idiot.

[lugg]

Not an idiot Cheery - just very polite - anyway hopefully it will be good when you eat it at Christmas .

[kerouac2]

Since January 1st, store receipts are no longer printed automatically in France. You have to ask for one if you want it. I figure it is good to keep a few traces of a bygone era.

[mickthecactus]

So you bought garlic, lemon sole(?), ginger, red peppers, coriander. Something to do with eggs and sugar?
Not sure about the rest.

[breeze]

Durian ice cream? Wow.

I can't figure out tofu aux oeufs or Oeuf cuit sale.

Thanks for the heads up about the end of receipts. We always want a receipt so will probably ask for ours.

My husband, who is interested in everything, saw this as he walked by and tried to figure out which items you paid TVA on. Then he scrolled up and saw your bill from last year where you paid 5.5% TVA as well as 20% TVA. Would you mind you explaining what gets basic TA and what gets the higher rate?

Also, what do CH and TH mean on your bill?

Don't mean to be intrusive, just interested in how things work.

I can post a recent Wegmans bill if you like, though it's nowhere as fascinating.