Friendly Friday: MARKETS

Sandy, , ,

No matter where I go, far or near, I always enjoy a trip to the market. It’s summer here in Canada, the height of the harvest season and I love going out to buy baskets of tomatoes, peaches, plums, zucchini, potatoes … fresh, local and delicious.

This week’s Friendly Friday Photo Challenge is to share pictures of MARKETS. 

These can be photos of your local farmers market, night market, green grocers or superstore. If you’re like me and love visiting markets in foreign places, share those too.

When I went to Hungary, I made a point of seeing the Great Market Hall in Budapest. The cheese, meats and vegetables were fabulous but I was specifically searching for authentic Hungarian paprika. No surprise, nearly every stall sold paprika in both whole and powdered form. What was a surprise was the startling array of choice.

There are eight different flavor profiles in Hungarian paprika, from mild and bright red to spicy, pungent, and pale orange. The most common is the bright red variety called édesnemes, which has a strong peppery flavor and sweetness. And then there is the smoked variety which adds a third dimension of heady aroma. Of course any trip to the market is topped off with a meal and Gulyás makes a perfect lunch.

  • Perfect for Hungarian Plum Cake (Szilvás Pite)
  • Every veg stall had strings of peppers
  • Dried paprika peppers
  • Freshly roasted and milled – Heaven!
  • Buffalo Cheese
  • After market treat – Gulyás

In Seoul’s Gwangjang Market I was impressed by the variety of fresh and preserved foods. Dried fish is a delicacy and shops had banners of daintily tied mullets hanging from the rafters. Kimchi is made on site, along with other fermented vegetables.

In South Korea, meals are normally served with little side dishes (banchan) composed of cold cooked vegetables and pickles. Most of these condiments are purchased pre-made at the market. Pickled raw seafood is apparently a favorite. I was fascinated by a huge tub of little crabs marinating in salt and chili powder. I was offered a sample but I couldn’t muster enough nerve to try it.

  • Kimchi & other pickled vegetables
  • Dried fish

  • Spicy marinated crab
  • Seoul Street Food

Closer to home on Vancouver Island, I’m a fan of a non-profit culinary food group that connects restaurants, families and businesses to regional farmers and food producers. Super fresh produce is locally sourced and sold to order by weight, variety box or by item at the weekend food market. My Food Lovers Box was a treat. Juicy berries, luscious peaches, snappy beans, vividly flavored carrots … and kale. Sorry, I don’t get kale. I tried cooking the beast and it only got tougher! What kind of vegetable is this 😖

  • Local produce for sale
  • Cukes, Fennel, Corn & Eggplant
  • Food Lovers Box … and kale

I look forward to seeing your MARKET photos. Kale redemption recipes optional. Feel free to use your photo archives or take new pictures the next time you go shopping.

Remember to include a link to this post and a comment below,  so that I and others can find your response.

If you’re new to Friendly Friday, full instructions on how to participate can be found here.

This week’s challenge for MARKET goes up to Thursday, after which Amanda at StPA will post a new Friendly Friday challenge.

Toronto, Canada.  August 2020

54 Comments

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  3. Absolutely gorgeous photos, Sandy and what a trip around the world! Markets are the soul of any society and culture and a visit to one can be so rewarding. I am yet to take pictures of markets that tell a story but as many Friendly Friday prompts have been, this too serves as an inspiration! I just keep looking at these pictures…they are lovely. Here’s my link- https://acacophonouslife.wordpress.com/2020/08/25/friendly-friday-markets/

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      1. You do inspire and I am making note in my little diary:) May be one day in the future when the kids are grown up and I have more gray hair, I will get out with my camera and finally start taking photographs just the way I want to, drawing upon all these inspirations!

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  13. “Wonderful examples of Street Photography, Sandy, for which you are renowned. Fabulous theme you have given us too and I look forward to seeing loads of colourful market photos from all around the world.
    I never knew that paprika comes in various forms. I was just looking at some of my photos from Helsinki so I have posted those and other relevant markets. I love seafood and I also like your photos of the seafood markets although I am not sure I want a pickled crab!” Here is my offering:
    https://forestwoodfolkart.wordpress.com/2020/08/22/friendly-friday-challenge-market/

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    1. I am loving the photos from around the world. Most times, market life offers up glimpses into everyday life or how people celebrate special holidays. When I travel and visit a local market, I can imagine living there.

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      1. I do agree, Sandy. Markets are the place where you can feel the pulse of a nation. They are always colourful and one can usually find some interesting thing to buy, edible or non-edible. A thoroughly different experience from visiting a store.

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    1. I’ve actually heard of the market in Lafayette. I follow Smitty Bread’s blog and he started out selling bread at the market. He has a bakery now but according to his website, he still sells at the West & Downtown market. Have you ever tried it? Does his bread taste as good as it looks?

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          1. Sorry for the mix-up. Now that I’ve whetted you appetite for bread, you’ll have to see if there’s Smitty’s counterpart in Louisiana 🙂

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  21. Hi. You truly are making me hungry. If you have HBO, you might want to check out a series called Foodie Love. It’s a love story about two people who may or may not be right for each other. They both love delicious food. Food at times brings them together.

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    1. Aww. I’m a Netflix’r. I dropped HBO when Game of Thrones ended. Fortunately they’re lots of foodie shows out there. But you should go get something to eat Neil. On your next walk I challenge you to show me your neighborhood market!

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