Spargels and Garlic

The outdoor market that covened on rare occasions in Summertown, a suburb close to where we live, was once a very rare treat. Now, it has become almost a weekly event being held on most Sunday mornings. According to conversations I have had with several stallholders, the operation is commercially successful, and the promoters are pleased to bring their wares to be sampled and be sold.

Our picture here shows some produce brought from the Isle of Wight ("What is this Isle de Blanc?" asked a French lady visiting the market!) The IoW is renowned for its excellent garlic, although what we see here is last season's. The climate is also sufficiently mild that some of this year's asparagus has already appeared even after the long spell of cold weather.

You may imagine that the fresh and young asparagus ws too much of a temptation for us, and we bought a bunch. By treating it as the most expensive luxury, we made it last for several delicious, if not enormous, meals.

The growers represented here do several interesting things with their garlic, and to the far right of the picture, you can see pots of mayonnaise and other condiments ready for testing. Very tasty, not to say odorous, stuff!

We'll probably be back next Sunday. Buy some rustic farm bread (rye loaves), the Sunday papers, and read the papers with a cup of coffee in the Costa over the road.