Last year I went to the annual onion market in Bern with the Swiss Festivals group of ZIWA. This year's offering was a chance to go to another fall vegetable market: carrots. Why not? It was certainly something I would never see in the USA. I like to take advantage of these opportunities while I can. As you might expect, the market stalls were decorated with the theme of the day.
Look at the lower right of this picture. On top, there is a long squash carved with a heart on the left with "lich" inside followed by the word willkommen. Herzlich Willkommen! It's difficult to read, but the pumpkin is also carved to say Rüblimärt! (carrot market) In other words, we were heartily welcomed to the carrot market!
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| I like how the u
looks like a smiley face! |
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| 5 different color carrots and parsnips |
I bought some of every color, but would have bought the ready-made assortments if I'd seen them first. I also bought a bundle of assorted mini carrots. Tom and I did a taste test while they were still raw. There is a subtle difference in flavor. The white is also a little less firm than the others.
The vendors were very creative - so many choices of carrot based products. Most booths had samples to entice customers.
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| cakes and tarts - not as sweet as American |
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| two kinds of carrot soup |
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| carrot infused cheese |
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| bread in the shape of a carrot! |
The carrot cheese tasted like cheese to me - just looked weird.
Didn't buy any. I did buy some carrot bread which is not a sweet bread
like an American pumpkin bread. It tastes like bread, but has little
orange flecks. Mine was just round since I bought it before we saw this
clever baker.
Sadly, it was another cold, rainy day in Switzerland, but it didn't stop people from coming to Aarau for their annual event. It was plenty crowded, anyway.
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| at the edge of the market - umbrellas don't work well in a crowd |
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| a lull in the weather |
Even
the local shopkeepers jumped on the carrot wagon. These muffins are
shown in a shop window. The shop sold liqueurs, olive oil, honey and
spices. Why not carrot muffins too? At least the vendor was warm and dry.
fun and creative displays
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| even the used book booth had a carrot display |
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| minor deduction because hands didn't move |
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| carrot topiary |
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| my first place prize winner for best display - all carrots except the bunny! |
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| what's a carrot market without Carrotman? |
I am not one to go to a market and come home empty-handed. It was a bit heavy to carry the soup home, but easier than eating outside in the rain. Now I have two glass containers leftover too. Maybe the soup wasn't such a great idea. Anybody want the containers? They can be vacuum sealed.
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| my purchases |
Now that I had so many carrots, I looked for some new ways to prepare them. Thanks to the internet, it's easy to find new recipes.
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| steamed carrots ready for seasonings |
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| finished product - Algerian carrots ready to eat |
We were instructed not to cook the dark carrots with the other or they would make everything gray. I agree that gray soup does not sound appetizing. Here I roasted carrots to put on top of a salad. I kept the dark ones separate just in case.
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| Yum! |
Both new recipes were very tasty. All I have left to cook are the parsnips.
As we move towards the Christmas season, I'll leave you with something you may want to consider in your holiday decorating.
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| Merry Carrotmas? |
