Barbados @ 50 - Bridgetown Market

Barbados' Market in Bridgetown comes alive on Fridays and Saturdays. Most of the activity takes place very early on Saturday mornings. Because it is a weekly market, it is imperative that you get to the market at 6 - 6.30 in the mornings. Depending on the time of year, it is wonderful to be there as the sun rises. The morning sun shines its bright light on the many fruits, vegetables, and produce on sale. The market stretches all the way from the post office to Fontabelle.

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Market Shopping: Fresh & Colourful

One cannot help being attracted to fresh, local produce (imported purple onions). So colourful. So beautiful. An inspiration and invitation to cook.

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Guyana @ 50 - Markets

There are fresh markets all over Guyana. In many parts of the country you can find daily wet and dry markets. Some places have weekly and weekend market activities. Stabroek Market is located in the heart of the city.  It is also one of the city's iconic landmarks. The entire area around the market is always bustling with activity. In addition to fresh produce, meat and seafood, you can find shoes, clothing, jewellery and many household items. When you're done shopping refresh yourself with a snow cone, or depending on where you shop, shaved ice or fresh cane juice.

Snow Cone ©Cynthia Nelson

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Guyana @ 50 - Market Stalls

Among the things I miss about living in Guyana is the facility of having daily fresh markets all full of fruits, vegetables, produce, seafood, meat and poultry. And depending on which market you visit, clothing, jewellery and household items can be bought.

The wide array of fresh food is dizzying... what to chose, what to eat... Here is a stall at one of the more popular markets in Georgetown, Bourda.

Stall Bourda Market ©Cynthia Nelson

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Guyana @ 50 - Mon Repos Market

One of the many things I like about Guyana is the constant and ready supply of fresh food. At many of the markets you go to, you can point to a duck or chicken you wish to purchase, have it weighed, slaughtered, plucked, gutted, roasted, and cut up to your specifications. Food cannot be more fresh! The char and smokiness from the roasted skin adds immense flavour to the finished dish, particularly if you are planning to make a curry.

Mon Repos Market ©Cynthia Nelson

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Colourful Shopping

When I return from my weekly market shopping, I would unpack everything on the kitchen counter and then sort and put them away. A colour that always dominates is green, however, the other day I noticed that I had quite an array of colours and I just wanted to share them with you :))

One of the things I look forward to during summer is seeing the amazing array of colours on the food blogs - raw and cooked. Amanda over at Figs, Bay & Wine does it exceptionally well. Beth over at Columbus Foodie takes great pride is showcasing and creating awareness of the farmers' markets in her neck of the woods.

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Market Friends & Foes

When I was young I never liked going to the market. Yet, my mom would send me to the market every week; for me it was a form of punishment. The vendors were my major source of distress. Because I was young, they took advantage of me by giving me substandard items thinking that I did not know better. I'd go home and my mother would lecture me! I felt trapped - bullied by market vendors and being scolded by my mom for things I had no control over. Continue reading the column. Do I like going to the market now? Find out.

Here are some photographs of various market scenes in Guyana and Barbados.

This week on ABOUT.COM: find out the Top 10 Essential West Indian Ingredients you should stock if you want to cook Caribbean food.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.

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A Test Of My Patience...

I do not shy away from hard work. I know and understand that there are certain things that take time to prepare and cook. However, after sitting for more than two hours cutting, peeling, shredding a katahar’s pulp and shelling its seeds and then waiting for more than an hour for it to finish cooking, I was no longer feeling the love. Click here to continue reading the column and to learn more about this vegetable.

Left: Katahar un-cut Right: Cut Katahar showing seeds & pulp

This vegetable is known as:
Katahar (Guyana)
Chataigne (Trinidad & Tobago)
Breadnut (English)
Castana (Spanish)
Chataignier (French)
Kapiak (New Guinea)
Kamansi, dulugian, pakau, kolo, ugod (Phillipines)
Kulur, Kelur, Kulor, Kuror (Malaya, Java)
Mei Kakano (Marquesas)
Pana de pepitas (Puerto Rico)

Top: pulp with seeds Bottom: seeds ready to be shelled

Left: pulp shredded Right: pulp shredded and seeds shelled and cut ready to be cooked

Top left: Uncooked ripe seeds, Bottom left: cooked ripe seeds, Right: Cooked seed whole, shelled & peeled

Katahar Curry

The Royal Foodie Joust and Eat Healthy Contest that provided a chance to win a copy of my book are over and next week the winners will be announced! Don't forget that you can CLICK for a chance to win a copy of the book and be on the look out for other blog contests where you can win another copy of the book.

Thanks to all the Royal Foodie Joust & Eat Healthy Contest participants! We could not have done it without you!

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Eureka's Green Thumb!

As the New Year steps in, many of us will have made various resolutions that have something to do with eating. Some folks will decide to restrict a particular food or beverage; some folks will have taken the drastic step of cutting out certain foods and drinks altogether. However, I hope some of you will be like me. I have resolved to experiment more and try new things and explore new ways of using familiar ingredients. I want to expand my palate and the palates of those with whom I share my meals and the use of herbs is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to expand and experiment in the kitchen. Click here to read the entire column and to meet Eureka!

This collage is just a sample of some of the herbs that can be found in Eureka's garden and at her stall.

Follow this link for a closer look at the herbs, a description and how you might use it. I have also included informative links from here, here and here about herbs, how to grow them, preserve them etc.

You may find my previous posts on Green Seasoning and Thyme useful as well.

CLICK the photography event is back and this month, the theme is RED! Participating also gives you a chance to win a copy of my book! So take out those cameras and get CLICK-ing! Read all the details of the event here.

Don't forget that you can also win a copy of the book by participating in the Royal Foodie Joust and the Eat Healthy Contest!

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Agrofest

Last Weekend, Agrofest, an annual agricultural exhibition by the Barbados Agricultural Society was held at the Queen's Park, Bridgetown. There were lots of produce on sale and display. It was like a large open air market, lots to buy, lots to see and lots to learn. Click here for more Agrofest pictures or on the Agrofest album on the right hand side of the blog.

I could not resist taking this photograph. This is the kind of can that women carried on their heads long ago as they walked about selling mauby. When they had a customer, they would skilfully fill a cup without looking up and without spillage!

I also took some pictures of farm animals at Agrofest and here is my take on what they seem to be thinking:

"Why am I here?"

"What are you looking at?"

"Get me out of here!"

"Don't touch me!"

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Markets Are Alive

When last have you been to the market? not the supermarket or a mega-market; I'm talking about those weekly or daily farmers' markets where everything is fresh, sometimes alive, in variety and abundance.
In this week's column, I discuss my market-trips as a youngster.
Below are some recent market scenes. For more, view the album on the right.

Cheapside Market, Bridgetown, Barbados

Fresh goat, Mon Repos Market, East Coast Demerara, Guyana

Bourda Market, Georgetown, Guyana

Butcher, Mon Repos, ECD, Guyana

Stall at Parkia Market, Guyana

Fresh chickens being cleaned, Mon Repos Market, Guyana

Freshly caught fish, Mon Repos Market, Guyana

Roasting of freshly plucked duck, Mon Repos Market, Guyana

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Eating Hassar

This weekend I cooked hassar curry. As I ate my meal, I wondered about the fascination with the fish, after all, the most significant part of hassar-eating is sucking on the tough shell, the meat is of little consequence; oh, I love the eggs inside. So what is it that makes us desire this fish? And is it better cooked with coconut milk or water?

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