Waimea Stop

Waimea, a small town on the north end of Hawaii Island. It's up in the mountains, so the air is always crisper than Waikoloa or Kailua-Kona.

It also rains intermittently throughout the day, making for some of the most beautiful mountains you'll ever see.

The Waimea Homestead Farmers Market, on Saturday mornings.

Coconut carving.

The Parker Ranch, which visitors can enter freely. A huge swath of Waimea is owned by this family, and their family history is fascinating. Unlike the oft-told tales of a (white) newcomer coming to an island and taking its land away from the native dwellers, in the early 1800s John Palmer Parker landed on the Big Island and essentially married into a prominent Waimea family.

Their self-guided tour is worth looking into.

Horses on the ranch.

Fruit-shopping at Kona Farmer's Market

My annual visit to the farmer's market in Kailua-Kona.

  

This year, I was much more ambitious about what I purchased.

 

Salamanders blending in with the fruit.

 

 

Papaya, star fruit and chicko. The lady at the fruit stand was spectacularly unhelpful when I asked chicko tasted like: "It tastes like chicko."

It tastes like a cinnamon-laced persimmon.

 

Rambutan (the furry red balls), passion fruit (yellow balls), cherimoya (green fruit), papaya. 

 

The rambutans were the easiest to eat, and the most delicious.

The cherimoya was not ripe at all, and tasted absolutely horrible. Apparently it is supposed to taste like custard, and the seeds are truly poisonous!

Kachidoki Farmers Market

Marché of the Sun, otherwise known as the Kachidoki Farmers Market. It began only September of last year, and sells fresh produce and natural products from farmers all over Japan. 

 

The market is held one weekend a month in the newly-developing Kachidoki area of Tokyo. It is either sponsored or "supported" by Mitsui Fudosan Residential, a real estate giant that most likely wants to entice visitors to move to the area. 

The "marché" in the official name gives you an idea of how it wants to be perceived -- upscale and for a younger generation. Another indication is the impeccable official homepage. Its design and features are magazine-perfect. They even have a series that introduces participating farmers and their farming methods. 

Truth be told, Kachidoki is a lovely, very livable area. The historical Sumida River, which cuts through a large swath of Tokyo, is right nearby. And while Kachidoki itself screams "new area", immediately neighboring it is Tsukishima, which has a more traditional vibe.

To wit: to get to the market area from Kachidoki Station, you have the option of two bridges: a foot bridge or an automated escalator (to the left).

Contrary to what you would expect from a farmers market, though, the produce is far from cheap. A single strawberry cost 100 yen (1 USD)! This is definitely a market for those who can afford to be conscientious.

 

On the other hand, you get to see a lot of vegetables that you would never find in a supermarket, so simply going from stall to stall and browsing is a joy. For example, I'd never seen naganegi (Japanese bunching onion) so close to flowering before!

 A sesame stand that shows how sesame oil is distilled.

 Artisanal coffee.

 Yam babies, as tiny as a pinball.

This looks like goldfish but is actually chrysanthemum jam. 

 A stand selling shaved dried bonito, which you can use as a base for miso soup.

 

A handful of food trucks were out as well.

 Sour cream cheesecake.

One of the many nearby rivers that feed into Sumida River. 

 Jellyfish are a common sight.

The next market will be on May 10th and 11th!

Beats Going to the Supermarket

No joke, there is some kind of farmer's market going on every single day of the week in Annecy. The ones in the Old Village are lovely, but my favorite is the Saturday market that takes place near the Lycée Berthollet, a short wander from the Bonlieu building.

In short, it's bigger and offers more variety than the market held on Tuesdays and Fridays in the Old Village.

Fresh fruit and vegetables...

...herbs...

...fresh flowers...

 

... and even textiles.

I wish I had tried the peeled lemons.

And also the flat peaches.

They give you a nice big slab of cheese to taste before buying.

These look sweet and probably taste much too sweet.

Chow-chow.

I saw this man last year too.

I got a chicken leg for two euros.