Whether you’re reading this in Zürich, Brugge, New York or Dubrovnik, I think we can all agree… the weather has been anything but predictable lately. We may have thought spring was on its way over here in Switzerland, but that quickly turned to cold temperatures, wind and rain once again. Where to go for a burst of color when it’s nothing but grey outside ? To the market, of course !
All throughout the year, people tell me how their favorite season for cooking and going to the markets is the winter – for the festive ambience and the wide array of vegetables in season. I can’t argue with that. While I do love the explosion of colorful berries during the summer time, the first sign of corn in the fall and white asparagus in the spring, there is just something about the winter markets in Switzerland that is truly special.
And so it was, my regular visit to Zürich’s Bürkliplatz market, of course way before 11am to avoid the- well, you know who! I chatted with a few market vendors and asked about those intimidating Market Police and the funky 11am fine. Turns out the market has a deal with local shop owners, which makes rather good sense. Otherwise, they would hang around all day long and potentially hurt local businesses. Now as far as the fine goes, this one had several readers wondering… just how much? CHF 50 ! 50 Swiss Francs the first time, and if you really can’t keep your hands off those cauliflower after 11am, well the fine goes up from there!
Luckily I was there real early, as is usually the case, and had plenty of time to pay a visit to my fruit and vegetable guy, swing by and pick up a rustic baguette from my bread ladies, as well as the day’s fresh catch from my fishmonger. Most of all, I simply enjoyed strolling through what was a rather lively and full market. Seems that the harsh winter season is slowly saying good-bye, and plenty of flowers and seasonal produce are saying hello. Nothing like bright tulips and promising bulbs to assure you that spring is not far away.
Nothing like one last trip to the market before Christmas time. No more wreaths to buy, as they’re hanging on all of the doors around town. Only a bushel here or there of mistletoe – such a difference from a month ago when it first arrived at the market in heaps. All the little “bonhommes de pain,” cute men made out of bread, have been bought and distributed to children, or gobbled up by their parents. Chestnuts are all probably sitting by the fireplace, ready for roasting. But there’s still a plethora of great produce to be had – tons of varieties of apples and root vegetables, plus bright orange clementines coming from Spain that are juicy and sweet as sugar. There’s also a fabulous array of nuts in their shells (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds) and delicious dried fruit – dates on the vine from Tunisia, figs stuffed with anise, plump apricots and chewy apple rings. Perfect for decorating the table and snacking all at once. Read the rest of this story >>
What’s at the market now, you ask? Mistletoe, mistletoe, and more mistletoe!
Approaching the Bürkliplatz Markt here in Zürich, you can see from afar that there’s something new and different at the market. Big green bushels have taken over all of the stands. With Christmas only two weeks away, the market has been real busy in the mornings, not many people leaving without a mistletoe branch in hand. Read the rest of this story >>
There is something about visiting food markets in Europe that just gets me all happy and giggly. I could easily spend hours walking around, gazing at the different colored fruits and vegetables, reading the signs, which – depending on my travels – are often in different languages and showing prices in different currencies. It’s this sense of what is foreign and new, yet what is so familiar at the same time. Having lived in Paris and still returning quite often, I know the markets pretty well there, so while blending in like a local at times, I also stick out like a tourist with my camera in hand, as I ogle the gorgeous displays of produce. When I first moved to Zürich, one thing I did right away was search out the local market. A place I would get to know very quickly. But I still stick out like a tourist!
Settings to avoid on a picnic: someone?s backyard, a spot right off the highway, an office building parking lot, and as many people might agree, next to train tracks. Not so for my husband, Olivier. Our ?peaceful, romantic? picnics in the French countryside often find us only meters from the tracks of France?s sleek high speed train, the TGV. We have spent hours on top of foot bridges waiting for these powerful trains to whoosh past us at frightening speeds. From his boyhood spent playing with his train set, to designing his own model at Paris? SNCF exhibit last year, Olivier is obsessed with trains.
And so, for his birthday, what else to do other than take him on a train ride up the mountain to have mouth-dropping views of not only Zürich, but Germany and the snow-capped Alps in the distance. Read the rest of this story >>
