Right beside the fish markets near the Rialto, are several dozen stalls of fruit and vegetable vendors that together comprise a pretty stunning small but abundant product market. Open 5 days a week, the produce on offer was eye candy for Marketman. Up top, the most amazing planggana or plastic basin filled with the freshest zucchini flowers. There were several more containers filled with flowers nearby. Stunning.
The male flowers are typically the ones sold for frying or stuffing, while the female flowers are at the end of zucchini fruit, seen here above. I love small succulent zucchini, one of my pet peeves of our locally grown zucchini is that they grow them WAY TOO BIG. To the right of the zucchini above are fresh borlotti beans, and to the left, humongous capsicum or sweet red bell peppers.
The natural colors and shapes of fresh vegetables are always incredibly photogenic.
Fresh raspberries, blueberries and blackberries so early in the summer? Probably imported from southern Italy or another country even…
Perfect asparagus, not too thin, not too thick and the tips still tightly closed…
INCREDIBLE baby or small artichokes, a personal favorite, a crate of cherries, some robust bulbs of fennel.
Suga snap or related peas, borlottis, green beans and spectacular tomatoes, though at that time of year these had to have been greenhouse tomatoes I would think.
Super fresh herbs including sage, basil, rosemary so thick you could use the stems as skewers…
…tons of flat leaf parsley, almost sweet tasting in Italy, not grassy at all like those raised in very hot weather.
And finally, some vibrant young spring radishes, with just enough zing, ideal for that odd but delicious pairing with butter and bread, radishes sliced thinly and laid over the butter and bread… I always find it invigorating to visit produce markets like this. And with some small tapas like bars nearby, just seeing all this produce works up an appetite! :)
19 Responses
the zucchini flowers look like kalabasa flowers. i’ve seen a batch of really fresh kalabasa flowers once in bulacan. i never thought that they actually looked pretty if they were fresh because the ones i see in the market are already wilted or squished or too bunched up together.
love them in ginisang gulay or kalabasa soup with chicharon :)
MM, what can I say? Your photographs are stunning!!! (as usual) Thanks for sharing. Those cherries are on of my favorites.Yummy…
Beautiful !!!!….salad, grilled, tempura, bulanglang etc…there is so much to do on those vegetables
What a blast of colors! And they look so appetizing just as is.When are we going to have something like these in our markets?
This I love — I love zucchini flowers. My Italian friend dips it into a batter and then deep fries them. Yum.
So pretty! Love zucchini flowers! Calabasa flowers will do too, hehe.
Beautiful photos, MM. We just walked through the market with you. One spring in Venice, the city was awash in mimosa, those lovely long feathery sprigs of tiny yellow flowers, people buying sprays of the flowers to take home, to carry around and gift one another with the essence of spring. Innate in the Italians – that sense of beauty. They just have it – that je ne sais ceau qous is that the right spelling, Mrs. MM??
Nothing beats an Italian market…(maybe the French). When we are in Italy, we like to stay in an apartment with cooking facilities so we can go to the local market and cook with fresh meat and produce! Yum…
Pardon moi @Marilen, c’est : Je ne sais quoi, Je ne sais pas pourquoi
Wow, great photos! I really like when you document your market trips. The fish market was great, this is even better. Keep it up!
a very colorful post and looks yummy too!
Its funny that even in food crazy Silicon Valley that eating zuchini flowers is still unheard of.
There’s a place like that in Baguio. At the place where I grew up they have this fresh produce everyday. I love zuchinni flowers but the squash flowers have different aroma when you’re cooking them. I miss the fresh fruits and vegetable in the Philippines. I wish I can take the tricycle and go to market early in the morning like I use to do.. with my job, th us government tell us when to take leave and when not to. I look forward to going back to my precious Philippines. Don’t you just love being there?
Beg your indulgence, MM but wanted to thank Jack Hammer for the correct French spelling. Thanks, Jack, for the correct spelling. Merci beaucoup.
Wow, fantastic shot! The smell of the herbs must be filling the whole marketplace, MM.
Thank you for sharing such beautiful photos! Wish our markets looked this way. It’s ironic that we have a lot of fresh produce, but they hardly look fresh even in the market. : (
It was in Florence or Venice that the vendors have a touch move policy (there’s a sign). Whatever fruit you touch, you have to buy. Hence, you should just point and they will be the one to get it for you if you like it. They should do it here. Notice how customers in the supermarkets irreverently go through a fruit or vegetable pile.
Ive never seen such huge capsicums in my life! Did you see the fruits and veggies that are sold from the boats?
WOW!!! Have been trying to grow zucchini but our soil isn’t good for it here. I just spend my time na lang gaping at all these beautiful pictures, MM.
Super nice!!!! I am soo inggit! I love marketplace ESP fresh produce section. Thanks