Farmers Markets

There are a lot of farmers markets in Hawaii and wondering through them is my new favourite thing to do. I love all the fresh produce and supporting local farmers -  this is my experience from a few weeks ago when i discovered dragonfruit.

I pass by a sign that reads ‘farmers market’, eager to check out the goods I walked along a skinny path, winding my way through jewelry and trinket stalls. I wander for a good ten minutes with no sign of fresh food or farmers, then, I catch a whiff of fresh pineapple. Carrying a large ripe pineapple, a couple walked past me without a second glance, my mouth started to water as I walked in the direction they had come from.

I turned a corner past another trinket stall and the markets opened up in front of me overflowing with fresh food. A myriad of aromas assaulted my nose, freshly baked bread, fruits, stir fry and other delicious goods. My mouth continues to water. There was a hum of activity, fruit being chopped, snippets of Chinese and Japanese and other foreign languages and accents... (continued after the break)

Om nom nom dragonfruit Image: Wiki

I strolled through the stalls soaking in the atmosphere and eyeing off the exotic fruits, guava, dragon fruit, star fruit, mango, papaya and longan. I was on a mission to try something new, having achieved not much else during this shopping expedition. I realized I had no cash on me so, although I was loath to leave, I sped back through the trinket stalls till I spied the three magic letters a, t and m. I was promptly charged $3 for the service, but I considered it small change as I hurried back to the sweet smells of deliciousness.

Money is a dangerous thing. I seemed to buy something from every second stall. Peppers for dinner, an avocado not yet ripe, malasadas for dessert and a pleasant surprise for my significant other. Malasadas are our guilty pleasure, we only buy them from an amazing bakery which is quite a trek from our home. This makes each malasada all the more sweeter. So whenever I see them I seize the opportunity for that sweet sugar high. 

My last purchase was small container of chopped pineapple and a mysterious fruit. Sitting in the bed of yellow flesh was five or so half circles of white grey flesh pitted with small black seeds. As I was walking home I eagerly opened the container and plopped a slice of what I suspected might be dragon fruit into my mouth. It was sweet, the taste not terribly over-powering with a nice firm but soft texture. I inhaled the pineapple as it dripped sweet juice over my lips, chin and fingers.  I carefully nibbled on the rest of the dragonfruit, enjoying the new taste. 

I love farmers markets, I always manage to discover a new taste and find some goodies to bring home to share. On a day filled with fruitless shopping this one was a fine treat to end the day with.