Because autumn is just around the corner the new vintages are coming out and it's a great time of year to celebrate the summers copious bounty. I realized that here people live with less filtering between themselves and the land than Is usual for me so I've adjusted my comfort level and I am enjoying it.
I shop in the Great Market Hall (Nagy Varoshcharnok) which is FILLED to the top with stuff right from the farm every day. There is even a stand which had FRESH milk. That is milk from the cows which is cooled in a large vat (without being pasteurized) . I haven't been
brave enough to try that yet but I do get homemade butter and cream and yogurt from the stand next door which does pasteurize.
When I went to stand in line at the strudel (retes) counter I was anticipating my favorite sour cherry strudel until I was told the cherries are finished and now is time for the plums!
Well then it's plum retes for me for sure!Why would I want something other than what's the best at this time of year?
But this was an unusual experience for me. Being accustomed to getting any produce at any
time of the year has it's obvious appeal but it also in some ways desensitizes one to the
actual meaning of "fresh from.." the whatever. I don't have words to describe the difference
between freshly shipped fruit from Chile and freshly picked from the farm next door. It's an
experience as unique as chocolate. Until you have it you can't describe it and once you have
nothing else will do.
I like being closer to the lands bounty and I like the awareness it gives me of the miracle of our food sources. Putting a seed in the ground and adding water is our part. There is a magic or miracle in place every time that process produces cherries or apricots or tomatoes or corn or wheat or grapes and when packaging and processing stand between us and the source material something is lost that is not counterbalanced by convenience.
No Virginia, bread doesn't come from the shelf in the supermarket! I'm just sayin'
