Fruit and Vegetable Festival

On Sunday morning I went to the fruit and vegetable festival in Zebbiegh (Malta).  I had to ask how to get there! Never mind … There were stalls with very old bric-a-brac, an elderly woman spinning sheep’s wool, live folklore singers, old trucks and cars on show, a section for animals and, as one would expect, stalls with fresh fruit and veg grown in the area.

The festival

The festival is organised by the farming community of Mgarr, Malta (there’s also Mgarr Harbour in Gozo).  It’s a very small fest and cannot be compared to similar festivals abroad. I did not count the number of stalls, but off the top of my head, I’d say there were no more than 10 selling fruit and veg. But it was worth the trip … nice crisp lettuce, picked from the fields earlier on that morning, bright green broccoli, marrows, field tomatoes, potatoes, onions, strawberries, peppers, melons … a rainbow of colours … everything so crisp and fresh … and at a good price too!

Local produce

Mgarr is a rural village located in the north of the island of Malta.  It is renowned, across the Maltese Islands for its agricultural produce.  Mgarr is one of the few places, in Malta, where fresh water springs are found and the soil in the area is, kind-of, reddish brown. The fruit and veg grown here taste so much better than produce growing elsewhere on the island, where treated water is used.  The Mgarr strawberries are the cream of the crop!

I was not the only one who planned to get my weekly fruit and veg from the fest.   The vegetable stalls were so busy; everyone choosing the best they find.

For some reason, I seem to have an affinity with food markets – big or small!