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| What's at its best in Gran Canaria's markets in February? |
It may be the coldest and wettest month of the year, but the local markets here on Gran Canaria are stuffed with locally grown produce. One of the great things about living here is that there is always tropical fruit available. Because the island is so high each fruit has a long season, ripening first at sea level and finishing up in the mountains.
This month, new potatoes grown in the rich soil up in Tejeda (at over 1500m) are at their best. They come in all sizes but the best ones are pale brown with pink eyes. Pick ones that are so fresh that their skin is still flaky.
Local cabbages, cauliflowers and leeks are good and very fresh at the moment. Stranger veg such as kohlrabi and fennel bulbs also turn up occasionally.
Among the fruit, the navel oranges are still in season for the month. There are so many around at the moment that they were on sale today in San Lorenzo Market at just 80 centes a kilo, or ten euros for a huge box. Gran Canarian oranges are heavy and full of juice. When you squeeze them, there is hardly any pulp or waste! Grapefruit and tangerines are worth searching out at this time of year. You can spot the local ones because they still have leaves attached to their stems.
Other great fruit at this time of year are the last of the kakis or persimmons (known as sharon fruit in the UK). They look like orange tomatoes with four flat leaves at the top. Local ones are small and flattish and have to be eaten once they soften. Eat a kaki unripe and it coats your whole tongue with white fluff! Ripe ones are intensely sweet. You can just eat the lot, but most people peel them first.
Try the guavas if you find them. The best are small and bright yellow, with either pink or white flesh and seeds. Some people love their strong smell, while others think it smells like cat pee! The flavour is strong and sweet.
Look out for small red cactus fruit, know locally as tunos Indios. They are bright crimson inside, with lots of hard seeds. Tunos Indios are acid if you eat them alone, but go well with orange and papaya juice. Locals use them to make smoothies and milkshakes. They are said to be good for the liver and are full of vitamin C and healthy pigments. Never pick cactus fruit off the plant. They are covered in tiny spines that get everywhere! The ones in the market are brushed and washed to get rid of (most of) the spines.
There are always papayas in Canarian markets, but the big ones on sale in February are particularly sweet. They are at their best peeled and chopped up in a fruit salad along with oranges. Squeeze over some lime or lemon juice and sprinkle with sugar. Add some port or sweet sherry for a decadent touch!
The last of the seasons mangos are still on sale, but most of them don't ripen well. If they feel hard all over and don't smell of anything, they are best left behind.
Towards the end of February, the local strawberries start to ripen. They are large and sweet-smelling, and good ones are delicious. Look out for them in markets and even street stalls. Only buy them if you can smell them from 20 metres away!
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| Fresh new potatoes from Tejeda |
Local cabbages, cauliflowers and leeks are good and very fresh at the moment. Stranger veg such as kohlrabi and fennel bulbs also turn up occasionally.
Among the fruit, the navel oranges are still in season for the month. There are so many around at the moment that they were on sale today in San Lorenzo Market at just 80 centes a kilo, or ten euros for a huge box. Gran Canarian oranges are heavy and full of juice. When you squeeze them, there is hardly any pulp or waste! Grapefruit and tangerines are worth searching out at this time of year. You can spot the local ones because they still have leaves attached to their stems.
Other great fruit at this time of year are the last of the kakis or persimmons (known as sharon fruit in the UK). They look like orange tomatoes with four flat leaves at the top. Local ones are small and flattish and have to be eaten once they soften. Eat a kaki unripe and it coats your whole tongue with white fluff! Ripe ones are intensely sweet. You can just eat the lot, but most people peel them first.
Try the guavas if you find them. The best are small and bright yellow, with either pink or white flesh and seeds. Some people love their strong smell, while others think it smells like cat pee! The flavour is strong and sweet.
Look out for small red cactus fruit, know locally as tunos Indios. They are bright crimson inside, with lots of hard seeds. Tunos Indios are acid if you eat them alone, but go well with orange and papaya juice. Locals use them to make smoothies and milkshakes. They are said to be good for the liver and are full of vitamin C and healthy pigments. Never pick cactus fruit off the plant. They are covered in tiny spines that get everywhere! The ones in the market are brushed and washed to get rid of (most of) the spines.
There are always papayas in Canarian markets, but the big ones on sale in February are particularly sweet. They are at their best peeled and chopped up in a fruit salad along with oranges. Squeeze over some lime or lemon juice and sprinkle with sugar. Add some port or sweet sherry for a decadent touch!
The last of the seasons mangos are still on sale, but most of them don't ripen well. If they feel hard all over and don't smell of anything, they are best left behind.
Towards the end of February, the local strawberries start to ripen. They are large and sweet-smelling, and good ones are delicious. Look out for them in markets and even street stalls. Only buy them if you can smell them from 20 metres away!
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