Sunday 17 January 2016

To market, to market, to buy....


To market, to market
to buy a fat pig delicious home grown goodies....
Home again, home again
Jiggety jig!!!


When my dear friend Carol was out from the UK
in May last year
we visited the Matakana Market
which is an hours drive north of Auckland.




It was late Autumn so the pumpkins and other earthy vegetables
were at their best.

Are you aware that most people in the UK and France
think of pumpkins only as animal fodder?
 Kiwis on the other hand can't imagine
the quintessential Sunday roast of
lamb, beef or chicken without roasted pumpkin and potatoes!

Are you a pumpkin eater like me?
I know my North American friends are pumpkin lovers!
If you have a favourite pumpkin recipe
would you like to share it with me?
You can tell me here when you comment and
then email the recipe and I will send
you one of my favourites in return!





The crepes here are delicious
but the queue was far too long for us to wait
so we headed off to the coffee stall!



Some enterprising girls have set up a
dog minding stall
so visitors can do their shopping in peace.

It's a marvellous idea, as the day we were there
the market was unbelievably crowded
 wall to wall people
and I'm sure the dogs enjoyed their time out
(I wished I had been a doggy that day 
as I don't like crowds or queues)!




Their are some interesting shops to peruse in the village too
and naturally I spent a while in the bookshop.
Oh and there's a really good shoe shop too!




This week I'm joining

Eileen for Saturday Critters

and

Karen for Sunlit Sunday
please pop over and visit Karen's blog.
Karen is a volunteer for her local cat rescue group
and she is currently caring for the beautiful Purl
whom you'll meet when reading her blog!

I'm also joining
Judith for Mosaic Monday

thank you ladies for hosting your lovely memes.

Take care and
be kind to one another

à bientôt



Shane








47 comments:

  1. Shane we ADORE pumpkin in our house. Pumpkin scones, Pumpkin cake, Pumpkin mashed or turned into soup. All gorgeous! I'll send you one of my recipes and will look forward to receiving one in return. Much love and Happy New Year. Mimi xxx

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  2. Looks like it was a marvelous market day. I don't like crowds either. The pups sure look content to hang out. Yes, can't imagine not having pumpkin. We use it in so many different ways, from soups to sweets. Since I no longer use dairy products, I make vegan Mexican wedding cookies with pumpkin. The recipe is on the blog Cookie and Kate.
    http://cookieandkate.com/2012/pumpkin-pecan-polvorones-mexican-wedding-cookies/

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  3. Dear Shane,

    Loved seeing your lovely photos of the Matakana Market - isn't it a fun place to visit and stock up with all the delicious goodies.
    Our daughter went up with some friends back in November and bought a lovely candle for me for Christmas and some yummy marmalade.
    As for pumpkin - we enjoy it and in fact was one of the vegetables we had with the roast chicken tonight.
    Sending hugs and hope you are enjoying the summer
    Carolyn

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  4. Such a cheerful, sunlit post, dear Shane!
    It's funny how all those dogs stay so peacefully together. Very nice idea indeed!
    When I was a child, I didn't like pumpkin very much because at school we had to taste it pickled. :) In a nice risotto, with a lot of parmesan, however, pumpkin is really delicious.
    Happy Sunlit Sunday and Mosaic Monday! xx

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  5. I love pumpkins.I always feel cheerful after easting them.Roast pumpkin soup is my favourite. I even eat soup(hot) on most days in Summer(as long as it's not 40 degrees C. If you want the recipe I could email to you.It's pretty simple- uses olive oli to roast pumpkin first.

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  6. Must have been a great day to be outdoors and doing the market run. Lovely photos too, and thanks for sharing. Warm greetings!

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  7. This market looks what we call "gezellig". This is an typical dutch word what you can't translate. It is a feel, like you had that day.

    Groetjes,
    Hetty

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  8. My favourite pumpkin is butternut squash which I roast and then sprinkle with parmesan and chopped parsley.
    Love the Dog Minders stall, great idea, and also those teatowels with the artichokes, cabbages etc on them.

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  9. The market looks great. I'm visiting from Sunlit Sundy and as a Brit we don't use pumpkin hardly at all. Maybe just at Halloween when we buy it for decoration and use the inside in one recipe or another

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  10. No Shane, pumpkin is not a favourite food here! Though it is making a return in many English restaurants.
    What a super market. I love the idea of a dog area, clever girls!

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  11. Hello, Shane! Wonderful images from the Market place. The pumpkins look awesome, as do all the veggies. Pumpkin Pie is a favorite in my house. I love the lineup of doggies, they are so cute. Great photos and mosaics. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Sunday, enjoy your new week!

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  12. Like to go to the market....this one looks great !!...enjoy hoor sunday Darling......love from me Ria x ❤️

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  13. That looks like a lovely market Shane. I enjoy visiting our market but only do it a couple times a year! I got there before Christmas as there were some really nice wood crafts that I wanted to purchase for gifts. The dog minders is a good idea provided they are well behaved. Imagine if a raucous broke out! :) Have a wonderful and sunny week ahead. xx Pam

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  14. I think England is getting educated about pumpkins too :-)
    xx

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  15. What a marvelous day, cute dogs in the dog minder booth. I love pumpkin bread, with cinnamon and cloves, filling the house with the aroma of autumn.

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  16. Very enterprising of the young people to mind the dogs who all look cuddly and contented. I'm sure the owners appreciated the service as they browsed and shopped in the market. Enjoy your sunny weather dear Shane.

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  17. Thank you very much for participating in Sunlit Sunday, Shane. I would enjoy a good wander through that beautiful market! It's funny, I see lots of references to pumpkins, on my side of the pond, around Thanksgiving in October and around Christmas, but not really at other times of the year. You have reminded me that I have a pumpkin soup recipe I enjoyed and must make again, so I'll give you the link, in case you want to take a look. I'll confess to using tinned pumpkin puree. w.canadiangardening.com/food-and-entertaining/garden-to-table/pumpkin-soup/a/44194

    Karen

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  18. A wonderful market Shane, and looking so cozy with the dogs gathered there.
    I love pumpkin soup, but apart from that I have not been eating it much, I know it is because I`m too foul , to find good recipes in Danish, and also it is not easy to find the wonderful sorts you show here, I believe not many Danes eat pumpkin !!
    Hugs and a happy new week, dear Shane

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  19. Pumpkin pie is one of my favorites. A very interesting market. Great photos. Love the dog sitting photo. Have a blessed day. Madeline

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  20. I can't tell you what a lift it gives me to see an outdoor farm market during our cold winter weather where outdoor markets aren't really an option. I think the only thing they could sell there would be frozen meat! I love my favorite farm markets and I'm so looking forward to summer when they will arrive here. Meanwhile, I'll rely on your wonderful photographs to bring back warm memories and inspire dreams of warmer weather!

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  21. I love the girls and dogs pic!!! Isn't that cute. My favorite pumpkin recipe is for pumpkin pie out of my old Betty Crocker cookbook. I sometimes even make it crustless, so that it's actually a little ramekin of pumpkin custard. Either way, it's delicious! I enjoyed those pumpkin photos.

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  22. Shane, what a marvelous market. So much to see and do! I'm not as fond of pumpkin as I am some of the other winter squash ... but I eat it! :) Chuckled when I saw the girls and the dogs -- very clever of them to dog-sit. Happy SunLit Sunday!

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  23. I use orange-fleshed winter squash interchangeably, and prefer butternut to most others for flavor, texture, and ease of peeling. I puree and freeze a bunch in the fall here when they are on sale; I can't seem to grow them well in my garden. When I get out of my chair I'll look up a couple of my favorite recipes, one for pumpkin curry soup and one for spiced pumpkin muffins.

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  24. My darling Shane,
    in my famly everybody love pumpkins, in pies, tortellini, polpettone, marmalade ... it can be used in so many ways, it's a wonderful vegetable !
    How I would have loved to be at that market with you, sweetie, markets are my alley !

    Sending blessings on the remainder of your Sunday and on the start of your new week,
    thinking of you
    Dany

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  25. Us Kentuckians love our pumpkins and squash. I also love fresh food outside markets. We have them in the summer time. It is cold and gloomy here in Ky. so I enjoyed your post today. Over from Karen's Sunlit Sunday. Have a great week.

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  26. Thanks for sharing that lovely market Shane. I enjoyed looking at all of the photos. Sounds like you are enjoying yourself. Take care and enjoy the week.
    Julie xo

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  27. What a fabulous market!!! You and your friend must have really enjoyed it. Although we don't eat much pumpkin - not easy to get hold of here - we do eat quite a bit of squash such as butternut squash, so not too bad! xx

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  28. I LOVED perusing with you through this marvelous market Shane!! And those clever girls setting up a dog minders shop-I love it! As my Mom is French she didn't know about a lot of pumpkin things but her mother always made a sweet pumpkin soup and my Mom has carried on the tradition here in the states and I grew up on it. Of course, now my Mom makes pumpkin pies, cookies and muffins:):)

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  29. What a wonderful market Shane for all those that love organic produce like us! One not to be missed! What an enterprising idea of those girls minding the dogs. So many of them look like my little apricot poodle, Lilly!
    Hope you are going well!
    ♥Suzy

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  30. Both of those pumpkins look great. While New Englanders do love pumpkin, I don't know about their being served as veggies would. They are often used in soups, breads, pies, cakes, etc. Are they good like a squash roasted? That looks like an excellent market and a fun way to while away some time shopping. The dog minders are very entrepreneurial.

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  31. Both of those pumpkins look great. While New Englanders do love pumpkin, I don't know about their being served as veggies would. They are often used in soups, breads, pies, cakes, etc. Are they good like a squash roasted? That looks like an excellent market and a fun way to while away some time shopping. The dog minders are very entrepreneurial. (If this goes twice, please delete.)

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  32. Happy New Year Shane. Alas I have not found time to blog or comment at blogs lately (too many weddings, significant birthdays etc plus renovations, home/family commitments) but discovered Instagram was a very simple means of updating my blogger friends and creating a picture collage of our family life. I also have an account for my vintage china hire/event styling business. I had a wedding expo this weekend and my daughter looked after our market stall. The dog minding stall photo made me smile as dogs are banned from our markets - it is a very large market with hundreds of stalls and thousands of visitors but you ought to see the number of ladies who smuggle in their dogs in their handbags or even in baby slings. Only small dogs of course! And as for pumpkin my favorite recipe actually comes from an English party/recipe book Pippa Middleton's 'Celebrate'. It's a butternut squash lasagne and it is delicious. My favourite sweet recipe is a pie which I believe my daughter found on the Southern Living website. It has an an oaty base and the two textures work wonderfully.

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  33. What clever young people to set up such a helpful business. I bet they enjoy it. We love all thinks pumpkin here especially in the fall, I enjoy making black bean pumpkin soup. Quite healthy!

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  34. Dearest Shane,
    Well, to tip the balance, I will leave you with a French recipe for Pumpkin Puree which is great for anti-bloating. http://cuisine.journaldesfemmes.com/recette/309477-puree-de-potiron
    I do love this veggie very much but in The Netherlands I never have eaten it before.
    Sending you hugs and blessings,
    Mariette

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  35. Hello Shane,
    Visiting a market like the one you took your friend to would be a delight. All that fresh produce is making me drool, especially now when there is so little in season here and we rely on imported fruits and vegetables.
    I have a pumpkin cake that I like to make, with cranberries in it, and drizzled with an icing sugar glaze. Pumpkin soup is good and I do make pumpkin pie although I'm not fond of it myself, but my husband and children like it.
    Have a good week, my friend.
    hugs,
    Lorrie

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  36. Looks like a lovely market Shane! And yes, I love pumpkins!! :-)

    Happy week!

    Madelief x

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  37. I've never thought about roasted pumpkin for a veggie Shane but it would likely be no different than having squash or sweet potatoes. Pumpkin pie, tea breads, muffins and soup are how we generally eat this vegetable.
    I can't wait for our open air market to start again in spring, we're at the mercy of the grocery stores over winter for fresh vegetables and many are imported.
    A great idea the girls have for minding dogs for shoppers.

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  38. Lovely post Shane. My heart melted at seeing the Apricot poodles. We had a beautiful apricot, he lived 'til he was 18 1/2years old, althought the last year was too much for him.The Matakana market is a real treat isn't it. Those pumpkins looked just wonderful. I love the buttercup pumpkin and made into a soup.

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  39. What a beautiful place and fun to see!

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  40. I love pumpkin any way you can cook it! In fact I have a lot now in the freezer from the ones I bought before halloween at the pumpkin farm. Some just frozen in chunks to add to stews, casseroles, even breads etc, and lots already pureed and frozen in heavy duty bags ready for soups.
    Quite honestly I don't recall ever having a pumpkin in England when a child - never saw one growing or for sale at the greengrocer's shop. I know in the south of France they eat them a lot - my SIL made lovely meals for us which included pumpkin - and we did attend that wonderful Autumn Pumpkin festival there a few years back.

    The market looked like fun Shane, and those adorable doggies so well behaved.
    Hugs - Mary

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  41. Applauses to the girls behind 'Dog Minder'! What a clever idea!

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  42. Hello Dear Shane, I am behind in my blog reading - been on hols, and without the 'puter. What a nice looking market, and yes, I love pumpkin, which is my favourite vegetable. I like it cut in chunks, drizzled with olive oil, sea salt and cracked pepper, then roasted in the oven. Yum. My daughter makes pumpkin pie the American way, but uses canned pumpkin. Seems a travesty to me. Hope you are having a nice New Year in 2016. xox

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  43. I use pumpkins mostly in soups. I make an orange soup - sweet potatoes, carrots butternut squash and pumpkin. It is not a proper recipe as I keep changing, but I usually saute onions and add vegetable stock, dill and a can of chickpeas for a bit of crunch.
    Amalia
    xo

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  44. Yes I am a pumpkin lover! I love anything pumpkin. In fact last week I made Roasted Pumpkin Soup with a sugar pumpkin I brought home from a trip to Cape Cod. My son & I really liked it... hubby not so much. I revised the recipe so make it a skinnier version, omitting the heavy cream, and adding cumin. When serving I put a couple pats of butter in the center, drizzled with maple syrup and sprinkled with dried parsley flakes. It was a very filling soup even without the heavy cream.
    Love your beautiful photography! Amazing! The vintage photos of your mother are so sweet. I hold old photos dear to my heart.
    Blessings to you and yours for a very happy New Year! Edie Marie & Marie Antoinette

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  45. What clever dog sitters!!! I have to laugh at the French and pumpkins. The last time we were in France we stopped at a road side market and bought a gorgeous French pumpkin. We took it back to our apartment, cut it open, saved the seeds to bring home, and left the pumpkin in the refrigerator. We were going to toss it, but forgot. I bet who ever came in to clean after we left we surprised to find that there. We did tuck the seeds in a pocket and got them into the country, then planted them in the garden. We had a few that first year, but none after that. Oh I do love them. As far as eating them, mostly we used them for pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread.

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  46. I think those young people should be commended for their enterprise - even to think of doing such a thing is pretty amazing. Good for them! As for pumpkin - we love pumpkin pie and most often we buy a big pumpkin (or 2) in the fall and put them in the freezer to pull out for pies over the winter. If we have a fresh one, we will often roast it and eat it as a vegetable. Mmmm!!

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