Historic Food Images 5: From Kyiv

My last trip to Kyiv was very short, just over a week, but I did sneak in a trip to the antique market on the other side of the river, every Saturday morning.  I've been there enough that one dealer knows I'm looking for food and farming photos and always has a couple for me.  The above is just a detail from the photo below.  I was struck this time by how many photos I saw of women working together.  In this, harvesting some kind of root crop--hard to tell exactly what.  And of course, in 1959, this is on a collective farm.

In this undated photo, women are working outside, again together, this time peeling potatoes.

I particularly love this group, who look like they've paused for lunch, while harvesting or doing other outdoor work.

And in sharp contrast, our lone male in today's post, eating a meal at home.  Any ideas of what his meal consists of?

Market Report: October 11, Kyiv

The market really felt like fall yesterday, with summer abundance still intact but the sense of cold weather beginning to close in.  What was for offer?

Fava or cranberry beans, chives, dill,  mushrooms and peppers from one vendor;  mushrooms, rose hips, kalina and ribena (all both fresh and dried).

Squash, beans, garlic and shallots;  and popcorn on the cob, which my friend Gwen remembered from growing up in the Midwest.

One vendor had at least four different kinds of fresh mushrooms, while another had a duck or goose for sale.   And of course, many vendors with staples for the long Ukrainian winter:  potatoes, beets, cabbage, onions, carrots and other root vegetables.

And just in case borscht doesn't keep you warm enough, here's Gwen with the babushka selling beautifully hand-knitted socks.

Market Report: late September, Crimea

Thanks to Barb Wieser,  two quick photos of roadside stands on the highway from Simferopol to the sea.  The stands feature the famous, and sweet, red Yalta onions, along with grapes, honey and watermelons.