Boy’s Eye View

This post is the second in a series about the distinct Greek communities of Mariupol, a region and oblast in eastern Ukraine, near the Sea of Azoz. Special thanks to Yangnecheer family and Galina and Carrina.

Under bright blue skies, the fruit trees were flourishing with bright red cherries. As we ambled the lanes of the Greek village of Sartana, we admired the tidy, brightly colored houses, fence rows and thriving kitchen gardens we passed. Chatting idly with a friend in English, we heard a friendly little “hello” from behind a cloud of green leaves. Following this welcoming voice, we met the charming 11-year-old Vova. Vova lives in Sartana with his sister, Irina (21), her husband, Alexander (25), and their children, little Tatiana (1) and Varvara (2.5).

The family was hanging laundry in the patio, as we strolled by. Alexander told us that he is from a Greek family and has lived in Sartana his whole life. He said that, during the harvesting months, the family spends much of their summer tending the garden and preserving the food they grow for the winter months.

With a shy smile and generous nature, Vova, gave us a tour of their garden. They raise cucumbers, potatoes, beets, cabbages (two rotations), onions, squashes, eggplants, carrots and an array of herbs, including parsley, chervil (!) and dill.

Walnut and cherry trees line one end of the garden, the other flanked with bushes of raspberries, gooseberries and currents. Grapevines lace the fence between their patio and garden, where jars were set out for ongoing preservation of the summer’s bounty. Just the day before, the family had made raspberry jam and pickles.

As we explored the garden, Vova picked the perfect gooseberries, passing them to me to enjoy and occasionally popping one into his own mouth too. He described the progress of each vegetable in the garden, thoughtfully describing the desired growing conditions of each plant with impressive insight.

He expressed concern about the season’s meager harvest of apricots and apples. “Last year, people kept all the honey for themselves. So, this year, there are not so many bees. There are not enough to pollinate all the fruit trees.” “But” he said smiling, “this year has been pretty good for berries” he explained. “The raspberries are much sweeter than last year.”

Shopper's Delight

In addition to the vendors, growers and cooks we have met across Ukraine, the Pickle Project also engages shoppers to learn more about what they buy, where and why.


We met Vera on a hot and steamy July day at L'viv's bustling Krakivsky Bazaar. Vera has been coming to Krakivsky for 10 or 15 years. She likes this market and knows most of the vendors here. She smiles, exchanging "dobry dehns" as she makes her way down the colorful aisles piled high with produce.



This afternoon, nestled in Vera's red "New York" market bag are carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, sweet peppers and potatoes. She told us she plans to make borscht (the beets are already at home, she said) and a fresh salad for the evening meal.

Market Report: Odessa, July 2011

We're having a hard time keeping up with posts, but last night made a list of more than 50 posts we want to write based on our amazing time here.  We promise we'll get to all of them sooner or later!  But for now, a quick market report from Odessa.  Above, a beautiful bowl of sour cherries.

A shy market vendor shows off his dried apricots.

Pickled apples.  Anyone ever tried them?

Many kinds of sunflower seeds, a popular snack everywhere in Ukraine--fried in a pan and eaten!

Odessa's market vendors were virtually all incredibly friendly--and this one was kind enough to pose for a picture...but then...

This market lady called the two of us over, and whipped out her pocket camera to snap one of the two of us together.

No, not Coke, but hand-squeezed juices including pomegranate and grapefruit.  Recycling at its best.

And a shy young vendor (just finished sleeping, his mom said) amidst beautiful greens.  Next up, market post from L'viv!

Market Report, Simferopol, July 2011

We've already moved on after a terrific time in Simferopol but wanted to post these market pictures.  Above, one of the Korean salad vendors (I believe most of these vendors or their families originally came to the Soviet Union from North Korea to study).  In addition to the carrot salad above,  kimchee,  tofu and other salads were all gorgously arrayed in her case.

Simferopol is the only place we've seen plov cooked at a market.  It's a rice dish, a bit like paella in that it's cooked outside in a large flat pan, and is a food associated here with Crimean Tatars, a dish they brought back from their forced exile in Uzbekistan.

Shashlik, or shish kebabs, is associated with picnics and outdoor eating all over Ukraine.  But here in Simferopol was the only market where we've seen little outdoor restaurants for shashlik in the market.

The shashlik vendors here had long, narrow, specially-constructed charcoal grills, exactly the width of the skewer.  Easy to cook!

This young girl was working at her family's shashlik stand.

Red chilis--not as common a sight in more northern markets.  Also in Simferopol, because it's on a peninsula surrounded by the sea, there seemed to be many more fish vendors, selling a wide variety of fish, both fresh and smoked or dried.

And of course, what would any market be without fresh fruit or vegetable sellers.  Here, we buy beautiful fresh, fragrant basil.

Overall, the market somehow seemed to have a more southern feel, more outdoors in some way.

Coming up in our next market report:  Odessa.  Stay tuned!

Market Report: Kyiv, July 1, 2011

We haven't posted for a few weeks because we've been getting ready for our planning trip to Ukraine--and here we are!  Many more posts to come from the road these next few weeks,  but to start, some mouth-watering photos from two Kyiv markets this past week.  Berries, stone fruits, herbs for canning,  and young garlic, radishes, and greens were in full beautiful bloom.  Enjoy!

 Beautiful blueberries!

 Raspberries displayed in hand-made splint baskets.

 Gooseberries, blackberries, raspberries.

 So many berries, including at center, tiny wild strawberries.  And now for the greens...

 Cucumbers, radishes, greens.  Notice how the staples of cabbage and potatoes take a back seat in the summer months.

 Young garlic.

 Dill and grape leaves packaged together to make a pickling bouquet.

 Chanterelle mushrooms, gathered about two hours away and brought to the market for sale.

Carrots and hot peppers.

We've arrived in Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine, an entirely different landscape to explore.  Stay tuned!

Market Report: Simferopol, End of May

Simferopol is in central Crimea, a peninsula in the south of Ukraine on the Black Sea.  Outside the city, all the way to the coast, huge orchards of all kinds of fruit trees and acres of vineyards, along with strawberry and other fields stretch away from the road.  And I saw the products of that rich agricultural landscape in the local market a week or so ago.

At the central market,  the green growing season was in full sway.  Spotted at the market were tiny new potatoes and young garlic, all kinds of greens, including mint, fresh peas, and the season's first strawberries (women along the roads were also selling fresh strawberries).

A more experienced market shopper told me that there's a direct correlation between the growing season and quality.  The first of any seasonal produce, like strawberries or tomatoes, are the most expensive; and as the season progresses,  the quality increases and the price decreases (and I assume the reverse happens as the season ends).