Produce stands are plentiful throughout Hamburg. For every café, there is one produce stand (or maybe half of a produce stand, actually— there are cafes everywhere). I could not have been happier when I realized that I can find any fruit or veggie I could ever need right on the corner of any street. Plus, if I forget to buy something, I just have to walk another two blocks and I can pick up my forgotten treasure at the next produce stand. (Score!) This, along with the fact that I bit the bullet and now walk through the grocery stores with my German dictionary, has helped to break down the language barrier when it comes to eating.
And then there was Isemarkt. Of the bajillion things I have found to do in Hamburg, I so declare this place my fav. This gem of a farmers’ market stretches proudly across one mile directly underneath a U track and is adorned with tasty treats, hungry Hamburgers, and cheerful sellers all ready to fill our baskets with home-grown and handmade delights. So, every Tuesday and Friday morning I gladly let them.
Organic food of all kinds is available, as are handmade pastas, oh-so-pretty sweets, delish-looking cheeses (“Just cut off the mold!” they tell me), dazzling produce, flowers of all varieties, a knock-your-socks off opera singer and her accompanying accordion player (really), and, expectedly, at least five cafes.
Because of this showcase of ultimate deliciousness I pop like popcorn out of bed on Tuesdays and Fridays and do not even need to check the U schedule before boarding. Isemarkt is my territory now and I know all the secrets. I learned the hard way that berries will stain every inch of the cavity of your favorite cloth grocery bag from Brazil if you do not pack your purchases properly, so I now go armed with a cute-as-can-be wicker basket…just like the few hundred other Isemarkt supporters. The aisle becomes stressfully crowded with hundreds of folks and hundreds of hard baskets. The prices are well worth the fight, though. With organic bell peppers and avocadoes at less than 50 cents euro a piece and monstrous bags of local, organic arugula for one euro, I’m surprised police aren’t patrolling.
While I strive to offer 100% of my grocery budget to Isemarkt I can’t help but to pick up a few things from the good ‘ole produce stands. Are they stunning? No. 1 mile in length? No. Darling? Yes. I suppose darling warrants a few purchases here and there, too.
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