Galway Saturday Market

TGI almost Friday. I had another post planned for tonight, but after a bad day, all I want to do is write about a place that makes me happy. My day started off with a little (a LOT) of disappointment over the faux snowstorm that we had. Promised 14 inches and the hope of a much needed work from home day, we got maybe 2, and it was business as usual. My foot has been bothering me, my knees ache, and I am overall exhausted. A day working in PJ’s would have been nice.

Once up, I lost a contact. I went to the gym for an upper body strength workout and finished only to realize that I didn’t have a shirt to wear to work. And the gym was so crowded that I couldn’t dry my hair. While I was waiting outside Filene’s for it to open so I could buy a shirt, my hair froze. Really, big chunks of frozen hair. And I had hoped to hear from a couple of people I spoke with last week regarding some things (cryptic, yes :)) and have come to the conclusion that there won’t be any follow up, at least for me, so that threw a little more frustration in the pot.

The day did get better. Westport Rivers Winery offered a 10 person private tour and tasting for my ALLY Foundation raffle. How amazing is that? I am beyond humbled and grateful by the generous support companies are providing for this raffle. You can enter by visiting my fundraising site:

http://firstgiving.com/meghanmalloyteamally

And here I am. Thursday night, tiring day, and I want to relive vacation moments.

When I lived in Galway, I lived literally about 20 feet above the Saturday market. Have I showed you a photo of my old apartment? Probably, but here it is again.

The Saturday market is a little bit scant in winter, but it still rivals anything we have in Boston. There is fresh produce, oysters and other seafood, crepes, arts and crafts, and my favorite, a cart that was among the missing this time, Govinda, a Hare Krishna vegetarian vendor with kitchiri and matter panneer, two dishes I could eat forever and ever. I missed him this time around! Govinda, where are you?

Fresh oysters and fish, courtesy of Galway Bay

Farm fresh eggs

French lavender

Are you drooling yet? Pesto, olives, hummus, harissa, tapenade, plus bread. YUM.

When I lived in Galway, a whole, giant bucket of potatoes was 1 pound. My vegetarian roommates and I did very well with the market and all of the cheap veggies available. Best part? They were fresh and local!

Broccoli and cauliflower, just some more of the amazing produce available

One of the things I loved about the market was that the carrots were still covered in mud. I learned that this adds to the weight of the purchase, therefore costing more money, but at the time I thought it was so charming. At any rate, the carrots were sweet and fresh and like nothing I have ever tasted. I loved living so close to my food.

Spring comes to Galway early. By the time my March 20 birthday rolls around, there are brand new baby lambs and daffodils. A mild climate means that green, green grass and flowers start arriving in February. One of the many reasons that I love it. Honestly, for a foodie like me, the market really sold Galway to me. We ate what we bought, and we only bought what we ate. And almost everything was in season and from farmers who had worked the earth for generations. It was old fashioned but felt so right and is the way of shopping and eating that is thankfully becoming popular again.

I still have lots of Ireland and Czech Republic posts left and am excited to share those with you. I will also have some more information on the case of wine up for the raffle later this weekend.

Do you have a favorite farmer or farmer’s market? What is your dream place to live and why?