Colourful,fresh,refreshing,delicious and,of course, healthy: fruit! The fruit season in Spain is in full swing by May,although this year the weather has been cooler. By the end of May the amazing cherries from el Valle de Jerte in Extremadura are on the market.
They are closely followed by watermelon,and melon from Andalucia and adding to the colour and choice are apricots,plums and grapes,peaches, saturn peaches as well as loquats and figs which we get locally.You even see mini pears from the mountain areas of Murcia.
Visiting the local markets is an experience of vivid colours and choice…lots of choice. Walking the aisles,seeing the stalls piled high with fruit and choosing what you want is great fun.
Furthermore the seasonal aspect of fruit is such a natural phenonomen in Spain. You find yourself looking forward to each fruit’s season.It’s sort of like a natural calendar in three dimensions.It is true a lot of fruit is grown under plastic greenhouse bringing it on slightly earlier like melons and watermelons but in general everything has its season.
Everyone has their local favourite and mine are peaches.Most summers we visit my inlaws in the mountains of Murica and the peaches there are amazing;large,juicy and amazingly sweet. In our family they are legendary as all our kids spent many a summer swimming,playing and eating peaches.
Apart from the logical health benefits certain red fruits and orange coloured ones are now said by scientists to help protect your skin from the sun.
So those of you visiting Spain in the next few months know what to do to help your tan come along in a healthy way!
The Spanish Thyme Traveller organise trips on which you can experience the amazing food and culture and walking in the beautiful interior of Valencia and Teruel. Check out our webpage by clicking on this logo:
Lovely, Paddy! I always look forward to this time of year – our trees are laden with fruit this year after all the rain and I can’t wait to tuck in! The cherries from Jerte are later than usual but they are huge – I’d make some jam or brandy some of them, if I could stop eating them!
Thanks for the comment Sue.The cherries this year are so good!!
So excited to have found your blog (Via Brindisa tweet). I am obsessed with Spain, have written a couple of books about Spanish food and just can’t get enough of the amazing fiestas. Have you ever been to the horse racing on the beach at Sanlucar. I’m desperate to go and, of course, all that wonderful sherry has nothing to do with it.
Hi Jenny, Glad you found our blog. Glad you like it…..we also do loads of foodie type hols you can see on our http://www.thespanishthymetraveller.com. We have been to loads of fiestas in Spain and have visited the vast majority of the country over the years but there are three areas we do not know well .One is the Cadiz/Sanlucar coast,another Salamanca/Avila and the other is Girona.Just about everywhere else we know very well.Anyway glas we are in contact!