I know, bla bla, we have awesome produce in Chile bla. But a recent possible facebook throwdown from some friends means I have to keep my game on. Though since there are two of them, and only one of me, their haul and story has to be twice as good as mine. And I don’t care how awesome Oaxaca is, it’s not going to be twice as good as this:
This should also be known as the “needs her head examined” report, or the “tengo la camisa negra” report, because after reading a recent post by Jessamyn in which she talks about how she really doesn’t need her 11th favorite t-shirt, I got to thinking of ranking my own, picked out one I think I don’t like very much, and decided to wear it to make sure, before I put it in the large pile of unneeded by me items that Traperos Emaus will finally pick up two weeks from now. So anyway, the t-shirt is black. And so that darn Juanes song was in my head all day long. A sad thing really, especially when strangely, it morphs into “Nossa Nossa.”
The thing about being out of my mind is the following: I went to the Vega to buy: blackberries, arugula, lettuce, peppers, tomatoes and basil. I also came out with raspberries, mint, five eggplants, a giant amount of okra (okra! in Chile!), and two kinds of cheese, including the Bega Cheddar, which I had previously paid some ungodly sum of money for, but at Arturitos way in the back in the Galpón de Chacareros, he’s only charging 990 ($2) for a cuarto (half pound). I also bought the strongest parmasean he had and that is going to be fantabulous atop the incredibly salad I shall make as soon as I get off the social media and into my real life.
Having a hard time believing that there’s okra in Chile, despite having seen it on my table? I have the solution:
Or you could go to the Galpon de los Chacareros, way in the back, off the street Davila, and on the west side, next to the hollowed-out baby zucchini is a big vat of okra.
Also, I have become one of those pesky phone photographers. My apologies.
I know you all want to know the kind of financial damage I did with my shopping spree. And so here you have it.
1 kilo raspberries, 1400 CLP
700 gr (approx) blackberries, 1300 CLP
3 big bunches moscatel grapes 1400 CLP
1 head butter lettuce 400 CLP
280 gr arugula 470 CLP
giant bag of mint 1000 CLP
3 red peppers 450 CLP
5 eggplant 500 CLP
cilantro 200 CLP
giant bunch basil 200 CLP
5 tomatoes 570 CLP
700 gr okra 2000 CLP
We are at 480 CLP to the dollar right now, so total haulage= about 22 bucks. I’ve got to go, I have a black shirt and some eating to do.
Okra in Chile!?I’m as shocked as you are, times 2!
it’s only at this time of year, and only in this particular galpón. I have heard people talking about it for years, but it’s only the second time I’ve actually come across it. I normally shop at the local feria, and we don’t quite as “exotic” stuff.
Love, love, love Arturitos! It has saved me from total cheese deprivation.
the parmesean was awesome! Plus he wants you to taste everything, just like a good cheese place in NY. It’s like a “cheese counter.” ñami!
I want tomatillos! I have never eaten enough okra to know wht to do with it but fried okra or gumbo. I need the cheese dato (in case I ever get to la vega again)
Cheese data is Arturitos. There are a few, but I always go to the one inside the Galpón de Chacareros, at the back entrance off Dávila. He gives you a sliver of any piece of (bulk) cheese to taste, is very nice, and they have the cheddar for cheap, plus really decent reggianato and other parmesans, etc. If I see tomatillos, I will let you know! Maybe ask Stephanie if she has seeds, and you could plant your own? They should grow really well, require pretty much the same conditions and tomatoes and peppers, which love it here. Mmmm, salsa verde!
Okra..yes! I’ve been craving fried okra for about 6 years now.
did you get some? I went back the next week and it looked even better, so maybe it was just coming into season. Ñami okra!
Excellent intel on the Okra! I’ve been dying to make caruru. Will be bookmarking your blog.
Alex + Luciana
alexluciana.blogspot.com
Hello, do you remember the period of the year did you find okra in La Vega?
It’s in summer, somewhere from the second or third week of February to maybe the beginning of March. Sad for you if you were looking for it now. It’s possible you might find it out of season, every year the seasons are shifting a bit, and these days we can (almost) get berries year round, for example. But I have only ever seen okra then. Suerte!