Vegetables and Markets

I mentioned open air markets a couple of weeks ago. They’re a great source of fresh produce across Italy.

In Acilia, where I work, the market is on Tuesday and Friday which works pretty well for my schedule. However’ there are dozens of markets that crop up across Rome (well, in most Italian cities) that are similar.

But what happens when you want fresh vegetables on days without an outdoor market in your area?

Well, there are 2 solutions.

1. Go to a regular supermarket. It’s not quite as fresh as the open air markets but it’s still really good. It can also be a little more expensive but sometimes there are more options because they have things that have been imported.
2. Otherwise there are small fixed vegetable/fruit markets. They specialize in fruits and vegetables. Everything is still very fresh and generally speaking, very cheap.

When I was staying with Endira, I went to a closed vegetable market and I bought a lb of green beans and 2 red peppers for €0.50 total.  Yeah… Vegetables can be that cheap.

I turned the green beans into a steamed side dish for two one evening and then sautéed the peppers to eat on salads and sandwiches. 

Such a good use of fifty cents!