Portsmouth Market and a Saturday Night

So today I started out waking up at 5:45am to make it to the Portsmouth market. This market is in the street and on the pier in Portsmouth and only happens on Saturdays. All the farmers and artisans come to sell their goods. They all approach you while walking by, yelling "you want some (insert fruit or veggie) limes or watermelon" (you get the point). There are no set prices, but you tend to be overcharged the first time but if you return to the same vendor the next week amazingly the price goes down. Dominica is known as the nature island of the Caribbean, so i can't express to you how many different kinds of fruits and veggies are on this island. There are a few odd vegetables but not as many as the fruit.

This picture is of a fruit called Sour Sup. You eat all the fibrous white fruit and leave the black seeds. The taste is very sugary and a mix between a creaminess of a coconut and the citrus of lemon and limes. It is one of my new favorites!

Other fruit/veggies we are trying is Breadfruit,Dasheen,apricots (not like the US). Breadfruit is actually cooked much like a potato would be and is actually treated like one. You can stuff it, mash it, or eat if plain. Dasheen is another one I am in line to try. This is supposed to be like a starch as well, I will have to let you know how it goes. So apricots, they are just not what you would think. They have a hard covering on the outside but do seem to have the same flavor we would be used to. The pit in the apricot is also very large.

The market sells everything from fish to bread to weaved baskets to eggs. When the fisherman come in from the sea they blow a conch shell so you know to come and get the fresh fish. I have yet to purchase any fish but Mark is anxious for me to run down when they sound the shell ( is that even right to say it that way? oh well.) So another big thing on the island is sugar cane, right up Mark's alley. I have to admit, the sugar cane is excellent here. The local sugar cane guy (what else do you call him?) will strip the husk off the husk for you and cut it up. Some of these sugar canes were taller than me! (keep any short comments to yourself) So in saying Sugar Cane is a big thing... in comes the Rum. Most of the Rum is made out of the local sugar cane and it is some strong stuff!!! Seriously, I have never had rum punch like I have had here.

After the market I had to go to work at the Tomato Cafe. Mark and I had dinner there after and drank a margarita or two. Why not? we are on an island. When in Rome....

After coming home, I found Mark on the couch with a large knife and a stick of sugar cane..... I took a picture to share the moment. Just Silly!