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One of the kingdom’s growing phenomena, the Farmers Market in Budaiya Gardens, is a celebration of the simple things in life.
Sunshine, fresh fruit and vegetables, and a friendly atmosphere cultivated by the love of natural local produce. Another equally-captivating phenomenon occurred last Saturday morning as I broke a habit of a lifetime and managed to crawl out of bed before mid-afternoon on a weekend to check out this popular weekly event.
Taking place every Saturday morning from 8am until noon, a wonderful mixture of locals and expats converge as one to sample the goods and share plates of delicious, hot grub. The attraction has soared in popularity over the years, with as many as 10,000 recorded visitors during the last season arriving early to snap up the earthly delights at hugely competitive prices.
It was pleasantly busy this time with a plethora of people from all creeds laying tablecloths on the grass and picnicking together with goodies from the nearby live cooking stations.
Long queues of people were waiting to capture a plate full of the popular ‘Farmers Breakfast’ consisting of corn, kebabs, sambosas, baajela (broad beans) and nikhi (chick peas), plus chopped-up vegetables just purchased from the farmers such as lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, cauliflower, eggplant, zucchini, onions, radish, potatoes, spinach and broccoli.
Nearby, a children’s petting zoo, with chickens, goats and a selection of farmyard birds, was on display so the little ones were kept thoroughly entertained while mum and dad were browsing the stalls.
The market attracts people from across the kingdom, with some making the trek from Riffa. Abdulla Abdulrahman has visited the market every week since it launched in early December with his wife Fatima, and two children, Reem, seven, and three-year-old Bader.
He said: “My children love it, running around and meeting all the animals and seeing the different shapes and sizes of vegetables. “It’s a very nice place to be on a Saturday morning; especially now we are enjoying such great, cool weather ... it has become our morning hangout on weekends. Although it’s quite a journey, I only get the best vegetables here so it’s worth it.”
English-born Louise Edwards, 50, from Diraz, said: “There is such a great atmosphere here. I stood in the long queue for the Farmer’s Breakfast and it was well worth the wait, absolutely delicious! “It’s great to see the food being made in front of you and you get to interact with all the locals too. The farmers are all so friendly, it feels like they really care about how your day is going and what you want to buy. I was also offered the exact same price as a Bahraini family in front of me for a box of fruit, which is a welcome relief having been subject to the ‘expat tax’ previously in places like the souq!”
As I wandered bleary-eyed from stall to stall, one in particular caught my eye. It was Mohammed Redha’s selection of fine dates. Mohammed, from Barbar, explained: “I decided to come and sell my fruits because it is a nice place to see crowds of people having fun and enjoying nature.
“I get a lot of customers for my dates. It isn’t the season for dates now but I picked them during the hotter months and froze them. I promise, they still taste the same. Dates are a delicacy in Bahrain and I think this is the main reason people come to me and ask for kilos of the stuff. I only charge BD1 per kilo which is the most competitive pricing you’ll find.”
As a big fan of the treats, I gladly paid the asking price and happily tucked the bag under my arm before heading home with a smile on my face. It was certainly a new experience, and it was nice to witness such a positive and friendly atmosphere … and some natural greenery.
I would say I’ll be back … but I think I’ve met my quota of early Saturday mornings for this year already.
