A "wild" day at the farmers' market in Vibo Valentia

I happened to be in Pizzo on Sunday and asked Signora Callipo of Casa Janca where to go for a typical farmers' market to take photos for my book. She suggested the market in Vibo Valentia on Monday, where all the stands are run by little old ladies who bring their bounty to be sold. They bring whatever they themselves grow or forage in the wild. They sell things that we don't often see in America. This picture below shows some of the wild vegetables like wild asparagus, wild chicory, and wild fennel:

Here's a bucket of wild asparagus, which are pencil-thin, tender and wonderful to eat in a frittata:

The little old ladies love to forage for wild chicory. I enjoyed the chicory cooked with potatoes by Signora Callipo:

They even sell freshly harvested camomilla (chamomile) that can be dried for tea. Every Calabrian mamma will give you this tea when you have a tummy ache:

There were fava beans and Tropea red onions everywhere, because they are right at the peak of the season:

The super-sweet Tropea red onions...

...and the gorgeous artichokes:

The seasonal fruit that I saw were strawberries (fragole) and loquats (nespole):

Here are lupini, a soft bean that Calabrians often eat as a snack. My friend Fanny says they are very popular in the ethnic neighborhood feste in Chicago.

And a bucket of cured black olives for antipasti or snack:

They also sell cured salumi and pecorino cheese in the market, all of which are homemade. In the photo below, there are (left to right) capocolli,  soppressate and salsiccie calabrese.

Look at the crust on these loaves of bread. I had to buy some of this bread because it looked so good:

Right within the market there are several butcher shops. I'll spare you the more grisly photos I have, with the offal and whole dressed animals. This is as good as it gets: