Local Foods: Bear’s Garlic Market, Putbus

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This is the first in a series of posts about markets that I will be introducing to you. And it is about the annual “Bear’s Garlic Meets Local Products” market in Putbus. It is also a follow-up to a post from last November about the beautiful island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea.

I went to see with my own eyes the acres of Bear’s Garlic I was promised last fall. Endless patches of fresh green surrounded by the majestic trees of the old English garden in the town of Putbus. The market was more or less a bonus. Or so I thought.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, first things first: The ‘Bear’s Garlic Meets Local Products’ market is held annually in the former horse stable of Prince Malte of Putbus on the island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea. That may not sound like much, but you have to see this stable. Imagine a huge, sunlit hall with gorgeous high windows and beautiful tiles on the walls. Nowadays, it is equipped with modern lighting that somehow represents a mixture of old-style chandeliers and large flower arrangements. Beneath the chandeliers is see a colorful forest of market umbrellas, awnings, flags, wooden booths and tables. Filled to the brim with boxes, jars, bottles and other packaging for all the products of the initiatives, cooperatives, manufacturers and farmers present.

Of course there was a multitude of delicatessen. All regionally produced and often still made by hand in small family businesses. Bread, cakes, pasta, mustard, sauces and relishes, honey, wild fruit jam (!), chocolate, apple juice, brandy (made from old apple brands), cheese, yogurt, marinated herring and many other treats. And there were other things to see and do, like arts and crafts, a woodworking workshop for young people run by a local initiative, and a creative zone for kids set up by the local Unesco Biosphere Reserve office.

And of course we got to sample all the goodies. Did you know that you can have a chocolate tasting just like a wine tasting? I did not until that day. We learned a lot from the owner of the gourmet start-up and tasted a number of different chocolates from all over the world. These are made in Born on the neighboring peninsula of Darß from ‘Single Origin Cocoa’, with both the chocolate and the packaging meeting high ecological standards. So – simply for the later continuation of the professional tests ( 😉 ) – we brought chocolate from the regions of Idukki (southwest India), Bahia (eastern Brazil) and Piura (northeast Peru).

But that was just one of many fascinating conversations about good food. We had others about the art of making mustard in an incredible variety (mustard mill of the Kostroß family, Schlemmin). After that we met a cooperation of projects from the same village of Schlemmin, which belongs to the same district as the island of Rügen, but is located on the mainland. There I got a delicious assortment of jams from wild fruits and fruits from a farmer’s garden. One is made from strawberry and elderberry blossoms, I am curious what it will taste like.

A little further down the aisle and across the hall, we discussed the magic of old apple brands. This conversation was also especially memorable because I met the owner, a knowledgeable and very nice lady whose family had planted the trees generations ago on the island of Rügen (Alter Bio-Obsthof Teutenberg). It reminded me of my great-grandfather’s apple trees.

Another friendly conversation took place over a delicious spelt pancake served by a local chef and start-up caterer who named himself after the Snow Goose. He had some very interesting background on the projects at the market and was doing a wonderful job of networking for the regional, sustainable food producers.

And we even had a little drop of whiskey. Not bad at all and also made on the island. After that we needed some cheese and a piece of marinated herring to follow the rest of the market. The herring was caught by local fisherfolk on the island. And I should mention that the fishing rules there are very strict. This is because much of the land and sea is part of a large and beautiful environmental protection zone (Unesco Biosphere Reserve). And you can see that the people respect their land and sea.

All in all I have to say that it was a delicious expedition and I really cannot remember a local food fair where I enjoyed myself as much as I did at the “Bear’s Garlic meets Local Products” market. So next year in early spring, when the new Bear’s Garlic season opens in Putbus, I’ll be coming back for more.

Of course there was a multitude of delicatessen. All regionally produced and often still made by hand in small family businesses. Bread, cakes, pasta, mustard, sauces and relishes, honey, wild fruit jam (!), chocolate, apple juice, brandy (made from old apple brands), cheese, yogurt, marinated herring and many other treats.

Side Notes:

  • The young chocolate maker and his wife from Born am Darß named their company Choklad Zimmer – a reference to both the family name and the size of the company when they started it, we were told (“Zimmer” means chamber in German).
  • Our favorite cafe in town has received an award from the European ‘Culinary Heritage’ program (name and logo are protected), also present on the market this year. Well done ‘Fürstliches Genusskontor Putbus’! You definitely deserve it 🙂 I am going to take a closer look at the work of the interesting international food initiative that provided the award. They are based in Sweden and are dedicated to culinary traditions, local food and food heritage. Of course I will keep you posted.
  • Unfortunately, I cannot name all the wonderful small businesses that were present at the market. If you are in the area early next spring, be sure to check out the Bärlauch trifft Regional-Produkte market. You can find the link to the annual festival at the bottom of the information about Bear’s Garlic on the [InfoByteSyzed] page (under ‘I’ like ‘Ingredient Specials’).
  • The first post about Rügen was [‘Local Foods: Island of Rügen, Baltic Sea’]. Also – as mentioned above – I wrote something about the island for the Ingredient Special on Bear’s Garlic [‘Who’s Seen the Bear?’].
  • Just in case you need another incentive to visit the place: Putbus is also called ‘The Town of Roses’. Because the well-known Prince Malte of Putbus, who founded the town, loved roses. And white houses with classic architecture. Quite a sight to see.