Today is St. Martins's day honoring the legendary roman soldier who
many years ago and late in his life was baptized and elected to be a monk doing good to the poor and the ones in need .

It was an important date a few decades ago with many rural fairs and fiesta, marking the time to get to taste the 'new wine', eat grilled chestnuts and 'azinheira' acorns (Quercus Rotundifolia),  slaughtering some selected farm cattle to be treated by salt and kept as a house supply for the coming winter, prepare a variety of sausages to be put to smoke, the preparations of the 'presunto' (prosciutto), etc..

Country people will exchange their salted meat and sausages, olives, dry figs, acorns, carobs, almonds, apples with the coastal folks (mostly fisherman) who would barter their salted mackerel , sardines, tuna and anchovies. I miss these times.

But always pay a visit to the local fair, taste the wines , eat grilled chestnuts and ....fresh figs!!

Francisco

Thanks for the post hear in USA it is Veterans day.
PS Chestnuts are fabulous always have had them during the holiday season.

Beautiful as always, thanks for sharing!

roasted chestnut on open fire.. yupe.. it's great street food when i was back in korea. i think i remember some up in nyc during holidays. down here in south, i rarely see anyone selling chestnuts. they leave it for the tree rats.

Francisco, You take beautiful pictures. And just reading your post makes me hungry. To me figs and olives are like candy, if I have a bowl of them in front of me I'll just keep eating until it's empty. Now I need to pick up some olives at the local store to fill my craving. ; )

I thought we were honoring Martin...LOL   Thank You Francisco for the great pictures......Love the information on traditions of the past.

Francisco, I enjoyed reading your list of traditional foods. I planted some of my figs trees in the ground today. They are now growing along with my olives, carob, apples, almonds and fico d'india. As a son of Sicilian immigrants, I guess it's in my blood to crave all these things.

Hey 
what are the varieties you show ?

i think the white one is cotio branca?

Thank you All for reading and commenting this post.

Martin, as we get older it appears that our memories come up more frequently and those images of the past look so fresh and clear.
As you well remembered we must also honor all our  Veterans .

Pete, it's good to look back and dream a bit around those past years

Tony, good taste and a refined palate! make me remember one of my preferred light meals of those big crushed green olives seasoned with the right herbs, home made, and eaten with crusty country bread just from the clay oven ...pushed down with one or two glasses of red!

Armando, of course, Martin deserves our honors as well. That's his day!
I think we have to keep all those traditions and memories well alive in our minds..I feel it acts like a 'tonic' to keep us feeling better.

Paul, I am very glad to hear first time in this forum a member planting the mix of trees, figs usually live with,  in their origin lands! Congrats!
As you say it is in the blood and I wish you good luck and long life to see all those trees grow and give you their wonderful fruits

Francisco

Eli,

Thank you for reading post and looking at pictures..
All figs shown are Cavaleiro.. no other variety. You right, one looks a lighter fig like Côtio but it is not.

Being St. Martin's day I had kept two or three late Violeta to pair with Cavaleiro and thus avoid any potential 'flak' from Martin.. but when approaching the tree for pickup,  I witnessed two blackbirds happily eating my figs.
Anyhow, left with Cavaleiro which in fact is a dark fig .

Francisco