How to keep healthy eating resolutions

Walking into a farmers market feels like finally achieving one of those ‘eat more healthily’ New Year’s resolutions that tend to fall off the radar by February. So whilst my repertoire of weekend activities doesn’t usually include waking up before 8am, maybe this market will help me turn over a new (bay) leaf.

I’d been wanting to visit the Bahraini Farmers’ Market for a few weeks, particularly as I’ve recently made the switch to vegetarianism and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to see the local produce offerings.

Walking into the market, I was immediately struck by the sheer volume of food being carried out by visitors. When the produce is this good and this fresh, you can hardly blame anyone for wanting to buy a crate or two.

I couldn’t take my eyes off of the various bright cherry tomatoes, red and orange, gleaming at visitors like tiny bites of sunshine. I left with a handful from Hussain Farm and proceeded to eat most of them whilst walking around.

Other highlights included deep purple peppers from Mohammed Redha Farms, a variety I’d never seen before, as well as a stall full of gorgeous, plump squash and organic natural papayas bursting with tang and sweetness.

Blooming spring onions, ripe and crispy mixed leaves and even the moody stalks of cavolo nero were all just waiting to be haggled over by eager customers.

Everything was so inviting, and all the vendors are so friendly and passionate about the food they grow, that it’s a sheer pleasure just to walk around and conduct your own taste tests. It’s clear the customers were enjoying themselves as well. A Bahraini mum who lives in neighbouring Saar, said she loved coming to the market every year.

“The vegetables always taste so much better when they’re local!” she added.

Hungry for some breakfast, I headed to the food area. The vendors consisted of, but were not limited to, Baker and Spice, Ban Al Subuh, Yalla 3aal Kaak, Corner House and Haleeb and Heil.

Scouting for veggie options, I landed on the falafel sandwich from Corner House which may or may not have changed my life, as well as Lebanese zaatar kaak, a tasty new discovery from Yalla 3aal Kaak, which consists of a sesame flatbread grilled with various fillings. Top it off with a cup of warm, sweet karak tea, a dash of winter sun and fresh air, and you have yourself the perfect breakfast.

The market also provides entertainment for the children, with a petting zoo, a mule cart, pony rides, face painting, and various arts and crafts stalls selling their artisanal products for very affordable prices.

I was also lucky enough to stumble upon the future of agriculture in the form of Dar Aqua & Agriculture, a company working on establishing an aquaponic farming enterprise in Zayed Town.

Aquaponics refers to any system that combines aquaculture -  the farming of fish, crustaceans, molluscs, aquatic plants, algae and other aquatic organisms under controlled conditions - with hydroponics – a method of growing plants without soil, using mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent - resulting in a more ecological farming system, its champions claim.

As a test, I purchased a packet of cherry tomatoes and found that they were just as juicy and tart as any of the other soil-grown produce I’ve tasted.

Elsewhere in the market you’ll also find a huge selection of honey, dates, nuts, mushrooms and the most fragrant herbs. My final purchase was a matter of magnetism, as I was drawn to the smell of fresh mint and couldn’t help but buy a bushel of leaves.

If you’re looking for the perfect place to spend your Saturday morning, you can’t go wrong with the farmers’ market. Fresh food, sunshine, happy families having picnics all around, all guaranteed to start your day with a smile.

The Bahraini Farmers’ Market is on every Saturday, from 8am until noon, at the Budaiya Botanical Gardens until April 1. Follow them at @farmersbh on Instagram for details.