Five a Day the Palmeran Way - Markets on La Palma

We often get asked if there are any fruit and veg markets on La Palma. Understandably, people want to know where they can get good, fresh La Palma produce while on holiday and not miss out on their 'Five a Day.' If organic fruit and veg is important to you, markets are one of the best places to head for and of course ... markets are fun!

El Mercado Municipal, Santa Cruz de la Palma

These days, there are plenty of supermarkets on La Palma to choose from and all have fresh fruit and vegetables. But there is nothing better than a market for fresh-picked avocados, lemons, oranges and papaya straight from the tree, sweet potato, chayota and of course - Palmeran bananas! Much of which is ecologically grown.

Fresh broccoli and leeks

But it's not just about the fruit and vegetables as all the markets have products from La Palma such as traditional pastries made locally, honey from the La Palma beehives plus the famous Mojo sauce made with local peppers, garlic and saffron. There are also wines from La Palma, rum produced on the island at San Andres (including honey rum, banana rum, coffee rum), cigars from local tobacco plantations and sea salt from the Fuencaliente salt pans. It's quite amazing to see what is produced on this little island!

La Palma wines, Fuencaliente sea salt, local herbs and spices

Cheese is of course another important product of La Palma - after all, it's an island where goats abound and I'm pretty sure that in Garafia at least, there are more goats than people. So goats cheese is always on sale at the markets, but you can buy La Palma goat cheese in the supermarkets too.

Famous La Palma goat cheese - smoked, semi-smoked and fresh

Puntagorda market is the biggest weekend market and not only does it have all the afore-mentioned, but also has many stalls with handicrafts such as jewelry from Dragon Tree seeds, ornaments from driftwood, clothing made from home-spun wool, leathercraft and so on. Local meat is also on sale which is ideal for your BBQ's. The cake stall is always very popular too!

Daily Markets on La Palma
The two markets on La Palma which are open every day, are in Santa Cruz and Los Llanos. They, along with all other food markets, are indoor which helps keep the produce fresh
In Santa Cruz, the market is in Avenida Puente which goes uphill at 90% from the middle of the Avenida Maritima (promenade). It's right by the traffic lights with the flower market outside.
In Los Llanos, it's at the bottom end of the town near the bus station.
Santa Cruz market is open from 07.00hrs to 14.00hrs Monday to Friday and 07.00hrs to 15.00hrs on a Saturday.
Los Llanos market is open from 06.00hrs to 14.00hrs, Monday to Saturday inclusive.

Puntagorda Market with freshly squeezed drinks from sugar cane

Weekend Markets
There are various weekend markets on La Palma - these are the main ones:
Puntagorda Market - Saturday, 15.00 to 19.00hrs. Sunday, 11.00 to 15.00hrs
Mazo Market - Saturday,15.00 to 19.00hrs. Sunday, mornings only.
El Paso Market - Friday, 10.00 to 19.00 hrs. Saturday, 09.00 to 14.00hrs
Puntallana Market - 1st and 3rd Saturday in the month, 09.00 to 14.00hrs
Barlovento Market - 2nd Sunday in the month, 10.00 to 14.00hrs

Puntallana Market

Taste bud tango

It wasn't until 1876 that Heinz jumped on the bandwagon and launched their own version of the sauce.  After what must have been many sleepless nights, they came up with the thought-provoking slogan, 'Blessed relief for Mother and the other women in the household.'  You may not have guessed but I'm talking about tomato ketchup.
In the Canaries, we have our own sauce and my slogan would probably be along the lines of  'Blessed relief for taste fatigue - a veritable taste bud tango.'  I am of course talking about mojo sauce.
The essential ingredients are peppers, garlic and vinegar ... then you can make it up from there yourself.  Hot red peppers grow particularly well here not only providing a steady supply for the kitchen but also look extremely attractive in the garden hanging from little bushes.  Ours are still growing on the finca despite it being the middle of November - this photo was taken today as they bask in the sun.  

However, it is very common to see peppers literally hanging out to dry.  Providing they do not get damp at this stage, they will last for months and can be used for any number of dishes such as soups or casseroles but also rehydrate perfectly well in the mojo sauce.  We are up to three strings at the moment and I am starting to think they will make interesting Christmas decorations!

There are two main types of mojo, pronounced 'moho'  - red and green.  Green mojo is quite mild and goes well with goats' cheese or fish.  Red mojo can either be picante or picón (hot) or sauve (mild) and both the red and green mojos can accompany the papas arrugadas, the small salted potatoes.   There are also any number of other variations of mojo including those made with avocado, coriander and almond although these are less common.  
You will find some nice little booklets with recipes for mojo at the Sanlupe shops in the capital and Los Llanos plus the airport shop and other places of course.  Some of them have rather unseemly amounts of garlic and salt but you can of course alter to suit.  This is my recipe:
4 hot peppers
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
pinch of saffron
200 ml olive oil
100 ml white wine vinegar
Method:
Assuming your hot peppers are the 'seek and destroy variety,' pour boiling water over them and leave to soak for up to an hour, just to take the edge off.   And remember not to touch your face after you have handled the peppers!

Chop and then grind all of the ingredients except the oil either in a pestle and mortar or whizz up using a hand blender.  Bear in mind that you are not necessarily trying to achieve a smooth blend.  Once you are happy with the consistency, gradually add the oil, mixing it in as your pour.  If you like a smoother, thicker mix then add about 1/3 of a green pepper in with the initial ingredients.  
An extra ingredient is a little zest of orange which not only gives the mojo a bit of a surprise element - that's the tango part - but also helps refresh the taste buds and balance the garlic.  

Our neighbour has an aversion to oil and they make their's with water, so that would make a low calorie alternative, although you would need to refrigerate it or at least use it more quickly.
However, if you don't fancy making it yourself, it is also very easy to buy as all supermarkets stock it and usually gift shops too, often in a pack of two small jars in a presentation box.  You really are taking home a little bit of the Canaries.  If you don't relish the idea of a broken jar of mojo in your suitcase, you can also get the dried version in a small plastic box and you just add oil, vinegar and water when you are ready.  This is also substantially lighter and there is no risk of it getting broken. 

You won't find these quite as easy to find but you can buy them at the market in Santa Cruz and Los Llanos and the gift shop in Los Cancajos, among other places.  
So whether it is home made, straight from the jar or in a part-made form, mojo sauce is a must while you are in the Canaries.  This really is one variety Heinz missed out on. 


One last thing, talking about not missing out, we have a new addition to our family of blogs about La Palma.  This one aims at finding you good prices for flights, travel tips, the low down on maps and a fair bit more. 
Hope you like the new look design of this one by the way!