Milas Olive Harvest Festival

The first serious downpour of the winter on Saturday put pay to my plans to visit the Milas Olive Harvest festival, but the Sunday weather was much more forgiving and just after mid-day, we joined the crowds amongst the stalls in the centre of Milas.

First purchase had to be olives, not your run-of-the-mill ones but olives dyed red with beetroot and purple with blueberry. Why would different coloured olives suddenly be a thing? Who knows but I bought some and they will brighten up my breakfast plate.

Next up was organic lavender oil (I am pretty sure all lavender is organic as it doesnt need pesticides or growth enhancers) at 200 tl a bottle - I should be sleeping peacefully for the next few months.

Turkish spicy sausages or maybe a tractor; green, blue or orange with plenty of deals from different banks offering two years interest-free credit, with our inflation rate that's not a deal to be ignored. I was very tempted by the tiny tractor but if I got one I would have to start cultivating my acre of garden and I'm too lazy for that. (I don't like the sausages so could easily walk past that stall)

A stall of mangos, kefir limes, papayas and things I didn't even recognise gave me reason to stop and chat and find out that there is a farm in Yahşi growing exotic fruit and vegetables. A trip to Iso Baba'nin Çiftliği will be on the cards soon. It's strange that I had to go to Milas to find out there is such a place close to Bodrum.

A return to the familiar a bit further on. Sesame seeds being poured into this grinder to make tahini; a pantry must-have which is even tastier when fresh.

Having recently returned from Ayvalik which you can't drive through without buying litres of olive oil, I didn't need any more for my kitchen but this Mystic stall had such temptingly well packaged bottles of oil, herbs to go in the oil and dishes to serve the oil that the Christmas present buying list was reduced by three.