This sign on a food counter at the Invercargill Farmers Market intrigued me. I had never heard of the word pottle before. Have you? The young woman behind the counter held up a large disposable cup (a kind of show and tell lesson) and explained that these were pottles. She was equally intrigued to find out what I would call them. I had to think- hmm- a cup maybe, or a container or a serve? She declared that pottle was a more apt description and wondered why I had never used this label.
A pottle, according to Colllins Dictionary, ( imagine an annoying Steven Fry voice here) is an archaic measure for liquids equal to half a gallon, or a small conical punnet of strawberries or other fruit or, in New Zealand, a small plastic or cardboard food container.
These pottles were quite grand in size and the contents of said pottles were mighty tempting but at 10 am, it was just too early to indulge in a pottle of a battered mussels with aioli or fried calamari rings, which is a crying shame as this was a missed bargain. ( if only I had a good old hangover, I might have polished off both).
The vegetables on the 46th Latitude grow large and luscious in late Autumn. The Vegetable Man with the big truck explained that the air on his farm was extremely dry- ‘we live close to the largest desert in the world, Antarctica, which sucks all the moisture out of the air. Our vegetables never suffer from any mould or bacteria as a result.’ In May, the late Autumn vegetables are alive and abundant, straight from the source, and I am thankful that I am travelling around New Zealand in a motorhome, enabling me to buy and cook such gorgeous produce. His farm experiences temperatures of up to minus 15c in winter. Crops above the ground simply turn to mush.
If you are travelling down south in Autumn, a timely visit to the Invercargill farmers’ market is a must. It is a small market, but apart from a pottle of calamari, you can purchase some of the following: swedes, Jerusalem artichokes, kale and broccoli, brussel sprouts and cabbage, parsnips, leeks and carrots, freshly dug potatoes, yams and celeriac. Other vendors supply new seasons pears, apples and plums, garlic, cheeses and eggs.
Another Invercargill gem for the self caterer is Kings Seafoods in Ythan Street. The array of fresh and smoked fish is enormously tempting. We bought fresh sole fillets, smoked Hapuka, smoked salmon fins and sadly, not a kilo of the little neck clams ( $11) because they had run out.
The Invercargill Market runs every Sunday from 9.30 am.
https://web.facebook.com/southernfarmersmarket?_rdr
ALMOST ITALIAN 
My mouth is watering Francesca.
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I had heard the word ‘pottle’ before, but now it’s cemented into my vocabulary, thanks to you!
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Ah Yvonne, pottle it is then.
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I have never heard of a portly but thank you for teaching me! I may have to rethink the way we travel when we go to NZ. I know Don won’t drive a motor home but maybe we can find some holiday apartments with kitchens. It is just so hard to find healthy food from restaurants. Am making vegetable soup as I write 🙂 Travel well.
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Spell check got me ‘pottle’.
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It is pottle of which I write, not a portly. I think it would be wise to consider some home cooking along the way. Many camping grounds have small units which give you access to the kitchens. Most kitchens have stove tops and ovens, jugs and toasters but not pots and pans- a few do, but they are becoming very rare. It is a happy day when we find one. And it is a joy to share these kitchens with Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese families who will always enjoy discussing what they are making, and make eye contact and chat. ( another post on communal kitchens I think). I need vegetables too Ardys. The restaurant food is pretty good in NZ bit there are days when I just need veggie soup, porridge, baked apples in honey, a simple grilled fish with a ton of baked root veggies- stuff that you and I need.
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Thanks Francesca, good info and in a pottle manner 🙂
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Love, love, love these types of markets.
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Those prices look remarkably cheap!
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Unlike the restaurant prices and the wine.
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Just had a pottle of jerusalem artichokes. Yum. Cooked by Gabe – even better. Looks like a great holiday.
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Artichokes are very popular on pizzas in America however not really here, but then again pickles are popular in America but not here :D:D:D
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Jerusalem artichokes are a tuber, an underground root vegetable, completely different to the artichoke grown for pickling.
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Thanks Fran, I’ll remember that.
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Some of the NZ farmers markets are really special. Interesting how he never gets mold on his vegetables. I wonder how he would go growing grapes for wine?
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What fabulous choice and how lovely to be able to buy and cook a melange of pottles:). Going to a market like that and not being able to buy and cook would have been such a shame. (My spell-check wanted to turn pottle into ‘pottie’)
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Pottle is new to me too. The winter produce look fabulous. I hunger for vegies when we travel too although we did pretty well in NZ.
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Love the new word, pottle. Sounds as if it would be a smallish container though.
Just a pottle for me please!
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It comes from the French potel, or small pot. That makes it sound better.
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Pottle? I thought. What’s a pottle? But you read my thoughts. Never heard that word before. I’ll tell you what though, a pottle of mussels for $5 is a bargain in anyone’s language. Bet that Farmer’s Market is only for the diehards, in winter.
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Have you come across anyone wearing jandals yet? Mr Tranquillo likes to wear them with socks.
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M do u mean sandals?
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No I meant jandals
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Lol
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http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/kiwi-icon-born-maurice-yock-lodges-application-for-the-trademark-jandals
Lol
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I’ve read the article. Very interesting using superior rubber but they still look like thongs. What say you?
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I work with many Kiwis. They think a thong is a g string. They refer to what we call thongs as jandals.
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Yeah they are a foreign country you have to remember. Weird words for things like pottles and jandals and they are also hard to understand !!!😂👅🌋
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Mate! a Thong is a piece of ladies underwear called a G-String…it definitely is underwear 🙂 hahaha
So if you ask someone in NZ where the thongs are you will get a very strange look and pointed in the direction of a Lingerie shop and if its a guy you might get a short, sharp shift 🙂
Jandals are summer attire in NZ, some people even wear them in the winter, but they are usually hobbits….hahaha
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I have heard of a pottle before .. But it certainly isn’t a common one. That fresh veg looks fantastic F. What about the size of that kohlrabi!!
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Love love your pics! 😃😃
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I think the word `pottle` is just an old-fashioned word for pot probably used centuries ago. Here in Oz we use the word pot – a cone-shaped cylinder – for quite a few niceties like a pot of chips, a mug of coffee, a pot of beer and dare I say a pot found at pokie venues to put your dollars in (when you win that is). 🙂
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As it turns out, it cimes from the old French word ‘potel’ meaning small pot. Derivations of words interest me.
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That `Anonymous` piece above was from me. I’m not trying to be incognito!
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I can never manage wine tasting during mornings at the markets but of I hadn’t already had breakfast it would have been a pottle of seafood. We lamented on our Vic trip that other than St Andrews when we were busy, our timing didn’t correspond with any markets… although we did buy ad hoc local produce. Today we made it to our local markets, and not only was it nice to buy, it was nice to chat. I’ve been missing Saturday morning markets, the fresh produce and discussion.
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It must be great to get back to your local market- the new local- and see what seasonal things are out there.
I wish I could have managed that pottle of fried seafood.
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I’ve never heard of the term pottle either but I love the way it sounds!
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Kohlraby! I’ve never seen it written in this way, or thought about the origin on the word. In Slovenian it is ‘koleraba’. This sounds like a little piece of heaven on Earth. And I didn’t know about the dry air because of Antarctica. Lovely stroll through your posts I’m having.
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Its rather cold on the South tip of New Zealand, like another world. I am so pleased you are enjoying these posts Manja Maxi, probably on a warm summer day over there.
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