Kivik Apple Market 2014

Kivik Apple Market 2014

Apple Installation; Design and production (using 35.000 apples) by artist Emma Karp Lundström.

This was the first time for us to visit this particular annual market that attract about 20-25000 visitors in Kivik, Österlen. The first market was organized 26 years ago when the ban for importation of foreign apples was lifted and there was a need to raise the profile of domestic fruit. It's mainly about apple in all formats; as raw material and processed product of many kinds. We even tasted some chicken soup with apples as an ingredient. Visiting Kiviks Musteri adds a special flavor to the happening. They process (Nordic) fruits and berries without unnecessary additives in order to preserve the natural taste of their end product (juice, cider, wines). They are open for the public and organize different kind of (tasting) events and their Apple House display their activities for visitors. 

Kivik is a welcoming small town. On this day temporary parking spaces are required.

Fruit at Kivik Musteri.

The market itself is a two day event by the harbour of Kivik. Its popularity is massive so it is advisable to come with time or even on both days (ticket valid for both days). Jack Vreeswijk and Sean Banan and other artists entertain while people bargain for product at offer. We opted to purchase smoked fish and marinated herrings from Buhres that has been awarded with many prices including the Swedish Seafood Award. We have by now tasted our "catch" and found it absolutely superb. As many others we have now become Buhres fans (www.buhresfisk.se). 

A vivid market place.

It seemed that the whole town of Kivik is putting together an effort to produce something extraordinary. The organizers and the sponsors of the market, the management of Kiviks Musteri and four sailing vessels arriving for the happening have put together a class act. The Schooner Klara-Marie, the ketch Sarpen (below), the yacht Hoppet and the ketch Helene joined up outside Simrishamn to sail together into Kivik.  Sarpen was built in 1892 in Denmark and during 1917 - 1962 it transported concrete in Sweden. In 1963 she was purchased by a scoutorganisation in Simrishamn that turned her into a training ship offering programs also for the public. 

Sarpen leaving Kivik for their return trip to Simrishamn.

Hoppet and Sarpen (leaving) in the harbour of Kivik. 

Kiviks Musteri 

Entrance to Kiviks Musteri

Kiviks Musteri is an interesting company with a clear profile; passion for food and drink, spiced with an Österlen lifestyle and a strong engagement for the region (www.kiviksmusteri.se). This family company wants to uphold old traditions but at the same time think in new directions. They are one of the largest enterprises in the region with 140 employees. It is also very welcoming towards the public with their own shop, a restaurant offering dishes with their own recipes and local produce, the Apple House" including e.g. a model production unit, a well kept garden and much more to make a visit MOST INTERESTING. More than 200.000 persons visit Kiviks Musteri annually. 

Kiviks Musteri; Quality Throughout!

Tried; Great

                 

                  Not tried; YET

    

Tried; Great

Tried; Great

Mrs T and I were overwhelmed by our days trip to the Kivik Applemarket and the Kiviks Musteri. One day proved a bit short for our visit but then, again, the Musteri factory can be visited again any time. We now have joined "Kiviks Vänner" to receive news, recipes, competitions and special offers from them. Kiviks Musteri seems to be in an expanding phase and we wish them success in their efforts.

Hopefully we have been able to interest our reders in Kivik and its offerings. Fellow Finns traveling south through Skåne has much to offer. Kivik is one very good option.

Have a very good week everyone!

:-)

Royal Guests at Wanås

Wanås Castle, Östra Göinge

Pictures taken over three days in connection with the visit from the Swedish Royal Family.

Overlooking the castle across the pond.

Wanås Castle is situated in the green northeastern Skåne where wonderful beech forests light up the environment. Situated on the historic border between Denmark and Sweden it has a background as "Snapphane-region" in the 17th century. Today Wanås Castle is privately owned and on the grounds operate both Wanås estate and Wanås Art. Wanås Estate AB is active in forestry and agriculture, hunting and property management (www.wanas.se). Wanås Art display some 50 permanent works in the park with new entries from national and international artists annually. For more information visit our earlier blogpost or the Wanås website.

Left Wanås Art entrance and its exhibition halls and Wanås Estate in the background. 

HM Crown princess Victoria and HM Prince Daniel

On a full day visit, by invitation of the Göinge Trade and Industry, to Östra Göinge and Wanås.

Attentive of the Art Collection in the beech forest.

Living very close to Wanås gives us the opportunity to visit the premises often for walks and photographic purposes. The exhibitions are interesting and the park, including the art work, beautiful to visit for an afternoon stroll. Earlier in the summer King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia visited Kristianstad and now we had the opportunity to join the locals in welcoming Crown princess Victoria and Prins Daniel. 

I arrived early enough at Wanås and entered with my fresh Season Card. Then spotted the waiting crowd and joined them. With my camera I am often mistaken for "The Press" so also this time, but I know to excuse myself as "The Public". This actually gives some advantages as I then can move freely and not being ushered in a strict manner like The Press has to cope with. Moving freely, with some polite guidance from "The Security" allows me to find good positions for photography like the picture above and the two below.

A Welcome Flower.

The draw back can be that I may have difficulties knowing what way the guests are going to take and running alongside is not always possible. I may therefore find myself in the rear of the procession and overtaking it can be cumbersome. Below,  by "The Wish Tree for Wanås" by Yoko Ono, we are doing just fine. Later in the woods I made a circumventive move in order to join "The Press". I found the perfect spot for myself but was soon surrounded by "The Press" and cameras where going off all over the place. I was asked who I was - ahaa, "The Public". Later I understood not to enter the Private areas of the Castle but instead let the professionals do their work.

By the "Wish Tree for Wanås" by Yoko Ono.

Forest Surrounding Wanås

A few shots from the forests around Wanås. The below mushrooms caught my attention as they were way up on the tree. The below collage give some understanding of the colorful beech forest and the art works displayed there. The tree in the middle is called the Snapphane Oak that is about 500 years old. It played a role during the Snapphane Rebellion during the Swedish-Danish wars in the 17th century as some rebells are said to be hanged by their neck from this tree.

Mushrooming 10 meters up.

Wanås Beech Forest and the Snapphane Oak in the middle.

Wanås Art

Wanås is marketed as the place where "art, nature and history meet" and this is perfectly true. Mrs. T says that she (that means "we") have never seen anything like this before. From contemporary art Wanås has also moved into other visual arts like design, dance and architecture. They also publish books, organize seminars and activate thousands of children for educational purposes (www.wanas.se). Much attention is given to create an international profile for Wanås Art. A short presentation of only a few of all 50 permanent art works.

Embraced by Nature

Presenting Wanås Art; Left "Wish Trees for Wanås" by Yoko Ono, top right "Two Different Anamorphic Surfaces" by Dan Graham and right middle "Whitney Outhouse of American Art" by Thom Merrick.

Wanås Art; left "Wanås" by Per Kirkeby and right "Primary Structure" by Jacob Dahlgren.

Spring 2014

Our first visit to Wanås took place in the spring of 2014 when we had moved to Östra Göinge. The below picture is unique in the sense that it no longer "exist" because of a sculpture placed here. The second picture reminds us of the fact that Wanås is very much also for the children.

Resting place by the pond early spring. 

A Childrens Wanås, too.

Mrs. T and I hope that our readers find Wanås as intriguing as we do. The season is ending in October with opening hours during week-ends only. The "Sale" in their shop is on by the way. And they are organizing a photographic competition - quess who is participating?

Have a very good week-end and join us for Kivik Harvest Festival tomorrow, Saturday 27th.

:-)

Swedish Hand Loom Museum

Hand Loom Museum, Glimåkra

This museum for hand looms is situated in northeastern Skåne and it is run by a non-profit organisation. It has a permanent exhibition of looms and tools and in addition it offer 8-10 changing exhibitions in textile art and traditional crafts annually. Also lectures are held and small educational groups get together weekly.  Weaving courses are organized e.g. for rags, carpets, clothing fabrics, towels, placemates etc. Approximately 6000 visitors attend the annual Weaving Days that this year is held 23rd-25th October.

Museum exhibition hall.

Mrs T is a lucky owner of a hand loom so this visit to the museum in order to get information and hints for the future. Ingrid Svensson, who looked after the museum this day, was kind enough to show us around the exhibition and also explain about production of linen. The exhibition displayed unbelievably pretty products that had required considerable time and effort to finish.

Mrs T walking through the exhibition.

Exhibition segments

Hand Looms and Tools

A smaller loom for the production of runners.

Ingrid showed us small and large looms from different ages. They have not changed much over time and considerable effort from two or three persons is needed to set up one for productive work. A smaller rag would thereafter take about one day to produce.  Also very thin and translucent works like curtains can be manufactured which delighted Mrs. T who anyway understood the limitations of a beginner. Anyone new in this profession can take part in one of the many courses organized within the premises (info@vavmuseum.se).

Different hand looms of the museum.

Mrs T preparing her hand loom.

The Swedish Loom Museum is a very well kept professional facility in a nice surrounding in the town of Glimåkra. They offer excellent services for anyone interested in handicrafts and the annual Weaving Days is an international happening. For details visit their website www.vavmuseum.se  

Thank you Ingrid for your kind and professional introduction. Mrs T wishes a nice and productive week to everyone.

:-)

Oppmanna - Vånga Harvest Festival

Vånga Harvest Festival 2014

Fruits, vegetables, handicraft and much more was offered at Oppmanna-Vånga Harvest Festival 2014.

The Oppmanna-Vånga Harvest festival is organized annually in September to celebrate the year's harvest. Mrs. T booked early this day for an excursion as the region is famous for its fruits and vegetables and she wanted to have her share of both raw materials as well as the refined products at offer. We arrived among 3500 other visitors to discover what almost 70 market stalls had put on display (see also www.vangabacken.com/skordefest). Many seemed to know what they where looking for and traffic on the parking lot was busy as cars where continuously coming and going. We took two tours around the stalls, talked to some people and then returned home via lake Ivö. Our "catch" is presented in the last picture.

RAWMATERIALS

The APPLE season is here. Could this be AROMA?

Apples have been cultivated in the Vånga region since medieval times when the monks from Bäckaskog monastery initiated the idea (Borglund Linn 2014; Grönhults fruktodling i Vångabygden).  The orchard of Grönhult, one of the oldest in the region, carry some 35 different varieties. We purchased "Discovery" and Mrs. T praised this to heaven. 

Market stalls with fruits and vegetables.

Apples, plums, pears, raspberries, carrots, leaks ...endlessly.

Rawmaterials where in abundance. It was only the raspberries that disappeared into customers bags before I had any chance of even photographing them, let alone purchase. The size of all the fruits amazed us as in native Finland we do not recall having seen such large and juicy product. When we reached the car on our way home we tried the plums - could not resist - size, juiciness and taste were of top class. 

PROCESSED PRODUCT

Stalls form long rows forming a square on this field.

Processed product from the sea and the fields.

"Vånga 77.1" is a blooming business that run conferense, restaurant and bakery services. They also produce their own beer made of birch sap, different marmalades and apple juice. "Vånga Must" also offer ecological apple juice made of a variety of fruits including the provincial apple AROMA that was introduced in the 70's as a hybrid cross of "Ingrid Marie" and "Filippa".  Åhus Sylt och Bär purchase sea buckthorn berries from different places in Sweden, including Öland, and makes a juice rich in vitamins and especially omega-acids beneficial against inflammations and gastrointestinal disorders but is also recommended for improved blood circulation. We now take a sip every morning of this "elixir".  The gentleman from Näsums Laxrökeri said that eel has been in abundance this year due to suitable conditions out in the sea that has brought the fish to the eastern coast of Skåne. This eel was smoked the day before, and I can only regret that we had run out of cash at this point.

HANDICRAFT AND OTHER PRODUCTS

Well-designed baskets.

Professional design and manufacture at all stalls.

One could have spent a small fortune running through all the stalls. Mrs. T talked to the lady selling "Luffarslöjd" or small household produce made of metal wire. Bending the wire is an arduous and heavy task to carry out and fingers easily get twisted. Great homemade marmalade (tasted some), unusual metal work enameled in a colorful way and many well designed handicrafts exchanged ownership. Mrs T, a proud owner of a hand loom is discussing the manufacture with a specialist, below.

Mrs. T discussing home made rags.

Some senior gentlemen had brought their own and well kept motorcycles for the audience to admire. One was an old Swedish made Husqvarna from 1933 and the other a British AJS made by Hercules in the -50's. They are used every week according to the proud owners.

Maybe not the fastest, but steady.

Äppelriket sorts, packes and distributes apples from 94 farmers in southern Sweden.

With the above commercial presentation of Äppelriket we now leave the Festival area, jump in the car to drive back home via lake Ivö, as usually. This time conditions provide for slightly better pictures.

Lake Ivö viewed from the main road.

And after Ivö we spotted more "fruit" on the right hand side of the road - giant pumpkins, a field full of them. Had to get a few shots of them, too.

We soon arrived at home to display our own "harvest" from Vånga, below.

"Candies" of the soil.




I know that you wanted to be there, too. Vånga Harvest Festival was a high class act, well organized with fresh and high quality (home made) products. No wonder this small village attract thousands of visitors each year. But it is not all over yet. Why not join the Kivik market in Österlen end of September. This is going to be big!


Have a very nice week everyone!



:-)

Autumn colors at Simontorp

Simontorp in September

View from route 119.

It is early autumn when I head for Simontorp that I have earlier observed from route 119 when driving past it. This small village nowadays consists of 7-8 households and some free-time villas. In the past the village had their own smithy to produce scythes and a saw to produce planks. The smithy no longer  exist but a saw still works and the old site is now turned into a touristic attraction allowing us to make cultural strolls in the neighbourhood. For more information see www.simontorpkonsult.se 

Entrance to the old saw with a museum and remnants of old crofter's holdings.

The organizers inform that Simontorp got its name in the year 1200 and was owned by Erich Geet who belonged to the royal council of Skåne. Later the yard belonged to Bosjö Abbey for a longer time and in 1803 the ownership was transfered to the present family. 

Simontorp konsult provide maps and general information at the entrance (for a nominal fee) for visitors allowing them to make their own way. There are several cultural paths to choose from and colored signs indicate the right path to follow. Sites are indicated by numbers matching the information sheet that provide general information about the area and its attractions.

My first encounter is the old stone bridge. Earlier crossing the narrow stream was possible only by wading. When the Swedish-Danish war erupted in the 17th century a wooden oak bridge was constructed later to be replaced by the stone bridge (Simontorp Konsult). The road was called the "The Priest Road" because the same priest served in two communities on separate sides of the stream.

Stone bridge crossing Simontorp river.

The next encounter is with the museum in the red shed displaying old agricultural tools. All with detailed description of what any specific tool was used for. Below sledges to transport timber during the winter and a wooden harrow for smoothing out the fields. Immediately next to the museum is the water driven old saw that had its heydays in the 19th century. The price for running a log through the saw was 0,14 crowns.

The old saw and the agricultural museum.

In the immediate vicinity of the saw some remnants of former crofts can be detected. The stone fence below is what is visible of Nils Bordins croft. He was allowed to cultivate the grounds and keep three sheep and one pig. He was also a smith and therefore useful for the saw. Nils and his wife Kersti had two children and both parents reach more than 80 years of age. The other croft with a stone wall visible belonged to several crofter starting with Per Svensson in 1772. Diseases like tuberculosis and colic had its toll among the crofters.

Crofts of Nils Bordin and Per Svensson.

Simontorp is surrounded with woods and the nature provide for enjoyable strolls. This day was warm and the few rain showers refreshed the air bringing the scent from the green forest to ones nostrils. It is mushroom time so a few close ups of the "fruits of the season". 

The colorful autumn is here.

It was interesting the see this small village and learn to know some of its former inhabitants and their way of living. With some imagination you can remove the new main road from the scene and also remove the tarmac from the old road to get the old picture 150 years back in time. An idea would be to remove the soil around the crofts and the old charcoal stacks to make the picture complete.

Thank you for following us to Simontorp. For the information above courtesy is given to Simontorp Konsult AB. The autumn is here so harvesting time will next take us to markets and festivities in Vånga and Kivik famous for their fruits.

Enjoy your week-end

:-)