Yesterday my doorbell rang and I opened the door to find a farmer standing outside my gate asking (in German) if I’d like to buy apples or potatoes. I was so happy to see him! Many years prior I had had a similar experience when staying with my in-laws in Augsburg, Germany. That summer I comprehended enough German to confidently answer the door when no one was home. When I opened the door a woman (a farmer’s wife) had a basket full of apples, a few potatoes, a knife, and slices of apple. She asked me if my husband’s grandmother needed apples or potatoes and was offering me a slice of apple. In my broken German, I told her she had to come back because the Frau wasn’t home. When Oma (the Frau) arrived home, she informed me she needed potatoes and to buy them the next time the farmer’s wife came around. I did not see the farmer’s wife again that summer before flying back to my temporary home in Sweden. Now that I reside in Germany, I was hoping a farmer or farmer’s wife would come around selling fruits or vegetables and thus my initial excitement. Not only did the practice still exist. It existed in the tiny village I have recently moved to! I of course bought something this time. I think I bought about a bushel of apples. Why so many? The farmer told me they were storing apples and I plan to make Apple Butter soon.
