an island weekend in September

September may very well be the most beautiful month here on Öland. Right now we are in the middle of harvest time, and there are so many wonderful places to go that are open!

In Albrunna on southwest Öland you can buy pumpkins in different colors and shapes. There is probably no more beautiful place to buy pumpkins than Albrunna Pumpkins. On the other side of the road the land slopes down towards the sea which is completely open, and there are the most fantastic sunsets.

For ten kronor each, we bought ornamental corn in different colors.

Last weekend we had a real excursion weekend here on Öland and managed to visit the northern as well as the central and southern parts of the island. We started our trip by going up to Sandvik and the nice little harbor there.

The fishing boat that was moored where we were sitting was called Elmy, almost like us, whose last name is Elm. We were told that the guys in the boat were members of the sea rescue society, and that they were going out to fish for flounder that Saturday morning. 

As the boat pulled away, the girls ran out to the pier to wave.

We went into Sandviks Fisk & Kök to buy lunch. They have both smoked and fresh fish on the counter, and we decided on one of their most popular dishes; homemade breaded fish and chips. You certainly didn't have to leave hungry!

We were so lucky that we managed to see our fishermen come back again, this time with flounder.

We bought corn and beets, and although the store's specialty may be potatoes, it has a wide and varied selection. I found lingonberries and chanterelles for dinner, and a small sunflower for a fiver.

We bought corn and beets, and although the shop's specialty may be potatoes, it has a wide and varied selection. I found lingonberries and chanterelles for dinner, and a small sunflower for a fiver. Evelyn found asters. Something I really love about this time of year is the opportunity to buy small bouquets of flowers here and there. Sometimes in greengrocers like this, and sometimes in small stalls along the roads.

After Sandvik and Källa we went back down, and stopped in Borgholm. After looking around the market stalls we went to Handkraft Keramik, an open studio with a garden that is both creative and almost magical.

An artist couple who make sculptures in stoneware and ceramics live and work here. Here and there in the lush garden there are sculptures of animals. The girls went on a journey of discovery and to their great delight found animals such as rabbits, foxes and cats.

Some animals even got kisses.

The garden is located like a hidden little oasis in central Borgholm, but protected by large, green trees. The garden's paths wind over logs and stones and bridges over water where goldfish swim.

The next day we were treated to real British summer heat, and the sun was warm when we went to Mittlandsgården which is located, as the name suggests, in central Öland, near Algutsrum. At Mittlandsgården, Caroline and her husband work with a lot of ecological thinking and have beehives, vegetable farming, sheep and chickens and also conduct test farming. The plant in the picture is buckwheat, which they are experimentally growing in collaboration with the County Administrative Board.

They also grow vegetables with history in other farming projects they participate in. Here, the heritage bean Mor Kristin is seen. Evelyn wanted to take the little beans home and put them in a box.

We got to taste different kinds of honey that they produced, and it's really fascinating how different honey can taste depending on where the bees have been, and what time of year they've been there.

To the girls' (and my) great joy, we were allowed to go with them in the farm car to the sheep pasture. The dog Nelson also came along. It was a joy to see sheep so close! The girls didn't want to leave.

Back home in Färjestaden, there were apples to pick, some in our own garden and many more in my mother's and our friends' gardens. Every year, my mother sends apples from her two trees for pressing, and it's the tastiest apple juice I know.

I think it's such a shame when fruit goes to waste in gardens because it's not picked. Maybe you don't have your own apples, but a neighbor does? Some people may not be energetic enough to pick all the apples themselves and collect them for musting, and then it's nice if you can help pick and then share the must.

We went to Mirabellgården in Mörbylånga to drop off apples at their farm mustery. Mirabellgården is a stone's throw south of the church, and there is a shop there with some garden accessories and beautiful terracotta pots. The apple must would be ready a few days later. We are already looking forward to tasting it!

/Helena Elm, September 2020