An Öland weekend in September

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

In Albrunna on southwestern Öland you can buy pumpkins in different colors and shapes, and there is probably no more beautiful place to buy pumpkins than Albrunna Pumpkins. On the other side of the road, the ground slopes down to the sea, which is completely open, and there you can enjoy the most amazing sunsets.

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

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

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

When the boat puttered away, the girls ran out towards the pier to wave.

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

We were so lucky that we had time 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 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.  Something I really love about this time of year is the opportunity to buy small bouquets of flowers here and there. Sometimes in vegetable shops like here, and sometimes in small stalls along the roads.

After Sandvik and Källa we went down again, and stopped in Borgholm. After looking a little at the market shop, we went over to Handkraft keramik, an open studio with a garden that is both creative and almost magical.

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

Some animals even got kisses.

The garden is like a hidden little oasis in central Borgholm, but protected by large, green trees. The garden's paths meander 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 warmed us well when we went to Mittlandsgården which is located just as the name suggests on central Öland, near Algutsrum. At Mittlandsgården, Caroline and her husband work with a lot of circular thinking and have beehives, vegetable cultivation, sheep and chickens and also conduct test farming. The plant in the picture is buckwheat, which they are experimenting with in collaboration with the County Administrative Board.

They also grow vegetables with history in other cultivation projects they participate in. Here you can see the cultural heritage bean Mor Kristin. Evelyn wanted to take the small beans home with her and put them in a box.

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

To the girls' (and my) great joy, we got to follow the farm car to the sheep pasture. The dog Nelson also came along.  The girls didn't want to leave.

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

I think it's such a shame when fruit perishes in gardens because it is not picked up. Maybe that you don't have your own apples, but that some neighbor does? Some may not be alert enough to collect all the apples themselves and collect them for juicing, and then it's nice if you can help each other pick and then share the must.

We went to Mirabellgården in Mörbylånga to hand in apples to their farm juice factory. Mirabellgården is located a stone's throw south of the church, and there is a shop with some garden accessories and beautiful terracotta pots.  We are already longing to taste it!

/Helena Elm, September 2020