The Good Life in Aggtelek National Park Part 121: X. Gömör Fruit Festival

One of the 2-3 local annual events I look forward to, the Gömör Fruit Festival was once again held in the square in front of the Baradla Cave entrance in Aggtelek. Jeroen (co-owner of the marvelous Irota EcoLodge) picked me up in the afternoon. The rain had stopped and the sun was peeking out by the time we arrived around 3. It seemed to me that even more stands were set up than last year, and there was still a good crowd even so late in the day. We would of course have liked to wolf down a steamed dumpling, but as usual for this once annual opportunity, the line was too long for our patience. Instead, I had a potato pancake, soon followed by a donut with apricot jam. It lifted my spirits to be able to chat with so many local producers from the area, many of which I know and have certified national park products. János Ambrus (Szendrő) and Aranka Tóth (Sajókaza) were there with their honeys: Janos' mixed and lime flower honeys are certified by us, as is Aranka's Sajó Valley wildflower honey. Both also have a wide range of other honeys available. The Koltays were there with their dried mushroom, jams and cordials. The Bari's from Büdöskutpuszta were on hand with their organic mangalica products. The Miskolc Mushroom Association (MIGE) where I did my basic certification in 2015 had their exhibition of edible and poisonous mushrooms for which there was signifigant interest. It having rained only 4-5 times in the last 6 months, I have no idea where they picked them! The find of the day was a cheesemaker from Újcsanálos who offered a variety of sheep and goat cheeses. I bought some aged semi-hard sheep cheese, and a chunk of parmesan-like cheese.