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Fethiye Times News – our pick of what’s been going on in Fethiye and around the region over the last week.

Stormy Tuesday

Winter continued to have a firm grip on Fethiye and area last week.

Tuesday saw the arrival of a storm accompanied by the southerly wind known in Turkey as Lodos.

It brought strong winds which tore through the area bringing down trees, together with torrential rain, which fell as snow on higher areas.

In the Akarca area of Fethiye the bough of a eucalyptus tree broke and landed on a vehicle causing significant damage.

Near the promenade a tall pine tree was brought down by the winds.

Electricity wires saved it falling on nearby property and vehicles.

On the promenade near to daily boat trips a tree fell down damaging an ice cream stand.

In the mountain village of Bekçiler poly tunnels were damaged by the weight of snow and sub zero temperatures.

Travel Survey

Last week, Fethiye Times, working in cooperation with the Kalkan based KTLN, published a survey to seek information from residents and visitors who travel to Turkey via Dalaman International Airport.

The airport management are hoping they can demonstrate that there is demand for airline companies to operate all year and not just during the summer months.

KTLN is hosting the survey. You can find more details and links to the survey in our Working together for a brighter future: KTLN and Fethiye Times survey – Dalaman Airport article.

Collision with Lorry – Pedestrian Injured

A 55 year old woman was seriously injured when she was run over by a truck last week.

The local press featured CCTV of the shocking incident recorded by a camera located outside a nearby shop.

The woman starts to cross the side road as a truck is turning.

She continues to walk but collides with the truck and falls under the front wheels.

The Police were first on the scene and the driver was arrested.

An ambulance attended and took the woman to Fethiye State Hospital.

She was treated for various broken bones.

Her condition was reported to be stable.

Turkish Money

The Turkish Lira suffered more blows last week.

On Thursday the British Pound bought 4.80 Turkish Lira (TL).

But by the close of business on Friday it settled at 4.53 TL.

The week before it was worth 4.48 TL.

Weather

Another unsettled winter week ahead but there should be some sunshine to look forward to.

And Finally

No snow men here

Spotted on Fethiye social media.

This local industrious trio have create a snow-animal.

The post Fethiye Times News Week Ending 14 January 2017 appeared first on Fethiye Times.

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Winter in Fethiye brings a whole range of weather conditions, temperatures and colours. The light changes from one moment to the next, presenting a multitude of photo opportunities that change daily.

Fethiye Times would like to bring you a selection of photographs taken by our readers that capture some of the amazing weather we have experienced recently.

These photographs were all taken over the last month in Fethiye and the surrounding areas.

Rainbow over Fethiye

Turquoise in Ölüdeniz

Snowy weather in Ovacık

Hiking in the snow on Mendos

Ölüdeniz from a snow capped Babadağ

 Babadağ rising majestically over Fethiye

There’s a storm coming! Fethiye from Taşyaka

Fethiye harbour – the day after the storm

Stormy skies and turquoise seas in Ölüdeniz

Seagulls in Fethiye harbour

Winter life in Fethiye – you just need warmer clothing and  an umbrella.

The post Fethiye’s winter weather in pictures appeared first on Fethiye Times.

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Why not make the most of Global Pulse Day by enjoying a bowl of Turkey’s famous lentil soup or bean stew?

Today – 18th January – is Global Pulse Day and we are celebrating with an overview of some of Turkey’s simple but delicious pulse dishes.

Anyone who visits Turkey and explores beyond the hotels and beaches will soon realise that lentils, chickpeas and all kinds of beans are key ingredients in much of Turkey’s traditional cuisine.

Since time immemorial, Anatolian kitchens have been home to bubbling pots and pans, full of the most tasty pulse dishes imaginable. Accompanied by a chunk of bread to mop up the juices, filling and healthy pulses are still an important part of the Anatolian diet for many families – and it is one we can’t recommend highly enough.

Known as bakliyat in Turkish, pulses are thought to have first been grown as a crop in the Fertile Crescent – Mesopotamia. This land, between the Euphrates and the Tigris, is where humans first began to farm, as far back as 11,000 years ago.

Local produce

Chickpeas: slow cooked with plenty of onions, garlic tomatoes and herbs, there isn’t anything more satisfying than a bowl of chickpea stew. What’s more, chickpeas are still grown in and around Fethiye, so look out for fresh ones later this year.

Chickpeas on the move

Leblebi, which can be bought in Kuruyemış shops, are roasted chickpeas. Some are plain, others flavoured or salted. However and whenever you choose to munch on a handful of leblebi, they make a wholesome and moreish snack.

Chickpeas for pudding?

Aşure (Ashure), sometimes known as Mrs Noah’s pudding, is a kind of sweet soup. One of the main ingredients is the humble chickpea. Click here for more information.

A versatile pulse

Lentils: in Turkey, this nourishing pulse comes in several different colours: red, yellow, green and brown. Served as a tempting bowl of soup or a plate of meat-free spicy köfte (best eaten wrapped up in a lettuce leaf), are two Turkish dishes made with red lentils that certainly shouldn’t be missed. Green lentils are good for soup too but also make a fantastic salad.

Beans, beans… good for your heart

They are too. White beans, mung beans, broad beans: the list is endless. One of the most popular dishes in Turkey is kuru fasulye, better than any tinned beans as far as we are concerned.

Wherever you are in the world today, enjoying one (or more) plates of these dishes will be a great way to celebrate not only Global Pulse Day but also wonderful Turkish cuisine.

Afiyet olsun!

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When Daniel (Dan) Sattler arrived at Yıldırım Guesthouse in Karagözler it was very apparent from his distinctive clothing that he was a young man with a story to tell.

A journeyman’s tale

Dan is a 29-year-old cabinetmaker from Frankfurt in Germany and is a
journeyman (Wandergeselle) carpenter.

What is a journeyman?

The tradition of the journeyman carpenter dates back to the 12th century and
is a very interesting and very well respected one in Europe.

In Germany, once a carpenter has completed their professional training, they must travel throughout Germany and abroad for three years and a day and are forbidden to work within 50 km miles of their hometown or the place that they did their apprenticeship.
They must travel on their own and contract out for six to eight weeks of work
for various companies. One of the guidelines is to spend as little money as
possible on travel and accommodation so they depend on their work to
sustain them.

Journeymen travel on foot or hitchhike, often sleep outdoors
and only take with them what they can carry in their rucksack. This cloth bag
(Charlottenburg) contains personal belongings and hand tools.

They do not carry mobile phones or anything that needs paying for on a regular basis.

Traditional Clothing

Journeymen carpenters can be recognized by their traditional clothing (Die Kluft), which originates from the water carriers in Hamburg who carried waterin wooden buckets. Local carpenters repaired the water buckets, which is where the link stems from.

The outfit has been adapted to the carpentry trade. A three-piece corduroy black suit, a wide brimmed hat, which protects from falling sawdust when cutting beams in a sawpit (the style of hat is the only item of clothing that is individual to the journeyman). The white shirt has the collar turned inwards and the sleeves rolled up on the inside to prevent sawdust collecting and flared trousers divert the sawdust away from the boots. The cane (Stenz) is made from a twisted branch and was traditionally carried to ward off bandits and thieves.

So how did Dan become a journeyman?

From six or seven years old Dan loved to shape pieces of wood with a
pocketknife. He would hollow them out and make boats (that didn’t float very
well according to how he tells it). At 10 years old Dan had a boys workbench
and would cut and glue any piece of timber he could lay his hands on.
Originally he wanted to be an archaeologist but his grades weren’t good
enough so he followed his love of working with wood and completed a three-year
apprenticeship in carpentry

Dan’s journey

Dan has been on the road as a journeyman for two years and four months. He has traveled to many fascinating places including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, China, and Nepal. He is currently hitchhiking from Istanbul to Antalya.

He is gaining a wealth of experience as he goes.

During his journey he has built a roof from old bridge beams in Northern Australia, renovated the interior of a 1956 Bedford bus in New Zealand, taken part in a natural building course working with sustainable and recycled materials and refitted the interior of a caravan for backpackers. He has also built a chicken coop in Marmaris, a bar in a hostel in Nepal and done small jobs in exchange for food and a bed for the night. Many of these jobs were done with just a hammer, chisel and a handsaw (there aren’t any power tools in Nepal)

A journey of enrichment

Of course a journey like this is giving Dan much more than experience in his trade.
Spending time in places where people don’t have hot water and cook with a frying pan and a pot on an open fire, has given Dan a new perspective on what is important in life as well as much more confidence in dealing with people of different nationalities.

Onward journey…

And there we have to leave Dan as he goes forward on his journey from Turkey to France where he will be helping to build a house out of straw bales before traveling on to Scandinavia. He then plans to make his way back to Germany where he will work in the sustainable building sector.

Who is that is the unsual outfit?

Don’t forget…if you see someone walking along who fits this description he’s not a wizard, a chimney cleaner or Amish, he’s a journeyman…
If you are interested in learning more please visit:

http://carvingswithstories.blogspot.com.tr/2013/06/the-european-woodworking-guilds-and.html

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Portulaca oleracea, known as Semizotu in Turkish and purslane in English, is a green, leafy succulent. Similar to spinach, it is  a tasty vegetable that can be cooked or eaten raw. It is also one that figures widely in Turkish cuisine and is invariably on sale in every manav – greengrocers and market.

Even so, semizotu is an ingredient that many foreign visitors often overlook, which is a pity because this remarkable plant – so often thought to be a weed – is packed full of goodness.

Greens with a history

Nowadays, purslane is eaten throughout much of Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Mexico.

It can be found it the UK too, also for some reason it stopped making a regular appearance at mealtime in the 19^th century.

It has been used in the Eastern Mediterranean since the 7^th century BCE and in antiquity, its healing properties were thought so reliable that Pliny the Elder advised wearing the plant “as an amulet to expel all evil.”*

In China it is an ingredient used in traditional medicine.

Clever chickens

Scientists carrying out a study on how diets on the coastal and mountain areas of Crete differ, were surprised to find that levels of Omega 3 in the people living in the mountains were higher than those living on the coast – despite all the fish they ate. It transpired that this was due to the diet of the mountain chickens… they ate the purslane that grew wild and this significantly increased level of omega-3 fatty acids in the yolk. It also significantly boosted egg production. Since this research egg producers have increased not only production but sales by adding purslane to their layers’ feed.

For more information the link to the research study is here.

A weed or a super-food?

Although purslane is considered a weed in some countries, this humble succulent contains more omega-3 fatty acids (alpha-linolenic acid in particular) than any other leafy vegetable plant.

It also contains vitamins (mainly vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol),[14] vitamin B, carotenoids), and dietary minerals such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, and iron.

For this property alone, it makes sense to include it in your diet.

The Telegraph suggests including purslane in you diet. In her article, “Common plants and weeds that you didn’t know you could eat,” the author, Eleanor Doughty, asks of purslane, “What’s in it for me?” and without further ado she tells us…

“It’s good for your heart, with the highest amount of heart-healthy omega-3 fats of any edible plant, or so say researchers at the University of Texas.

It is packed with vitamins E and C, and it is reported that purslane has 10-20 times more melatonin, an antioxidant that may inhibit cancer growth than any other fruit of vegetable yet tested. That seems like a big claim, but if it’s true then purslane needs to be your new edible weed at the table.”

Well, for countries like Turkey, purslane already makes a regular appearance at the table.

Three ways get you Eastern Mediterranean greens

Purslane can be eaten raw or cooked and all parts of it are edible, including the flowers. Three of Turkey’s favourite dishes are:

 Semizotu with yogurt

This recipe is so simple and yet so delicious… serve as a meze.

Semizotu with bulgur

This is a quintessentially Turkish dish – and like so many – is best served with a dollop of thick creamy yogurt, a sprinkling of pul biber (chilli flakes) and a hunk of crusty bread.

a bunch of semizotu

one medium white onion finely chopped

a Turkish coffee cup of oil olive

1 dessert spoon of tomato or red pepper puree

2 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1 litre of vegetable or chicken stock or water

1 cup of bulgur or Turkish rice

Pepper, salt pul biber (chilli flakes)

Method

Wash and clean the purslane, roughly chop and put to one side.

Heat some of the olive oil in a saucepan and gently fry the onions without burning. When the onions are just turning gold, add the chopped tomatoes to the saucepan. Add the purslane, a little salt and pepper. Put on the lid and cook for about five minutes on a low heat.

Pour the litre of stock or water into the saucepan, bring to the boil and add the bulgur or rice. Return to the boil, cover tightly with the lid and reduce the heat. Check occasionally to make sure the pan hasn’t boiled dry. Add a little more water if required. Once the bulgur or rice is soft turn off the heat, cover pan with a clean tea towel and the lid and leave for a few minutes.

Your purslane dish is now ready to serve but it is just as tasty served cold.

To read this recipe in Turkish click here.

Semizotu salad

Raw purslane with tomatoes, cucumber and red onion makes a delicious and healthy salad. To find the recipe click here. We like it with crumbly white cheese (feta) and chopped red onion too.

Afiyet olsun…

Next week we will tell you about another vegetable that you may that you may think is strange, as it isn’t often seen outside Turkey. Watch this space!

• thanks to Wikipedia for this.

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Fethiye Times News – our pick of what’s been going on in Fethiye and around the region over the last week.

Turkey To Vote in April

The Turkish Parliament voted in favour of plans to change the constitution last week.

The vote was 339 in favour and 142 against.

Under the Turkish system amendments to the constitution need to be approved by 367 or more of the 550 members.

Proposals that get between 330 and 366 are then decided by a public vote; a referendum.

The referendum is expected to take place in early April.

Impaled

The local press reported an ‘eeeerrrgghhhh’ moment last week.

A 10 year old boy had been climbing on an iron railing.

But his hand slipped and was impaled by one of the sharp decorative spikes on the top of the fence.

Neighbours were alerted to the boys predicament when they head his screams.

A fire crew under the supervision of a medical team used a specialist cutting tool normally used to free people from wrecked cars to cut the boy free.

The boy was taken to hospital with the small but sharp steel section still in his hand.

That was later removed after surgery and his hand is reported to be free from lasting damage.

Surprise Birthday Celebration

The Mayor of Fethiye Behçhet Saatçi had a surprise when he arrived at the office of Fethiye Council in Fethiye last Friday.

Over 100 staff workers and councillors had gathered to wish the Mayor a happy 60th birthday.

The surprise had been a well kept secret judging by the look on the Mayors face as he entered the offices.

He received flowers, cut his cake and then thanked those gathered for all their support over the last 18 years that he has held the office.

Happy Birthday from Fethiye Times too!

Personal Services

The local press reported that three foreign national females were arrested by police at Fethiye shopping mall last week.

The three were all accused of offering personal services using the underground car park at the mall as their base.

Viewing Points Damaged

According to social media news page Fethiye Haber Bulteni thieves are thought to behind a spate of criminal damage to viewing points in and around Oludeniz last week.

The distinctive silver viewing points had been forcibly opened and cash removed the site claimed.

Gassed

A family of 4 were from the village of Karadere were rushed to hospital last week after becoming ill.

The source of the sickness was suspected to be carbon monoxide poisoning from a blocked coal burning stove flue.

Turkish Money

The Turkish currency continued to lose value last week.

The British Pound bought 4.66 Turkish Lira (TL) by the close of business on Friday but at one point it was worth 4.73 TL.

The week before the Pound bought 4.48TL.

Weather

Another winter week head with sunshine and showers at sea level.

Temperatures are expected to reach a high of 12 degrees and a low of 1 degree.

The post Fethiye Times News Week Ending 21 January 2017 appeared first on Fethiye Times.

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We should start by admitting our top five books about Turkey isn’t quite what it seems. If you look carefully you will see that it is actually more like a top 100 books…

This is because so many brilliant books about the country have been written over the years, we couldn’t decide which top five five books about Turkey to choose…

We thought that limiting our recommendations to a mere five books about Turkey would be a serious mistake. So, instead we are actually looking at five lists written by other people on their favourite books about Turkey!

Hungry for books about Turkey?

If, like us, you are hungry for books about Turkey, you can’t do much better than take a look at what other people who know and love the country recommend and like to read.

This is exactly what we’ve done on your behalf.

Maybe you will find some of your best reads about Turkey, ever, like we did and probably (also like we did) you’ll see some you hadn’t heard of before.

Louis de Bernieres’ Birds Without Wings is there of course, as is Jeremy Seal‘s Meander: east to west along a Turkish river but there are many others too.

As usual our list is in no particular order:

Top 5 reads about Turkey – according to:

Tom Brosnahan (Turkey Travel Planner)

A wonderfully eclectic range of subjects by Tom about all things Turkey and Turkish. It also includes his own book, which we haven’t read yet but it’s definitely on our list.

To read about what Tom likes and visit the Turkey Travel Planner website, click here.

Jason Goodwin

Jason Goodwin is the author of the highly acclaimed series of novels featuring Yashim, the Istanbul investigator. As Jason studied Byzantine history at Cambridge University he has also written about the history of the city too. As expected, his list of books about Turkey covers a range of fascinating subjects.

For more about Jason visit his website by clicking here.

Duke Dillard (Captivating Capadoccia)

Captivating Capadoccia is full of useful information for people travelling around the region and the author, Duke Dillard, one of the authors on this site is obviously a bit of a bibliophile.

With more than 45 books to choose from on this list, we feel sure that you will find something interesting to read that’s new to you.

Natalie Sayın

A freelance travel blogger and writer specializing in the country of Turkey, Natalie Sayın uses her blog as her writing portfolio and journal about life in Turkey.

As she reads she updates the list and says all of them can be purchased on Amazon, in either hardback form or for kindle.

For Natalie’s full list visit her blog by clicking here.

Peter Sommer

In 1994, Peter Sommer walked 2,000 miles across Turkey, retracing the route of Alexander the Great, and in the process fell in love with the country, its ancient civilisations, and the Turkish people. A British archaeologist and award-winning documentary filmmaker began organising and leading tours in 1996. His name is now that of a well known travel UK company.

Books, biographies, and travel guides should you wish to read up on Turkey, Turkish history, and the region’s archaeology before your cultural tour.

To learn what there is on this list and to visit the website, click here.

And finally… because we can never stop at five…

Books about Turkey

Sadly, no more excellent reviews since this time last year but this blog is nevertheless a useful aid memoire for anyone looking for something a bit different.

To visit Books about Turkey click on this link.

Now we’d like to hear from you – what are your favourite books about Turkey?

Happy reading!

The post Top 5 books about Turkey – and a lot more besides appeared first on Fethiye Times.

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During the summer months Fethiye harbour is a hive of activity, with rows of boats offering everything from daily boat trips, private hire and fishing trips to longer trips on one of the many gulets.

You can spend a day in Fethiye bay amongst the famous 12 Islands or enjoy a cruise further afield. There is a boat trip to suit all tastes and budgets.

But what happens to the boats at the end of the summer when the visitors go home?

In the Karagözler area of Fethiye you will find the boatyard (tersane in Turkish). Whatever time of year you come here the boatyard is busy however, winter time is especially so as it is the time when the boats come out of the water and undergo annual maintenance.

Fethiye Times went along to have a look.

Boats of all shapes and sizes

You are immediately struck by the number of boats of all shapes and sizes that are perched, in what appears to be a precarious manner, on steel or wooden props in various stages of the cleaning and painting that takes place each year.

A well-built wooden boat can last a lifetime with the correct care. This includes cleaning and painting the hull.

Cleaning and painting the propellors

Painting topside

Sounds and smells

The sound of hammering and sanding machinery fılls the air.

Smells of paint and epoxy resin mix with the aroma of köfte and kebabs coming from the local lokanta where it will soon be time for the workers to stop to drink çay and eat a well deserved meal.

Where are the cranes?

The boatyard uses traditional methods and there are no cranes or modern equipment to winch the boats out of the water.

A series of steel cables and pulleys are used, along with sheer hard work and brute force.

A tractor unit with a steel framework is used for the smaller boats

Back in the water! from fethiyetimes on Vimeo.

Calış Boats

If you visit Çalış in the winter you will see the Çalış boats propped up by the river where the maintenance takes place.

And what happens if the boats aren’t maintained regularly?

Ooops!

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When visiting Turkey you may notice there are habits that are very different to what you are used to at home. Turkey has a set of social rules all of its own which can be confusing at first.

Following on from our previous articles about Unique Turkish Phrases we decided to take a closer look at some of the unspoken Turkish rules you will come across during your stay.

Social Greetings

Turkish people often greet each other with a kiss on each cheek. If a Turkish person is greeting a grandparent or elder, it is customary for them to kiss the right hand of said person and place their head to the hand, as a mark of respect.

They also walk down the street with arms linked or wrapped around each other’s shoulders. This can apply to men as well and is normal social behaviour. If you are in an in-depth conversation with a Turk and they touch your arms or hands, it is just their way of emphasising their thoughts and opinions.

Turks smile less than Westerners

This doesn’t mean they’re unfriendly or unwelcoming (quite the opposite). It’s just a cultural difference. It’s best to avoid smiling at strangers, especially in rural places where they’re not used to smiling foreigners. At best, they’ll realise you’re a foreigner and greet you, at worst, they’ll consider you a bit simple or think you’re making fun of them. Smiling is generally reserved for people close to you.

Never refuse a cup of tea

The drinking of tea (çay) is a national pastime and offering it to guests is part of Turkish hospitality. Refusing is seen as anti-social. You’ll notice that when you’ve finished your tea your host will refill your glass. Once you have had enough, leave your teaspoon lying across the glass to signal “That’s enough. Thank you”.

Don’t put your handbag on the floor

Putting your handbag on the floor is considered unhygienic, it’s also bad luck as it will cause all your money to leak away to the ground, or you will end up spending your hard-earned cash on useless or frivolous objects.

Take your shoes off

It’s important to remove your shoes before entering a Turkish home so you do not drag in the dirt from the outside into the home. Some people bring along shoes for inside the house but you will always be given a pair of slippers or house shoes by your host.

Kolonya! Kolonya!

Before a meal, after a meal, to welcome guests or to revive someone who’s feeling a bit faint: kolonya (lemon cologne) is absolutely everywhere. In homes, restaurants, businesses and in bags all over the country, lemon cologne is waiting to revive, refresh and disinfect.

A bit of a grilling

Turks are comfortable talking about personal details, even with someone they’ve just met. This can be alarming to someone from a more reserved country, such as the UK. As a foreigner, you’re even more interesting. Expect to be grilled about your marital status, age, number of children, job and salary. You can also expect all manner of questions about where you’re from.

Five minutes means an hour

Life in Turkey is slower and more easy going. The Turks have a casual attitude to showing up on time. Call someone who is late to ask where they are and you might get a “geliyorum” (I’m coming) meaning anything from “I’m just around the corner” to “I’m still at home”. Take a deep breath and enjoy this casual way of life while you’re here.

Which Turkish unspoken social habits have you come across?

The post Turkish habits you might not know about (part one) appeared first on Fethiye Times.

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Knobbly celeriac may not be the most beautiful produce on display in your greengrocer, even in comparison with other root vegetables. Yet, what this ugly duckling lacks in looks, it more than makes up for in flavour, versatility and character.

Newcomers to this carbuncled, whiskery looking vegetable often feel rather daunted by it, and shift their gaze to something more attractive… and predictable. But failing to forge even a fleeting association with a celeriac would be a big mistake. Indeed, should you spot some in the market, snap them up immediately.

There once was an ugly duckling…

If you don’t know already, this vegetable maybe rather unappealing on the outside but it has the alter ego of a beautiful swan – at least in terms of its flavour – on the inside. An incredibly versatile vegetable, a celeriac can with a little love and care, present itself as a winter comfort food, a characterful continental salad or a silky smooth, refined and very elegant soup.

With the texture of parsnip and a flavour somewhere between parsley and celery (the stalks are rather like droopy celery), this bulbous beauty can be transformed into a range of delicious dishes.

The stalks may look like celery – they even taste like celery – but they are usually much tougher than the stuff on sale in European supermarkets.

In fact, although celery root and celery are members of the same family of vegetables, it is not the root of the vegetable called celery. Celeriac is cultivated for its root, not for its stalks or leaves.

This vegetable is a very nutritious and healthy vegetable too, packed full of vitamins and other goodies.

Buying and storing celeriac

Always buy celeriac with a heavy, firm hypocotyl (that’s the scientific name for the root by the way) and with a clump of green celery-like shoots sprouting from the top. Get more than you think you’ll need – the reason for this will become clear later. When you get home cut the stalks from the root and store separately in the fridge. They last longer that way but are best used within a week.

The peeling challenge

The challenge for most people is how to peel and prep this vegetable without losing more than you started out with in the first place…

Celeriac is tricky to peel because it’s so knobby.

If you haven’t done so already, cut off the leaves and stalks. Wash the root thoroughly, giving it a good scrub with a soft brush, if you have one to hand.

Now it’s ready for the next stage…

The big reveal

The idea is to remove the whiskery, knobbly exterior just as far as the light flesh. Using a very sharp paring knife cut a slice off the root end. Place the celeriac on a chopping board and hold the stem end with one hand and remove the skin with your sharp knife, cutting from top to bottom. Work your way around the root, trying to remove as little of the peel as possible and leaving as much of the body of the celeriac intact. It is inevitable that you will lose some of the white flesh, so bear in mind that you will need more of it to compensate.

Prepare the peeled celeriac for your recipe. Once cut it will oxidize (discolour) rapidly, so put the prepped celeriac in water with lemon juice or vinegar until you’re ready to cook it.

Kereviz – Zeytinyağlı yemek

In Turkey, where this winter vegetable is called kereviz, it is used in traditional Aegean cooking with olive oil (zeytinyağlı) and sometimes also with orange juice; two ingredients for which western Turkey is particularly famous.

Özlem’s Turkish Table has an excellent recipe for celeriac cooked with olive oil, ideal for a meze or an accompaniment to a meal.

Celeriac with orange juice adds a slightly different buy no less delicious flavour.

But its charm and versatility doesn’t stop there…

An alternative to potato, celeriac is lower in carbohydrates and makes delicious crisps and oven chips.

Jamie Oliver suggests smashed celeriac to accompany roasts – here is his recipe.

Beautiful soup…

Celeriac lends itself to a variety of soups too,

This recipe for celeriac soup from Anna Jones uses hazel nuts and sage, both of which are famous Turkish ingredients.

While this soup with lemon zest and lemon infused oil, from food and style, would grace the most elegant dinner table.

Winter salads

Celeriac remoulade is probably the best known dish that uses raw celeriac… We particularly like this recipe from the Bournemouth restaurant, West Beach.

But this celeriac – cole-slaw combination from Marmaduke Scarlet’s blog is also an unusual and flavoursome addition to a meal.

If you thought that was all the celeriac could do, here are some other wonderful recipes from Ballymaloe in Country Cork, Ireland.

Don’t forget the stalks…

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall suggests using the cleaned peelings and stalks for soups and stocks. They are usually a bit tough to eat raw – although you may be lucky. They can also be used in stir-fries but sparingly as the flavour is very strong. The leaves are a bit like a cross between parsley and lovage. Use them as a garnish or for flavour.

Happy cooking and great eating!

Afiyet olsun

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Fethiye Times News – our pick of what’s been going on in Fethiye and around the region over the last week.

Great Holiday in Fethiye Guaranteed

The Mayor of Fethiye Behcet Saatci attended the EMİTT 2017 Tourism Fair last week.

Speaking to the local press he said anyone visiting Fethiye this year is guaranteed to have a great holiday or he will refund their holiday costs.

The statement was made during an interview in which the Mayor spoke about his hopes and fears for the 2017 tourism season.

He referred to the 35% fall in visitors in 2016 and the risks ahead for 2017 but said Fethiye is great place to visit.

He told the press that Fethiye is a wonderful place to take your holiday with hotels and accommodation to meet all budgets, great restaurants, activities, beaches and breathtaking scenery.

So the 65% of us who will continue to visit this wonderful country should have an even better time this year on holiday in Turkey.

Weather Week

Wintery conditions continued to grip the area last week.

The main road between Fethiye and Antalya was snow covered making driving conditions difficult.

The snow brought fun and a bruised leg for one woman’s though.

She had to be taken to hospital by ambulance when she injured herself sledging in the snow near Nif.

The cold weather was not welcomed by some local farmers.

Those with Poly tunnels had to keep all night vigils with their wood burners to prevent their crops suffering frost damage.

And then to add to the weather woes greenhouse owners in Kumlova and Kinik were battered by a strong wind on Friday. It tore through some poly tunnels ripping the plastic

Uplifting Event

Fethiye hosted a weightlifting sporting event last week.

A four day weightlifting tournament was organised by the Turkish Weightlifting Federation and was held at Eldirek Sports Hall, Fethiye.

The top results were:

Men’s – Turgay Besler – Ankara (322 kilos )

Women’s – Rabia Kaya – Istanbul (198 kilos)

Speaking at the Championship Muğla Governor Amir Çiçek said:

“If we achieve success in every kind of sport, we will demonstrate the power and unity of our nationality in the world, and we desire to have national sportsmen in the Olympics not only in the country but also abroad.”

Money from The Heavens

Over the mountains to Antalya now.

The Mediterranean University in Antalya receives and analyses meteorites send to it by citizens.

They introduced the term ‘space mining’ to encourage citizens to head to the countryside to harvest pieces of meteorite that land.

Genuine meteorite pieces can fetch hundred of dollars.

A news team followed villagers in Bingol who were filmed scouring local fields and picking up pieces of meteorite.

They said this is another way of making money from the land.

But it’s seems it’s not easy money.

Speaking with Haberler.com Associate Professor. Hasan Esenoglu from the university said that it is very difficult to determine where the meteorites fall even though your eyes think otherwise. He said:

“People who see it in the meteoric sky think it’s close to the area they’re in. But it’s hard to figure it out because it could have fallen into hundreds of square kilometers, so it’s not so easy to guess where to go and find it when you see it in the sky.”

Turkish Money

The Turkish currency continued to lose value last week.

The British Pound bought 4.85 Turkish Lira (TL) by the close of business on Friday but in the morning it dipped to an all time high of 4.89 TL.

The week before the Pound bought 4.66TL.

Weather Forecast

This week looks a bit brighter than of late but the cold days and nights are set to continue throughout the week.

The post Fethiye Times News Week Ending 28 January 2017 appeared first on Fethiye Times.

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High in the mountains above Tlos in the village of Yakaköy lies Tangala Goat Farm, the home of Buket Ulukut and Tangala Artisan Cheeses.

Buket started Tangala Farm in 2008 with a small vegetable garden and two goats. Today Tangala is an established business producing a range of cheeses, natural products (honey, grape syrup and more) and organising cheese workshops and group events. Please read our article from last August for more information about Buket and the farm.

Last Thursday Fethiye Times went along to a Cheese and Honey gathering held at Tangala.

The journey

Transport, arranged by Buket, left from the Fethiye Otogar at 10am. It took about an hour to get to the farm giving us plenty of opportunity to enjoy the changing countryside. From Fethiye, through Seydikemer, past the ancients ruins and rock tombs at Tlos, past Yakapark, up the mountains to Yakaköy and our first glimpse of the farm.

The farm

There are two project buildings at the farm. This two floored stone building at the entrance to the farm, houses the cheese making and aging rooms in the basement and a spacious, natural wood clad, open plan entrance floor designed for events and projects.

Some of the goats grazing peacefully in the adjoining meadow.

There are also a number of baby goats frolicking and bleating demandingly!

Baby goats at Tangala Goat Farm from fethiyetimes on Vimeo.

The gathering

We were given a warm greeting by Buket and Cem. Inroductions were made and we enjoyed çay and dried black figs whilst watching an informative video about the farm.

We were then served with Lentil Soup and fresh, warm village bread.

Working up an appetite

Next on the agenda was a lovely walk, guided by Cem, for those who fancied some exercise. What better way to work up an appetite for the cheesy delights to come?  Those who preferred were quite welcome to stay behind and relax.

Buffet time

Then it was time to head back for cheese. A mix of Tangala cheese varieties, Pelit, Amber and Mera, were served along with special Tangala pine and flower honey, dried black figs, tahini, grape molasses, and hot pepper jelly – served with a glass of apple or orange wine …all grown or produced on the farm!

A truly amazing gastronomic experience with a blend of textures and tastes to delight the palate!

All that was left to do was to fill out one of Buket’s shopping lists and tick off what we wanted to buy. Decisions decisions!

Thank you to Buket and Cem for a wonderful day!

More about Tangala Gatherings

Buket is planning a series of Cheese & Honey gatherings and Guerrilla Kitchen events.

Intrigued? Don’t want to miss out?

Visit Tangala on Facebook to find out more.

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Charities are non-profit making organisations that raise money for areas in need.

These days there are thousands of charities round the world and it is possible to donate money to help people, animals and places.

Here in Fethiye there are a number of charities who raise money for children and animals. The charities are run and supported by both people who have moved here and made Fethiye their home and local Turkish people. The charities are also supported by regular visitors to Fethiye who will often bring over suitcases full of donations (contact the charity of your choice to find out how to avoid excess baggage charges for charitable donations)

Here at Fethiye Times we thought it would be useful to run a series of articles letting you know what charities there are, their aims, activities and how you can get involved.

Here is our introduction to local charities part one (part two will be published next week). Please click on the relevant links to find out more about the work each of the charities does and for contact details.

 Fethiye International Group (FIG)

FIG was the first charity in Fethiye dedicated to raising money for the benefit of local children. Since FIG started in 2004 it has grown from a weekly book swap to an active part of the community. Today’s FIG includes a Charity shop, weekly coffee mornings, regular craft fayres and other fundraising events.

The FIG charity shop is located at 132a Süleyman Demirel Blv (Antalya Rd), a short drive or dolmus ride from the Otogar. The opening hours are Monday – Saturday: 11:00 to 15:00

www.figfethiye.com

Find us on Facebook

Çalış Children’s Charity (3C’s)

Established in 2007, 3C’s organise events to raise money for projects to help needy children in the Çaliş/Fethiye area. 3C’s organise the popular Çalış winter car boot sales, Çalış Christmas and Spring Fairs, various fun events and regular coffee mornings.

3C’s have a charity shop located next to Tom London Bar in Koca Çaliş. The opening hours are: Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11:00 – 14:00.

www.3cscharity.org

Find us on Facebook

Animal Aid (AA)

Animal Aid is a local charity based in Çalış that was established in 2008. It’s aim is to improve the welfare of street animals in Fethiye and surrounding areas. AA runs a Trap, Neuter and Return scheme to prevent the area being overrun with animals as well as fostering and re-homing animals where possible.

They regularly hold table top sales, have stalls at car boot sales and the Christmas Fair and at least once a month have a social event. Recent events include Christmas and Halloween parties, a Beach Party, Blues Cruise, Ascot Night, Karaoke and Quiz evenings.

AA have a charity shop located in Günlükbaşı, Selim Günday Cad. The opening hours are: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10.00 – 14:00.

Animal Aid Fethiye

Find us on Facebook

Kedi Evi

The Animal Aid Fethiye Sokak Kedileri & Kopekleri Hastanesi is a cat shelter located in Çatalarık, between Fethiye and Üzümlü. The shelter looks after ill, abandoned and mistreated street cats and kittens of all ages with a view to getting them rehomed. The volunteers have also recently built a puppy pen to take care of any young or particularly vulnerable puppies that come into the shelter. The shelter is staffed by volunteers and relies heavily on donations and sponsorship.

Find us on Facebook

Each of these charities operates legally under the banner of FETAV (Fethiye Tourism, Promotion, Education, Culture and Environment Foundation)

Come back next week to find out about Embrace Children’s Health Charity, Üzümlü Goup and Mavi Kuş

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From coastal wetlands to high plateaus and rugged mountains, the vast and varied landmass that forms Turkey is a crucially important area for birds. It is also popular with people who love bird watching. However, Turkey’s wetlands, like many others in the world, are increasingly at risk from human development.

RAMSAR has made February 2nd World Wetlands Day and this year to mark the event we are visiting some of the few wetlands that survive in Fethiye and meeting some of the birds for which these are such important habitats.

But first of all, what is RAMSAR, why are wetlands so important and where can they be found in Fethiye?

RAMSAR

“The Convention on Wetlands, called the Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.”

Many bird species spend their lives in Turkey, some come to breed, whilst others make use of the country’s coasts, wetlands, marshland and mountains as useful stopovers on their long migrations.

Ornithologists have recorded more than 465 different species of birds in this geographically and climatically diverse country.

Why are wetlands so important?

Coastal wetlands, such as those in and around Fethiye, are complex ecosystems, significant resting areas on the migration routes of numerous species of birds, and they also play a vital role in maintaining the health and cleanliness of the coastal waters and sea beyond.

Historically, Turkey’s wetlands were regarded as dangerous and home to contagious diseases such as malaria. As a result, draining wetland areas was long regarded as unproblematic and even a civic duty.

Not that long ago – certainly in living memory – the whole of the coastal plain that now forms many districts of Fethiye was mostly wetlands.

A bird’s eye view of Fethiye

The Fethiye region is rich natural environment for wildlife. There are coastal plains, agricultural areas, wetlands, forests, mountains, highland pastures and high plateaus that become lakes in the winter, as well as several reservoirs.

These areas play host to more than 222 species, ranging from raptors – eagles, kites, kestrels, hawks and Ospreys, to the regular visitors such as bee eaters, European blue rollers, swallows and house martins, the languid marsh birds, such as purple heron, crane and stork through to the prolific song birds such as larks, nightingales, and thrush.

However, all these birds as well as their habitat are becoming increasingly vulnerable to development.

Bird Watching in Fethiye

If you like spotting birds you will be sure to be rewarded if you come to Fethiye. Here are a few places that are particularly popular with our feathered friends.

Akgöl

A very important ecosystem in the area, Akgöl lake and surrounding wetland is sometimes a little brackish, especially when the water level drops in the summer months. Nonetheless, the sweet water attracts many marsh birds in the spring. They congregate to feast on the rich algae, plant life, frogs and insects.

Some are the same birds that later fly to Girdev (see below). 

A few years ago visitors to the lake in May recorded 26 different species of birds in one day!

There are a variety of habitats here, from open water to reed beds to coastal margins. As a consequence, the diversity of bird species makes this an excellent place to go bird watching, and there are good places for cover so that you can get really close sightings.

Make a point of going there if you haven’t already.

Küş Cenneti (Bird Paradise)

The Küş Cenneti or Bird Paradise is one of the few remaining areas of salt marsh hereabouts. Situated between Fethiye and Çalış, the reserve is similar to Akgöl, but more accessible and therefore developed.

There are many species of birds here, waders, coots, moorhens, cormorant, stork, hoopoe, ibis, to name but a few.

Sadly, although some of the area has been fenced not enough has been done to stop it being used for fly tipping.

Loss of wetland habitat

In the last 40 years, 1,300,000 hectares of wetlands* have been destroyed in Turkey  and turned into agricultural, touristic, residential, or industrial areas.

Only 1,250,000 hectares of wetlands remain, less than 50% of the original amount  and 40% of this has been destroyed in the last 20 years.

All these areas are resting places, restaurants and nurseries for birds, and we can only hope that they will continue to visit for generations to come.

Girdev

This high plateau in the Ak Dağ Yaylası – the mountains between Fethiye and Antalya – lies at 1600 metres (5,250 feet.)

It is usually approached from the village of Temel – off the Antalya road, although there is an alternative route through the villages around Dereköy.

Access is via a two thousand-metre pass – 6,560 feet).

During the winter the high plateau roads are sometimes closed from snow, ice, rain and mud slides.

But in the late spring and early summer it is a different story.

Storks, hoopoes, crane and heron fly up to this area, studded by ancient twisted juniper, firs and jagged rocks, to plan their nurseries and to make new, or repair old nests for their summer accommodation.

Nurseries with altitude

Come the warmer, longer days of May and June there are up to 80 pairs of nesting storks in Girdev and altogether 90 species of birds have been identified in this area.

At this time you can also see Ruddy Shelducks, Cranes, Purple Herons,

Hoopoe and high above your heads kite, buzzards, eagles and hawks.

Girdev fills with snow during the winter months and when it melts this, together with the spring rains forms a massive lake, which slowly empties during the early summer through a series of cavernous tunnels in the limestone, rather like a plughole, leaving a marshy area, laced with streams, at the lowest slope of the plateau.

Froggy feasts and watercress

A seasonal wetland area, Girdev is an ideal habitat for frogs, dragonflies and damselflies, assorted

insects and plant life, providing a rich diet for the parent birds that can be seen feeding their young from late spring.

There is also a wonderful crop of wild watercress, which can add a tasty supplement to any picnic!

The storks nest directly above this area in the juniper trees.

Even at the height of summer when Fethiye is a sweltering 45 degrees, up in Girdev a blanket is a nighttime necessity.

This means the area is becoming an increasingly desirable location for ‘summer residences’ not just for the birds.

Bird watching trips

If you would like to learn more about birdwatching in and around Fethiye call Ali İhsan Emre on 0532 524 93 95 or email: yaslialfakurt@hotmail.com

Just a few of the birds that visit Fethiye

1) Scops owl**

2) White stork**

3) Curlew**

4) Woodchat shrike**

5) Hawfinch**

6) Crimson-winged finch*

7) Jay*

8) Bee-eater

9) Crane

10) Horned lark

11) European blue roller**

12) Hoopoe

13) Rock thrush

*2009 stats

**Photos courtesy of Ali İhsan Emre

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For many of our overseas readers broad beans will be a familiar sight. In traditional British kitchens, for example, these smooth, pale green beans were all too often boiled to within an inch of their lives and served up in a béchamel sauce. In Turkey, however, these beans are cooked and served in several very different, healthy and delicious ways.

Fethiye: a bean paradise

Fethiye has a cornucopia of seasonal vegetables, all of which are delicious. The soil and climate in this part of Turkey adds so much extra flavour to even the most ordinary produce. There are vegetables in Fethiye that can give your taste buds a totally new gastronomic experience.

Fethiye’s manav (greengrocers) tell us that foreigner visitors to the town often ask them to name and explain how to cook some of the more unusual vegetables they have on display. So far we have identified two: semizotu and celeriac. This week we are looking at bakla – broad beans, which are also known as fava beans.

Celebrating the broad bean

Sadly, fresh broad beans have become a less common sight on the dining table in recent years, unless it’s a table that belongs to a gardening enthusiast or someone who buys their vegetables from a farmers’ market.

In Fethiye, although they can be bought dry – as fava – throughout the year, they remain a very popular seasonal vegetable.

So, without more ado, here are some recipes that celebrate the magnificent broad bean.

Broad beans cooked with their coats on: zeytinyağlı bakla

It would astonish most Turkish cooks or foodies to ask whether it is safe or even possible to eat broad beans pods but believe it or not this question is being asked – and answered. Of course, a wonderful Turkish recipe is given as an example. We like the colour by the way.

In western Turkey young bakla are cooked in olive oil – and their coats are left on. Served with plenty of dill (deriotu) and yogurt, it is a delicious maze. Our favourite recipe follows the same method as this one by the excellent Seasonal Cook in Turkey blog.

Fava dip

This spread, or dip, is popular in Turkey and other parts of the eastern Mediterranean. It can be made with fresh broad beans or with dried bakla.

Here is one for a divine fava dip with red peppers (see photograph above), and two more fava recipes from Özlem’s Turkish Table.

Bakla Köftesi – broad bean fritters

2 cups boiled fresh beans
A handful of parsley and dill
3-4 scallions (spring onions)
Salt, cumin, red pepper, black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon wholewheat flour
If you have the time and energy pop the broad beans out of their delicate skins
Roughly puree the ingredients in a food processor
Fry in a hot non-stick pan using a little olive oil only if required

serve this dish with yogurt or a dressing made from 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 scant teaspoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard. But if you are looking for something different they are also delicious with a spicy sauce made from Sriracha (hot pepper sauce), soy sauce and tahini.

Here is the same recipe in Turkish from the Doğal ve Kolay (Natural and Easy) blog.

Are broad beans good for us?

They certainly are! So buy them whenever and wherever you see them. Not only are they full of goodness, buying them will support Fethiye’s greengrocers and Turkey’s farmers.

For more information about their health benefits, click here.

The Guardian also explains why these beans are so good for you.

Afiyet olsun!

NB Please do read this important information before you eat broad bean pods if you are taking MAOI antidepressants.

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Fethiye Times News – our pick of what’s been going on in Fethiye and around the region over the last week.

Campaign Launched to Boost Tourism

The Turkish President launched a new initiative last week to boost the hard hit Turkish tourism industry.

‘Bring your neighbours’ is the motto of new campaign initiated by President Erdoğan, calling on Turkish citizens abroad to bring their neighbors to Turkey during their visit to the homeland.

The call to action is one of a number of national initiatives including flight fuel subsidies and loans that could help to offset the 35% reduction in tourist numbers as experienced last year.

In his launch speech he also said that he wants Turkey to be one of the top 10 economies in the world and in the top 3 tourist destinations.

In his speech, President Erdoğan said that Turkey was one of the world’s greatest outdoor museums. From Ephesus to Cappadocia, from Sumela to Ani, from Nemrut to Mevlana, from Selimiye to Ishak Pasha, all these highlighted Turkey as a country of exceptional riches that is sure to appeal to everyone, regardless of their nationality, belief or language.

The week before Fethiye Mayor Behçet Saatçi whilst attending the EMİTT 2017 Tourism Fair spoke with the press.

In his own call to action he promised tourists coming to Fethiye this year would be guaranteed to have a great holiday or he would refund their holiday costs.

He told the press that Fethiye is a wonderful place to take your holiday with hotels and accommodation to meet all budgets, great restaurants, activities, beaches and breathtaking scenery.

Smuggled Goods Seized

Police arrested two men after smuggled goods were found in their van.

The police swooped on the vehicle near Esenkoy.

The press reported that they seized 31kg of tea, 17kg of coffee, 96 cans of sardines, 13,000 cigarette filters and various bags of spices.

The case has been referred to the courts.

Gardener Impaled

The fire service were called to a grizzly rescue last week in Esenkoy.

When they arrived they found a woman impaled on a metallic fence with one of the decorative spikes lodged in her hand.

The fire team worked carefully cutting around the fence with specialist cutting tools with a medical team in support.

The woman was taken to hospital with the spike still in place.

It was later removed by a surgeon.

The press said that the woman had been pruning plants around her balcony using a step ladder when she slipped and fell on to the fence.

Neighbours had heard her screams and upon finding her called the emergency services.

Turkish Money

The Turkish currency recovered some of its recent losses last week.

The British Pound bought 4.62 Turkish Lira (TL) by the close of business on Friday.

The week before the Pound bought 4.85 TL.

Weather Forecast

It was a cold week last week.

One image shared on social media showed a bus driving over the mountain road between Fethiye and Antalya.

The road was clear of snow but the onboard thermometer was showing minus 10c.

This week is forecast to be warmer than of late.

There could be some showers and cloud but there will be some nice sunny days too.

The post Fethiye Times News Week Ending 4 February 2017 appeared first on Fethiye Times.

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Those of you who are regular visitors to Turkey will have experienced the culture of çay (Turkish tea).

“Cay içer misiniz?” (“Will you drink some tea?”)

Turks love their çay (chai) and you will be offered a delicate, tulip shaped glass of ruby red, crystal clear çay almost every time you stop moving. It’s hard not to get caught up in the national craze and there is always time for tea!

But have you ever wondered how the çay magically appears within minutes?

Enter the çaycı.

Most businesses use a çaycı, a full time tea server, who spends the day delivering tea around the area, catering to a never ending demand.

The tea is made in a little shop nearby and rushed to it’s destination on a tray.

When you accept the offer of tea in a shop without a full time tea server, a call goes out for the çaycı to bring tea. Some will shout the orders if they are within earshot and others have a bell that is linked to the shop. Some use a basic intercom system like one used for babies.

Whichever method is used it won’t be long before the çaycı appears with your çay on one of the many styles of trays designed specifically for carrying the tea glasses.

Order your tea açık (ah-CHUK, open, weak), or koyu (koh-YOO, dark, strong) as you like, or just order çay and it will come normal strength.

Caffeine free?

Or if you would prefer caffeine free, try a herbal tea. Ada çay (sage tea), ıhlamur (linden-flower), nezaket (hibiscus), elma çay (apple tea) and many more.

It won’t take long before you will be looking forward to your tea sessions and calculating journeys in tea stops! There’s something extremely soothing about sitting in a shaded courtyard, chatting with the locals and/or friends and having your çay constantly replenished.

Making your own 

Once you’re hooked on çay you’ll want to make your own…

There are several brands of Turkish tea. Çaykur is the oldest company that produces tea in Turkey. There are also younger and equally successful ones like Doğuş.

Boil water in the lower pot of a double teapot (called a çaydanlık), Add loose-leaf tea to the top part (one desert spoon full of tea per person) and, once the water boils, add enough hot water to steep the leaves. Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes.

This allows each person to have their tea as strong or as weak as they wish. Pour a quarter or half glass of the steeped tea water and fill the rest of the glass with hot water from the lower part.

The tea is served piping hot in a small, clear glass with a slight hourglass shape (also described as tulip-shaped), which you hold under the rim to avoid burning your fingers. The clear glass enables the drinker to appreciate the tea’s deep crimson colour.

And finally…

Here’s a phrase for you to learn

Çay var mı? (Is there tea/do you have tea?)

Not that you should need it very often as there is always tea!

“Çaysiz sohbet, aysiz gok yuzu gibidir”
(Conversations without tea are like a night sky without the moon)

-Folk saying from Sivas, Turkey

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For the past few years Egyptian Fruit Bats, which are on the IUCN Redlist, have been spotted flying around Fethiye, sleeping in the rafters of people’s homes and feasting on the town’s date palms.

We have been told by experts that this is the most western location in which Egyptian Fruit Bats have been recorded. So far. On behalf of Turkey’s leading bat researchers we now ask for your help to learn more about these amazing and vulnerable creatures, which appear to have taken up residence in and around Fethiye.

Perhaps, before we go any further, we ought to tell you something about these bats…

A few facts and figures about Egyptian Fruit Bats

Egyptian fruit bats – Rousettus aegyptiacus – are the only frugivorous (fruit eating) and Afro-tropical species in the Palearctic region. They can be found in Egypt, Cyprus and southern Turkey, throughout the Arabian Peninsula and east to Pakistan and northwest India.

Of the 39 species that exist in Turkey, this is the only fruit bat. The species normally lives in the Mediterranean region of Turkey (Antalya, Mersin, Adana and Hatay). This species usually roosts in caves. As the name suggest, they mainly feed on fruit. Varieties include plums, loquats, dates, apples, figs, apricots, citrus fruit, pomegranates, grapes, persimmon, mulberries, cherries and peaches, depending on the season.

From tip to tail, the length of adult males and females varies between 177 and 160 mm, while the weight of males and females are usually between 130 and 140 g. Their bodies are light brown and their wings are are darker brown. According to batworld.com, they can have a wingspan of up to .6 of a metre (that’s about two feet) and are believed to be the most vocal of all bat species.

This website also says that during the day Egyptian Fruit Bats will spend time grooming and sleeping. As well as caves the website suggests that they make gather deep in forest areas, where it is dark.

They can create very large colonies and stay very close to each other for safety and for warmth. They sleep upside down with their wings folded in across them.

The status of Rousettus aegyptiacus has been defined as “least concern” by the IUCN

Back to Fethiye’s fruit bats

A few years ago the founder of Fethiye Times found a bat in the attic! The attic was in the centre of Fethiye, a long way from its usual habitat in southern Turkey. We contacted an expert who confirmed from the photograph that the new resident was an Egyptian fruit bat.

Then, just a few weeks ago in the middle of January, Çalış resident Graham Haines sent Fethiye Times some remarkable photos of a bat he spotted flying around and feasting on dates near his home.

After some investigation, we discovered that others had been seen near the coast in Çalış the at the very beginning of 2016. Once again we contacted an expert, this time Professor Nurşel Aşan Baydemir, one of Turkey’s leading chiropterologists (that’s someone who studies bats). Professor Baydemir teaches and carries out research at Kirikkale University, in the Biology Department of the Arts and Science Faculty. She was understandably delighted by our news…

Bats on the move?

It certainly seems as if this bat species is moving west – further west that has so far been recorded. Are they coming here because of climate change, an abundance of date palms, loss of habitat in their preferred locations, or for some other reason?

The next stage of this exciting journey was to find out what we could do to help Nursel and her team find out more and add to their really important research.

This is where you come in…

Fethiye Fruit Bat Watch

There is nothing official or formal about our Fethiye Bat Watch, as yet. But, if you are lucky enough to spot any Egyptian Fruit Bats flying around at dusk or after dark do try and take a photograph. The photo by Graham was taken using a smart phone but we dont recommend using a flash and Ali İhsan used a camera for his. Of course, it goes without saying, never, under any circumstances, try to catch or even touch a fruit bat. However, please do record the following:

• Date
• Time
• Temperature
• GPS (or the exact location)
• Weather conditions
• If there is more than one, please count them

You may decide to keep a fruit bat diary…

Please send your bat watch findings and photographs to Fethiye Times at this email address: fethiyetimes2015@gmail.com

You don’t have to love or even like bats to understand how important this project is. It is particularly important for those who spend their lives studying and trying to protect them. The data will be used in ongoing research at Kirikkale University.

Help by sending details of any sightings of this species. Also share this post with friends and family who live in and around the Fethiye area. If you live outside the Fethiye area let us know too. They may be in Kaş, Kalkan, Göcek, Marmaris or Bodrum too. Please let us know.

Thank you and Happy Fruit Bat Watching – We look forward to hearing from you!

Many thanks to Kirikkale University, Graham Haines and Ali İhsan Emre for permission to use their photographs

The post Egyptian Fruit Bats: Fethiye has some very special visitors appeared first on Fethiye Times.

Fethiye Times - LOVE-FETHIYE

The month of February in Fethiye always brings all kinds of weather and this year is no exception. Sometimes we get different kinds of weather all in one day.

We have had rainy weather like this to keep Fethiye green and beautiful…

And weather like this… to make everyone happy. All in the space of a week.

It’s not that surprising as it’s winter but even so, it has produced some wonderful panoramas.

There’s been rain, cloud, sunshine and more rain.

It looks as if the temperatures, like the weather, will continue to be varied.

But who cares when you have sunsets in Fethiye like this?

And this…

And afternoons in Ölüdeniz  like that…

The best thing to do is relax and enjoy it!

Many thanks to Dilek Dinçer for her amazing Fethiye sunset photo, Lyn Ward for her rainy day photo and Aisha Ali for her Ölüdeniz photo – which was taken at this time a couple of years ago but we’re pleased to say we’re having sunny days like this in February 2017 too.

The post February in Fethiye: different weather everyday and all of it awesome appeared first on Fethiye Times.

Fethiye Times - LOVE-FETHIYE

Every year on 10th February we honor this ever useful, ever fashionable and essential item by celebrating umbrella day

Everyone is familiar with the sight of an umbrella. They’re present whether you live in the hottest of climates or the coldest and wettest.

They’re there to keep you dry on a rainy day

And to protect you from sunburn on a hot, sunny day

A brief history

The word “umbrella” comes from the Latin root word “umbra”, meaning shade or shadow. Brolly is a slang word for umbrella, often used in Britain, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.

Parasols were used to offer shade from the sun more than 3,000 years ago in Egypt

It was the Chinese that first waterproofed umbrellas. They waxed and lacquered their paper parasols to protect them from rain.

They were mainly used as a woman’s accessory, until mid-18th Century, when English traveller Jonas Hanway bucked the trend. Despite initial mockery, other men began to use them.

The first umbrella shops was called “James Smith and Sons”. The shop opened in 1830 and is still located at 53 New Oxford Street, London, England.

Nowadays umbrellas come in all shapes, sizes and colours and are used in many creative ways…

A colourful and attractive way to shade a sunny street

The largest umbrella in the world is in China, Gansu Province, a safety feature to protect the roads and vehicles from bad weather.

There are umbrellas for those times when you don’t have your hands free to hold the traditional style.

One for the camera

One for cyclists

The hands free backpack umbrella 

Keep your pet happy and dry in rain, sleet or snow!

Umbrella hat

A great way of protecting yourself form the harmful rays of the sun

Film fame

Umbrellas have been featured in many motion pictures, most notably Singing in the Rain (1952) and Mary Poppins (1964)

Umbrella gone wild

That fun moment when the wind blows and turns your umbrella inside out!

Here’s one you’ll never have to wrestle with on a windy day

The helmet umbrella

How will you celebrate?

Go out and splurge on a new umbrella! For those of you who live in Fethiye, preferably one that you can use in the sun!

The post National Umbrella Day – 10th February 2017 appeared first on Fethiye Times.