I'm a markets girl from way back! I spent my teenage years rifling through flea markets, building up an enviable collection of vintage dresses. My early twenties were spent bringing home pieces of used furniture, mismatching vintage kitchenware and crochet blankets. Lately I have been obsessed with fresh flowers in the house, so every Sunday I go down to Bondi Markets and chat to the flower man about his best picks that week. I then spend the afternoon at home pretending I'm an expert at floral arrangement (sometimes I change the direction each individual lily hangs 4 or 5 times before I'm satisfied and don't even get me started on the leaves of wild roses). OCD much?
But this weekend I thought I might mix it up a bit (I know I'm WILD) and I abandoned my regular Saturday morning spin class and headed off to the Eveleigh Farmers Markets.
It's insane and I'm completely embarrassed to admit it but I'm an Eveleigh virgin!
I'd heard wonderful things and had always said i would go, but its opening hours from 8-1 on a Saturday morning kept me farmers market celibate up until now (god knows why I put spin before this place).
As I entered this foodie nirvana I instantly felt complete. I could feel my organic cherry pop with excitement (except of course that cherries aren't in season so my cherry was the only one on the premises) and I wondered if it would be inappropriate to hold the man at the herb stall in a loving embrace and tell him I'd been waiting for this my whole life. I opted to just meander pass him casually and reassess a hug on my way out.
Eveleigh Farmers Markets are home to over 70 regular stall holders consisting of everything from fruit and veg, organic meats, poultry and dairy, oils, muesli, eggs, bread, boutique wines... The list just goes on and on. Realistically you could do all your produce shopping here weekly and be guaranteed seasonal quality ingredients at reasonable prices. So much more rewarding than a Coles trip.
I came completely ill-equipped and under prepared. I felt like a farmers market novice as families arrived with their baskets, green bags, shopping trolleys and even wheely bags (you know those ones you see old ladies walking around with? I am so picking up one of those this week). All I had was my hand bag and a wallet full of cash which is advisable since there are no ATMs or eftpos machines here.
I spent an hour walking around checking out what was on offer before I committed to any purchases. My biggest fear (next to being buried alive) is purchasing something only to find a better version of it moments later. Okay so the buried alive comparison is probably a bit extreme and its probably fair to say that I have commitment issues. Stop picking on me!
There are so many farmers with the most beautiful fruit and veg you've ever seen that it makes it next to impossible to decide who you're going to buy from. There were clear favourites among the regulars and the more I observed and eavesdropped the more I realized that it pretty much comes down to the relationships the farmers build with their regular customers.
Since it was my first time I thought I'd share the love until I felt experienced enough to give myself to just one farmer (complete coincidence that I'm still running with the virginity analogy. ha ha make it stop! Sexual innuendos at farmers markets are so inappropriate!)
One of my favourites stalls was the 'Funghi' stand, or who I (and many others I'm sure) now refer to as 'the mushroom guy'.
So many shrooms it was awesome! I saw mixed mushroom risotto's, garlic shiitake's on toast, and mushroom, ricotta and sweet potato salads on this weeks dinner menu whirling around in my head.
There was something quite magical about seeing all the different type of mushrooms on display. I find mushrooms to be an almost esoteric type of veg. So mysterious in their different forms yet so purposeful in their distinctive flavours. I conservatively bought a few handfuls of shiitake's only (famous for their amazing immunity boosting qualities) and decided to find the perfect mixed mushroom recipe before I went overboard at the 'fungi' stand. . . Stay tuned.
Side note: I bet you a handful of shiitake's 'the mushroom guy' had a secret stash of 'magic' mushrooms hidden under the counter.
In breaking with my Sunday tradition (I know you don't have to say it, it's been a day of rebellion) I made use of the two beautiful flower market stalls. I was completely overwhelmed with colour, fragrance and general magnificence. The prices were more than reasonable and the stall owners knew their flora!
I picked up a beautiful bunch of oriental lillies, some apricot wild roses and I'm not sure what they're called but I call them 'the magenta feathery ones' (see pic below), for a measley $35.
Everybody is so friendly here. These stalls are their livelihood. I spent hours talking to stall owners about their products and you knew their enthusiasm was based on a passion for product not a sales target. I wanted to buy 10 of everything just to show my support.
I could go on and on about every stall individually and maybe one day I will but not in this post. There are a few products I wanna show case but that will be in the coming weeks.
So after two hours fueling my foodie fire, and running out of hands to hold my many purchases (which I was embarrassingly carrying in plastic bags. Gasp!) I went and paid a visit to the herb man on my way out. Since we'd only just met I opted to forgo the loving embrace and instead bought a pot each of coriander, basil and mint! At $3 a pot it felt almost as satisfying.
This is what I came home with!
Look out this week for some beautiful recipes using my farmers market purchases.
Tomorrows recipe - Rhubarb, Strawberry & Ginger Compote.
** I apologise for the shameful photography at the markets. Like I said I came ill-prepared and all shots were taken from my iphone. Berries x
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