To market, to market…

… to buy a fat pig.  Home again, home again, jiggity jig.

Have you ever been to a Farmers’ Market?  Until recently I hadn’t.  A terrible confession for a foodie to make, particularly when there is one essentially at the end of my street.  No excuses really.

Determined to set things straight I got up nice and early, put on sensible shoes, grabbed the trolley and headed down the street.  I wasn’t looking to get the fat pig mentioned in the nursery rhyme, but was hopeful there would be something else to take my fancy.  I was so eager and so early the market was not due to open for another half an hour!  I went for a walk and came back at the designated time to find the market alive and bustling.  I paid my $2 to Rotary and joined the throng.

A quick reconnaissance was needed to see what was on offer.  I wasn’t really sure what to expect and was surprised at the variety of stalls and produce.  There was a lot to choose from;

The first strawberries of the season, picked the day before (Yes. Okay. You got me.  This post has been languishing in “Drafts” for a while now!)

Some beautiful young garlic.  You can use the shoots as well as the bulb.

Gorgeous and vibrant rhubarb.

Spears of organic asparagus

Buttery soft lettuces

Pods and pods of broadbeans

Bunches of beets

All manner of citrus

There were even seedlings if you wanted to test your green thumb and grow things at home

After a bit of walking around I needed caffeine so I headed to Eureka Coffee tasted a coffee bean whilst waiting for my fix.  Suitably perked up, I continued my meandering, this time taking in all the specialty stalls.

Happy Fruit had a huge selection of dried fruits – all able to be sampled

Red Hill Cheese looked tempting

The veal from Malibu proved to be tender and delicious

An assortment of fruit leathers and jellies caught the eye of children who walked past.

One stall that was doing a consistently good trade offered a huge selection of sweet and savoury tarts.  I could have eaten almost all of them, but restricted myself to a few to take home.

I finished the expedition with a well loaded trolley and an amazing array of great produce.  I couldn’t believe I hadn’t been here before!

The Boroondara Farmers’ Market is on the third Saturday of each month from 8am until 12:30pm at Patterson Reserve, Auburn Rd, Hawthorn East.  The last one for the year is this coming Saturday, December 19.