Blog

What’s New this week?

The hum of bees heralds the burst of spring flowers bringing a pallet of colour to our gardens. The amazing work that these bees do transporting pollen is so necessary for almost every fruit and vegetable you can imagine. Our market would be empty without these busy bees.

Gerald Martin, chair of the Research Advisory Committee for the pollination program at the federal government’s Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) said that “probably two-thirds of our food is directly related to bees.” So planting bee friendly gardens not only makes for a beautiful place to relax but providing habitats for native bees and pollinators is essential for bee health and their ultimate survival. And the future of our fresh produce.

Caldera Honey available at the market every Wednesday is not only evidence of our healthy bee population in the Tweed it brings to us all the opportunity to purchase simply delicious honey. Barry McLean “produces” the honey he sells with bee hives on Mt Nullum or when flowering is unproductive there he moves them to the coastal heath areas. The honey is raw honey – that is it has not been heated, pasteurized or processed in any way. It is an alkaline-forming food that contains natural vitamins, enzymes, powerful antioxidants and other important natural nutrients. Barry also carries bees wax candles and cinnamon honey.

If you love honey and simple cooking then you will really enjoy making the Five Minute Slice below.

Stallholder Update:

No pizza this week 🙁 Crabbes Creek Wood Fired WILL have bread at the market this week but no pizzas. Jon has assured me they will be back for the school holidays.

A second coffee stallholder commences this week. Alistair is back with his 11^th Hour Coffee Van and will be located under the camphor laurels. 

Blueberries, Simply Divine Cupcakes and Bagels will also be relocated to this area so that their produce is protected from the suns direct rays now the weather is warming up.

Coming up soon:

26^th September – FREE Farm Walk at Bio Organic Farm – 10.00am with a $5 morning tea available.

23^rd September – Cooking demo at the market with Ju Ju’s chef Jonathan Evans. Learn how to create delicious potato gnocchi. It is fun and easy. This is the first event of the September Tweed Foodie Fest with events from 23^rd to 27^th September.

Recipe of the week: Five Minute Slice

3 T (tablespoons) peanut butter

3 T tahini

3 T coconut oil (softened in the sun if firm)

3 T honey

3 T raw cacao

½ tsp vanilla

½ – 1 cup crushed macadamia nuts (available at Nudgel Nuts) – or any nut of your preference

Place all ingredients into a bowl (except nuts) mix well. Mix through the nuts. Press into a slice tray and refrigerate. It takes up to two hours to become firm and the longer you leave it the firmer it becomes. It also freezes well (cut into cubes first then freeze).

Entertainment: Rob Csokas

Weather: Sunny morning with possible afternoon shower. Temp range 13-28.

Produce of the week (newest season produce is in bold):

• Avocados
• Bananas
• Beans
• Broccoli
• Cabbages
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Corn
• Cos lettuce
• Cucumbers (Lebanese)
• Custard apples
• Fancy lettuce
• Fennel
• Leafy greens – lots if variety including herbs, kale, swiss chard and many more.
• Lemons
• Mandarins
• Passionfruit
• Potatoes (various)
• Red Papaya
• Sweet potatoes
• Sprouts
• Strawberries
• Tomatoes
• Taro

Seasonal Produce List Updated:

Vegetables

Beans (+organic), Beetroot (+organic), Broccoli, Cabbage, Capsicum, Cauliflower, Chard (organic), Chilli, Cucumber (+organic), Corn (+organic), Eggplant (+organic), Garlic (+organic), Herbs (basil + organic basil, coriander, fennel, ginger, rocket, turmeric and more), Kale (+organic), Lettuce (cos organic), Fancy Lettuce and mixed salad greens, Micro greens (+ wide variety of organic such as alfalfa, barley greens, sunflower, broccoli, chick pea), Peas incl snow peas (+organic), Mizuna, Onion (+organic), Mushrooms, Pak Choi (organic), Potato (Sebago) , Potatoes (kipfler ++), Pumpkin (+organic), Salad Mix, Silver Beet, Sprouts (+organic), Spinach (+organic), Sweet Corn, Sweet Potato (+organic), Tatsoi (organic) Swedes, Tomatoes (+organic), Taro, Watercress, Wheat grass, Zucchini (+organic).

Fruit

Apples, Avocados, Bananas (Cavendish, Lady Fingers (organic also) and Little Gem), Blueberries, Carambola (star fruit), Custard apples, Dragon Fruit, Grapefruit, Grapes, Kiwi fruit (organic), Lemons + Limes (incl organic), Mangoes, Mandarin (organic), Oranges (organic), Passionfruit, Paw Paw, Pears, Rock melons, Strawberries, Watermelons.

Flowers

Gerberas, Lisianthus, Roses,

Eggs – including organic

Nuts

Pecan nuts and macadamia nuts, nut oils, butters and choc coated nuts

Dairy

Cows milk, cheeses and yoghurt, kefir, cultured butter ++

Goats milk and soft cheeses, kefir

Honey

Raw unprocessed honey, creamed honey and creamed honey with cinnamon! And bees wax candles.

Rice and Breads

A variety of artisan sour dough breads baked with a range of organic flours (including spelt and rye) and flavours that use local market products including macadamia nut bread!

Meat

Beef, lamb and pork (All Natural Meat Company) and goat, Salami (Nimbin Valley Diary) periodically. + lamb and chicken sourced within the broader market radius and locally caught fish  – very seasonal).