What’s GREAT at the Market this Week?
From a salad loaded with fresh tomatoes to charred on the barbecue with eggplant or a tomato relish nothing quite shouts summer like the sweetness of vine ripened tomatoes. Why is this? Tomatoes bought at the farmers’ market are much more likely to be vine ripened and especially so at this time of year when demand and growing is at its peak. Tomatoes that have to travel are picked when they are firm and still a way from being fully ripened as they are less prone to damage. Almost all our farm stalls have tomatoes right now with Sylva Lining Organics bringing their mini Black Russians too.
I love tomatoes added to an omelet or frittata for the burst of flavour they add along with fresh herbs too.
Mad Mountain Family Farm – our week 3 pop up stalls has a great variety of chillies potted and as conserves as well as their very popular Rose Water – such an uplifting aroma and delicious added to your cooking.
AND MANGOES – what can I say. Arriving later in the subtropics (the early fruit has travelled from the tropics beginning with Darwin and then far north Queensland) Everest Farm has Bowens and R2E2. Although it hasn’t been a good year for mangoes in the Tweed we are fortunate that Will has some for us to enjoy so make the most of these while you can.
Rob from Spice Palace visited Tweed River Pecans last Saturday to examine with David how their their current crop of pecans are developing. Kaye and David McNaught said that they are half way through the growing season as they gently remind the trees in their orchard to “grow little pecans, grow!” A fascinating fact – pecans at this stage are a jelly like substance inside their shell! They firm up into the kernel we know and love not long before harvesting. Right now though they require constant irrigation to them to keep them progressing through this hot dry spell. Like many of our farmers they are hopeful that we will have some good rain soon. New season pecans will be at the market in April (if we are lucky) so once again seasonal eating creates a growing anticipation.
Stallholder Changes this Week:
BACK this week: our week three pop up Mad Mountain Family Farm.
Seasonal Stalls Absent are:
- Barefoot Farm – back in February
- Nudgel Nuts (back late Feb or early March)
- Narbey’s Best Avocadoes – back in April.
- Blueberry Fields – back in July/August
- One Organics – seedlings
- Nourished Live Foods- Jess maybe walking but not able to stand and cook for you just yet.
Entertainment: LOREN
Weather: Mostly sunny with light winds becoming north easterly 15 to 25 km/h during the day. Temperatures range from a beautiful and 20 with to 31 to 37.
Produce of the week (newest season produce is in bold):
- Bananas
- CORN
- Carrots
- Capsicum
- Cucumbers
- Eggplant
- Lettuces of all varieties
- Lychees (possibly their last week)
- MANGOES
- Raspberries
- Sweet potatoes
- Tomatoes
- WATERMELON
- Zucchinis
Produce List – Vegetables
Beans (+organic), Beetroot (+organic), Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, 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 Potato (+organic), Tatsoi (organic), Swedes, Tomatoes (+organic), Taro, Turnip, Watercress, Zucchini (+organ
Produce List – Fruit
Apples, Apricots, Avocados, Bananas (Cavendish, Lady Fingers (organic also), Black muscat grapes, Blueberries, Carambola (star fruit), Custard apples, Dragon Fruit, Grapefruit, Grapes, Kiwi fruit (organic), Lemons + Limes (incl organic), Lychees, Mangoes, Mandarin (organic), Oranges (organic), Passionfruit, Paw Paw, Pears, Plums, Raspberries, Rock melons, Sapotes, Strawberries, Watermelons.
Flowers – Gerberas, Lisianthus, Roses, Tropical flowers – sassy heliconias.
Miscellaneous Produce
Eggs – see our delicious Possum Creek eggs and organic eggs at Sylva Lining Organics
Nuts – Pecan nuts and macadamia nuts, nut oils, butters and choc coated nuts (macas back in season late Feb early March)
Olives – a variety of olives and semi dried Tuscan Treats plus and olive oil
Dairy – Cows milk, cheeses and yoghurt, kefir, cultured butter ++ Goats milk and soft cheeses, kefir
Honey – Raw unprocessed Caldera 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 diversity of organic flours (including spelt and rye) and many flavours that use local market products including macadamia nut bread!
Mushrooms – Gourmet mushrooms – king oysters, white oysters, pink oysters, blue oysters, shiitake and Shimeji available at Wollumbin Gourmet Mushrooms and button mushrooms at Mountain View Eggs.
Meat – Beef, pork and goat (All Natural Meat Company produced), Salami (Nimbin Valley Diary) periodically + lamb and chicken sourced within the broader market radius and locally caught fish – very seasonal.
