I hope you had a lovely weekend.
I really enjoyed the beautiful sunshine☀️. I think we can send a collective message out now that our tanks are overflowing and our paddocks are green so please – a respite from weeks of showery days and heavy overnight showers – would be welcome.
I have my fingers crossed that this week’s market day will be blessed with sunshine and no more rain!!! But if it isn’t PLEASE come anyway as our farmers have picked their produce especially for you. Make it a – dash and go market – pick up your favourite produce – DON’T let the rain stop you.
With only five weeks until we celebrate the markets 10th birthday I thought I would share a little of what is planned. We think ten years is a good reason for a party so we’ve decided to bring a carnival atmosphere to the market.
We will have cooking demonstrations to inspire, a juggler, a celebrity magician and a stilt walker for fun plus our wonderful local Bollywood dancers bringing colour and joy. All of this plus all our regular stalls with fabulous produce and food and some new stalls too. What more could we want?
And we will have extra special activities for children as well as it is the first week of NSW and the last week of the Queensland school holidays. There really is something for everyone .
Please spread the word far and wide to friends and family. Tell them to grab a picnic rug and come and join us on 14th APRIL. Let’s make this one a fabulously, FANTASTIC celebration.
Apollo Jackson is not only an internationally recognised magician and stage performer but also a brilliant street performer who has agreed to perform his magic on 14th. 👏How lucky are we!! You may recognise him from Australia’s Got Talent.
What’s News at the Market this Week?
And now for serious news …. BIG ENTRANCE GATE changes are coming soon.
Our top priority at the market is making the market a safe place for everyone from children to the elderly and we need your help as we make this very necessary change.
From 7th April
- NO VEHICLES will be entering the market through the current ENTRANCE gate – it will be for pedestrians only and will be labelled GATE 7.
- The NEW ENTRANCE gate for vehicles will be the first Showground gate entry point along Queensland Road – it will be labelled GATE 5.
- The EXIT Gate will remain as it is currently – GATE 6.
Why are we changing our vehicle entry?
As more and more locals and visitors support our farmers and producer shopping at our market each week, there are more vehicles and pedestrians using the current entry gate.
The Caldera Farmers’ Market Murwillumbah Committee in consultation with the Showground Trust has determined via a safety analysis that it is time to make a significant change. A safe place for all is our priority.
The changes to the market entrance will make it much safer if we allow ONLY pedestrians to enter through the main gate.
Eliminating vehicles in this high pedestrian area, for the duration of the market, is a priority.
A special area will be cordoned off for the elderly and disabled in a specially designated parking area as near as feasible to the market precinct.
Thank you for your understanding and support for this important change.
What’s GREAT at the Market this Week?
⭐️Check out our new PINEAPPLE REAPER sauce.
Mad Mountain Family Farm’s delicious new sauce combines the sweetness and fruity tones of the delectable pineapple
and the intense spiciness of the Carolina Reaper chilli – the hottest chilli in the world! 
This sauce is the perfect addition to bbq meats, burgers and stir fry dishes. It’ll definitely be a favourite for chilli lovers. 
Mushrooms are GREAT this week. Gary from Wollumbin Gourmet Mushrooms has struggled with his mushroom production in recent months but he is overjoyed that this week they are going gang busters.
Gary’s dedication to this time intensive mushroom cultivation and growing business is exceptional. His commitment to growing his mushrooms in the natural outdoor environment rather than in huge man-made and temperature controlled facilities subsequently results in his production being very weather dependent.
But at last…this week he has beautiful white oysters, tan and yellow oysters as well as the Shimeji variety. And one very happy relieved Gary!
There will only be a few shiitakes – mushrooms that are fruited naturally on purpose-built eucalyptus logs in the forest at the back of Gary’s place. These will be placed in his mixed bags of mushrooms as there won’t be enough to be displayed and for you to select from. But there are lots of the oyster mushroom variety to select from so it is a great week for mushroom lovers.
This week because it is drizzly and getting wetter today I feel like nurturing food, so an easy garlic mushroom pasta, is my recipe of the week. I’ve included garlic as it is so good for our immune system and right now with winter on the horizon, a boost via lots of garlic and other great fresh foods is bound to be good for us all. This easy mushroom pasta can use a variety of mushrooms so don’t feel restricted.
