My Vita Bag

1) Product range My Vita Bags are bags to carry and store fresh produce. Made from 100% certified organic cotton (undyed and untreated) they come in 4 different sizes, mesh and muslin.

To learn more about the specifics of the product, keep reading or scroll to the bottom of this post :)

1) Product range

My Vita Bags are bags to carry and store fresh produce. Made from 100% certified organic cotton (undyed and untreated) they come in 4 different sizes, mesh and muslin.To learn more about the specifics of the product, keep reading or scroll to the bottom of this post :)

2) Our Story

My Name is Cecilia Clavijo Boshoff, I am originally from Bolivia South America, I came to New Zealand 12 years ago, went to University here, got married and now have 3 gorgeous Kiwi boys. Being a mum of three boys you buy a lot of food and the nutrition of my kids is very important to me so we buy heaps of fruit and vegetables and unfortunately or fortunately for me there wasn’t a sustainable mainstream solution for plastic bags when buying produce. That is how I decided to create a product that is not only harmless to the environment but that also generates benefits to all people involved with it from the start of the production till its disposal. I envisioned a product that would be easy to access, use and reuse.

3) Our point of difference

My Vita Bag is ethically made from durable certified organic cotton (using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment. Organic production systems replenish and maintain soil fertility, reduce the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, and build biologically diverse agriculture.)

 My Vita bag comes in packs of 4 units; all our packs come with two types of bags: Mesh ideal for fruit and peelable produce and Muslin ideal for your greens.

 My Vita Bag can be refrigerated with your produce inside and keep it fresher for longer, they can also be used for dried fruit nuts and cheese. And it also offers a pretty and practical storage solution inside or outside the fridge.

 My vita bag can be taken to supermarkets, Farmers markets or any other place where you buy your Fruit and veggies

 My Vita Bag can be acquired at an affordable price, it will last you 3 to 4 years depending on use and once worn out it is 100% biodegrable.

4) Our favourite thing about what we do We love what we do because My Vita Bag not only offers an environmental benefit but also a social benefit to communities that otherwise would not be able to access fair working conditions and makes it easier for people who does not want to deal with plastic bags accumulating at home.

5) Our values Our Organic Cotton Fields offer fair trade employment and are certified by SA8000:2014 (Social Accountability International) and Goats Certification (Global Organic Textile Standard)

6) Why we like trading at the market We love that at the market we are able to interact directly with the people gain their feedback and validate the amazing benefits that MyVita Bag represents for our consumers.

7) Final words We want to thank all the people who already bought MyVita Bag and encourage them to not forget to use and reuse them cause that will make all the difference. And to all the people who devoted their time and expertise free of charge so we could bring this to people, we have been trading for a month and our metrics are fantastic:

 7200 people decided to reduce their waste and switch to our reusable produce Bags  We stopped 374,400 plastic bags from being used every year.  We are growing our Social Media community and uplifting the name of Christchurch the city of Innovation and Opportunity.

---> More info on product specifics MyVita Bag Mesh allows easy identification of your fruit and vegetables and encourages air circulation. It’s great for storing peelable produce, such as potatoes and onions, in your pantry. They work well in the refrigerator when storing peelable fruit such as apples and oranges. My Vita Bag Muslin is made from breathable fabric that helps keep your produce fresher in the fridge by reducing exposure to light. It is ideal for lettuce, spinach and other delicate produce. (Not recommended for produce that will wilt in a low humidity environment.) For better results, spray or sprinkle My Vita Bag with water while the produce is inside and then place them in the fridge. Muslin bags are also ideal for cheese and ham; you can take them with you to the supermarket and ask for your ham or cheese to be placed instead of plastic packaging. Muslin bags are also fantastic to store dried fruits, nuts and many other wholefoods.

Welcome to our Stallholder profile post this week: CANTERBERRIE RASPBERRIES.

Our story: We are a family owned raspberry farm based in West Melton. This is our second harvest and third year running. Grandad, Greame McLean has been in vineyards for many years up in Blenheim, and this raspberry farm is for us, our mum and the (adult) kids to learn the ropes! We love it and think we are producing some really excellent raspberries!

Our point of difference: Our raspberries are really quite amazing. Sweet, dark, delicious and almost creamy! We are establishing ourselves in Canterbury and really believe that we can offer the most superior flavour raspberry in decades. Our raspberries are locally grown and picked fresh on a daily basis. We also can do commercial volumes of raspberries (completely sold out til Xmas however!) so get in touch if you are a local foodie! :)

What's your favourite thing about being a berry grower and why? Picking berries is enjoyable work! It's family friendly and super healthy! It's also easy to enjoy because of all the outstanding feedback we get on our flavour. We've really nailed it on the head and we are proud of that.

Our values: We strongly believe in supporting bee populations. For this reason, we are very careful about how what we use to keep the plants healthy so we don't risk making the bees unwell. We have lots of beehives on site and are interested to see if we get and raspberry flavour in their honey (it's still an experiment, we don't sell honey yet!).

Why we like trading at farmers markets: Markets are a beautiful hive of community. It's really hard not to enjoy something where everyone loves your product! The Farmers Market is in a very special setting and we love running a stall and shopping there!

MARTIN'S BLUEBERRIES.

Our point of difference: Most other growers either sell direct to the public from their property, while commercial growers sell overseas and to the big food chains in New Zealand. We of course only sell at the Christchurch Farmers' Market.

Why we love what we do: Growing our blueberries gives us great satisfaction when we see the utmost look of pleasure on our customers faces after they sample our product. We always tell our customers how to grow their own blueberries when they have them and try to help them with advice to achieve good growth. We keep our product price the same throughout the season and don’t believe in price gouging of the product e.g. just before Christmas when demand is high. We do put in many long hours of work before the season, during the season, and immediately afterwards from some weeks. I don’t think people actually realise how much work one puts into getting the finished product to them.

What is special about your product : Blueberries are natures powerhouse. Very high antioxidants have great health benefits. The antioxidant is called ‘anthocyanin’ and is found just under the skin of the blueberries.

We have tasted all types of blueberries from others organically grown, to ours, and believe the ones we have are superior in taste. Of course we are naturally biased, but love them because they are so sweet. I enjoy mowing between the rows when necessary, because I stop every so often a and taste them!!

Why we trade at the Christchurch Farmers' Market: Before we came to the Riccarton Bush Market we did a fair bit of research. Immediately we saw your place we knew it was ‘the one’. Your market has an air of sophistication, and genuiness about it. One can immediately see the products on sale there are of the quality kind. That together with a decent customer base sets it apart from the ones we have seen.

Everyone from the owners of the market, yourself, the stallholders and customers are really pleased to be there.

While we are only what is classed as small fry, we really enjoy meeting the decent people who frequent your lovely market….

In this series you'll get to know our fabulous stallholders from a more personal side - this is their story told by the stallholders themselves.

Broadfield Green Lettuce & Herb Farm has been with us from the get-go and we are very pleased to count them amongst our longstanding stall holders. Broadfield Green Lettuce & Herb Farm offer freshly grown lettuce heads, salad mixes and herbs.

Story: who are you, where are you based, how did you get into it/ why did you start your business "We are a family run, hydroponic lettuce and herb farm, based in Broadfield (around 8km out of Christchurch near Lincoln). Blair and I (Monica) started the business after returning home from living overseas for a few years to start a family. We made the decision we wanted to work for ourselves while our children were young and the farm provided the perfect environment for that. We purchased an old unused tomato farm and went about converting it. The journey hasn’t been without its challenges, we’ve certainly had a few bumps in the road along the way, but we’ve been in business for nearly 11 years now supplying local restaurants, wholesalers, universities, boarding schools and a select few local supermarkets with our greens 6 days a week. We’ve been attending the Christchurch farmers market for the last 10 years, we’ve watched stalls come and go and the market change over this time, but there are still a handful of the original stallholders at the market which is awesome. Now we also have other ventures and jobs, but the farm remains and we are still supplying many of our very first customers from our early days. Many of our staff at the farm have been with us for a number of years too."

What is your point of difference in comparison to others that do the same? "We don’t claim to be anything we’re not. We are not a certified organic farm, due to operating through a hydroponic system, however we are NZ GAP certified and spray free and stand behind the quality and integrity of our product, knowing exactly what has gone into growing it. We have remained very close to our customers over the years and the proof of this is in the fact that many of them have been with us for over 10 years now, they know us by name and they know our story, that’s pretty special to us. Our focus has always been on the family element of our business, and still after this many years, no matter what we have going on, either Blair or I make an effort to make sure we are delivering orders at least a couple of times a week to keep our faces in front our customers and provide an opportunity for them to discuss any issues or queries they may have. We’ve never been interested in being the biggest or most advanced farm around, but this has enabled us to maintain our business morals and ethos behind what we do. All our orders that are dispatched daily, have been harvested and processed that very morning (it’s an early start around here!). We do not keep processed stock on hand to fulfil orders. You can’t get any fresher than that.

What's your favourite thing about being a grower and why? "Being a grower is tough, without a doubt. You are at the mercy of so many elements and challenges and curve balls are thrown at you constantly. You have to be committed and able to adapt quickly. But for us the lifestyle it provides for our family, makes it worth it. Our kids have grown up with plenty of land and room to run around and a good understanding of work ethic and the effort involved with running a business like this. They also have a good understanding of the garden to table initiative which is hugely important in our eyes. The fact they can grab a bucket and head outside to go and gather the greens for dinner on any given night is pretty cool too. There aren’t many young kids who would know the difference between Italian Parsley and Chervil!

It also makes you pretty proud when you see your branding in the local supermarket produce shelves. That never gets old and is always a good reminder of how far we have come over the past 10 years."

What do you like about trading at a market and maybe, in particular, is there anything that you like in particular about trading at our market? "The farmers market is a very small element of our business commercially, but a huge part of who we are as a farm. Our customers are the best! Many of our farmers market regulars have known us for a long time now, watched our family grow over the years (our eldest was only 3 months old when we started and now we have 4 children!). Some have even knitted us beautiful baby gifts when we had a new baby. Others called and checked on us after the earthquakes. How lovely is that? Our market stall is more often than not manned by a member of our family who also understands the growing process and how our farm operates, be it Blair or myself, my Mum Rose, my nephew Josh and now as our kids have got older they are often down there helping out too. Although I’m pretty sure they just go for their weekly dose of posh porridge!

We love being able to provide people with fresh, locally grown salad greens, that haven’t been pumped full of preservative gases and with no nasties added. We figure if we would be happy for our kids to consume it, then we’re happy to sell it to our customers."

Anything else that might be of interest to a reader? "Blair is a trained chef and Monica has a commerce degree, it’s the perfect combination for our particular business. Blair has a good understanding of what our chefs need and how they operate and Monica is able to keep the back end of everything chugging along! We’re a good team….with 4 little helpers in the wings!"

The London Borough Market have an article on setting up food start ups. Worth a read if you are considering a project of your own. We at the Christchurch Farmers' Market are always on the lookout for new stalls and creative ideas from people. This article just may have the tip or bit of advice you need to get it going ....

Welcome to Spring and welcome to some treats. Place your coffee order this weekend and then have a go at our lucky dip. Pick out one prize and head to that specific stall to claim it.

T and C's:

1 lucky dip chance per person ( whether you buy 1 coffee or 5 coffees)

The voucher is only valid to be redeemed at the stalls tomorrow ( Saturday 2nd September 2017) except the coffee vouchers which are available to be redeemed the following Saturday also.

Not transferrable for cash.

First on first served.

Come early as once the vouchers are gone they are gone.

Coffee stall open from 8am

( Stall holders and their employees are not allowed to enter the luck dip.)

Check out that beautiful face :)

Lucy and the team at Wairiri Water Buffalo have a heard of Buffalo named Daria, Lila, Mila, Rubina, Terra, Steph, Daisy and these Buffalo produce the wonderful milk that is then turned in to delicious cheeses and yoghurt.

Buffalo products are not that common here but they are a great alternative to classic cows milk products. Buffalo milk is classed as an A2 milk rather than cows milk being an A1 milk. The proteins in A2 milk are more gentle and more easily digested so may be beneficial for people that have trouble with standard cows milk products.

Over this winter at the Christchurch Farmer's Market they are stocking the Stretched Mozzarella and their yoghurt.

Their yoghurt they are running a 2 for 1 :

600g pot of yoghurt for $9.50 ( grab 2 for the price of 1)

or 1kg pot for $16 ( grab 2 for the price of 1)

They will be doing some sample of the yoghurt at the stall over the winter so make sure to head down and try it if you haven't had buffalo milk before.

Their mozzarella is beautiful over some pasta with a slightly chilli tomato based sauce, add a thin slice over the chicken before baking, pop some chunks into any vege bake to make a it all 'glue together' for a hearty winter meal.

Have a chat to them at the stall and ask for other ideas.

Just to note they are attending every second week over winter. Not attending this weekend ( 21st May) but attending every second weekend after that.

Situated in the vege end of the Market by the wooden gate in the CFM info Stall.

The stall has the following:

Weekly Market maps

Any competitions we are running.

Recipes

Information on Riccarton House and Tours

CFM Market bags ( only $8 ea)

Market Postcards

and general chit chat........ :)

See you at the market

CFM TEam

The guides of Riccarton House are opening the door to the Deans Family House and offering short Saturday morning tours. Running on the half hour starting at 10am and running through to 12.30pm. The tours are 30 mins long and tickets are only $8 per person with children under 12 yrs free if they are coming with an adult.

In between getting your coffee and grabbing some delicious things for lunch grab a bit of local Canterbury History and stories about Canterburys founding family and see the beautiful interior first hand.

Bookings not required.

To find out more information on Riccarton House head to their web page here.

The annual Cuisine awards for 2017 have just been announced and 2 of the Christchurch Farmers' Market stall holders have walked away with awards.

Euro Gourmet Meats won Overall Runner Up in the Cuisine Awards 2017 !!!!

Jacqui and Spencer Johnstone's winning coppa pork caught the attention of the judges for its marbling and great flavours. ( photo credit to Stuff NZ )

We are very lucky to have them at our market as they are so passionate about producing a quality product and have full control of their free range pork products from paddock to gate as they own the pig farm and also the butchery. The have amped up production of their coppa to meet a new demand due to this recognition so make sure to visit their stall early this Saturday to get your share of their fantastic coppa.

Read more about them here

The second stall holder to win was Kvas Brod.

Kvas Brod won an award for their Brod Brown - brewed kvas with cold-brew coffee, cinnamon and cloves. Smooth, deep, refreshing and invigorating.

The Kvas Company is New Zealand's first kvas brewer. Kvas is a traditional Slavic drink brewed by a lactic fermentation process using a starter made from rye bread flavoured with coriander seed and sultanas. It is a low-sugar, highly refreshing and probiotic beverage with complex flavours.

Our Brod Traditional Kvas line is made up of Russian style kvas with traditional flavourings such as lemon and berries. Our Brod Original Kvas line is something different, unique combinations of kvas and other flavours - teas, cacao, spices, and seasonal fruits - that you won't find anywhere else in the world. We start by making the bread and use only natural ingredients, organic and local where possible, to lovingly make the very best product we can.

If you haven't tried it yet pop to their stall this weekend, pass on your congratulations and try some.

Also head to their websitefor more information.

(Taken from http://www.olivesnz.org.nz/in-the-media/new-zealand-olive-oil-scoops-international-awards/)

Winners in two prestigious international Olive Oil competitions have just been announced and New Zealand features in both.

In the New York International Olive Oil Competition (NYIOOC), which is arguably the largest of international Olive Oil Competitions, Robinsons Bay and Old French Road both won GOLD with their Extra Virgin Olive Oil entries. Both olive groves are from Akaroa and were Best in Show and Reserve Best in Show respectively at the 2016 New Zealand Extra Virgin Olive Oil Awards.

The 2017 NYIOOC attracted more than 800 entries from 26 countries and was judged by an international panel of experts. For more information see https://nyoliveoil.com/

A huge congratualtions from us all at the Market and you olive oil fans. If you havnt already tried their olive oil make it a MSUT this weekend.

We hope you all had a great time at the Easter Market. Bunny ears were being made, games were being played, competitions were being entered and baby animals were being cuddled and parents were having a great time exploring all our wonderful stalls.

Keep in touch on our Facebook page for details on our next special market....

Saturday 15th April will see some extra fun happening at the Market.

Easter crafts and games for the kids from 9.30am near near the Coffee Lawn tent.

Baby farm animal for cuddling will be arriving from 10am and will be near the Coffee Lawn tent.

Lots of Easter treats from the stall holders.

Open as usual from 9am to 1pm.

Hope you see you all there.

CFM Team

Need we say more - you know what they are like and they are not to be missed. This year it is on the 24th - Christmas Eve! How festive will this one be.

Lots of great fresh, ready for Christmas food

Christmas gifts

Giveaways of Christmas Market bag 'hampers'

Kids activities

Facepainting

More details to come...

The Fresh Air Project..http://freshairproject.org.nz/

We are very happy to be involved with this project. Our market is an intense space on a Saturday morning with many people milling around a limited space. Creating a smokefree zone at the Market goes along with what the market believes in so it was only natural that we would jump on board.

You will see on the footpath signs we have at each entry point text saying that we are a smoke-free market.

We do appreciate all efforts made to ensure the market is a Smoke-free one.

Thankyou everyone.

The CFM team.

Welcome to our newest addition to our Market family. PCDC - Paper Cup Disposal Chute.

We are always looking at new ways to manage and reduce our rubbish and the coffee cups are always a tricky one - as the main part is not recyclable. After the market we do have bags of the cups remaining so we wanted to create someway to make them as compact as possible. If they are stacked neatly inside each other again as they are when they are delivered to us they will take much so much less space than if they are just chucked into the bins.

A bit of thought needs to go into using them - The lids need to come off and they go into the recycling and then the cups need to go in the right way up into the chutes.

This is just one step in a better direction more thoughtful direction.

Happy days Market Goers.!

Newly release and just in time for Spring, we have our Christchurch Farmers' Market bags. They are stylish, sturdy and only $8 !

You can find these on the CFM Info Stall .

Spring is so close and we can all feel it. Daffodils have started to pop up and lambs are being born, it’s such an amazing time of year. As many of you know; we are have a themed market in a few weekends time (September 3rd) to welcome Spring.

Here are a few things that we have planned for the day:

Lucky dips – all you have to do is purchase a coffee from either of our coffee stalls to be able to pull out a voucher from our lucky dip bowl. Some of the vouchers we have up for grabs are; a free coffee, a free box of macarons and even a voucher for Cakes by Anna! There are hundreds to be won, you won’t be disappointed!

Akaroa cooking school giveaway – we have two tickets to give away to the Akaroa cooking school. All you have to do is guess the number of daffodils in a vase to go into the draw! So easy for such an amazing prize!

Cute baby animals – remember how we mentioned lambs just before? Well, we are going to have lambs, piglets and calves to bottle feed and rabbits to cuddle. Just come to the Coffee Lawn between 10.00am – 12.00pm to catch the cuteness. This is sure to be a favourite for young and old!

Those are just some of the highlights; there will be more competitions, activities for the kids and spring fun to be had. This is not a market to be missed.

At this stage it looks like you might need a raincoat, but we will keep you posted!

We’ll see you there!

CFM

Boy, August has made an impression already hasn’t it! We may be 2/3rds of the way through winter but we will definitely still have some chilly night to survive! This means that we need some soul warming delights to treat ourselves with till Spring arrives. Here are a few of our favourite warm drinks that are guaranteed to warm you from the inside out:

Chai tea: nothing warms you through more than a cup of tea; and even more so when it has a spicy twist. The Chai Tent makes a wicked cup of chai tea, not only is it delicious and great on a cold day it also has amazing health benefits; check them out here. Lucky for us, The Chai Tent has shared a recipe for their tea. Try it for yourself and enjoy tea all week!

Drinking chocolate: you’re in luck with this one! Bennetto, who will be joining us in September at the market have quite possibly the best drinking chocolate in town, and Dish magazine thinks so too! Dish recently praised Bennetto drinking chocolate in the top 5 best hot drinks, if that doesn’t convince you we don’t know what will! You’ll love making it too, here is a few different techniques that Bennetto themselves recommend. Great one for the kids too! Grab a bottle of Nature Matters Milk from the market to make this super drink.

Hot lemon:Ali’s Lemons at the market has the most wonderful lemon syrup. Ali recommends serving it with a teaspoon of honey, half and teaspoon of fresh ginger and hot water. Not only is it delicious but it is also great a fighting off cold and flu symptoms.

Mulled wine: One for the adults here. This one will certainly warm the cockles of your heart! Grab a bottle of red from the market and follow this easy recipe and you’ll be cosy in no time.

CFM

It started off with a cookbook and turned into the much loved stall that we know as Sallys, for Sally and Ian. Sallys much loved recipes and family favourites were turned into a stunning cookbook about two years ago; something that Sally wanted to leave as a legacy for her children. The cookbook “Some Old, Some New, Some Borrowed, Some Blue Cheese and Blueberries” was very successful and is just about to go to its third reprint!

With the success of the recipe book fresh in their minds, the passionate cooks decided to start their own line of jams, chutneys and sauces; aptly named Sallys. Sallys stall slotted in nicely at the market and they have happily been there ever since. The secret to Sallys success is that their products are homemade and made with love; their ingredients are carefully sourced and no batch is exactly the same. They make about 20 jars or bottles a batch, so each batch is carefully tended to. Sally really enjoys being able to experiment with different flavours and combinations, with experimenting comes some failures but for the most part produces stunning and unique blends. Sally is particularly proud of their Pear and Ginger chutney, and their Strawberry Balsamic and Black Pepper Jam.

Also accompanying their products are beautiful artisan crates that Ian handcrafts. They come in three sizes and combined with a few of their jams, chutneys and sauces make great gift crates. Make sure you check them out next time you’re at the market.

Sally and Ian love how eclectic and diverse the Christchurch Farmer’s Market is. Like us, they know that people come to the market to enjoy themselves, have a chat and soak up the atmosphere.

Take a look at Sallys website and Facebook page, but most importantly make sure you pay Sally a visit next time you are at the market!

CFM

Celeriac is one of those vegetables that seems to be a bit mysterious; it’s a bit funny looking, people aren’t quite sure what to do with or even what it is! We absolutely love celeriac and we think you all should too, so here are all your questions answered.

What is celeriac?

Celeriac is part of the celery family. The bulbous root is the edible part of the celeriac, the stalk is bitter and stringy.

What does celeriac taste like?

Celeriac smells and tastes like celery but it has an almost citrus quality to it, it’s also quite sweet. Its flesh is creamy white and it has a firm texture. Generally, smaller roots are more tender.

When is it available?

Celeriac, like most root vegetables are in season in winter.

How do you prepare celeriac?

Store celeriac in the fridge. It needs to be washed and peeled before use. Once peeled celeriac can be cut into chunks or grated.

How can celeriac be eaten?

Celeriac can be eaten cooked or raw. If eating raw celeriac is great in salads. If you are cooking it, it is great mashed, pureed, roasted or added into soups. It goes very well with parsnip.

Celeriac recipe:

Here is a beautiful celeriac soup recipe by food blogger My Darling Lemon Thyme.

CFM

Well it sure is winter but it’s not all bad! It’s time for the root vegetable to shine! We are already well into pumpkin season and have been enjoying them since mid-Autumn, now we welcome some other delights to the table. In season for winter are; parsnips, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, fennel, swedes, rhubarb, turnips, yams and many more. We will take a look at a few of our favourites; you can expect to see them all at the market for the next few months.

Parnsips

Parsnips are a root vegetable that is related to carrot. It has a sweet and nutty flavour with creamy coloured flesh. Vegetable should be firm, avoid large fibrous roots as it usually indicates a similar texture in the core. Parnsips can be roasted, mashed, baked and pureed.

Super easy parsnip puree: cut up desired amount of parsnip, boil till soft then puree in a blender with a dash of milk, salt and pepper till smooth. The puree eats well with any kind of roast.

Brussel sprouts

Brussel sprouts have managed to get themselves a bad rap, but they definitely don’t deserve it! When cooked properly they a delish morsels of goodness. They grow on the stalk of a large leafy plant and are a vegetable grown in the colder months.

Roasted brussels sprouts and walnuts: this is a great side dish to accompany any meal. Heat your oven to 180 degrees. Toss Brussel sprouts, chopped walnuts, olive oil, salt and pepper on a tray. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until sprouts are soft. Enjoy (can substitute walnuts with preferred nuts, pine nuts work well too).

Rhubarb

Rhubarb is the sweet flavoured edible plant stalk, but don’t eat the leaves as they are poisonous. Make sure you are choosing firm, glossy looking stalks to ensure you are picking the best product.

Cereal topping: dice and stew your rhubarb with a little sugar and a splash of lemon until soft. This is a great topping to add to your muesli, yoghurt or porridge.

CFM

In our last blog post, Q&A with Dr Libby, Dr Libby talked about the value she see's in organic produce, highlighting particularly the time and effort organic farmers put into their crops. We contacted Pegasus Organics, a stall at the market to learn a bit more about the effort he goes to for his organic produce.

Steve from Pegasus Organics currently works at home on 3 acres of land,.While his land is un-certified, it is organic, and more impressively it has been chemical free for more than 30 years. They ensure they only use certified fertilisers. The reason for being un-certified is due to it being a small parcel of land, which the produce is only sold at farmers markets, therefore the extra costs are not required for wholesale purposes. Steve does also sell certified organic fruit and vege, which he buys in.

Steve admits that the organic process can be a labour intensive at times, some crops may require weeding up to 6 times! Also when selling quality organics, a common side effect is waste which would not occur on a conventional crop that has access to hundreds of types of chemical to combat any problems. Other lengths he goes to is making sure he is harvesting at correct time of day when crop is at it best, washing, cleaning as soon as possible and using chilled refrigeration.

Steve's goal is a shared one; to provide fresh, healthy, great quality organic fruit and vege at reasonable prices.

Thanks so much Steve for chatting to us.

CFM

What do you see as being the main health benefits of buying vegetables from a local organic grower?

There is a huge difference in the nutrient profile between organic and local produced food, and food that is ‘commercially produced, as the longer produce sits in a cold store the less nutrients it will contain when it finally reaches your plate. Not to mention the nutrients that are lost when foods are flown internationally. Produce just tastes better when it has been ripened by the sun and then picked/cut. This is an easy way to increase the flavour and nutrient density of your food.

You talked about soil quality in a latest seminar that we sat in on. Could you elaborate on soil quality relating to nutrient levels in produce?

From the soil, health and energy are born. The soil contains minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, which we need to live. But we can’t eat the soil, so we need a medium that is able to supply us with the Earth’s nutrients. The middlemen are plants, as they absorb the nutrients from the soil and make them available to us as food. Isn’t that an incredible way to think about how we obtain the nutrients that sustain our life?

However, if the soil is deficient in nutrients, then those nutrients are not in the food. So the quality of the soil where our food is grown plays an enormous role in how we feel, function and look each day.

That’s one of the reasons why it’s important to shop at farmers markets - that way you can buy local, get to know your farmers, find out how they tend to the food you buy and you can thank them for their hard work. Without their care and efforts, it is impossible for us to have great health. It seems crazy to me that most people know the name of their doctor but not the names of their farmers.

There is often the view that buying organic/local produce is more expensive than buying produce from the supermarket. How can we help consumers overcome that view?

I believe organic food is the true cost of food. I once started and ran an organic café. Once a week, a local farmer delivered fresh greens picked that morning from his biodynamic farm. I always set aside some time on the day of his delivery to chat with him, as he always had wonderful tales to tell of life on his farm. One day, when I asked him how he was, his reply was along the lines of “not so good.” When I enquired further, he went on to tell me that snails had invaded his broccoli patch virtually overnight. When I paused to consider this, I realised that, if they took hold, a portion of this man’s meagre livelihood would be lost. So I asked him how he deals with snails on his broccoli given that his farming principles do not involve spraying the patch to get rid of the invaders (which would have taken less than 30 minutes to do). My farmer friend went on to tell me that snails lose their “stick,” their ability to suction on to things, in salty water. So he made up a bottle of salt and water, and he spent two days, crouched down on all fours, crawling between his broccoli plants, squirting saline water up under the fronds. Not only that, he didn’t kill the snails but collected them in a bucket and fed them to the chickens “to keep them in the food chain,” as he so delightfully put it. Think about each of these scenarios. Spray in under 30 minutes versus crawling around on your haunches for two days. For me, that illustrates precisely why organic and biodynamic food costs more. It reflects the real cost of food, plus it has a greater nutritional value, not to mention what’s left out. Every time we purchase something we are casting a vote for the world we want to live in, that’s why I believe buying organic and/or local is one of the most important votes you can make!

And finally, What is your favourite vegetable to eat over winter?

What a great question! I absolutely love cabbage; I think it has to be one of the most underrated vegetables. But, I also love broccoli, can I pick two?!

A huge thank you to Dr Libby for answering our questions.

Competition: Be in to win a Dr Libby cookbook by answering this easy question.

What is Dr Libby's favourite winter vegetabe/s?

Submit your answer here by July 7th

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Intensive agriculture farming aims to grow as many large fruit and vegetables as quickly as possible, but this comes at a price; nutritional value. Rapid growth and a drive to increase the size of produce has meant that farmers could keep up with high demand, but it has meant that the nutritional value has decreased. We will take a closer look into why this is, and why farmers markets and organic produce are the best choice when it comes to good soil quality and nutritional value.

Produce get nutrients from nutritionally rich soil, just like we get nutrients from the food we eat. In this vain, if we are eating food with low levels of nutrients then we are taking in low levels of nutrients. So the question is; why isn’t the soil used to grow fruit and vegetables nutrient rich? Intensive farming has meant that fields used for growing are becoming over used and not given enough time to replenish and restore. Also the use of fertilisers and pesticides rather than organic methods of growing contributes to low soil quality. Close plant spacing means that the plants have weaker root systems and less access to nutrients in the soil. All of these factors combined mean that the produce we eat today has significantly less nutritional value than it would have 40 years ago. One study found that it would take us eight oranges to get the same value our grandparents would have gotten from one orange 40 years ago.

Organic farming methods allow the soil to restore to ensure it is nutrient rich and in the best quality for vegetable and fruit production. Methods such as the use of manure and organic matter feed the soil with much needed nutrients. Field rotation gives the land used time to restore itself to fertile soil, and the non-use of fertilisers and pesticides is healthier for the soil, the produce growing in it and most importantly for the consumers. Fertilisers and pesticides have been proven to leave chemical residues in people; this video is a great summary of this. The organic method of farming support soil quality and preserves nutritional value. A report by the The Organic Centre, concludes that “Organic food may have as much as 20 percent higher nutritional content for some minerals, and 30 percent more antioxidants on average, than conventional fare.”

Farmer’s Markets are a great place to buy organic produce, where the growers truly do focus on the quality of their produce; including tending to the soil they use with care and thought. It is important that consumers are aware of how important the methods of organic farming are. We hope this brief explanation was a helpful one!

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You might have noticed that we have been doing a lot of profiles about the stall at the market lately. We thought we would take the same approach with one of our favourite fruit that’s in season at the moment; feijoas!

Feijoa facts :

Feijoas are also known as pineapple guavasThey are originally from subtropical and tropical highlands of several south American countries such as Brazil, Uruguay and ParaguayIt takes a feijoa tree 3-5 years to mature enough to produce fruitFeijoas are in season from March to June in NZ, and peak in MayFeijoas have cancer-fighting properties. Feijoas contain saponins which are thought to have anticancer agents.They are high in vitamin c, k and dietary fibresRipe feijoas have a slightly soft feel, similar to a banana.

Tips for growing a feijoa tree:

Here is a great guide on how to grow your own feijoa tree.

Recipes:

Most people enjoy feijoas straight off the tree but they are other ways to eat this delicious fruit. Here are a few great recipes:

Feijoa icecreamFeijoa muffinsCheck out our super easy feijoa crumble recipe.

Make sure you make the most of the feijoa season, because it will be over before you know it!

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Lupo Atelier is our newest stall at market, selling handmade dairy-free nut based cheese. We thought we would properly introduce Anna and her vegan cheese alternative to all you lovely market-goers.

Anna has always had a love of cheese. She spent 10 years living in France, while there she spent a lot of time visiting the many small artisan cheese shops scattered throughout the beautiful, food loving nation.

Her love grew into curiosity and she decided to learn the art of cheese making for herself. She learnt the basics from books at first, and then on a small organic farm in south Otago. Anna was even lucky enough to learn some traditional recipes from a passionate cheesemaker in a remote polish village.

Anna’s venture into the world of vegan cheese making happened a few years ago when she decided to transition to a plant-based, vegan diet. This created a problem as traditional cheese is certainly not vegan, so Anna had to find a substitute. She spent time trying alternatives but was often dissatisfied with the lack of options, taste and the fact that they were all heavily-processed. Also concerning was that most vegan cheeses are imported from Europe, therefore having a large carbon footprint. Meanwhile, Anna was doing a lot of experimenting with her own cooking. This eventually led her into using plant milks and blended nuts as cheese making alternatives; she found that they didn’t compromise on taste or quality. Anna felt that she needed to share her new beautiful creations with her friends and family and eventually Lupo Atelier was born.

Lupo Atelier’s small batch vegan cheese alternatives are made by hand, with love. They ensure only the best quality ingredients; using organic fair-trade almonds or cashews, organic herbs and spices and all ingredients are ethically sourced.

Lupo Atelier’s nut-based cheese alternatives are free of animal products, gluten and preservatives. They are high in minerals, vitamin E, heart-healthy unsaturated fats and rich in protein, and they are truly yummy!

We asked Anna what her cheeses pair well with and like any passionate food lover her answers made our stomachs jump for joy. Anna says,

“We love the simple pleasure of eating! Just grab a freshly baked baguette, our creamy almond cheese, olives, and of course a good red wine! Or you can make bruschetta with our cashew-based cumin cheese, caramelised onions and pickled gherkins. We also have a meltable mozzarella alternative that is great on pizza! Our cashew-based feta alternative goes marvellously well on grilled asparagus or spinach.”

Anna’s passion for her vegan cheeses is clearly evident, she truly believes that plant-based diet without the use of any animal products is healthy, tasty and should be enjoyed by every food lover! Her cheeses are handcrafted with love and respect, and really are little works of art. We can’t wait to see her at the market and are so happy that she has joined us.

Lupo Atelier is based in Sumner, New Zealand, but you can find us every weekend at the Lyttelton Farmers Market & Opawa Farmers Market and from now on at the Christchurch Farmers Market.

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The Chai Tent is a family business which was started by father-daughter team Richard and Danielle. Danielle has been running the Market stall every Saturday for almost two years and will be a familiar face to her regulars. Richard has a behind-the-scenes role but everyone who has tried their chai can thank him for the recipe! He spent time in India as a young man where he learnt to make traditional chai, something that he passed down to his daughter.

Danielle has been making chai for 10 years now and it is delicous. Their chai is authentic and is very different to the chai that can be bought in cafes; it is much stronger and spicier as it is a more traditional brew.

The Chai Tent believe the best chai is made by using fresh ingredients. They grind all of their spices fresh for every pot of chai they make and their spice blend is organic. They grind their spices in a large mortar and pestle throughout the day and I would highly recommend checking this process out. They also believe in supporting local so they use Nature’s Matters milk (another stall at the market). Oh and don’t fret if you can’t digest milk, they make a dairy-free chai blend with soy and almond milk. Another thing that The Chai Tent like to do is encourage their customers to have a go at making chai themselves, check out the recipe here if you want to have a go. They also have a range of organic herbal teas to try.

The health benefits of chai are really important to Danielle, she loves to talk with customers about how good chai is for them. Chai is a great alternative to coffee, it’s a very uplifting drink like coffee but comes without the negative impact of caffeine known as the caffeine crash. This is due to the use of cardamom spice which has wonderful health benefits and encourages a neutralisation of any caffeine that is in the black tea they use as in their chai. Chai is also great for your circulatory system thanks to the cinnamon and black pepper that’s in it. It is fantastic for digestion, and a few customers have even coined it their hangover cure. Overall, it is a very warming drink so is sure to be a winter favourite.

Like most of us at the Christchurch Farmers Market Danielle loves the atmosphere and she really enjoys the connection to the community. Danielle said her intention behind starting the Chai Tent was to connect with her community over delicious cups of Tea. She is there for the same reason all of the stall holders are; to provide an honest, local, and nourishing product to her community.

So make sure you pop down to the market and grab yourself a cup of The Chai Tent’s soul warming chai.

Thank you to Danielle for chatting to us.

Recipe idea:

Mixing chai with a shot of whiskey or rum makes for a great winter cocktail - or so we’ve heard :)

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We are so excited that it’s pumpkin season; pumpkins are such a versatile, yummy and easy vegetable to cook with. We also know that there are quite a few different types of pumpkins, so we thought that would have a go at explaining a few of the varieties you are likely to see at the market.

Crown: these are the most common variety of pumpkin in New Zealand. They vary in size but have the potential to get very large. They have a greyish/blue skin, dry flesh and are usually quite sweet. The most common variety found in NZ is the Whangaparoa. Because of their tough skin they store well.

Butternut: is a pear shaped pumpkin with creamy light orange skin. The skin is thinner than the crown pumpkin (which makes it a lot easier to cut!). They have a sweet and almost nutty flavour.

Buttercup: a small pumpkin variety. They have a dark green, hard skin with lighter stripes and speckles. The buttercup has paler, fine textured flesh. The skin is quite soft so they don’t keep as well as other pumpkin varieties.

Sunshine squash: have bright orange skin and very sweet flesh. They are a variety of the buttercup pumpkin described above.

All of the pumpkin varieties you see at the market are great for roasting, soups, pureeing and mashed.

Tip: if you add mashed pumpkin to a white cheese sauce it makes a great pasta sauce and the kids will never know!

Here is a great idea to do with the left over seeds:Jamie Oliver "How to roast pumpkin seeds"

Happy pumpkin eating!

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Folks, its autumn, there are no two ways about it. Autumn brings with it orange leaves, chilly mornings and a bit of wardrobe confusion! Despite there being a few downsides to autumn there are also some wonderful things; the fruit and vegetables autumn brings with it! Below are some of our favourite autumn produce, when you can expect to see them at the market, and a recipe idea of each. Enjoy!

Pears

In season: March - May

Recipe idea: ginger, lemon and vanilla poached pears

Apples

In season: most varieties available March – May

Recipe idea: apple crumble

Courgettes

In season: November – May

Cooking idea: courgette fritters

Leeks

In season: March – August

Cooking ideas: chicken and leek pie

Sean Carr has been growing organic blueberries since 2004, and has been a regular at the Farmers Market ever since. He believes the blueberries grown in Canterbury have the advantage because of the hot summers, cool nights and low rainfall. This combination (as it does with grapes) is a wonderful recipe for producing amazing fruit and it gives Sean’s blueberries nuances of sweetness and full flavour. You can also be assured that Sean’s blueberries are the best of the best, guaranteed by his organic certification.

Sean and the team at West Melton blueberries are busy right now with a short two month window for picking. With November frosts and December hail, this has been a challenging season, which will finish sometime early-mid April. Make sure you come down to the market over the next few Saturdays so you don’t miss out on these amazing blueberries.

This week the UK telegraph wrote a great article highlighting the amazing benefits of eating blueberries and some lovely recipes (including pickled blueberries, what a great idea). Check it out here.

Thanks Sean for telling us more about your wonderful stall!

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The Coffee Lawn, a new stall opening this Saturday at the Market is a celebration of good coffee. We know that many of you are avid coffee drinkers, and we also know that many of you like to know where the produce and products you buy, and coffee you drink come from. So please let us properly introduce our new coffee to you.

The Coffee Lawn will be using coffee supplied by Hummingbird Coffee. Hummingbird Coffee was established back in 1990 right here in Christchurch. They continue to hand roast the same traditional way that they have always done, in small batches of single origin beans. Once each origin has been roasted to bring out the best natural characteristics, they blend various origins together to produce the over fifteen distinctive blends they have on offer.

Hummingbird’s head roaster has been cupping, roasting and blending for over fifteen years. They are continually looking for new exciting coffees to add variety and interests to their range and have recently become 100% certified organic. With their organic certification you can be assured that you’re receiving and drinking the highest quality coffee, and nothing else.

We will be running a roast called Oomph through our machine at The Coffee Lawn. Oomph is suitable for all brewing methods and is Fair Trade Organic. It has the most amazing body and sweetness with well-balanced acidity. Ethiopian Harra is a real star in this complex blend with its milk chocolate notes and great body, Oomph is moreish and an amazing espresso.

We will also be running Hummingbird’s latest seasonal blend, Harvest. Harvest is a blend that captures the best of the best, when it’s at its best. For this reason, Harvest will be a constantly changing blend of single origin that will harness the best coffees on offer from around the world at any given time. This will make for a truly distinctive and interesting coffee, for real coffee lovers and those who like to try something different. Depending on which seasonal characteristics are on offer the coffee will be either a black or milk based cup depending on what the roast at the time goes best with.

Hummingbird Coffee is a wholly New Zealand owned and operated business with roasting facilities in Addington attached to their flagship café Oddfellow’s. The CHCH Farmers Market would only bring coffee to you that we truly love ourselves and that aligns with our beliefs of locally owned products, so we are very excited to open this new stall to you all. Another reason we are so happy to be supporting Hummingbird is because they have made wonderful contributions to the local community and beyond; they have raised over three hundred thousand dollars to support causes such as the Re:start mall in Christchurch and locals in the international communities that they purchase their coffees from.

The Coffee Lawn is all about enjoying great coffee, trying something new and interesting, and supporting local businesses. Make sure you come down on Saturday and grab a cup (or two).

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Coffee; a drink, a culture, a religion? No matter how strongly you feel about coffee (or how strongly you like yours) here at the Christchurch Farmers Market we are certainly big enthusiasts! We are such fans in fact, that we are opening a brand new coffee stall called “The Coffee Lawn”, located just around the back of the house by the planter boxes. In anticipation of the overload of used coffee grounds we are going to have on our hands (we hope!), we thought it was timely that we examine the many ways coffee grounds can be reused. We will have free used coffee grounds available at the stall for anyone that wants to take some home to try out these easy ideas.

Five ideas for reusing coffee grounds

1. Facial and body scrub

Feeling in need of a little pampering? Coffee grounds are great for exfoliation and this mixture will have you feeling enlivened and invigorated! Simply mix around 3 tablespoons of coffee grounds with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. Massage the mixture onto your face in gentle, circular motions and rinse with warm water. Increase the quantity of the ingredients to make a body scrub.

2. Nourish your compost Coffee grounds are a great addition to your compost bin as they add all important nitrogen into the soil. Just sprinkle grounds in and give the compost a bit of a stir. Added bonus; if you have worms in your compost they will love the grounds!

3. Keep pests away

Sticking to the garden theme, pest such as slugs and snails don’t like the acid in the coffee grounds. Just sprinkle the grounds around your garden to keep bugs at bay!

4. Scour pots and pans

Just as coffee grounds are great for exfoliating your skin, they are great for scrubbing your pots and pans. Place a few teaspoons of coffee grounds on your scourer or cleaning cloth and scrub away grease and grime, just make sure you rinse thoroughly afterward!

5. Getting rid of odours

Rubbing coffee grounds on your skin after you chop fragrant vegetables like garlic and onions is an easy way of getting rid of persistent smells.

You can tell that we really like recycling as we have even turned the coffee sacks into comfy pillow seating at the stall, all ready for your coffee drinking pleasure. Make sure you pop down on Saturday; enjoy the coffee, the cosy seating and grab some of our grounds on your way out, we love knowing they are going to be recycled and reused!

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Olives New Zealand and AGMARDT were pleased to announce the winners in the 2015 New Zealand Extra Virgin Olive Oil Awards at the Awards Dinner held in Wellington on Saturday 3rd October.

Best in Show went to Robinsons Bay Grove Blend, produced by Chris and Annette Moore of Akaroa. Pictured are Chris and Annette and Head Judge, Peter Olson, with the Best in Show Trophy.

CONGRATUALTIONS to Chris and Annette. That is an amazng achievment.

Postcards of the market are now for sale at the Information Stall at the market each Saturday. We have chosen a selection of images we think reflect the market really well. Collectt them all or send them to friends outside of CHCH to show them them great things happending in CHCH.

Saturday 6th June

Bring your kids along on and they can have some fun and learn some things.

We will be talking about seedlings and sprouts and what you can still grow over winter. As well as showing them around our 5 planter boxes we will be making some egg shell Cress Heads. We will supply everything needed for the Cress Heads you just need to bring your kids round the side of the house by the Planter boxes about 11am.

COMPETITION TIME

We also will have a competition running for the kids to enter on the day. We have some seedlings growing in the planter box. The kids just need to guess what vegetable the seedlings will grow into and they will go in the draw to win a Sprouts Alive seed sprouting kit with 2 packets of seeds. Fun, educational and delicious ( for parents as well).

There is a clue to what vege the seedlings will grow into on theLocal. at Riccarton House Instagram account - one of the more recent images posted.

The latest stall to join the market is owned by Glen Herud. He is based in Rangoria, a father of 3, soon to be four and is focused on farming and developing ways that will make it more attractiave to the next generation.

He come to our market with fresh milk via his mobile milking system - he goes to the cows in the field with his milking system instead of the cows coming to the milking shed.

The milk is in bright stainless steel 40L milk cans, with a tap at the bottom used to fill up the sterilised glass milk bottles.

You take these bottles home and then bring them back the next week for a refil.

Part of their stall at our market. Make sure to visit them early each Saturday. Once word gets round they are sure to sell out!

Pork is the world’s no. 1 meat, yet many New Zealanders still hesitate to include pork in their weekly meal plan. Cressy Farm want to change this!

Cressy Farm have been trading at the Farmers' Market for many years and all of their pork products are of the highest quality, all gluten free and from pigs that are free-farmed.

While they are not an organic farm (feed costs are already high enough!), they aim to provide a low stress, healthy environment for all their pigs. That means they do treat any sick animals but do not use growth hormones or antibiotic growth promotants.

Because of this environment they are classed as a high-health pig farm with naturally low disease levels.

They have a huge selection of products available. Check out their websitefor a full list or visit them at their stall on Saturdays at the Market.

We have added recipe to our Recipe page using Cressy Farm Pork Mince. Perfect for a easy mid-week winter meal. Click here to head to the recipe.

Congratualtions to our winner for the Mother's Day promo. Claudia Lee was the lucky winner for her Mother ( her father collected the hamper.)

Thankyou to everyone that entered and let us know your thoughts on your favouriet stalls. More give aways to come so stay tuned!

Win some treats for your Mum this Mother's Day! We have 2 hampers full of goodies from some of the stall holders at the market.

Just head to our Instagramor Facebook pages and leave a message telling which is your favourite stall and we will put you in the draw to win one of 2 hampers. We will draw the winners on Friday and the hampers will need to be collected this Saturday from the market.

Good Luck!

Unfortunately the Figs didnt make it down this weekend, thanks to the bad weather... fingers crossed the rain won't interfere next weekend again....

Winter is approaching and today was a good training day for it but don't worry, we will make it sweet & warm for you to tomorrow anyway.

We have FIGS, brought down by their growers all the way from Marlborough and RED HOT AND DIXIE will get you grooving. With all other great things at the market, our regular fabulous FOODIE n PRODUCE stalls (check out the map below), the COFFEE stall, yummy HOT CHOCOLATE from SHE UNIVERSE & UTOPIA ICE's sister UTOPIA HOT we are sure we can defy the not so nice looking weather forecast and make it a fabulous market day anyway.

Riccarton House is open for HERITAGE TOURS and the LOCAL. is open for coffee and drinks (unfortunately the kitchen will have to stay closed tomorrow but your breakfast is safe with lots of ready to eat foodies outside the LOCALs doors).

See you all tomorrow :) We are looking forward to it.

P.S. If you want to know more about our stallholders, check out our revamped website: www.christchurchfarmersmarket.co.nz.

P.P.S. If you want to get to know the market from the inside, let us know, WE ARE LOOKING for NEW STAFF at the COFFEE STALL. If you are interested, send an email to Kate: info@tasteevents.co.nz. Barista experience would def be a bonus.

Nothing can compare to the yummy and unique taste and the texture of fresh figs. They are lusciously sweet, smooth and moist and also crunchy thanks to their seeds. Finally it is autumn and we can indulge in them.

Nutritional Value

But not only is this ancient fruit which can be traced back to the earliest of times with mentions in the Bible and other ancient writings , super yummy but also really healthy: 1 medium fig contains 6% fiber, 4% B6 , 3% copper, 3% manganese, 3% potassium and 3% pantothenic acid.

Health Benefits

The health benefits range from lowering high blood pressure, losing weight, protection against postmenopausal breast cancer, insulin lowering leaf in Diabetes, cardiovascular effects, protection against macular degeneration.

How to Select and Store

Since fresh figs are one of the most perishable fruits, they should be purchased only a day or two in advance of when you are planning on eating them. Look for figs that have a rich, deep colour and are plump and tender, but not mushy. They should have firm stems and be free of bruises. Smelling figs can also give you clues into their freshness and taste. They should have a mildly sweet fragrance and should not smell sour, which is an indication that they may be spoiled.

Ripe figs should be kept in the refrigerator where they will stay fresh for about two days. Since they have a delicate nature and can easily bruise, you should store them either arranged on a paper towel-lined plate or shallow container. They should be covered or wrapped in order to ensure that they do not dry out, get crushed or pick up odours from neighbouring foods. If you have purchased slightly under-ripe figs, you should keep them on a plate, at room temperature, away from direct sunlight. Dried figs will stay fresh for several months and can either be kept in a cool, dark place or stored in the refrigerator. They should be well wrapped so that they are not over exposed to air that may cause them to become hard or dry.

Tips for Preparing and Cooking

Before eating or cooking figs, wash them under cool water and then gently remove the stem. Gently wipe dry.

A few Serving Ideas

When preparing oatmeal or any other whole grain breakfast porridge, add some dried or fresh figs.

Poach figs in juice or red wine and serve with yogurt or frozen desserts.

Add quartered figs to a salad of fennel, arugula and shaved Parmesan cheese.

Fresh figs stuffed with goat cheese and chopped almonds can be served as hors d'oeuvres or desserts.

(http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=24)

Our fantastic Market was in Zest this week. A great write up of our stalls and the lovely setting we have.

Some of you might have noticed our 5 huge planter boxes outside the kitchen windows. Unfortunately we were duped with the original soil purchase, consequently none of the plants grew. So one weekend Logan from Spring Fed, a couple of his mates and me totally put our backs out digging out 18 tonnes of bad soil and then a week later digging back in 18 tonnes of good soil - and now the veges are SO much happier!

Make sure to take a wander round the planter boxes each week and watch them as they grow. See if your kids can name all the vege we have in there.

The start of Feb saw the re-opening of the restaurant in the house. It is so exciting to have the house open again for dining and events and, like the market, Local. is doing all it can to support the locals suppliers and the stall holders at the market. The menu is great simple bistro food.

On Saturdays when the market is running Sam, who is running the kitchen, gets to the marker early and wanders around to see what looks intresting and creates specials on the Saturday menu from what he finds.

Open Wednesday to Friday 10.30 - 3.30 for lunches and Saturday and Sunday 9am - 3.30 .

Any other time Local. can be booked for dinner, weddings, meeting....have a chat to Lauren on 03 348 6190.

Can't wait until winter when we an sit around the open fire and have lunch!

To keep up with the expanding market and the need to convey more informtion on the market it's self, the happenings at the market and all our stall holders we have re-freshed the whole website. We want to be able to let you connect more easily with all our farmers and stall holders, see where they are positioned in the market, get in touch with them outside market hours, keep up to date with events at the market....