20 October 2010

Farmers Markets want your feedback

| johnboy
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Farmers Markets

The Capital Region Farmers Market is looking to hear from you:

So if you haven’t heard by now, The Capital Region Farmers Market in EPIC have become a Saturday morning tradition in Canberra. After 6 years out in the shed in EPIC, they have grown to over 110 stallholders each week and attract some of Canberra’s smartest shoppers – the ones that like to buy direct from the producer and give the big supermarkets a wide berth.

Last year, the Rotary club of Hall, that runs the markets as a community project undertook a survey of customers. The feedback created some useful outcomes and helped them to lobby and undertake planning to do things like upgrade the parking, create new events such as the four chefs cooking demos and a parcel pickup service.

This year’s survey is now open for the next week and if you have shopped at the markets before and are keen to participate just click the link.

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Woody Mann-Caruso said :

You do say, quite frequently.

Or a free potato from the potato guy because my kid wanted to make a monster.

Aw shucks. Like out of a movie.

Last day for Southside at CIT.

There waz peas, broad beans, eggplant from Leeton, pink-and-white striped beetroot from the people just inside the door, and it was good to see Mr Zivko back (I’m going to take his photo one day).

When I buy produce from Kitanodai Kaihatsu, it usually doesn’t make it to a boiling pot of water.

Broad beans? *gobble*
Wax turnips? *gobble*
I do cook their beetroot and spinach, though.

I love how with organic food you don’t have to wash it, just to link back to the topic at hand – Why I Shop at the Farmers’ Market.

(For those who haven’t been, Southside is probably a little less pretentious than EPIC, but I don’t know if that will change when it moves on 7 November.)

Woody Mann-Caruso8:16 am 25 Oct 10

There was peaz – though you probably shouldn’t let your kids eat a bag of them unless you’ve got good ventilation. Plenty of broad beans too! Great in pasta, a little butter, parmesan, salt, done.

Broad beans are very very easy to grow. And you can pick them when they are smaller and nicer.

But peas – mmmm – I missed out too.

There waz peas?

I couldn’t go this morning. *blub* I hope the Japanese guys still got broad beans next week.

Woody Mann-Caruso1:41 pm 24 Oct 10

You do say, quite frequently.

Sorry, didn’t have time to reply to this earlier. I was at the Southside markets scoring cheap, high quality, locally grown produce. I”d say I can’t tell the difference between these Rosy Gold apples I got for $2/kg and the $4.95/kg apples at Woolies – except you can’t get this variety at Woolworths at any price. Or fresh chocolate croissants from 210 in Hughes. Or a free potato from the potato guy because my kid wanted to make a monster. Or beef raised at a farm I’ve visited. Or a big bag of fresh peas in their pods, picked yesterday. Or some frost-hardy Black Russian tomato seedlings. Or local eggs and mushrooms. Or a mixed six of bagels from Isaacs. Sure you had an awesome time at Coles, though, whining about how you’re so glad you’re not one of those smug market w.nkers, and how you’re happy to pay double for stale produce shipped from oppressed farmers who get cents on the kilo.

So keep on keepin’ it real, yo. No smug poser, you. You a playa. A playa with soggy, floury, refrigerated apples that cost $5 a kilo and you had to wait in a cattle queue to buy them from a bored teenager who wishes you were dead.

sepi said :

Market vegies are not that cheap, but at least we don’t end up throwing them away as they don’t go off within days of purchase.

That’s why I buy them, and once you figure out the stalls you prefer, you get even better value.

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

People going on and on

I’ll say.

You do say, quite frequently.

Woody Mann-Caruso7:43 pm 21 Oct 10

People going on and on

I’ll say.

Keep your veggies, Farmers Market is all about the macarons!

I have had macarons from all over the place (including France) and the macarons out at the Farmers market are the best i’ve tasted, absolutely awesome.. give them a go!

Dream Cuisine is the stall name (just found it on the Farmers Market site)
http://www.capitalregionfarmersmarket.com.au/stall/dreamcuisine.html

colourful sydney racing identity4:37 pm 21 Oct 10

nhand42 said :

pepmeup said :

KB1971,
for the record the Batlow apple lady with the slinkies buys the apples from who ever she can, she does not have a farm or an orchid. A lot of the apples she sells actually come from growers not situated at Batlow.

Rofl. That’s brilliant. I wonder if she sometimes buys the apples from Woolies just for giggles.

Given that apples are more expensive at supermarkets, I am sure she does, just for giggles.

Give yourself an uppercut sunshine.

Jim Jones said :

nhand42 said :

Jim Jones said :

nhand42 said :

“attract some of Canberra’s smartest shoppers – the ones that like to buy direct from the producer and give the big supermarkets a wide berth.”

Certainly the smuggest shoppers…

You’d be smug too if you had any inkling of the difference between fresh local produce and the crap you get from the big 2 supermarkets.

Been there, done that, didn’t rate it. They certainly taste “different” but as to “better”, that’s entirely subjective. I’ve certainly had my share of dodgy produce from farmer’s markets, to the point where I simply don’t bother anymore.

Feel free to spend your money there if you want, but I stand by my statement that many people shop at farmer’s markets because it makes them feel superior to the plebs who buy from the supermarkets.

So, in your considered opinion, people who choose to buy produce somewhere other than a supermarket is just being pretentious?

Absolutely not. I do think some people prefer the taste; as I said, it’s a subjective thing. There are also other indirect benefits to farmer’s markets; reduced pollution due to reduced transport, money going back into local communities, etc.

But I think there’s also an insufferable amount of smugness. People going on and on about “freshness” and “taste” and “organic”, and will pay double for a perceived massive leap in quality, when the reality is often a disappointing “meh”.

They had a thing on ABC where they sliced up tomatoes from Woolies and tomatoes from an “organic” farmer and the farmer himself was unable to tell which was which. That sums up my opinion of farmer’s markets in a nutshell.

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

Certainly the smuggest shoppers…

What does this even mean?

http://dictionary.reference.com/

You’re welcome.

nhand42 said :

Jim Jones said :

nhand42 said :

“attract some of Canberra’s smartest shoppers – the ones that like to buy direct from the producer and give the big supermarkets a wide berth.”

Certainly the smuggest shoppers…

You’d be smug too if you had any inkling of the difference between fresh local produce and the crap you get from the big 2 supermarkets.

Been there, done that, didn’t rate it. They certainly taste “different” but as to “better”, that’s entirely subjective. I’ve certainly had my share of dodgy produce from farmer’s markets, to the point where I simply don’t bother anymore.

Feel free to spend your money there if you want, but I stand by my statement that many people shop at farmer’s markets because it makes them feel superior to the plebs who buy from the supermarkets.

So, in your considered opinion, people who choose to buy produce somewhere other than a supermarket is just being pretentious?

pepmeup said :

KB1971,
for the record the Batlow apple lady with the slinkies buys the apples from who ever she can, she does not have a farm or an orchid. A lot of the apples she sells actually come from growers not situated at Batlow.

Rofl. That’s brilliant. I wonder if she sometimes buys the apples from Woolies just for giggles.

Jim Jones said :

nhand42 said :

“attract some of Canberra’s smartest shoppers – the ones that like to buy direct from the producer and give the big supermarkets a wide berth.”

Certainly the smuggest shoppers…

You’d be smug too if you had any inkling of the difference between fresh local produce and the crap you get from the big 2 supermarkets.

Been there, done that, didn’t rate it. They certainly taste “different” but as to “better”, that’s entirely subjective. I’ve certainly had my share of dodgy produce from farmer’s markets, to the point where I simply don’t bother anymore.

Feel free to spend your money there if you want, but I stand by my statement that many people shop at farmer’s markets because it makes them feel superior to the plebs who buy from the supermarkets.

pepmeup said :

KB1971,

for the record the Batlow apple lady with the slinkies buys the apples from who ever she can, she does not have a farm or an orchid. A lot of the apples she sells actually come from growers not situated at Batlow.

Oh well you get that. I dont really care as they are 10 times better than the ones you get from Woollies or even Fyshwick for that matter. Even the ones she sells for $1 a kilo are better.

Woody Mann-Caruso3:02 pm 21 Oct 10

Certainly the smuggest shoppers…

What does this even mean? What is it with cretins that they must wear their idiocy as a badge of honour and drag others down to their dung-eating level?

“Oh, wow, fire, we’re all sooo impressed, smarty pants.”
“Wheel? You’re a wheel. You think you’re so clever, don’t you?”
“‘Pasteurisation?’ Why don’t you use words we can all understand?”

colourful sydney racing identity2:37 pm 21 Oct 10

apples are so much cheaper at the markets – you pay $3 per kilo for all apples – much cheaper than a supermarket

nhand42 said :

“attract some of Canberra’s smartest shoppers – the ones that like to buy direct from the producer and give the big supermarkets a wide berth.”

Certainly the smuggest shoppers…

You’d be smug too if you had any inkling of the difference between fresh local produce and the crap you get from the big 2 supermarkets.

KB1971,

for the record the Batlow apple lady with the slinkies buys the apples from who ever she can, she does not have a farm or an orchid. A lot of the apples she sells actually come from growers not situated at Batlow.

Market vegies are not that cheap, but at least we don’t end up throwing them away as they don’t go off within days of purchase.

switch said :

nhand42 said :

Certainly the smuggest shoppers…

Or the ones that don’t mind that having cut out the middleman, still pay more for vegies than they would at Coles or even a real greengrocers.

Ahhh, but the vegies are not past their used by date at the time of purchase………….

Having said that the local Woolies has picked their game up a bit.

We go to the Woden Farmers market on Sundays & dont mind paying a bit more for two reasons. One we know the farmer isnt getting screwed to the bone & two the vegies tase better and are more fresh.

The people who do the apples from Batlow are sensational, they do a slinky apple for both my daughters every time & have the best apples going around. Their pink ladies are to die for.

The meat guy from Junee, I bought a leg of lamb off him & when I cut the shrink wrap off it didnt pour 1/2 a litre of water out of it. It even looked like lamb should, not the red crap you get at retail outlets & OH MY F*#ING GOD WAS IT GOOD AFTER I COOKED IT ON THE WEBER!!!!!!!!!!!!

nhand42 said :

Certainly the smuggest shoppers…

Or the ones that don’t mind that having cut out the middleman, still pay more for vegies than they would at Coles or even a real greengrocers.

“attract some of Canberra’s smartest shoppers – the ones that like to buy direct from the producer and give the big supermarkets a wide berth.”

Certainly the smuggest shoppers…

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