25 October 2008

Fraud at the markets

| johnboy
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The Canberra Times reveals that some vendors at the farmers markets at EPIC have in fact been selling fruit ‘n veg from the Sydney markets rather than their own produce.

But fear naught. An invigilator is being hired to examine the farmers’ premises and make sure they actually are growing what they’re selling.

So we should be safe from now on.

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What time does CBJ close on Saturdays?

sepi said :

And supporting ventures like the EPIC market allows them to grow successful, and become properly regulated.

I just wish they’d stay open a bit later than 11.00.

I’ll second that Sepi. By the time I get myself organised and over to EPIC on a Saturday morning, the stallholders are already packing up.

Does anyone know why they have to stop at 11.00 ?

I think I will check out Choku Bai Jo this afternoon.

choku bai jo now has a website http://www.chokubaijo.com.au it is a bit basic but keeps me upto date with opening hours and available produce

The Choku Bai Jo ? Gleann na Meala Open day is set to be in late december maybe on the weekend between xmas and new year. This is when we have the time and also there are no other outlets for us to sell our veg.

Choku Bai Jo does not have everything, one reason for this is we choose not to see any fresh produce that is not grown in Australia. We would love to sell a full range of fruit and veg all year but that would mean importing from some countries that are not as stringent on chemical controls as Australia.

On other quick note, Well done to the Ritary Group at Hall that run the Canberra region Farmers Market, they do a great job and it is great to hear they have employed some one to inspect properties.

Woolies sucks. Veggies that are prized for their appearance only and a purchasing system designed to screw the producer has predictable results.

Much better to go direct to the producer at the farmer’s market.

I hope they do manage to eject the scammers.

And supporting ventures like the EPIC market allows them to grow successful, and become properly regulated.

I just wish they’d stay open a bit later than 11.00.

Fiona said :

*gasp*

This might be trivial to you, but I go to the markets to avoid the poor-quality produce you get at Woolwoths and Coles – I don’t want someone else selling me the same shit under a different name and undercutting local growers.

I-filed said :

I haven’t bothered with the Farmers Market since…

Why didn’t you just choose a different vendor? That’s the beauty of the place – freedom of choice.

We go every week, but you MUST be picky about where you buy what you want. We now regularly visit about 6 trusted producers to get all our stuff and the quality is absolutely second to none. On the odd occasion we find ourselves in Woolworths or Coles the “fresh” produce is quite literally laughable.

Choku Bai Jo is awesome, but they don’t stock everything. Plus, we are now regular customers of our favourite producers and we get discounts and freebies every single week. This year we even had an influence over what our favourite producer decided to grow!

All we need now is for EPIC to step up their “catering” and offer something that’s not dripping with fat!

I second Choku Bai Jo,

I third it! Plus, one of the owners is a great friend of mine, so I pretty much have to back them up. Although any vegie shop with three different types of garlic is good by me.

PS, If anyone hears when Choku Bai Jo are holding their open day out at Hall, please post details.

I second Choku Bai Jo, or if you’re determined to go to EPIC, try the next shed over, which contains the local farmers selling local produce.

Wide Boy Jake5:45 pm 25 Oct 08

bigfeet said :

trevar said :

We’ve had better experience at the Southside Farmer’s markets. Until recently I had assumed the organisers were the same, but it turns out they’re independent of each other. I imagine it’s hard to police anyway, though.

Where/When is the Southside Farmer’s markets?

Woden CIT every Sunday morning.

forget about getting up early on a saturday morning and battling the crowds at EPIC! go to choku bai jo in north lyneham shops every day of the week (open til 7pm weekdays, til midday saturday, closed sundays) – great cheap produce, farmers market outlet. it is fabulous!!

http://the-riotact.com/?p=6823

Wide Boy Jake5:38 pm 25 Oct 08

I remember in the 1980s they used to have the markets at EPIC (or Natex as it was called back then) every Saturday morning, even during winter. The counterfeits there were incredible – some didn’t even bother to spell the names right – Pullabong logos on t-shirts pretending to be Billabong, KDK Cassettes pretending to be TDK Cassettes. Now we hear it is still going on. The more things change . . .

trevar said :

We’ve had better experience at the Southside Farmer’s markets. Until recently I had assumed the organisers were the same, but it turns out they’re independent of each other. I imagine it’s hard to police anyway, though.

Where/When is the Southside Farmer’s markets?

We’ve had better experience at the Southside Farmer’s markets. Until recently I had assumed the organisers were the same, but it turns out they’re independent of each other. I imagine it’s hard to police anyway, though.

Well, it’s never even occurred to me that people would do that. Not that I would mind who grew it, so long as it was decent stuff.

I have been getting the carrots from hell at Woolies Gungahlin. I swear they’re genetically modified with the genes of a catfish. I have never seen such tough, stringy, indestructable carrots in all my born days.

And I’m eating one now ….

*bleah*

Still pickin’ the bones out of my teeth!

Epic market has always tolerated dodgy vendors. One particular “farming family” gave me different stories in different weeks about where they were growing their stuff. I bought a bag of lemons from them that went rotten quickly and were clearly from several different sources. “Their” produce was of Woolworths Dickson quality … I haven’t bothered with the Farmers Market since …

It’s a shame, but I have often been puzzled by some of the things they sell there. Even if trucking in from the western Riverina, some things just aren’t in season in this district.

On a related note, does that asian lady who sells veggies on upturned milk crates in The Lawns of Manuka actually grow that stuff? I wonder a bit sometimes.

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