Continuing in my quest towards buying local/handmade jams etc. (http://easywaystochangetheworld.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/buy-local-or-homemade.html) I woke up early(ish) on Saturday morning and headed out to the local farmers market with my mum!
I had talked up the homemade lemon butter I had bought, and as we planned a BBQ that day, it was the perfect chance to check it out, and it was well worth the effort.
It was really great, the produce was beautiful and fresh, and for the fussiest eater in the world, everything I bought tasted great. Not too expensive either, considering the 24 eggs I got for less than $10 - and they were paddock fresh eggs so I feel even less guilty about eating them. I spent more than I planned on jams, relishes, interesting bread (beetroot and feta - yum!) fresh flowers, and of course, fruit and veg.
The best part wasn't the taste, or price, but the experience. The farmers markets have very strict rules about where produce comes from, so the money I am spending is helping to support the local economy and the local community, without supporting the oligopoly that exists in the Australian food market. Best of all, it's a really good reminder about where food comes from, the earth, tended by hard working farmers before it gets to my plate!
I'm definitely a farmers market convert!
Word of mouth is really a great advertising tool for these markets, more and more people I know go to the farmers markets based on their friends reviews only. Thinking its my turn to check it out now!
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