fleurieu forager - willunga farmers market€¦ · we’ll be bringing quail eggs to market soon,...

FLEURIEUFORAGER

NEWSLETTER | SPRING/SUMMER 2017

farmers market

Meet the grower,TASTE THE REGION

There’s always a special energy around spring time – a bounce in our step and new energy in our lives! So, with the warming weather and lengthening days; it’s the best time to explore and enjoy the good food our region

has to offer.

Cover – Lisa McCarthy, McCarthys Orchards

I have always had a strong connection to the Fleurieu Peninsula and it’s people, the market is a microcosm of all I love down south. The

people who support us each week are a delight to see as are our fellow farmers. It’s just a win for everyone being able to gather and

support each other through good food, health and community. It will always be in our lives.

WELCOME!

CONTENTSVillage Greens

Following the Bees

War on Waste

Hart’s Vegetables

Devour Willunga

Be Social

Membership

Discovering Willunga Farmers Market

In Season

Meet Michael Davies from Fleurieu Pasture Eggs

James Hamilton from Golden Child Wines

Michael Taylor from Primordia Mushrooms

Recipe Carrot & Fennel Salad

11

12

13

14

15

16

03

04

05

06-08

10

Willunga Farmers Market Team

Jenni Mitton – General Manager | Richard Bennett – Operations Manager

Linda Corbett – Administration | Julian Salter – Market Day Operations

With thanks to our Market Day Volunteers

Our Current Board Members

Pip Forrester Chair | Michael Lewis Deputy Chair

Steve Scown | Glenn Fitzpatrick | Di Bickford | Ben Heath | Hani Mouneimne | Vicki Osland | Yvette van Berkel

Design by Minka Creative Studio

www.minkacreative.com

Socialise with us @willungafarmersmarket

Join the fun!

farmers market

Get social with us!@willungafarmersmarket

http://www.minkacreative.com/

- 3 - FLEURIEU FORAGER - SPRING/SUMMER 2017

MEMBERSHIP

sold. Annual membership supports the sustainability of the market

and each week members enjoy 10% discount at all stalls.

Willunga Farmers Market membership, along with our partnership

with the Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges Natural Resource

Management Board, enables us to support the future of farming

on the Fleurieu Peninsula with our Young Farmers Scholarship

and Farming Development Grant. Thank you for your continued

support – if you haven’t renewed your membership visit

https://members.willungafarmersmarket.com.au/signup

or visit the Information Stall

In August 2007, the Willunga Farmers market achieved a great

milestone in its ground-breaking history with the adoption

of a comprehensive Code of Practise. We continue to stand

proudly by this code which is reviewed annually by our board of

management.

WFM is a genuine farmers market where customers can buy

authentic locally produced food produced by passionate and

creative people to provide regional prosperity through ethical and

sustainable means.

The Willunga Farmers Market is a not-for-profit community

organisation that was founded from the grassroots up – literally

from local farmers and passionate foodies concerned about where

our food comes from, how it is grown and where and how it is

Renew or sign up for

membership

- 4 -www.willungafarmersmarket.com.au

DISCOVERING WILLUNGA FARMERS MARKET

create the original foods, arts, and crafts, are the people at the

stalls. It’s an authenticity often lost in the heart of a city.

Le Mistral, the Alma Hotel, I am Tall Poppy, and The Green Room

organic café, all nearby, exude the cheerful collective vibe that

envelops this beautiful small town.

It’s easy to see that membership is at the heart of the laidback

community feel. Folk wear their WFM members cards with pride

and get members prices on most things at the market. Every stall I

stopped at had regulars chatting away. Stallholders and members

know each other by name and are sharing stories and jokes. Dogs

are welcome! There’s always people wandering around with their

canine friends on leashes.

What should I buy? Should I go to the ATM nearby? I should buy

some treats to bring home for the family. Real food from real

people is always a treat and the Willunga Farmers Market is a treat

that locals are lucky to experience every week.

If you’re looking for authentic seasonal and fresh South Australian

whole foods you need to visit Willunga Farmers Market.

It’s spring and the bare vines are just beginning to bud. Fresh

green shoots are bursting from the old gnarled wood with

promises of the greatness to come this summer. Down the gentle

hill along Aldinga Road the waters of St Vincent Gulf neatly rule off

the western horizon. To the south and east vibrant green hills rise

to frame this beautiful part of the world in a golden haze of sea

and vines.

Every Saturday morning parked cars line the streets but finding the

market is easy. Just follow the stream of happy faces carrying their

baskets ready to be filled fresh produce into the centre of town.

On offer is a glorious and welcoming cacophony of books, herbs,

native plants, bakeries, coffee shops, milk and dairy producers,

honey and jams, flowers, cooking demo’s, probiotics, seafood,

poultry, eggs, beef, seasonal fruit and veg, homemade French

delights and so much more! As summer progresses the market

promises to be full of seasonal local produce.

The heart of the market is packed with families enjoying breakfast

and coffee as they gather for a cooking demo while local buskers

of all ages lend a warming background sound. At this market

the people who grew the produce on their land and laboured to

Written by Michael Genrich


IN SEASONSPRINGartichoke, asparagus, avocado, Asian greens, beetroot, broad beans, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, cumquat, garlic, grapefruit, herbs, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lemons, mandarins, mustard greens, new season lamb, rhubarb, salad and spring onions, salad leaves, parsnip, peas, potato, pumpkin, silverbeet, spinach, strawberries, tomato, zucchini


How did Fleurieu Pasture Eggs become involved in the market?

We were approached by the market to apply and started bringing

our eggs to market in late April. We’re blessed to have WFM as an

outlet, it’s been one of the foundations of our business. We’ve been

coming every week since and we look forward to many more!

How long have you been farming and what brought you to it?

I went to Urrbrae Agricultural High School in the 90’s and farming

has always been of interest to me. I spent my life in horticulture

and for the past eight years my wife Gaynor and I ran two Fruit and

Veg shops on the Fleurieu. In February this year we decided to set

up a new venture on the farm. We’ve got two young lads so the

lifestyle appealed to us.

Tell us about an average day on the farm?

We head out to the chook caravans twice a day, which we move

every three or four days. At 8.30 we check the feeders, change

the water, and collect the eggs. We’ll head out again about 3.30 to

change the water and collect more eggs. We sort the eggs every

night after we’ve put the boys to bed.

Who else helps out on the farm?

We have two boys, Hayden (9) and Harry (18 months). Hayden

helps with changing the chooks water and on the weekends, he

loves helping dad out at the market. On the farm we have two

Maremmas, Casti and Sophie, who live with our chooks 24/7.

As they mature they bond with the flock and protect them from

anything that may harm them (mainly foxes). With the chooks

never locked up the dogs’ job of protecting them is vital every

minute of the day and night.

Tell us more about your chooks.

The chooks are allowed to roam on fresh green pasture all the time

as we move our chook caravans every few days. These are basically

mobile chicken coops so the chooks have shelter, somewhere

to roost, and somewhere to lay eggs. It also saves us time as we

only need to go to a central place to collect eggs. We feed them a

crushed grain feed. We add some garlic and crushed shell grit for

shell strength and wellbeing of the chickens. Our eggs come from

hens that range on fresh green pasture. It separates us from free-

range and equals happier hens and more nutrient rich eggs.

What makes Fleurieu Pasture Eggs unique?

We’re only a very small farm but unique in that we’re a pasture egg

farm. Nowadays, free-range can mean anywhere up to 10,000

hens per hectare. That’s one chicken per square metre. We stock

about 700 hens per hectare. We can run at a maximum of 1500

hens per hectare which is closer to the old accepted free-range

standards, but that’s just in case.

What exciting new developments do you have in store?

We’ll be bringing quail eggs to market soon, so keep an eye out.

We’re also working on building up our supply of heritage rainbow

eggs. We have a small range now but we’re lucky to find hens and

when we do they cost a fair bit. We’ve got our own incubation

processes but it’s a long process to breed them up. In future we

hope to bring eggs in shades of brown, light green, lark, olive, and

even blue eggs!

Meet

MICHAEL DAVIESfrom Fleurieu Pasture EggsWritten by Michael Genrich


Winemaker James Hamilton decided during a surf trip to Portugal

with his family in August 2015 that it was time to start using grapes

from the family’s Kuitpo vineyard, planted by his father David in

1997, to produce wine under his own label. After 10+ years making

wine for some of South Australia’s best-known wineries, James

had been itching to make his own interesting, low intervention

wines that would showcase the versatility of the Southern Adelaide

Hills wine region. Named after a long-running joke with his sister

Zoe, Golden Child Wines was born in vintage 2016.

Tell us how you first got involved with wine making/horticulture?

I grew up in Willunga so was always surrounded by vineyards/

wine with McLaren Vale so close. Dad bought some grazing land

at Kuitpo in the Adelaide Hills in 1997 and planted some grapes. I

spent my school holidays helping plant vines and putting in posts

and irrigation lines. I studied a BSc after school then did a vintage

at Coriole in 2004. I fell in love with the winemaking process and

went back to Uni to complete Postgraduate studies in Oenology

(Winemaking). I worked several vintages in California after uni

before settling in SA.

Low intervention wines – tell us about that?

Wine, like most products, has become mass produced and

heavily manipulated to achieve large volumes at a low cost. We’re

stripping things back and using sustainable viticulture and low

input winemaking to make wines that reflect our vineyard. Hand

picking, using low amounts SO2, bottling our wines unfiltered and

not using animal products are some of the techniques we use

during the winemaking process.

JAMES HAMILTONIESfrom Golden Child Wines

What surprises you most about working with seasonal grapes and

the wine making process?

There are always surprises, but that’s why we love it! Every year is

different. Low input viticulture and winemaking will showcase the

strengths (and weaknesses) of each vintage. Large volume wine is

heavily manipulated to achieve a consistent product year in and

year out. This is the antithesis of what we are about.

What do you wish other people knew about wine making?

I wish they saw the 4am starts and eighty-hour weeks during

vintage, not to mention the obsession most winemakers have with

improving their products and their thirst for knowledge. It really is

an obsession - and lots of hard work. Laying awake at 2am thinking

about a blend or a new variety I want to plant - my beautiful wife is

very understanding.

What are you most excited or passionate about in your business?

I’m loving that Alanna is getting more and more involved with the

business and I love that I only make wines from grapes that Dad

has grown himself. I’m hoping we’re building something that we

can one-day pass onto our kids. I love educating people about

wine and I’m excited with the shift in attitude towards small wine

labels. People want to buy local, they want to support genuine

family businesses and they are conscience of putting things into

their body that are heavily manipulated or have lots of additives.

This movement is not only happening in wine, it’s apparent with

food, coffee and a host of other products. It’s an exciting time to

be a producer and a small business.


How did you become involved in the market?

I grew up in McLaren Vale so I’d known about the markets for

a long time. A friend of mine’s wife runs a stall at the market.

They encouraged me to apply for a place at the market and

a scholarship, and I was successful! The 2017 Young Farmers

Scholarship from WFM and the Mount Lofty Ranges Natural

Resources Management Board helped me to set up my farm and

Tara and I started coming to the markets a few Saturdays ago. We

sold out by 8.45 at our first market and by 9.15 at only our second

market!

What kinds of mushrooms are you bringing to market?

At the moment I’m doing a mixture of shitake, blue oyster, king

oyster, and pearl oyster mushrooms. I’d like to bring mushrooms

called Lion’s Mane which I’ve never seen in Australia before, and

“Chicken of the Woods”, it looks like a big chicken schnitzel!

What got you interested in mushrooms?

I studied honours in biotechnology and PHD in Environmental

Health and Microbiology. I was at Flinders Uni and started

researching fungi and their ability to break down herbicides and

pesticides in soils. Many modern industrial and farming practises

produce a range of waste products that currently are not well

utilized in other processes. I believe that the conversion of

underutilised waste streams by fungi into foods and medicines to

be a key to many of our future farming systems.

Why did you decide to start your mushroom farm?

There wasn’t much interest in what I was doing with mushrooms

at uni, but so many people were asking if they could buy the

product. Tara (my fiancé) was really supportive and interested and

told me to just start farming. There was so much interest out there

in the food community. I created a business plan and here we

are. The Willunga Farmers Market community has been so warm

and welcoming! South Australia currently imports almost all its

gourmet mushrooms, leaving both consumers and chefs unable to

source locally grown speciality mushrooms. I would like to satisfy

this gap in the market and provide a sustainably grown, delicious

and exciting product whilst raising awareness about fungi in the

Australian landscape.

MICHAEL TAYLORESfrom Primordia MushroomsWritten by Michael Genrich

Meet


SALT AND PEPPER OYSTER MUSHROOMSA great way to use oyster mushrooms as unlike squid, oyster mushrooms will hold their texture without going

tough and rubbery.

Ingredients:

White or blue oyster mushrooms, 500-1000g Plain flour, 1 cup

Salt, teaspoon Pepper, half teaspoon

Cumin, teaspoon Ground coriander, teaspoon

Chilli powder, teaspoon or to taste Two eggs

Enough oil to shallow fry.

Take white or blue oyster mushrooms of any size; large mushrooms can be left whole and

just about become mushroom schnitzels whilst smaller or torn up caps are much more

like salt and pepper squid. Combine spices and flour and spread evenly on a plate and

whisk eggs in a bowl to make an egg wash. Begin heating oil to frying temperature.

If mushrooms have been taken straight out of the fridge, they may accumulate a little

moisture from the air. Gently dry mushrooms with a paper towel and cut or tear them into

the desired size then evenly coat them in the egg wash and coat in spiced flour mixture.

Place coated mushroom pieces into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Remove from

oil and allow to drain on paper towel. These are best served hot and fresh. I like to use

them on top of a stir fry or as appetizers, or if using large whole mushrooms as the main

course themselves served alongside fresh salad greens with a lemon or balsamic dressing

to balance the frying flavours.

What’s a mycologist?

In the same way that bacteriologists study bacteria, someone who

studies fungi and is a fungi expert is called a mycologist.

Tell us a bit about the mushroom farm.

I converted an unused twin garage where I live in Aberfoyle Park

into two temperature controlled rooms. One is a room designed

to mimic spring/summer conditions where the fungi colonise

the growing medium and grow for a few weeks. Then they’re

transferred into the other room which simulates cold and wet

winter conditions to fruit.

What does an average day for a mushroom farmer involve?

I’m always shredding papers and coffee grounds into buckets to

make the growing medium. Normally I’ll do a day of lab and tissue

culture. I usually do it first thing in the morning when I haven’t

been outside and covered myself in environmental spores and

stuff. I’ll grow a tissue culture in a petri dish and use this to make

the mushroom “seeds” which I feed mostly grain. This’ll grow a

little two kilo jar of colonised grain, that takes about a week. I’ll

do one day a week of cooking all the substrates. Another day I

prepare all the growing buckets and put them in the incubation

room to colonise, this takes about three to four weeks. Then I’ll

pop the buckets into the fruiting chamber and it takes about a

week for mushrooms to pop out.

Who helps you out around the farm?

Quite a few years ago I was doing my PHD when Tara came in to

the lab and was one of the few people interested in fungi. There’s

not a lot of academics who know anything about mushrooms.

Tara plays a massive role helping me out behind the scenes and

reminding me I’m not crazy!

My dad is a carpenter and he helped me build all the structures in

here. I can see why he wanted me to do all the putting of nails in

while he did the cutting. I smashed my finger-tips so many times!

He said that’s why you’re the apprentice! Thanks Dad!

Tiny Pete is a little wild rabbit we found eating Tara’s parent’s

veggie bed and we’ve grown a little forage patch here for him. He

and Puszka the cat (polish for tin-can) always come over to see

what I’m doing but they don’t have long attention spans!

What kinds of mushrooms interest you the most?

May favourite mushroom to eat is fresh shitake but there’s some

interesting mushrooms out there. I’m interested in native fungi and

using logs colonised with it to regenerate depleted environments.

I like the orange peel fungus (Aleuria aurantia) which hisses when

you blow on it and the Ghost Fungus (Omphalotus nidiformis),

which glows bright green in the dark!

What does the future hold for Primordia Mushrooms?

We’ll be taking a couple of weeks off to ramp up production. The

set up was a bit slow to start with and I could initially only cook

about eight buckets of growing medium at a time. I’m building a

bigger cooker so I can produce about 40 buckets of the medium

per cook. I’m looking at enoki mushrooms to grow small batches

for chefs and restaurants on an on-demand basis.


Carrot & Fennel SaladA RECIPE FROM UNIQUE TREE PASTRY & CO

This is a quick & easy seasonal salad that uses lots of market produce and can be served warm or cold. It will keep in the fridge for 4 days

if kept in an airtight container.

Add the couscous to just boiled stock and simmer for 10-15 minutes until cooked. Add a

little more stock if you feel the couscous is beginning to turn gluggy. When cooked - it has

a soft feel & the centre is opaque - tip into a drainer and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Peel, top and tail the carrots and cut into quarters lengthways. (approx. 5 cm pieces) Put

carrots into a pot of cold water and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until just soft.

Drain the carrots and put into a roasting tray with olive oil and seasoning, put into a 180

deg oven uncovered.

Remove the Fennel fronds and stems (save the smallest fronds for garnish). Wash well.

Slice thinly.

Combine fennel with olive oil, salt, pepper and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Cover

with foil & place in oven. The fennel will cook faster so watch carefully. When it becomes

opaque & the edges slightly browned remove from oven & let it cool.

In a screw top jar put the olive oil, lemon zest & juice, chilli slices, salt & pepper to taste.

Replace the lid shake well, taste, adjust the seasoning.

When ready put the carrots, fennel, raisins & couscous into a bowl hand mix, then mix in

the dressing in small splashes until it tastes great. Garnish with torn coriander, the little

fennel fronds and pan browned lemon slices.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Salad

250g Heirloom Veggies Stubby Carrots

2 small Virgara Fennel

100g McCarthys Flame Currants

1 small lemon sliced & pan browned

for garnish

170g Pearl Couscous

300ml Vegetable stock

Dressing

1 large Fat Goose Lemon - zest & juice

2 good slugs of olive oil

1 large red chilli

Herbivorous Coriander - for garnish

Salt & Pepper to taste


Lucy Chan and Nat Wiseman -

Inspiring Young Farmers

Written by Michael Genrich

Lucy and Nat are symbiotic business partners

who both agree that living on the Fleurieu is

the most beautiful place in the world. Lucy’s

dog, Banjo, a four year old rescue dog wags

his tail in approval. ‘He always gets excited

on farm day’ Lucy tells me.

Lucy and Nat run Village Greens of

Willunga Creek, a small-scale market

garden on land in the Aldinga Arts Eco

Village. They are grateful recipients of the

Willunga Farmers Market inaugural Farming

Development Grant. ‘No other farmers

market is doing what they’re doing’, says

Nat. ‘It’s awesome - we’re so grateful for

their support.’ The grant is also supported

by the Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges Natural

Resource Management Board.

They tell me the Willunga Farmers Market

support and education is invaluable. Sales

to the local community provide one third

of Village Greens. They also acknowledge

the network connections Willunga Farmers

Market has made possible with other

growers through events such as open days,

field producer days and long table dinners.

The Farming Development Grant enables

them to build a new greenhouse. This

gives them the ability to extend their

short (outside) growing season and fulfill

a need for locally grown products such as

tomatoes and capsicums.

Village Greens customer base is varied.

As well as the Willunga Farmers Market

they supply to the Aldinga Arts Eco Village,

local wineries, online customers and a

few high-profile restaurants. Chianti Head

Chef, Toby Gush, loves their fresh produce

so much that he requested Chianti be

supplied with all their fennel!

Both Lucy and Nat worked in very different

industries prior to meeting. Lucy, 37,

completed an eco tourism degree at

Flinders University and worked as a tour

guide in the Lamington National Park in

Queensland. With a keen interest in food

ethics and home gardening, Lucy wanted

to live in a sustainable community and

moved to the Aldinga Arts Eco Village ten

years ago. Inspired to study a permaculture

design course, she worked on a project

to turn land in the Eco Village Farm into

a productive space for market gardens.

During research she visited a small urban

farm called Wag Tail and it was there she

met Nat.

Nat has a degree in science and planning,

with a strong interest in environmental

politics. Nat volunteered at the Food

Forest in Gawler where he fell in love with

growing vegetables. It was such a contrast

to his lifestyle at the time. This had an

impact on him such that, five years ago

at the age of 27, he travelled to Gunderoo

in New South Wales to complete a farm

internship at Allsun Farm, a successful

small-scale organic vegetable farm.

Nat returned to Adelaide and co-founded

a small urban farm called Wag Tail but was

always on the look out for land. Meeting

Lucy was serendipitous - the idea for

Village Greens was born. Lucy is the all

rounder in their business, with strengths

in networking and communication

while Nat’s background in planning,

management and farm experience

combine to create a formidable team.

Lucy is motivated by supporting small-

scale farmers and loves being able to

provide their customers with nutritious

veggies. Nat admits that, although initially

he was motivated by worries of climate

change and fossil fuels, he is now more

motivated by being in a position to

champion small-scale sustainable farming,

and ‘showcase farming as a viable career

choice’ to inspire young people. This is part

of a broader global movement to provide a

more balanced view of life he tells me.

2017 continues to be a big year for Village

Greens of Willunga Creek with a doubling

in field production and a new tractor. A

larger packing shed and the greenhouse,

enabled by the Farmer Development Grant,

is instrumental in moving them forward.

VILLAGE GREENS


Lara’s kindness to bees and respect for nature is such that she is

custodian to a large area of pristine land in the northwest region

of Kangaroo Island, rich in Mallee, Melaleuca and Tea Tree. Her

small, sustainable beehives live on this unspoiled land full of native

vegetation. Bush Organics is Lara’s collaboration with nature. She

produces organic, naturally harvested raw medicinal Ligurian Bee

honey and uses this in her handcrafted medicinal and botanical

body products, hand spun honey and beeswax candles.

Working with the award winning Wild Harvest Olive Oil, Lara

chooses to use their handcrafted olive oil in her body products.

Wild Harvest Olive Oil’s Phil Mather harvests olives from wild

trees and relinquished groves in the Fleurieu and throughout

South Australia. This form of harvesting helps protect the native

vegetation and ecology. His wonderful olive oils are unfiltered and

pressed within two days of harvest, enhancing their flavour.

Bush Organics was born when Lara created her original product,

Calendula Salve, to heal and nourish her baby daughter’s skin.

Jeannie, now 8 years old, was born on Kangaroo Island and is

an integral part of the family business. She loves interacting with

customers at the Willunga Farmers Market each week and delights

in telling me, ‘Our honey tastings are very popular with children’.

Lara is ‘overwhelmed by the genuine friendliness of community’ at

the Willunga Farmers Market and loves to support the community

herself. She says Jeannie is also involved with the beekeeping,

especially at harvest time.

FOLLOWING THE BEESWords by TANIA PAOLA | Photos by ROSE AYLIFFE

First and foremost, Lara Tilbrook is an environmentalist. She is at her happiest when surrounded by nature

and loves discovering what flowers bees are foraging and looking up different plant species. Also a talented

artist, Lara’s ‘National Treasure’ made of banksia leaves and recycled copper was highly commended in the

2012 Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize generating awareness of environmental issues affecting the Island.

In August, Willunga Farmers Market were the proud recipients

of an Environment Grant from the City of Onkaparinga.

In partnership with Peats Soil & Biobin Technologies, we now

have a BiobiN installed at the Market. The patented BiobiN®

System was developed by Peats Soil and Garden Supplies Pty

Ltd, an innovative and leading recycler of organic material

in South Australia. BiobiN® systems are designed for the

growing need to provide an on-site solution to manage the

large amounts of organic and wet materials otherwise being

sent to landfill.

This will result in significant waste reduction from the weekly

Farmers Market. Neighbouring businesses will also have

access to the BiobiN, including Pizza Kneads and LeMistral.

Environmental benefits of BiobiN® include composting

organic/wet waste into a valuable product, diverting green

waste from landfill, reducing transport costs and greenhouse

gas emissions. In landfill, organic material breaks down

to produce methane, a greenhouse gas 22 times more

potent than carbon dioxide. Methane is released into the

atmosphere from landfill sites.

Where will the collected material go? The organic material

will usually go to an organic recycling facility. Here, it will

be processed into quality compost and mulch products…in

fact, it will most likely end up in a garden vegetable patch

or growing vegetables you will buy at the Willunga Farmers

Market!

Coupled with the arrival of coffee

“Keep Cups” for Willunga Farmers

Market shoppers, further plans to

reduce plastic usage and the BiobiN

installation we are excited to be

making some positive inroads toward

the reduction of waste from the

Market. Smaller “wheelie” bins, with

compostable liners will be placed

throughout the market providing

shoppers and stallholders plenty of

access and a message of “if it didn’t

grow it doesn’t go!”. Plans to hold an educational workshop

at the market in conjunction with Peats Soils and The City of

Onkaparinga Waste Management team are underway.

Harvest time on Kangaroo Island runs

from September through to Autumn

and Lara tells me, ‘it’s like being in

another world - mesmerising and

timeless - each harvest is different, its

own micro universe’. Her beekeeping is

a completely natural

process, in harmony

with nature. She

uses no chemicals

and the hives are

coated only with

beeswax. The honey

is completely raw,

unheated and lightly

sieved. ‘This is the

best way to hold

the enzymes and

all the medicinal

goodness’, says Lara.

As a child growing up in Belair, Lara

recalls her love of exploring the land

and happy memories of family holidays

on Kangaroo Island. After completing

a Bachelor of Design, Lara became

a goldsmith. This

led to a decade of

success in London,

crafting custom

made jewellery.

Trade shows took

her around the

world but Lara

missed the peace

of the bush she

experienced in

earlier years.

Returning home

12 years ago, Lara

settled on Kangaroo

Island and realised she had an intrinsic connection with bees and

honey. She loved making honey cakes and had a family tradition of

sending her Dad jars of honey on her travels. Lara points out the

‘liquid gold’ correlation between her early years as a goldsmith and

the exquisite honey she loves to create.

Bush Organics has just released their premium range of honey

with bush flavours from Lara’s own property. Other exciting new

products in the pipeline include beeswax pillar candles that burn

up to five days and a medicinal honey mead with native currants.

WAR ON WASTE


Each week the familiar yellow truck of

Wes Hart makes its way into Willunga.

Wes’s children Chantel and Leigh along

with granddaughters Alyssa and Dakoda

join him to share the load on market day

and serve the WFM faithful with their

fresh produce. Potatoes, cauliflower and

broccoli are the first to fly off the Harts stall

but there is plenty more to choose from

and plenty more to the story.

The Harts 165-acre farm is located near

Meadows, just 25kms from Willunga which

they purchased 37 years ago. Initially

bringing just red and white potatoes to

the market when they commenced back

in 2002, the stall has expanded to various

potato varieties and a wide range of

fresh vegetables. The joy of selling their

produce direct to customers, and tiring of

dealing with the large supermarket chains,

Wes was keen to see the development of

more Farmers Market locations in Adelaide

and was delighted to say goodbye to the

wholesale game altogether when the

Adelaide Showgrounds Farmers Market

commenced in 2006. The workload has

of course increased an enormous amount

over the years however the philosophy of

Wes’s late wife Carmel lives on – aiming to

always please their customers and NEVER

missing a market.

A typical week for Wes includes picking,

fertilising, planting and irrigation during

Spring with the family helping to pack and

prepare for the market each week. A day

off is rare, and on a recent opportunity

Wes took some time out and visited the

Strathalbyn Show – to look at tractors of

course! The Harts are proud to be part of

the Willunga Farmers Market and seeing

the life it brings to the Willunga community

every Saturday morning.

HART’SVEGETABLES

DOOBEE HONEYContinuing our #waronwaste, DooBee

Honey are now stocking Beeswax Wraps –

a great range of sizes including bread bags!

Grab yours at the market, get wrapping

and start saving.

KERRIE’S CHERRIESWith great chilling hours over the winter, the fruit set on the Cherry trees is looking strong.

We’ve got great growth on our Raspberry canes and looking forward to many weeks of fresh

raspberries straight from the cane to our customers. We’re excited to be heading into the

season and serving everyone again. Pete & Kerrie, Kerrie’s Cherries

FRIENDS & NEIGHBOURSI am Tall Poppy & Willunga Pharmacy –

are now offering discount to WFM

members every Saturday! See in store for

details and look out for other WFM offers

along the High Street

Battle of Bosworth –

Battle of Bosworth makes single vineyard,

organically grown wines from their

family vineyards located in McLaren Vale.

Established in 2001 by Joch Bosworth &

Louise Hemsley-Smith they make wine

with flavour, texture purity and balance,

that best express the unique characteristics

of their foothills site. Joch and Louise are

great supporters of the WFM, so drop into

their Gaffney Road, Willunga cellar door on

your next visit and tell them we sent you!

Wirra Wirra WFM members offer!

2 complimentary glasses of wine with any

Harry’s Platter purchase! Present valid

membership card when ordering. Valid

until 30.11.17

Devour Willunga

2017 AUSTRALIAN FOOD AWARDS

GOLD, SILVER & BRONZE

for WFM Producers!

NAJOBE BEEF

BIG SISSY

Gold Medal – best branded beef,

Bronze Medal – best branded lamb

and Bronze Medal for best branded

pork. Najobe are also a nominee for

Australian Farmer of the year.

Long term WFM stall holders Matchett

Productions & Big Sissy Foods is

celebrating after winning Gold, Silver

and Bronze medals for their Big Sissy

Foods products, ‘Dirty Harry’, ‘Holy

Ghost’ & ‘Beetle-juice’ in the Pantry

Goods category.

Congratulations and we are proud that

you choose to be part of our market

community.

Wilmark Awards – 16 November 2017

2017 Willunga Farmers Market Wilmark Awards – celebrating the fantastic stall

holders and produce of the Willunga Farmers Market. The annual awards are an

opportunity for shoppers to vote for their favourite producers across a range of

fields. In return WFM producers also vote for their favourite shopper as a way to

say thank you for being strong supporters of the market. Hosted by The Kitchen

Door @ Penny’s Hill Winery. 6pm $45 per person including dinner and local

wine. Tickets available via https://www.trybooking.com/SJJH or at the Market

Information Stall.


A huge thank you to everyone who participated. With each and every post, you help

us to spread the word about how great our market is and all that it has to offer.

It could be your favourite food, stallholder or scene – share the moment that

surrounds you on a typical market day with us to enter our Spring / Summer

competition. Winner will be announced in the next issue of the Fleurieu Forager.

Be Social

#myWFMmomentShare your Willunga Farmers Market moments with us to WIN your very ownannual membership!

4

4

2

1 | THE WINNER gracefr - A cute morning out with Buddy and my curly #myWFMmoment

2 | worlds.worst.permie - Organic life. #bugapproved #pesticidefree#willungafarmersmarket #myWFMmoment#rainbowfood thankyou @heirloom_harvest

3 | myseasonalkitchen - Our fresh, local, and yummy haul from @willungafarmersmarketthis morning! @littleacrefoods@fleurieu_milk_company@fromhumblegrounds #alndafarms@les_deux_coqs #mywfmmoment#supportlocal #supportourfarmers #buylocal#willunga #fleurieupeninsula #southaustralia#lovewherewelive

4 | thestudiointhevines - Stowaway @willungafarmersmarket #myWFMmoment #freshisbest #ichoosesa

5 | dressedincopper - Hello S P R I N G! Suns out, the blooms are beautiful + the produce is fresh at the @willungafarmersmarket this morning

We are thrilled to announce that the winner of

our competition for winter is

@gracesfr Congratulations!!

Follow us Facebook.com/willungafarmersmarket

Instagram.com/willungafarmersmarket

31

So found some amazing mushrooms this morning at the @willungafarmersmarket blue

oysters and king oysters it is about time that this sort of product made it down here!! I can’t

wait for a larger assortment!! @primordiamushrooms some amazing flavour comes out of

these mushrooms!! Some lovely asparagus also from @mccarthysorchard and could never

forget @heirloom_harvest every weekend I stop to see these guys and I”ll keep going back!!

Thank you to all at the Willunga markers keep up the amazing stuff!!

What the Chef Said Ryan Callaghan – wine region chef looking at making his mark! Au Pear | Restaurant

@ryanjamescallaghan @aupearrestaurant

http://Facebook.com/willungafarmersmarket

http://Instagram.com/willungafarmersmarket

fleurieu forager - willunga farmers market€¦ · we’ll be bringing quail eggs to market soon,...

Documents