Southside Farmers Market: where everyone knows your name

Posted on 15 October, 2015

“You don’t head to the farmers market because you want a bargain. You go because you want to know the backstory to your beef, you want to support your local growers and producers, and you enjoy a sense that you are part of a community.”

When you visit your local supermarket, do you know who the owner is? When you pick up a rump steak for dinner, can you tell me who raised the calf, or on which paddock it was fattened, or at which abattoir it was butchered? Can you tell me farming practices used to produce that apple your child takes for fruit break? Or the name of the person who packs your groceries every week and wishes you a ‘great day’ at 7pm? Probably not.

Why aren’t we, in general, as concerned as we should be about where our food comes from and how it has been produced? I’m guessing that most people didn’t give a second thought to the imported frozen raspberries in their morning smoothie, until they started giving people Hepatitis A. Heck, when you pick up a ream of paper for your printer, you can track the exact tree the paper comes from – but often we don’t know the who, what, where, when, or how of the food that we eat everyday.

Some of the produce you’ll find at Southside Farmers Market ever Sunday.

However, at the Southside Farmers Market all of the stallholders are extremely passionate about the who, what, where, when and how of the produce that they are providing to the public. As soon as I entered the Market on that brisk Sunday morning, I could feel the collective buzz – an amazingly strong kinship through food and for food.

Back in the day, you bought your potatoes from Mr Jones from down the road, because buying potatoes from Joe Bloggs in Queensland seemed ridiculous. The terms organic, free range, sustainable farming, biodiversity, reduced food miles … they weren’t trendy – they just were.

You don’t head to the farmers market because you want a bargain. You go because you want to know the backstory to your beef, you want to support your local growers and producers, and you enjoy a sense that you are part of a community.

John and Justine from ANDO Organics

I really enjoyed chatting with John and Justine from ANDO Organics about their organically grown lamb and beef. Not only did they want to share their wealth of knowledge about their product, but also they were proud that they maintained such a high consistency. That’s something that supermarkets can’t guarantee – one week your beef could come from Cowra where the paddocks were plentiful and great for fattening young beef, the next it could be from far North Queensland where they were selling off eight year old cows due to the drought.

I loved hearing the weekly story behind the fish packed into the iceboxes by Hayley from Narooma Seafood Direct. Their tactic is to process and market their own catch, cutting out the middleman, adding value and bringing the freshest of local fish to the Southside Farmers Market.

“It’s been fun to selling to and educating the people from Canberra who are not used to so many kinds of fresh fish in their local area at the prices we offer with no middleman,” she said.

Hayley from Narooma Seafood Direct.

And Sue from ‘Dish it up!’ has such a passionate food story to tell. Sue really cares about where her ingredients come from to make some seriously delicious pasta. And she went above and beyond to create her own unique gluten free blend that is also free from corn and soy flours.

‘I love the sense of community. There is a community amongst the stallholders but community also includes the shoppers. They all form a wonderful generous community. You get to know the regulars, they stop and talk, some may never buy my jams, but we are linked by our love of community. Very often I am given a bag of excess fruit or a jar of their preserves to try,’ said Dianne from Wyld Palate.

I witnessed the generosity of a lovely customer who came to bring Dianne an amazing looking {and smelling} rye caraway sourdough, wrapped in brown paper and twine – still warm from the oven – whilst we were chatting.

Maureen House from The Cheese Project

Speaking to all the market stallholders, I hear the passion that they have for their produce.

‘As a community we swap stories or advice, talk about the weather. We form and belong to a special community linked by our desire to share good food. In a world that is becoming more disengaged and distant, the Southside Farmers Market represents something precious, something to be savoured and visited regularly and that is why I sacrifice my Sunday mornings to set up my stall each week,’ said Dianne.

So why not get down to the Southside Farmers Market held every Sunday morning at 8am–11:30am, on the Woden CIT Campus and become part of the community.

I’ve created a three-course meal using seasonal produce from the Southside Farmers Markets. I believe that there is nothing better then fresh, seasonal produce and that some of the best flavour combinations come from produce that naturally occurs at the same time!

Coming into Spring, our meals tend to become lighter and I think that the amazingly fresh flavours from Mexico match so well with Spring. Here is my Southside Farmers Market food journey of seasonal produce for six people {think dinner party}.

ENTRÉE

Grilled Mahi Mahi with creamy coriander and lime slaw

{featuring Narooma Seafood Direct fish}

All fish from Narooma Seafood Direct at the Southside Farmers Markets is sustainably caught each week, on the line. Mahi Mahi is in season and they should have a steady stock of it through Spring/Summer.

what you need

3 pieces of Mahi Mahi
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 shoot of young garlic
½ a bunch of coriander
2 tbsps of olive oil
¼ of a normal cabbage
¼ of a purple cabbage
1 carrot
2 spring onions
½ bunch of coriander
¼ cup of mayonnaise
¼ cup of Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 lime {juice and zest}

what to do

Marinate the Mahi Mahi in the cumin seeds, finely sliced young garlic, coriander roots and olive oil. Cover and refrigerate for an hour or until needed.

Finely shred the cabbage and spring onions. Grate the carrot and pinch off the coriander leaves – set aside with all of the shredded veggies. Whisk mayonnaise, Greek yoghurt, olive oil, lime juice and lime zest, in large bowl. Stir in finely shredded coriander stems to finish the dressing.

Grill your Mahi Mahi for 2 minutes each side. Toss your dressing through the shredded veggies to finish the slaw just prior to serving.

MAIN

Spicy Lamb Baleadas with Feta and Free Range Eggs

{featuring ANDO Organics’ lamb, The Cheese Project’s Feta, Cuppacumbalong’s Eggs and La Barre’s olive oil}

ANDO Organics have a great range of organic lamb and beef cuts available each week. Their lamb steaks are super versatile. You can quickly pan fry them or bash them out a little and crumb them or whip them up into my ‘Spicy Lamb Baleadas’.

Wondering what a ‘Baleadas’ is? It’s a traditional Honduran dish composed of a thick tortilla, filled with mashed beans and other tasty accompaniments. Dianne from Wlyd Palate grows and mills her own blue corn and it really adds something to this main meal.

John and Justine from ANDO Organics

what you need

250 grams blue corn flour from Wlyd Palate
250 grams plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tsps of salt
125 ml olive oil, plus extra for frying
125 ml warm water
2 cloves of young garlic, finely sliced
2 onions, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin
400 gram tin of kidney beans, drained
a splash of white wine vinegar

Topping options

4 lamb steaks from ANDO Organics {marinated in 1 tsp of chili flakes, 2 tbsps of paprika, 2 tbsps of olive oil and diced coriander root}
1 brown onion
1 yellow capsicum
1 green capsicum
3 tomatoes
2 avocados, mashed and dressed with lime juice and olive oil
6 large eggs, fried from Cuppacumbalong
150 g Feta cheese from The Cheese Project
1 lemon

what to do

Sift the flours, baking powder and 2 teaspoons of salt together in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in the oil and warm water, or as much as you need to form a dough, mixing with a knife until it comes together. Tip the dough onto a floured work surface and knead for 4–5 minutes, until smooth and elastic, then return it to the bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to prove for 1 hour.

Place a large non-stick frying pan over a low–medium heat and pour in a glug of oil. Add the garlic, onions and cumin and sauté for about 10 minutes, until soft and sticky. Turn up the heat to medium, stir in the kidney beans and vinegar, season well and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the beans have softened. Mash your refried beans for a coarse texture, or blitz them in a blender if you prefer them smooth. Return the beans to the pan and leave to one side for reheating later.

Marinate your lamb steaks in chili, paprika, oil and coriander root. Flash fry for 2 minutes either side and then allow to rest before thinly slicing. Slice your onion and capsicums into strips and toss in a little oil. Stir-fry quickly in the same pan as your steaks and then set aside.

Mash your avocados with lime juice and oil. Dice up the tomatoes. Fry off your eggs – leaving the yolk runny. Break up the feta slightly. Slice your lemon into wedges and all of your topping options are ready to go.

When your dough has risen, divide it into 12 even pieces and roll them into balls. Flatten out each one with your hand, then, on a floured surface, roll them out into a tortilla 2mm thick and about 18cm in diameter. Place a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and, once hot, dry-fry each tortilla for 1 minute on each side, until just coloured – you want them to stay soft enough to roll. Cover with warm tortillas with kitchen foil while you fry the rest.

Assemble the beleades by topping a tortilla with beans and then your toppings of choice.

DESSERT

Choc orange chili tart

{featuring The Cheese Project’s fresh white curd, ‘Wyld Palate’s chocolate orange spread and Mick Auddino’s oranges}

Maureen from The Cheese Project has created something really special in her flavoured fresh white curd. Use it as a replacement for simple double cream or ice cream on your next dessert for the ‘wow’ factor.

what you need

250 grams of plain flour
100 grams of icing sugar
35 grams of hazelnut meal
125 grams of unsalted butter
4 eggs + an egg yolk
350 mls of double cream
150 mls of milk
¾ tsp chili flakes
100 grams of chocolate with whole orange {from Wyld Palate}
300 grams of dark chocolate
200 grams of orange infused white curd
2 oranges

what to do

To begin the chocolate tart, prepare the pastry case. In a mixing bowl, crumb the flour, icing sugar, ground hazelnuts, the zest of one orange and butter together. Add two eggs and blend together, handling as little as possible, until just mixed. Wrap in cling film and rest the pastry in the fridge for 1 hour.

To begin the filling, heat the double cream and milk to the boil, and then add the chilli flakes. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 1 hour.

Grease and line your tart ring. Roll out the pastry, between two sheets of baking paper, to 3mm thick. Push the pastry into the corners evenly before filling with baking beads. Blind bake at 190˚C until the pastry is lightly golden, around 10 minutes. Remove the baking beads and return to the oven in order to colour the base until the pastry is golden brown, around 10-15 minutes.

After removing the pastry from the oven, use a pastry brush to glaze it with the egg yolk. This will seal the case for the chocolate mixture.

To make the chocolate mixture, place the chocolates in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Strain the infused chilli cream and bring back to the boil. Once boiled, pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has fully melted. Slowly add the beaten eggs and mix well.

Preheat the oven to 150ºC. Pour the mix into the prepared pastry case and carefully transfer to the oven. Bake until the mix is just set, approximately 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool but do not refrigerate.

To serve, slice the tart with a hot knife and plate with a dollop of orange infused white curd and fresh orange segments.

the essentials

What: Southside Farmers Market
Where: CIT Southside Campus, corner of Hindmarsh Drive and Ainsworth Street, Phillip
When: Every Sunday morning at 8am–11:30am
Web: www.canberrafarmersmarkets.com.au

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