A Farmers' Market App and Veggie Bags

Last weekend we attended the relatively new Farmers' Market held in the Toowoomba Showgrounds. We were there fairly early...about 7.30am...and there were already hundreds of cars parked or arriving. It was lovely to wander about and talk to the various producers and, of course, we came home with bags of produce and a much lighter wallet and purse.

While I was browsing around I noticed a brochure advertising the 'From PADDOCK to PLATE' Mobile App and to find out info at the  From Paddock to Plate website. What an interesting site! So I downloaded the App and thought I would share a bit about it for anyone in Australia who is interested and hadn't heard about it before.

This is what it looks like. So...if you are interested in Bacon just click on that section and you can then look for any farmers in your area who might be selling at your local Farmers' Market.

I had heard the name Wippell's Organics mentioned at the market so I clicked on that and it looked like I was on the right track so I clicked again and that took me to....

 ...the page that showed they attend the Toowoomba Farmers' Market so I clicked on that....


 

...and the address came up so if you want to find out where you can find produce from local farmers it might be helpful to download the App and have a look.  I would say that more producers would be added to the list in the future.

 

 You can also find recipes on the App as well which I plan to go though and check out. 

We also bought a Greenleaf Bag for $10 which I noticed is a little cheaper than buying online. You keep the bag damp to wet and store your vegetables in it in the fridge so the produce can breathe and re-hydrate while stored in the natural fibre of the bag.

 

It is recommended that it be washed once a week. Of course, the bag needs to be washed before its first use as well. It will be interesting to see how it works and hopefully the veggies will have a longer life. 

 There were lots of little cuties at the market. These were from Tooka-While Poultry at Yarraman. They have various breeds for sale including Plymouth Rock, Gold Wyndotte, Silver Wyndotte, Rhond Island Red, Light Sussex, Buff Sussex and Speckled Sussex.

If you are interested in finding our more information about their poultry...

 

...ring Gordon and Laurelle Ward on 07 41638886 after hours.  

When we were strolling through Laurel Bank Park in September during the Carnival of Flowers we came across some strawberries growing with pink flowers which I had never seen before. Well, they were on sale at the market so I just had to buy a plant...of course! See what I mean about the purse being lighter on the way home.

I also bought a bottle of  Kimchi to see if I like it before I make some as Rhonda's daughter-in-law, Sunny, showed how to make it in this tutorial on the Down to Earth blog. By the way, Sunny has a sushi outlet called Sushi Izu which is in the Woolworths store at Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast if you are ever up that way.

 Before we left the market the CEO bought some Iron Bark honey which he has been trying to find for some time.  Due to the drought I guess, honey has been in short supply at times. He bought 3kgs of honey and now I realise how practical those foldable shopping trolleys are for shopping at markets when you are carrying heavy produce.  Years ago you would only see little old ladies with them but considering  I am fast becoming a 'little old lady' I just might invest in one soon. LOL! Mind you, the trolleys I saw being wheeled around at the market were owned by young women. :-)

The next Farmers' Market in Toowoomba will be held on the 19th December at the Showgrounds once again. I saw on the news this week that a new market called My Local Feast Farmers's Market has started at the Empire Theatre and is held every Thursday from 3pm to 7pm if any locals are interested. There are certainly plenty of markets to choose from at the moment.

I have been enjoying the cooler weather which has enabled me to get out into the garden to pull out the weeds that have grown from the recent rain. So today I planted out the seedlings we bought at the market and it was nice to get them in the ground before the storms start up again next week. Is your garden coping with the weather extremes some areas have been having lately? I hope so.

Have a relaxing weekend everyone!