Market Update

December heralds the official start to the season of heat, stonefruit, holidays, an abundance of berries and, of course, the silly season.  

While the Southbank Farmers’ Market takes a break in January with the first Saturday falling just three days into the new year, there’s plenty to celebrate about local food in and around Melbourne.

Cherries and apricots are now available. Susceptible to damage from inclement weather, birds and bugs, these are among our most savoured stonefruit, perhaps because its so hard to get nature to co-operate, but when they are, these fruit are the stuff memories are made of.

Plums are also starting to appear in their myriad varieties on the tart-sweet spectrum and berries are similarly coming into their time to shine: strawberries lead the way with raspberries and blueberries, boysenberries , silvans and others following.

Gather together family and friends to visit one of the numerous pick-your-own farms in areas like Red Hill and the Yarra Valley to get a taste of farming life and the best-tasting fruit of all – the hard-won kind.

Its not just our fruit bowls that are benefiting. Snowpeas, asparagus, fresh peas, avocadoes and zucchini flowers add delight to salads, sides, frittatas, pastas and more – corn, tomatoes, new potatoes and beans are next in line.  

Of course, the barbie is getting a work out again and chops and sausages of all varieties take their turn: goat, pork, beef, venison ... they’re all good when they’re local and bought direct from the person who raised those animals.

Charcuterie is also high on our list as a light option and easy to serve, especially for unexpected guests, as are the dips, chutneys, cheeses and other platter items available.

Our sister market at Gasworks Arts Park in Albert Park takes place Saturday, December 20 and, if you’re looking for that last minute fresh produce fix, we recommend the Slow Food Melbourne twilight market at Abbotsford Convent, Tuesday, December 23 from 3 until 8pm. Happy holidays!

Sarah Robins

Melbourne Farmers Market