victoria: torquay farmer's market

Another bit of serendipity lead us to Torquay. 

I'd remembered that Mamacino (food blogger extraordinare) had a stall at Torquay Farmer's Markets (which run every Saturday) so I planned around the markets. It suited us because we also needed to stock up on fresh fruit and veg, snacks for the car and a few frozen meals for when we arrive at a site in the afternoon. 

Mamacino has stopped her weekly stall but not her enthusiasm for good food and local produce so we met at the market anyway. 

With barely two dozen (lots of organic) stalls this little market is a gem! I had so much fun chatting with local farmers. And met Sarah who's running Eat Local Month in the area. They have so many fun things coming up in April so if you're in the area, look them up!

I also managed to pick up some great stuff including coriander, parsley, basil (huge branch) - all $2, the sweetest strawberries, dried bananas, hamburgers, homemade pies & pastries for the freezer, goats cheese, fresh bread, lamb shanks and lamb mince. I grabbed a big bag of apples for $5. We can't get enough after Tassie. 

Yesterday I transformed the mince, using my $2/kg tomatoes into a few pies - think moussaka/kafta filling topped with mashed potato. These will be easy to reheat and serve with salad or veggies. 

I couldn't resist these vego rice paper rolls with seaweed from the Tastes of Tibet stand. If you like this type of food you'd love these. Oh man. Smothered in house made chilli sauce. I'm still dreaming of them. She does dumplings too. 

And then I met Annette. She whips up some tasty treats for the markets. Our kids couldn't be dragged away from the samples. I don't blame them. Check out her Afghans! J and I sneaked a couple of Annette's finest homemade Monte Carlo's for the next leg of the trip. I'll be dreaming of those buttery, jammy delights for some time yet. 

It is so good to see the community getting behind local farmer's markets. I'm much happier knowing that our money went to farmers thriving to provide healthier food with safer farming practices for the long-term good of the environment. I'm pleased that our cash supports someone like Annette who bakes like a mad thing & gets to the markets early for the love of it. 

Our money was so well spent and the bottom line is that I'm pleased our $150 didn't go to either of the big two supermarkets that dominate the market.