10NEWSLETTER OF THE WILLUNGA FARMERS MARKET AUTUMN 2012

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Well folks, it might be hard to believe but here we are ten years on!

The Market has come a long way since the inaugural launch back in 2002 in the Alma Hotel car park and on Saturday 25th February we suitably marked this occasion with a festiveMarket day.

Despite the heat (or possibly because of it) the Market was bustling and busy from early onand many stallholders had taken up the chal-lenge of decorating stalls, adding extra colourand vibrancy to the day. Congratulations to Coorong Wild Seafood for being nominated best dressed stall on the day!

In addition hundreds of balloons graced the Market site, the Soul Food Market Choir and Fleurieu Harmony Chorus kept us entertained, face painting was a hit with the kids and The Onkaparinga Pipe Band turned on a treat.

The Market banners (old and new) were proudly hoisted high above the mainstage whichhad been decorated with hay bales and baskets of produce (thanks to all who donated) and VIP dignitaries including Hon John Hill, Hon Amanda Rishworth, Zannie Flanagan AM and Mayor Lorraine Rosenberg helped us reflect on our history and formallycelebrate the occasion.

To cap all this off, the Mayor then cut the birth-day cake which was then distributed to everyone and the crowd was delighted to enjoy Master Chef Cheong Liew cook up atasty feast using freshly purchased Market produce.

It was a fabulous 10th Birthday celebration enjoyed by all and here’s to the next 10 years!

Steve Ashley, Manager WFM

W i l l u n g a Fa r m e r s M a r ke t CELEBRATING 10 YEARS !

Phone: 08 8556 4297 • Fax: 08 8556 4293 • PO Box 652, Willunga, SA 5172Email: info@willungafarmersmarket.com • www.willungafarmersmarket.com

WILLUNGA FARMERS MARKET fresh, healthy, local produce every Saturday 8am-12.30pm, Willunga Town Square

Recreate our amazing birthday cake at home with the recipe on the last page of this edition of the Forager.

ten

then & nowWFM

Humble beginnings in the Alma Hotel car park with 18 stalls

Willunga Town Square is nowa fitting venue with 55 stalls

2002, Wes Hart started with 2 varieties, red and white!

2012, Wes and brother

Brent now grow 16

different varieties

Believe it or not the market doesn’t just happen! Many dedicated people have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to get us where we are today. A huge thanks go out to:

Past Chairpersons: Zannie Flanagan, Mikaela Wilford, Di Bickford, Jude McBain and Steve Scown (current)

Staff and Volunteers: Simon Cunningham, Vardi Hirst, Lisa Hall, Graham Boyd, Steve Ashley, Billy Doecke, Julian Salter, Ed McBain, Jake Fowler, Zara Lupton.

And of course all our valued members, stallholders and customers. The market would not exist without you all!

WFM off to a strong start on its opening day in 2002, with founder Zannie Flanagan and David Suzuki Market Patron

Cheong Liew performs a

cooking demo exactly 10years

after his first appearance

Quinces; natures fragrant secret

Take one look at a quince and it ’s big, ugly and furry, and

appears totally inedible. It ’s hard and quite sour uncooked,

discouraging a sneaky little bite during your lunch break.

Get a little closer though and the quince reveals its

fragrant little secrets.

The hard fruit is incredibly perfumed, with one in your fruit

bowl filling the house with a delicious smell. Cook it and the

fragrance gets even stronger, and lo and behold, it ’s

edible!

As it cooks the flesh changes from a rich cream to a

vibrant red, and every shade of pink inbetween, depend-

ing on the variety.

Quinces come into season in April and have a long shelf

life. Once they are cooked you can freeze them in

batches to add to anything.

While quinces are commonly known for the paste you add

to a rich cheese, they are a great foil to a rich meal. They

can be used for a variety of dishes, from cakes and sweets

to savoury dishes. Try them with lamb and you will wonder

how you ever lived without them!

Mark McCarthy, McLaren Vale Orchards David Boag, Ashbourne Valley Orchards

Two of our producers, David

Boag from Ashbourne Valley

Orchards and Mark

McCarthy from McLaren Vale

Orchards give you a bit of an

insight into what they grow

and what they love

How many quince trees do you have?

What varieties do you grow?

What’s your favourite quince dish?

Smyrna, which looks great and is best for desserts, and Champion which is great for quince paste because it has more pectin and thickens up better.

Veranja which is the earliest, Smyrna, Fuller, Appleshape, Van Deman, Champion and Pineapple. The Smyrna, Fuller and Veranja are all dual purpose. They bake and stew well, and make good jam. The Appleshape and Champion carry more pectin which makes them better for quince paste and Champions store well too.

Quince and apple crumble, it ’s bloody easy and really good.

Quinces, dont be fooled by their rough and ready appearance

About 200 About 100

Poached quince and ice cream. I love quince paste too, that’s good.

Mt Compass Venison offer a huge array of products but the most popular are their venison pate, cracked pepper & chive sausages and girello, a beautifully tender back leg fillet.

‘Girello is very, very tender and very, very tasty.’ Barry says.

‘Sear it on the BBQ and by the time it’s seared it’ll be cooked. Then slice it into thin medallions and serve it over the top of a salad. You just can’t get any better.’

Barry and co have just introduced goat!

Choose from a leg, chops or try the diced meat in a rich curry.

DID YOU KNOW?

Did you know you can renew your membership online? Just make sure you reference your membership number so we know who you are!

MT COMPASS VENISONWho needs a daily multivitamin if you have venison in your diet?!

Only 110g of venison gives you 82% of your daily protein, 65% of your zinc and 31.5% of your daily iron needs. No wonder Barry Gottfried, venison farmer and owner of Mt Compass Venison is so bubbly!

‘I’m 72 years old and still running!’ he jokes.

Catch sight of Barry on a Saturday morning and you can see what he’s talking about. Bursting with enthusiasm for his product, Barry and his family go to great lengths to ensure that the meat you get is the best available.

The animals feed only on the grass in their paddocks, which are not sprayed with anything except the natural rain fall.

He is also conscious of the need to keep the naturally flighty animals calm and stress free. All of the animals are handled in the dark and transported in a fully enclosed trailer, with all the light blacked out. All the animals are moved early in the morning at about 3 or 4am.

‘This keeps the animals calm, just like throwing a blanket over a budgie cage does.’ He explains.

‘You’ve gotta pamper them. You can’t treat them like sheep or cattle, you really have to use kid gloves. They are easily scared and do jump. I’ve seen one get a fright and jump over a 6ft fence from standing. The problem then is that once one goes, they all want to follow!’

Not sure how to cook it? Ask Barry or his family on Saturday, and they’ll walk you through the best way to cook your buy.

Get to know your producerDid you know that Barry is a rodeo judge and held SA’s Bull Riding title for 6 years?! He even appears in the Marabel Rodeo Grounds Hall Of Fame.

Barry with daughter Annette and granddaughter, Tina

Barry Gottfried; venison farmer, stallholder and 6 year SA Bull Riding Champ

Venison is a r ich,

lean meat and

needs to be

cooked gently or

i t can get tough.

Music makes the veg grow strongerHave you ever wondered why Tobalong Tomatoes cherry tomatoes areso sweet?

Yes, it may have something to do with the rich alluvial soil the tomatoes are grown in right on the banks of the Murray.

Graham Coventry, the hard working farmer and smiling face behind Tobalong Tomatoes likes to believe it has a lot to do with the music they play their plants!

Music is pumped into the greenhouses 24 hours a day, with the music

played changing according to the age of the plants.

‘As the young seedlings burst out of the ground they are played Power FM, a local station playing dance and rock music. It really gets them growing.’ Graham says.

‘Then as they get older we play them a bit of 5MU. This is a mix of adult contemporary and country music. They love Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. Then we play them ABC radio when they are fruiting because want them to settle down and do the right thing.’ He jokes.

Graham admits that the plants do really need to vibrate to pollinate so the music does actually help them, even if it ’s not turned up quite loud enough to shake them properly.

FUN FIGURESThis summer:

Bill & Soula Andonopoulos planted 1.4KM of watermelon

Kuitpo Strawberries planted 140KM of strawberries

in seasonAutumn, the time when all the produce in season starts with a ‘P’...

Pomegranates

Pears

Peas

Pumpkins

Persimmons

Minister Jon Hill with a basket full of market goodies

Robyn Holder, the heart and

hands behind Lacewood, uses

Tobalong Tomatoes green

cherry tomatoes for her Green

Tomato Chutney. It’s all about

keeping the yumminess in the

WFM family.

did you know?

Only use a few spring onions at a time and want to keep the rest of the bunch fresh for longer?

Did a shallow hole in your garden and pop them in roots first. This will keep them fresh until you are ready

to use them. Just pull them up as you need!Don’t have a small patch of dirt? Place them in a glass

of water, keeping them fresh for up to 3 weeks.

DID YOU KNOW?

CARROT AND ALMOND CAKEDid you love our birthday cake? Recreate it at home with Tara

Salter’s recipe and fresh market ingredients!

Ingredients

CARROT AND ALMOND CAKE MIX

1 cup (250ml) Olive oil 250g Organic palm sugar with vanilla and cacao (available from Beach Organics)3 organic free-range eggs720g firmly packed, coarsely grated carrot 1 cup (120g) coarsely chopped almonds 2 ½ cups (375g) Self Raising flour½ tsp baking soda2 tsp mixed spice

LEMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

80g butter, at room temperature80g cream cheese, softened1 tsp of vanilla bean paste (available from Beach Organics)finely grated zest of 1 lemon1 ½ cups (240g) icing sugar

1. Preheat oven 180°C. Grease and line a deep 23cm round cake tin.

2. Beat oil, sugar and eggs til thick and creamy. Mix in carrot and nuts, then sifted dry ingredients.

3. Bake for about 1 and 1/4 hrs. Cover cake

loosely with foil halfway through cooking.

4. Stand cake 5 mins then turn onto wire rack to cool. Spread with frosting when cold.

LEMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Beat butter, cream cheese, vanilla and zest until light and fluffy; gradually beat in sugar.

Method

CARROT AND ALMOND CAKE MIX