I’ve never really been one for going to food markets. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the range of produce and the idea behind it, but the fact that they are usually only held once or twice a month didn’t fit in with our schedule.
It was always easier to just grab everything while we were doing the weekly supermarket shop, but the fruit and veg was usually uninspiring.
When I heard that there was a new growers market being held weekly, and only five minutes down the road from me, I thought I would give it a shot. Held every Sunday, the Gosford City Farmers Markets is set up in the Entertainment Grounds (formally Gosford Racecourse) at West Gosford.
I was pleasantly surprised at the variety and prices of the produce available, but I didn’t truly appreciate it until I got home and started to cut up the carrots and zucchini I had just bought. The zucchini was so sweet I was eating it raw. The carrots were miles ahead of anything I’ve bought in a supermarket. “Thats it”, I thought, “I’m doing this every Sunday”.
Aside from a nice morning out with my family, the food is incomparable to what’s available at a supermarket. I am now supporting local growers, and I know the food hasn’t been in cold storage for six months. Eating seasonally also means you are getting the most nutrition out of your food.
I urge everyone to try and buy fruit and veg from local sources where possible, and I’m sure, like me, you’ll become a convert.
Enjoy the student vacation period and see you all in Term 3!
Scott
Carly says
I really enjoyed this article, I too support farmers markets and fresh produce. I work for NSW Department of Primary Industries, the research undertaken in our labs looks at Market Access of fruit and vegetables, one thing investigated is the preservation of fruit and veg by shelf life and cold storage methodologies. Its great that we are supporting local growers from the local area.