Honeycomb from St Kilda Farmers’ market: worth it.
Hopping in your car and going to the St Kilda Farmers’ Market (Peanut Farm Reserve, Chauncer St) this Saturday?
“Worried about the global warming impact of the fossil fuel consumed by the trucks that bring your tomatoes from hundreds of miles away to your local supermarket? In a life-cycle analysis, the couple of miles that you drive in your car to get to the supermarket and back does proportionally signficantly greater damage. This raises the possibility that it might be better for the world if you biked to the supermarket to pick up tomatoes grown far away, than drive to the nearest farmer’s market to get tomatoes grown on the other side of the hill.“
On the plus side I do walk to the local farmers market rather than drive to South Melbourne or Prahran Market (although I’m cycling more). And the food at the farmers market is local.
On the negative side from the Farmers’ Market I often end up with about 10kg of poor quality peaches that after a couple of days resemble a sinister pile of shrivelled scrotums filling-up my fruit bowl. Often the food is so ripe it is on the turn. This is the opposite problem to the supermarkets where produce sometimes seems to have been mummified and never ripens.
A farmers’ market takes more skill in shoping than a regular market. Instead of asking the reliable and well-known greengrocer what is good we have to self select from the producer who sells direct. Despite my grandfather being in the fruit growing and import business I still find I often fail at this.
But I’m getting to know the local market. I know, for instance, the honeycomb is better than I can buy at any of the council run markets. The fruit and veg isn’t too bad. Ditto the organic eggs or some cheeses.
It is true that I am still learning. The problem is that there is a whole load of stuff that isn’t available and from past experience I know I don’t want to buy from the Farmers’ Market. That means I have to travel to another market anyway, which makes me think: what’s the point?
Food fascist
1. Better quality produce please at Farmers’ Markets. Sometimes, especially with fruit, I get the impression the stuff that nobody else will buy is being pushed.
2. Coles for sale. Please, please Tesco buy the Coles supermarket chain. I rarely visit these places but I do have fond memories of Tesco (and Sainsbury’s) from the UK. Somehow the quality and the ambience seems better at Tesco. If some investment banker out there is reading this, this idea is for free.
3. Bike parking. Councils please sort out some proper bike parking at markets. I usually have to chain up against a pole. Did you think about this when you refurbished South Melbourne Market?
4. Leave the car at home. Shopping too heavy? Visit Hanoi where a whole family plus a washing machine can fit on a bicycle.
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So glad to hear that somebody else shops by bicycle Ed.
Have you tried fresh honeycomb with some washed rind cheese and glass of good sticky? About as good as it gets for me.
Steve,
Bikes do rule (unless its raining, which I guess we don’t need to worry about).
Virginifer,
I dn’t think I shall try it. on toast is adequate for me although I will admit to having had soft cheese with honey on toast for breakfast, Stickies are hust to much for me at that time of day.
Sounds like we had similar experiences on the weekend and that weird duplicate post thing is happening again.
Yeah, bikes. The whole carbon emissions thing is just public hypocrisy when virtually nothing is being done to make inroads into people’s behaviour in the really basic public policy things like dedicated radial bicyle roads and bicycle storage at major people hubs. The emphasis on bike storage at railway stations is evidence they are not really interested in bicycle as total transport solution, apart from a bit of recreational creekside travel, which is unsuitable for mass transit.
Neil, glad you are on-board and we are mind melding again. Could this be the start of a backlash?
Kitchenhand,
And i see the bracks goverment trying to stop a scheme to make St Kilda Rd more bike friendly because not enough cyclists use it. St Kilda Rd is bloody terrifying whichis why more people don’t use it. Create the cycle lanes and they will come. I have to go into town for lunch tomorrow at the top end of Bourke St but have no idea where to park my bike.
They canned that St Kilda Road proposal as quick as a Bracks backflip, despite it being a sensible idea, after outrage from the car lobby, which is anyone who doesn’t ride a bike.
What’s wrong with using the inner lane of the non-peak hour side in the morning, reverting to the opposite side in the evening peak, a la express lanes on the freeways? No lateral thinking I’m afraid.
Phew!
I’ve just survived the cycle into town and back up St Kilda Road. i encoutered roadworks, and about five car doors opening, parked cars, reversing cars and a cyclist coming the wrong way. On the way back there is a horrendous interchange to navigate at Punt Road with no concession to the cyclist at all. As far as bike parking goes there’s room for four bikes max on Spring St near Bourke but nothing else i could see nearby. I reckon they should abolish a lane of parking each way on St kilda road which would help discourage cars while encouraging cyclists.
ed,you are not shopping at GENUINE farmers markets. many markets run by entreprneurs who do not follow the FARMERS MARKET CHARTER.Those that do have mostly seasonal produce and home based food that is fresh and meets the “make it,bake it,grow it philosophy of true farmers markets.Ask the vendor do you make bake or grow it? if the answer is NO don,t buy.
Doug, I think they are meant to a proper Farmers Market. Most of these people are producers. But as one farmer I spoke to told me Woolworths has first dibs on his best products. The seconds go to the markets.