"To market, to market, to buy a fat pig. Home again, home again, jiggety-jig". So goes the old nursery rhyme. While these days we're probably more interested in buying plump, sweet fruit or fresh, leafy vegetables than pigs, there's no doubting the appeal of a fresh produce market and Brisbane is becoming a real market town.
Probably the most famous of Brisbane's farmers markets are
Jan Power's Farmers Markets. At these markets it's not just about the farmers. Fresh produce from a wide variety of producers is available, including meat, fish, poultry, and bread. Depending on the venue you can also find the occasional sweet treat, coffee or sausage sizzle. Jan Power operates markets at 6 locations around South East Queensland. In Brisbane you can find them at Queen Street Mall, Brisbane Powerhouse, Mitchelton, Manly, and Stones Corner, and Gold Coast foodies can get their fresh food fix at Broadbeach. You can get details of all locations
here and download the full calendar (with details of all markets up to and including May 2012)
here.
If you prefer organic produce you can visit
Northey Street Organic Markets at Windsor every Sunday from 6am to 10.30am. Here you can also sample coffee from the Chai Cafe, which is run by the
Northey Street City Farm. The Farm also runs
Village Life, a cultural market for craftspeople, artisans and performing artists, every Sunday from 8am to 12 noon.
Although not exclusively a farmers market you can also buy certified organic produce from stallholders at
Davies Park Markets, including
Ripe 'n Raw Organics. These markets operate from 6am to 2pm every Saturday in Davies Park, Montague Road, West End.
Brisbane's largest fresh food market is the
Saturday Fresh Market at Brisbane Markets, Sherwood Road Rocklea, open every Saturday from 6am to 12 noon. Over 170 stalls from producers all over South-East Queensland and Northern New South Wales feature here, along with international cuisine and entertainment. At this venue you will also find the
Wednesday Twilight Fresh Market from 3pm to 7.30pm every Wednesday.
If you want to travel a bit further afield and make a day of your fresh market shopping you can also try
Marina Mirage Farmers Market at Main Beach, Gold Coast every Saturday from 7am to 12 noon, or
Noosa Farmers Market, Weyba Road, Noosaville from 7am to 12 noon every Sunday.
But we want to know where you shop. Where have you found Brisbane's top tangerines, plumpest peaches or freshest figs? Where have you bought the finest fish, the choicest cheddar or the best bread? Please share your tips with our hungry, bargain-hunting Weekend Notes readers.
