Theme Day - Open Air Market

Sunday Market
I love going to Open Air Markets, or Farmers Markets as we say. There's something about stepping out into the fresh air, inhaling the sweet smell of Mother Nature with a gentle breeze blowing softly on your face as you stroll along the stalls looking for a bargain, or some fresh produce. Then sitting down later under a shady tree with a picnic lunch and a nice hot cuppa. Mmmm...heavenly

I usually make a day of it and go to one of the country bakeries for afternoon tea and stop off and wander around a country town on the way home.


Click here to view thumbnails for all participants


Today's Quote: As a community gathering place, the farmers market will become a location to discover all of the uniqueness that a farmers market has to offer ~ Victoria Laise Jonas

Sweet and Sour

 

Are they real?
Yes, indeed they are. These bright and colourful fruits and chillies are at the Queen Vic. (Queen Victoria market) I wouldn't mind eating some of them, although I think I might give the chillies a miss.☺

Today's Quote: Next to jazz music, there is nothing that lifts the spirit and strengthens the soul more than a good bowl of chili ~ Harry James.

Spring Harvest Festival 2009 - 04 Random Shots

"White Nest 09" by Chaco Kato
The annual Yering Station Sculpture Exhibition and Awards which take place each spring. Above is one of the entries.

A few random shots taken over the course of the day.

Spring Harvest Festival 2009 - 03 Meet the Producers

Gateway Estate
Gateway's fresh produce include capsicums, tomatoes (Truss, Roma and Cherry), eggplant, basil, lettuce.



Jam Lady Jam
From Healesville comes aromatic hand made jams using fresh seasonal produce and Organic sugar - Raspberry Grappa, Blackberry Shiraz, Strawberry Aniseed, Spiced Syrian Figs, Pear Vanilla Ginger are just some of their product range.

My basket of goodies - Silverbeet, potatoes, broccoli, butternut pumpkin, mandarins, cucumber, tomatoes, bananas.

Spring Harvest Festival 2009 - 02 Something Sweet

Delicious Decadence
For lovers and sweethearts or to satisfy that sweet tooth - a hamper of pure indulgence - lemon tarts, meringue kisses, whipped cream (real cream), and tiny pastries. Show someone you care - say it with food! Each hamper is beautifully decorated with hand made cards wrapped in organza ribbon.

The pastry chef

Afternoon Tea anyone?

Spring Harvest Festival 2009 - a series 01

Food, Flowers, Flavours, Fun
A little under an hour's drive from Melbourne lies the beautiful Yarra Valley - Victoria's premier wine region - and the 3rd Sunday of the month is Farmers Market in the Yarra Valley. Held in the historic "Barn" at Yering Station it is a gourmand's delight! Yesterday (Sunday 18th) was the Spring Harvest Festival.

It's a lively place with lots of chatter, food tastings, glorious home grown produce, tantalising aromas and a visual feast of colour, cakes and crepes! As well as a great selection of fresh fruits and vegetables in season, and free range eggs (no battery ones here), you will find an array of many other wonderful foods - stalls with mouth-watering biscuits, scrumptious cakes, fruit vinegars, unusual sauces, preserves and jams, freshly ground coffee and beans, buffalo sausages, gourmet pies with the crispiest pastry that literally melts in your mouth, ice-cream, delectable chocolates, honey, locally baked breads, home-made pasta, honey and honeycombs, and a wonderful range of lavender products from furniture wax to body sprays and hand-creams .. and much more.

The historic "Barn"

Scrumptious Shortbread

A sweet selection
These look good enough to eat! Strolling through the Queen Victoria Market, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafting through the air, the tantalising delights of Italian shortbread before me, I could feel the temptation. I only have to walk past a Patisserie and I put on weight!

I confess - I bought two ..Ah belissimo!

Queen Victoria Market

The Queen Victoria Market is not just any old market, it is a shopping mecca, the Queen of Australian markets, and an institution for locals and tourists alike. Opening on March 20th 1878, this grand old lady has stood the test of time and many a bargain has been found. There are almost 1,000 traders selling their wares - the freshest of produce - ripe tomatoes. juicy oranges, leeks, capsicums, luscious strawberries, to snap peas and Asian vegies, you can buy just about anything here.

Wander through the meat market - lamb, veal, pork, or fancy some fish? Then head to the fish market where only the freshest fish is sold.

Cheese, hams, proscuitto, sliced meats, salamis, to exotic herbs and spices - you can get it all at the Vic market. Spread over 7 hectares, the Vic market is the largest market in the Southern hemisphere. Clothing, footwear, wine tasting on Sundays - the Vic market has it all. Have lunch, grab a coffee, enjoy a nice hot cup of tea and take the weight off your feet - so come on down and spend a day at the market.

You will find more information on the side panel under "Melbourne Information."

Colourful Cactus - Queen Victoria Market

Sunday afternoon spent at the Queen Victoria Market, aka the "Queen Vic", is a delightful way to while away the hours on a cold, wintry day. It's a great atmosphere and the aromas from the different food shops waft through the air and tantalise one's senses. These bright colourful cacti were like a shining beacon with their happy reds and golds.

In the arid desert sands
Where no flower can bloom
The cactus grows in glory
And dispels the traveler’s gloom.

A braver creation of Mother Nature
One can hardly ever find
The cactus teaches us a lesson
We should forever keep in mind.

When life is easy and smooth
Almost anyone can succeed
But surviving when the going is bumpy
Is a great feat indeed!

Let us try to be like the cactus
Battling every adversity
And with courage turn every calamity
Into a glorious opportunity.

From "The Cactus" by Ramendra Kumar.