Twenty five years of market freshness
Since 1999, local and regional food producers have been getting up well before dawn to bring Northside Produce Market the freshest food from places such as Orange, the Riverina, Central Tablelands and Southern Highlands.
Twenty-five years later, on the first and third Saturday of every month, you can still browse over 70 stalls of fruit, vegetable and artisan products, have a delicious breakfast or brunch and enjoy a coffee.
Market co-ordinator Lisa MacDonald tells North Shore Living that the market is an important fundraiser for the North Sydney Community Centre, which offers a playgroup, afterschool care and about 100 adult classes a term.
Lisa says shopping at a market may seem inconvenient these days when everything can be delivered, but there’s something very real about it.
“It’s a real basic connection on so many levels,” she says. “You get to connect with the growers and the makers. Because so many of us are not growing our own food, we have lost that connection.”
Some of the farmers have been there since 1999, such as Darling Mills and Grimes Farm who are award-winning producers.
And customers learn about the produce. She says that one year, the cherry growers didn’t arrive until late in the season. Lisa discovered that it had been raining during pollination time and that bees don’t come out in the rain.
“You learn so much by just talking to farmers. And I have to say, it’s a tough gig,” she says. “Recently, we’ve had some extremely high temperatures and intense rain, which has been killing off the seedlings.”
The markets are open rain, hail or shine and farmers always need the support.
“The carrots are still growing,” Lisa says. “The cows are still being milked. The bread’s baked.”
Cyclists can have a free ‘check-in and tune-up’ on their bikes, offered eight times a year. During this service, a bike mechanic will show them how to perform a basic service on their bikes.
Beautiful produce by Prickle Hill
For those who would like to learn more about the market, North Sydney Council funds two market tours four times per year. During these tours, growers talk about their history, what they grow and why.
Lisa says Northside Produce Market is a ‘true food market’.
“It’s not like a general market with entertainment,” she says. At the end of the day, people want to come and get their produce. They want to take it home and put it in the fridge.”