The Preston Farmers Market is only a
small affair, but from little things, big things grow!
I went along to check it out recently, and was pleasantly surprised. With it’s small and quaintly suburban feel, they certainly had some wonderful things on offer: fresh fruit and veg, bread, organic meat, pasta, free range eggs: even the mandatory Sunday morning coffee!
Everyone seemed to know each other and most were chatting happily together in the morning sun while the kids played on the jumping castle or patted the animals in the small farm enclosure on site.
The Darebin Food Harvest Network is the main group behind the market and others like it in the area, with the idea being to get the community involved or interested in sustainable food ideas and improving food security.
I went along to check it out recently, and was pleasantly surprised. With it’s small and quaintly suburban feel, they certainly had some wonderful things on offer: fresh fruit and veg, bread, organic meat, pasta, free range eggs: even the mandatory Sunday morning coffee!
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Everyone seemed to know each other and most were chatting happily together in the morning sun while the kids played on the jumping castle or patted the animals in the small farm enclosure on site.
The Darebin Food Harvest Network is the main group behind the market and others like it in the area, with the idea being to get the community involved or interested in sustainable food ideas and improving food security.
Essentially they support anyone who wants to try and organise activities in the local area that comprise or offer and an alternative to the big bad old supermarket chains. Instead of Going to Coles, Woolies or IGA, locals can access locally grown fresh produce which is grown on a smaller scale. In this way there’s less reliance on large scale farming.
Sure, the Preston Market is only a few kilometres away, but it’s rather a bustling noisy affair: not a great place to take small children, and not everyone’s idea of a pleasant morning out!!!
One of the best things about The Preston Farmers Market it, in my
opinion, was that it created a safe, family environment. I saw one boy chatting
with the growers as he happily munched on apple samples, and a young girl and
her mother talking to the “Orange Man”. It was a community event and a social
occasion: and a chance for the grower and consumer to meet face to face.
Although the Preston Framers Market isn't certified by the Victorian Farmers Association,
(which means they have only food that is GM free, certified organic or produced with no or
minimal chemicals - click the link to see their website for certified markets), it seemed that most of the produce was labelled organic or free range.
Preston Farmer's Market at Bell Primary School, corner Scotia Street and Oakover Road on the 4th Saturday of every month, 9am – 1pm
P.S. The Darebin Food Harvest Network is also a hub for info on Food Swaps in Preston and the Darebin area, where people growing their own produce in the suburban garden can bring any excess to swap for other food stuffs with members of their local community. Both brilliant ideas, and worth a look if you live locally!
Preston Farmer's Market at Bell Primary School, corner Scotia Street and Oakover Road on the 4th Saturday of every month, 9am – 1pm
P.S. The Darebin Food Harvest Network is also a hub for info on Food Swaps in Preston and the Darebin area, where people growing their own produce in the suburban garden can bring any excess to swap for other food stuffs with members of their local community. Both brilliant ideas, and worth a look if you live locally!
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