29 - 06 - 2008

As we come to the end of another busy Marlborough Farmers' Market season (yes, it is getting longer each year) it allows us time to reflect and re-energise ourselves for the new season, which will begin on October 5. Yes, it is earlier. It is the same as planting in the soil; you can't keep using the same piece of ground over and over with the same crop, year after year. You have to sustain it and ensure that what you are doing now will be of benefit to future crops.    It has been encouraging to see the growth of the market with both Marlborough food producers and consumers supporting their local growers, although we are still faced with the big V (variety) issue.

Four iconic Marlborough producers leave us this year for different reasons, replacing crops with vines following changes in family circumstances and other business opportunities, and they will be missed from the market community.

We replace these four with six new producers for the new season (you will have to come along and see who they are). So we take yet another small step forward to ensure that the consumers of Marlborough are able to buy locally produced edible goods.

It would have been nice to not lose our four stallholders, but sustainability of one's business and lifestyle in Marlborough is the key to long term growth, and I take my cook's hat off to all producers and people in the food industry. (I just collect the fruit of their labours from the comfort of my warm kitchen.) It is a hard road and an often undervalued industry to be involved in.

On Sunday representatives from 40 other farmers' markets around New Zealand will be visiting our farmers' market and buying in to a little of what Marlborough has to offer. They will be eating only Marlborough food and wine and they will take away with them the knowledge and stories from Marlborough producers, so that their success can be emulated through other regions of New Zealand.

While we do close after this Sunday, we have already started planning for next season as, just like the vegetable garden, you need to sow the seeds early to reap the rewards later

PS: (the V issue is variety of fresh Marlborough grown produce, not viticulture!)

Marlborough

in the pot

35 food producers

1 sunshiney Marlborough Sunday morning

2 coffee carts

2 breakfast kitchens

14 picnic tables and umbrellas

1 community stall

6 kitchen staff

1 volunteer helpers (thanks Sandra Morritt)

1 manager

1 clipboard and pen

Method: Take the sunshine and mix it with the picnic tables and umbrellas.

If it is too wet, then move them all under a covered roof and keep dry. Turn coffee machines on and start pouring, get staff to set up breakfast stalls and use only locally grown produce to feed the customers.

If customers don't like the menu, then get them to come back the following week as it will be different local seasonal produce.

Take stallholders and place them in a circle around the manager, who will be holding on to the clipboard and pen.

Cook for three hours and then remove from the A and P showgrounds until the winter cold is over. Repeat method again on October 5 and every Sunday morning after that until winter arrives