12 reasons to shop at your local farmer's market
Freshest food
The produce you buy from the farmer’s market is the freshest on the market! If you are buying from the grower, it’s highly likely that the produce was picked and washed the day before and it doesn’t get any fresher or better than that. Produce from a grocer/specialty shop or supermarket spends a lot more time in transportation and storage – it’s a logistical requirement that can’t be avoided.
How long do your cucumbers last when you buy them from the shop? Our cucumbers are picked in the Lockyer Valley by Zac’s brother at Sunup Farm and I guarantee you that they will last at least 10 days in your fridge. I’ve had some in mine for 3 weeks and they remain crisp and juicy. Fresh is best!
Gain knowledge on the produce by speaking with the grower
There is so much to know about the food you eat. The grower is your fountain of knowledge. They can tell you all sorts of things – from the required growing climate to the day of harvest to how to cook and store your produce. Being Certified Organic, we can tell you the entire life of your produce and what exactly was done to it – fertilisers, minerals, plant, harvest, packing dates – all of it!
Best quality
We hand-select the best produce from our farm for the markets - because you deserve the best. We’ve joined organic hands with Lockyer Valley Organics, a family owned business who are considered pioneers in the industry. With has a 9-acre vegetable patch we stock up our market stalls with the very best food just for you.
Best value and bulk buying
You are getting the freshest and the highest quality at the best price. Our prices are considerably less than supermarkets. We can control what we put on the price tag, and our goal is to make the best and most nutrient-dense food at affordable prices. Because we avoid packaging, transport and storage costs, we are in a position to lower our prices for you.
Pssst! You’re also allowed to ask for bulk buying discounts. If you use a lot of something ask for a discounted price for bulk. We often sell 18kg boxes of sweet potatoes or entire sacks of spuds – the per kg price drops considerably this way.
Personal experience
The farmer’s market is a personal experience. Over time you will create a unique route to visit your favourite stalls and naturally get to know the stall holders. We really love getting to know the people who buy our food. That’s the best part of the day. We enjoy knowing what your plans are for the day, what you’re going to cook with your food, and we often have little kids come in and tell us they love our produce. Heart explosion!
Lower Carbon Fuel Emissions
Stall holders come from local areas. Some drive up to a few hours and some live in the same town as the markets. Shorted distances travelled means the least amount of carbon fuel emissions. This makes a difference to the produce you buy in the local supermarket which could have spent hours on a road train – another unavoidable logistical requirement.
Support the Grower
Growers and their workers put a huge amount of effort and love into the food they produce. Farmers are the most optimistic people I know. We get up early to be ready for people to wake from their slumber, to bring the freshest and the best produce to the people who want to enjoy it. Having people show up and appreciate our produce makes the challenges of farming less apparent – it’s like getting a massive cuddle! Farmer’s markets take a huge amount of effort to set up, so nothing is more motivating and encouraging than seeing people flood in with enthusiasm and smiles.
Great place for kids to learn about food
There’s three very effective ways to teach your kids about food:
Grow your own food
Cook/ prepare food with them (don’t stress about the mess, it’s all part of the fun and learning)
Shop at your local farmer’s market
My children have been going to farmer’s markets since before they were born. The market opens up opportunity to try food before you buy. We always offer kids some carrots, snow peas, celery – anything they can eat right there and then – and the response is always positive, often resulting in the parent buying a bunch of snow peas because they’ve just discovered their child loves them. Children also get to be involved in the discussions with the growers, learning about where their food comes from, how it is grown, how to eat it.
It’s an experience, not a chore
The market takes away the monotony of doing your weekly shopping. There’s activities for the kids – sometimes educational – like planting seeds. There are food tasting and places to meet friends to enjoy a meal. There’s nothing better than a freshly ground and locally sourced coffee at the market. There are specialty stores and the opportunities to find unusual and unique gifts.
You can get everything you need
There are specialty shops that sell specific need items like gluten free pasta, coconut flour, and aluminum-free deodorant. You can get all your fruit and vegetables and some stalls are re-sellers who act like a wholesaler – they bring in food from all over the place. Then there are growers who bring the food they grow themselves. Some growers work in a group, and set up a stall combining all their produce, to widen the variety and to support one another - just like us!
Try new foods you may not have seen before
There is always a stall that has something you have never seen or heard of/ wanted to try but could not find elsewhere. Think of the market as a haven for stall holders who have something healthy/ unusual/ amazing to offer. You will always find the alternative health trends at the farmer’s market.
Healthy treats for everyone
I’m a stickler for healthy treats. Nothing warms my heart more than buying my children a treat that’s good for them. You’ll find all the latest healthy treats at the markets, built for everyone – young or old.