Belgrave Big Dreams Market

April 3, 2015September 16, 2016 ~ eatmystreet

I once saw La Traviata performed live in an echoey, stone and marble Italian church off Via Nazionale in Rome. I was jet lagged plus tired. I may have struggled to keep my eyes open to my eternal shame. But the whole experience captured l’essenza della vita (the essence of life). I have also enjoyed live opera accompanied by classical orchestral music al fresco in Covent Garden. I stood speechless, absorbing the magical moment; fresh air, history, artistry, beauty, Monopoly and BBC tele drama’s come to life. On Saturday 28th February I saw the Soopa Doopa Bush Band busking in the late afternoon sunshine on the green, green hillside at the Belgrave Big Dreams Twilight Market. And it was good.

http://www.belgravebigdreamsmarket.com

Running from 9am to 2pm on the second Sunday of the month throughout the year, the Belgrave Big Dreamers Market is a vibrant and busy part of the local community. Held in the grounds of St Thomas Moore Primary School the market has a great range of food, produce, craft and design. I attended their annual twilight market held in conjunction with the local Belgrave Buskers Festival.
Belgrave was bustling in its own eclectic Belgrave way. Parking was hard to find but I enjoyed walking through town and passing a variety of musicians happily playing sweet songs to the mountainside. A cacophony of tunes tinkled their way around the main street before being swallowed by the treetop surrounds. The sun was out and so were the people. The market itself was busy and colourful and my favourite stall would have to be the Babaji’s kitchen who sell the most delicious Indian Street food. They were celebrating their first birthday of business and I can only hope that they have many more birthday celebrations to come. 🙂 Samosa, Mango Lassi, Masala Dosa. All of it awesome!

https://www.facebook.com/BabajisKitchen I believe Belgrave Big Dreams Market gave them their first market opportunity, but they visit a number of other markets too so check out their Facebook page to stay up to date.

My children loved the home made fruit icy poles made in the idyllic Yarra Valley using 100% fresh seasonal fruit and herbs. https://www.facebook.com/mountainpops/info?tab=page_info

Children were made welcome at the market with the inclusion of a craft area and of course the local school playground being on site. Belgrave Big Dreams Market is successful and established but full of creative enthusiasm nonetheless. Catch the train or brave the parking but get there somehow. It might not be Rome in Summer, but it still manages to capture l’essenza della vita. Hills style.

Enjoy. Dani xx

Grow It, Make It, Bake It Market Emerald.

March 9, 2015June 29, 2017 ~ eatmystreet

Grow It, Make It, Bake It Market Emerald

So the Emerald Craft and Produce Market which has always been a favourite of mine,has a new little sister. The pragmatically named Grow It, Make It, Bake It Market Emerald.

I am one of the younger children in a very big family so I know what it is like to be left at home while every one else in the family is attending the ball. So I thought I had better show my support and get along to this new little market in beautiful Emerald. The Grow it, Make it, Bake it Market was launched in mid 2014, and is held on the first Sunday of the month at Emerald Mechanics Institute from 9am- 2pm. I visited on the first day of Autumn and was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying some sweet busking and a sausage in bread whilst wandering around one of the sweetest Art Deco buildings in the area.

The market seems to be supported by the local Lions Club, although I don’t really know what that means….. Hilltop Meats and Fancy Friands were two of my favourite stalls although there was quite a range of craft wares on display also. Craft is not exactly my thing though, often making me break out in a sweat, so I am more naturally drawn to the food stops.

Sophie and Ryan’s Preserves and Pastries were there, looking awesome and delicious although minus the pastry. https://www.facebook.com/sophieandryans

So was Darnum Park Estate.

Overall, the market was better than I expected it to be given that it is quite small and quite craft focused. It was a pleasant day made sweeter by the good community vibe and the busking.

Emerald Lake Park is literally just around the corner and is a great place to visit for so many reasons.

If you need to

“Get down to the edge of the earth, to breathe in what is there to be seen. To be reminded of something from nothing”

then Emerald Lake Park is the place to do it.

So although the Emerald Craft and Produce Market is still my favourite, little sister “Grow it, Make it, Bake it” is also worth the visit. I am sure there is room in our hearts for both of them. As is with the Kardashian sisters, so is in life. Grow it, Make it, Bake it might not “break the internet” but is still awesome to take a look at.

First Sunday of every month at the Emerald Mechanics Hall. 10am to 3pm.

Enjoy! Dani xx

Farmers Market at the Old Cheese Factory

June 14, 2014November 26, 2015 ~ eatmystreet

I have been back to the farmers market at the old cheese factory today. It really is a cute little market on a gorgeous property so I thought I would share my photos with you this time. Hopefully they might entice you to visit and support this great local market.

Today I bought some delicious cheese from the Tarago River Cheese Company in Neerim South (a very beautiful town in Gippsland). http://www.taragocheese.com

They had a great range of cheeses available for tasting and the guy at their little stand was friendly and informative and hospitable. It tried three of their blue cheeses and bought one, Shadows of Blue. They were all very nice and perfectly ripe but I had to save myself for one of their Brie cheeses also. They were all priced at around $35 per kg which is very reasonable for a well ripened cheese.

This Farmers Market is open on the 2nd Saturday of the month from 8am to 12.30pm.

There is a $2 donation to get into the market which for such a small, local space seems very expensive to me. Especially if you only want to stop by for a few minutes to pick up supplies.

It is lovely to have a stroll through the Berwick Market on a Winter’s morning. There were cakes and bread and pasta and fresh fruit and veg available. How gorgeous is this bunch of radish?

There were equally good looking fresh beetroot for sale at the same market stall. These beetroot were almost unrecognisable when compared with the the sad brown looking fresh beetroot I just bought myself from the supermarket the other day. A lot of the fruit and veg from this stall were selling out very fast and I can understand why.

I also bought some amazing roast potato gnocchi from http://www.albertosdelicacies.com/index.html. The ingredient list for this gnocchi is a dream; potato, flour, free range eggs, potato flakes (3%) and salt. So much better than anything you can by at the supermarket and great for those nights where you cannot be bothered making your own

Wish me luck eating all that cheese! I am sure I will be up to the task although I may need to invest in some new clothes if I do not share it with a friend.

You might also be interested in the Homestead Cafe at the Old Cheese Factory. You can read more about it by clicking on the link or by clicking here.

The details: 34 Old Homestead Rd, Berwick. 2nd Saturday of the month. 8am to 12.30pm

http://www.farmersmarketattheoldcheesefactory.org.au

Emerald Craft and Produce Market

May 18, 2014July 23, 2015 ~ eatmystreet ~ 2 Comments

For those of you who missed it (shame on you) the Emerald Craft and Produce Market was on again today.
It has scones, fruit and veg, pizza, baclava, knitted things and art. There are a lot of locals wondering around with their dogs and/or children. But the reason I try and go every single month is the bread.
Ohhh, the bread and pastry by Artisan Crust. I think it is the best in Melbourne. Even my children love it. Recently when I was watching a documentary on food in France (thank you SBS) and they were showing how to make real sourdough I was able to tell my son that no indeed, I could not take him to the underground lair somewhere in the French countryside but I would take him to the market in Emerald because they make bread like that too!
Today I bought my usual fruit loaf and to this I added baguette, pastry and bagel. Heavenly seeded bagel.

The market runs at the Emerald Community house on the third Sunday of each month from 9am to 3pm. 356 Belgrave- Gembrook Rd Emerald.

Do come visit. Buy a scone if you want, or a plant. But definitely do not leave without something from Artisan Crust.