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Merry Christmas from all of us at the Clevedon Village
Farmers' Market, and a hearty thank you for your support
in 2009.
'Tis the season to savour the good things in life,
like family, friends, sunshine and - of course - fine
food and beverages. Our stalls are positively groaning
under the weight of everyone's favourite fresh goodies
- from summer fruit and veg to meat, fish, baking and
wine. Thanks to your custom, the local food industry
is flourishing, which is why you'll find everything
you need for a truly memorable holiday season at the
Clevedon Village Farmers' Market.
In the interests of making your Christmas dinner absolutely
top-notch, we'll be holding a special market on the
night of December 23, between 4 and 8pm. Join us at
our first evening market for plenty of good cheer
and farm fresh local produce. The market will reopen
for 2010 on Sunday, January 10.
Don’t miss out on our Christmas raffle –
we have a hamper full of market treats to give away
to one lucky shopper. Simply spend $10 or more on produce
from contributing stallholders during December, fill
out the entry form they give you and pop it in the box
outside the espresso stall. The winning ticket will
be drawn at 10am on Sunday, December 20 under the
market willow trees. You must be present at the draw
to collect your prize (because fresh produce won't wait).
In Season and Growing News
Look out for asparagus, strawberries, blackberries,
blueberries, avocados, peas, beans, fennel, new potatoes,
rocket, basil and salad greens. Local hothouses are
keeping us supplied with fresh peppers, eggplant, cucumbers
and sweet tomatoes in delicious varieties you won't
find elsewhere.
A big market welcome to new stallholder Peach Tree
Farm, which raises free-range Wessex Saddleback
pigs in Ramarama - and is also the northernmost pig
farm to receive an RNZSPCA Free Range Pig Accreditation. Robert,
a trained chef, has big plans for the business, which
offers first-rate bacon and pure pork sausages. Riet
(a coarse meat pate), speck (smoked pork belly), parmaschinken
(German parma ham) and saucisson (French dried
sausage) will be introduced in the New Year.
Cathy from Miss Figgy has let it slip that if
the sun plays its part, we may be in line for some of
her delicious export-quality figs by Christmas. Fingers
crossed.
Kipdale Farms is just months away from organic
certification - great news for chickens and chefs.
Pete and Gail from Piako Pete’s are back
in force with wet and smoked fish. After a stormy winter
season, the nets are full - and as always the fish is
so fresh, it's almost swimming.
Bad for Business
In the last edition of Fresh, we filled you in on the
problems we’re having with the Manukau City Council’s
Environmental Health authorities, who want to put a
stop to the cooking of hot food at the market.
Our argument is simple - if there's no risk posed by
sausage sizzles and open-air cooking at events and festivals,
there's no reason why the same kind of food preparation
should be banned at the market. After all, our cooks
have food handling and safety qualifications and their
operations are licensed by Auckland City Council.
Over 700 market patrons agreed with us and signed a
petition protesting the council's position, which we
duly set off to the mayor in October. We're still waiting
for a response.
We have been inspected, though, and a flurry of paperwork
was produced. It seems councils are free to interpret
the bylaws as they see fit, which leads to different
enforcement across the industry and regions. So far,
the council's sticking with its position - and given
its attitude to date, we're keeping our expectations
in check.
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MARKET PROFILE
Clevedon Village Juice
Maria & Denise
Clevedon Village Juice
Enterprising local Maria Watts
of Clevedon Village Juice has hit on the most
refreshing way to start your Sunday in Clevedon
with her range of freshly juiced fruit and vegetables
and creamy blueberry smoothies.
Using local produce - including
vegetables grown on the family farm - Ardmore
organic blueberries and Estuary Orchard’s
world-famous oranges, Maria makes seven delicious
juice combinations.
Whether you're looking for refreshment or an
antidote to Christmas revelry, Clevedon Village
Juice has just the recipe for you. Pop in and
see Maria next to the market espresso stall.
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Rent a Ruminant
Although goats have been used for clearing gorse
and scrub in New Zealand for years, the novel concept
of ‘renting a ruminant’ has taken hold
in Seattle. Property owners and developers in urban
and rural locations can now rent goats to clear
scrub and weeds on small blocks of neglected land.
Woody growth and anything else they don’t eat
is removed by hand. Check out rent-a-ruminant.mapmate.com
to see how it's done. |
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