Waipara Valley Farmers' Market

Opening Market Day 2009-10 season

Colin King, MP, did the honours opening the market along with our Committee Chair, Nathn Trethowen

The market BBQ proved very popular

Mowbray Pies made a very successful entry into our market, proving a great hit with our shoppers

Colin King spent a couple of hours at the market, and was up for a good debate with some of our patrons

Opening Market Day 2009-10 season

Some of the fine produce available

Angela Clifford, the Vice Chair of the NZ Farmers Market Association, had a chance for a catch up with Colin King

Happy shoppers everywhere!

Opening Market 2009 - 10 season

Opening Day 2009-10 season

Belinda was selling the Hurunui Trail Trust's wine to raise funds to get the cycling and walking trails open in the district. Here she is giving Colin some information on the Trails.

Melissa Booker's new signage is fabulous - Grown; By our family for your family

First market of 2009-10 season

Mary sells a wide range of native plants. Native plants are one of those few exceptions to our rule that everything should be edible.

There's no question about whether Michele's organically grown vegetables are edible - they look fantastic and taste beautiful

This was a first for the Earl family - selling plants and vegetables at our market. We look forward to their return visit!

Trevor has been busy over the winter months (or was it his wife?). He arrived with a fabulous new stand to display his yummy honey.

First market of 2009-10 season

Vicki meets Colin King, MP while Nathan looks on

New Market Season to start at Labour Weekend

The Waipara Valley Farmers Market will kick off for the 2009/10 season on the 24th of October at 9am. This is Labour Weekend and what better way to celebrate the end of the winter months and the first public holiday for ages by coming on down to the Farmers Market.

Your favourite stallholders are coming back for another season (well most of them) and there will be a few new exciting stalls coming along as well.

If you would like to be a stallholder, just give me a call on 03 3198688
Look forward to seeing you there
jane

News 13 March 2009

Hasn’t it been a busy time in North Canterbury lately? There’s been lots to do, from wine festivals through to rock concerts, not to mention the various A & P shows and even flower shows! Our market has been going well every Saturday morning with stall numbers varying from 12 – 25. While numbers may vary, you can always count on the regulars. There’s always a huge range of vegetables and fruit, bread, meat, dressings, oils and even plants.

Melons are in season now, and you can get both rock melons and scrumptious water melons at our market. There’s been a great crop of tomatoes and cucumbers this year, and a number of stallholders are running specials on tomatoes now. If you were considering making your own tomato sauces or soups, now is the time!

The market wouldn’t be the same without Urs Fricker and his beautiful bread. Urs hasn’t missed a market yet, and will be there again this Saturday. He’s the front runner for the “Stallholder of the Year” award. If you haven’t tried his pin wheels, I suggest you do, although you have to get in early as they normally sell out.

Stone Circle Organics have been there every week with their fantastic stall selling a huge range of organic produce. As well as fresh herbs, you can also get aubergines, courgettes and spinach – in fact the list is too long to repeat here.

Strawberries are still going well, and Liz has the sweetest berries at her stall. For the last of the summer salads, there’s quite a selection of special dressings available at either Bernadette’s stall or Sandy Mac’s.

Local olive oil is available from both the Athena Olives stall as well as Bellbird or Terrace Downs. Terrace Downs also have their wine available for tasting and purchasing.

There’s a wide selection of meat products available. Sarah Rodie (Murray Downs) with her Texcel Lamb are a popular stall, especially located down by the coffee truck. Harris Meats have been selling out of their famous pies early so do get in quickly if you are after these special pies. Also, please note Harris Meats won’t be at next weekend’s market – Bryan is off to the Meat Retailers Conference! Rockford County Pork have been coming to the market regularly in the last few weeks, and fire up their BBQ to provide shoppers with brunch. Melany also provides an alternative for brunch with her bacon butties and waffles.

The market won’t be the same without two of our most popular stallholders this weekend – Louise Oskram and her Hurunui Preserves isn’t able to come and neither will Shari and Don with their coffee. We have, however, managed to find someone else willing to do coffees for the day for those of us who need our caffeine fix.

We believe our market is very special because of our musicians who play the most beautiful music. Please support them by leaving some coins in their busking baskets.

The season for the Waipara Valley Farmers Market is drawing to a close. We are planning on having our last market on Easter Saturday and are hoping to finish on a really high note. We’ve also in planning some special events at our market before Easter, including a cooking demonstration with market produce.

We’re also conducting a survey as to what we can do to make the market even better next year. Any constructive feedback that you can provide us would be much appreciated. If you take the time to give us your feedback, you will go in the draw to win a hamper of farmers' market produce. Please send this to jane.thompson@actrix.co.nz

If you would like to receive regular updates on market news, please contact me to go on our email list.
Jane
(jane.thompson@actrix.co.nz) 021 100 2503

February 21 Market

Bryan and his nephew Sam tried the Harris Meats stall down the other end of the market to be closer to the coffee shop.

Don and Shari's coffee was, as ever, very popular

Sarah Rodie spent her profits on produce!

Nathn can dance (believe it or not!)

February 21 Market

Liz still has a good supply of strawberries

Tom had a good market with his olive oils

21 February Market

Christine did a solo performance - and very well too!

Beautiful music helps sell bread! Urs was sold out despite the damp weather.

This rain has helped the veges - Michele has a huge range of lovely organic veges

Melissa is getting into full swing with the melons - sweet and juicy

Valentine's Day Market

Pat returned to the market with her succulents

Sigrid and Christine played beautiful love songs for Valentine's Day

It was a family affair at the Harris Meats' stall - here's Sam helping his uncle (Bryan) and grandmother (Clare).

Valentine's day market was a busy one

Valentine's Day Market

Sandy had some delightful treats for Valentine's Day

Romance at the Berry Good Veges stall

Sandy's cup cakes were a winner.

Breakfast anyone?

31 January 2009 market

Pearl and Sigrid play the most fabulous music which really sets the atmosphere at the market. They rely on the money via busking, so when you visit, be sure to show your appreciation.

Stallholders are very fond of Fricker's pinwheels - as demonstrated by the chaps from Berry Good Veges

Sarah takes time away from her stall to check out the other stalls

Jeremy is one of the hardest working kids at the market.

Anne is currently selling her blueberries - they are the tastiest in town!

Do you remember Damson Plums? We've got them at our market now thanks to Joy who also sells apricots and other home grown produce

Louise starts off with a large selection of her fabulous preserves but is usually sold out before 12 noon closing

Urs does a roaring trade with his bread, its always the most popular stall

Liz is selling her strawberries at our market and sold out before 11.

Arthur has been a regular stallholder, selling his eggs. His hens can't keep up with the demand.

Springbank Garden's stall produce

The basil from Springbank gardens always sells out very quickly.

Judy, ready for her customers

Tony takes on the child minding duties while Louise is kept busy selling her produce

Bryan has recruited his mother, Claire to help out with the Harris Meats stall. There's plenty of regulars who pick up something yummy for their dinner on Saturday night there ranging from sausages, through to fillet steak.

As well as Harris Meats, the beginning of the food lane also features Melany with her aoilis and mayonnaises cooking bacon buttles, and Waipara Gardens.

Rockford Pork now has a stand at the market, selling Pork products as well as having a sausage sizzle.

Stallholders set up and ready for the 9 oclock start.

Sandy Mac making a sale of some of her produce, which includes lemonade, dressings and dukkah

Bronwen sporting a Farmers' Market philosophy t-shirt. Her strawberry vinegar (right hand side) is delicious, its great as a dressing

Pukeko Junction had a very successful first outing at our market. Their muesli was very popular, not to mention their slices and biscuits

Frickers' bread is impressive and so is the stand!

Urs is kept busy with customers keen to try his lovely bread.

There was a good turnout of shoppers. It was a lovely relaxed morning.

Our young musicians who took on the role of entertainment in the second part of the market. They really enjoyed themselves and did a fantastic job.

Lots of people travelling through Amberley took the opportunity for a break, did their shopping and then had a picnic using some of the lovely produce they had purchased on the grass under the trees.

The weather was beautiful for the market this week - not like the week before!!! We had 18 stalls today.

Sarah Rodie and her assistants did a good trade in their texcel lamb.

Apricots by the kg or jam perhaps?

Sigrid and her fellow musicians provided the entertainment for us in the first half of the market. They were fantastic, and really created a lovely atmosphere.

Soleil Apricots made a very welcome return to the market.

Michele had a busy day with her organic vegetables. I think it must have been the great hat!

Fern Roc Farm sold out of their free-range eggs very early on at the market.

Christmas Market 20 December 2008

The weather was truly awful for our special Christmas market. It was a real shame as we had 43 stallholders booked in but only half of these were able to get there to sell their wares in the heavy rain. The shoppers turned out in large numbers considering the weather. There were many regulars who were determined to get their favourite produce from the market so those stallholders who braved the weather did very well. Most stallholders sold out, some of them very quickly and some of them by the end of the market at noon.

The rain didn't put Santa off - he flew in with his Air New Zealand umbrella and gave out yummy cookies to kids and adults alike.

As you can see, Santa has been eating healthily lately, lots of fresh produce from his local farmers market.

Christine braved the rain to entertain us with her violin. She did an amazing job, and is a very skilled musician. Bruce from the Tear Fund had alternative christmas presents available - buying resources for communities in less advantaged countries. The Council entrance proved to be a great spot out of the rain and may well be a regular spot for our musicians.

The succulent stall was a new one for the market. The range of succulents is amazing.

Sarah from Waipara Gardens borrowed the Waipara Garage's gazebo for the day - a very wise move.

Don and Shari's coffee at the end of the "food lane" was a little haven from the weather. Their coffee really is good, especially on days like this.

Bronwen from Athena Olives loading up with some more of her fresh peas which sold really well, along with her potatoes, vinegars, and other preserves, not to mention her Olive Oil!

Nathn and Vicky once again sold out of berries very quickly. I can thoroughly recommend their cucumbers, especially as I bought the last four and the family has eaten them all already!

The Parkers had the lovely panettone (italian desert) which sold out quickly but they had a good supply of the elderflower cordial left to sell. Ewan, you hardly needed to top the cordial up with water, you should have just held the tray out in the rain!

Ro braved the rain to sell the last of her beautifully decorated Christmas cakes. We are hoping to see Ro back at the market at easter.

Umbrellas were a very necessary item for shoppers and stallholders

The kids enjoyed the treats that many stallholders (and Santa) had for them

Narissa wasn't going to let a bit of rain put her off selling her yummy cherries, and it didn't put the shoppers off buying them either.

This man got his free range eggs - the Fern Roc Farm eggs sold out by 9:30!!!

Christmas market 20 December

Tom Porter from Bellbird selling his lovely olive oil to a wet customer.

It was a miserable day but the shoppers braved the weather to support our market.

Honey, cherries and herbs didn't seem to mind the rain

Wine sales and tastings were good despite the rain as well.

Raffle Winners

Pauline Newport-Cromarty won the raffle which was drawn on the 15th of December. Pauline won a hamper worth $250 filled with yummy produce from the Waipara area. From wine through to Christmas cakes, she is going to have a feast!

Second prize went to Robin Kendall ($50 to spend at the farmers market) and third prize ($20 of farmers market money) went to Glenis Ambler.

Thanks to all those who bought a ticket. The money raised will go towards advertising and signage.

Christmas Market on 20 December will be Huge!

We are expecting at least 35 stallholders for our special Christmas market on next Saturday (20th December). For this one special market day, we have invited local artists and crafters to have a stall. There's also a wide variety of the edible produce as well, in fact you should be able to get everything you would need for a Christmas feast!

Lots of little snacky things can start the feast off from spicey nuts, pickled cherries, and perhaps salami. Maybe some walnuts may be the thing.

There's vegetables ranging from new potatoes, artichokes, beans, spinach, pumpkins, lettuces and a whole lot of others including some I hadn't even seen before (and now can't remember the name for!). There's herbs of all varieties, and then dressings from aoili to vinaigrettes. There's also two stalls selling meat. Sarah Rodie's texcel lamb is hugely popular as it is so very tasty and tender. Harris Meats will be there selling hams, bacon, sausages and their medal winning bier sticks. They even have a few steaks vacuum packed on offer.

European style breads are available at the market as well. Urs Fricker's bread is always very popular and you have to get in early to get your favourite loaf. There's also some more eastern european style bread which is a great alternative.

No Christmas feast would be complete without a full range of deserts. With the berries, cherries and fruit, what about trying the italian christmas favourite, panettone! Fern Roc Farms will be selling their home made icecream. Ro Crosby's christmas cakes are so beautifully decorated, you won't want to eat them!

Drinks are also available. Wine from Terrace Edge, and then for those wanting alchohol free there are a range of cordials at the market including lemon; strawberry & lavender; and elderflower.

Flowers will be available including a lovely selection of roses and lillies. For those wanting to make their own pavs, free range eggs are available.

I've missed out many, so I suggest that you just come on down with a good supply of cash and a large shopping bag. That reminds me, we can also sell you a NZ Farmers Market re-usable shopping bag for a modest sum....

See you on Saturday!
J

December 13 market

Melany made bacon butties again as well as selling her mayonnaises and aiolis, not to mention her free range eggs. There must have been lots of people wanting eggs this week as all our three egg sellers sold out early!

Don and Shari make The Best Coffee and are one of the busiest stalls in the market, well supported by stallholders and shoppers alike

The kit set gingerbread houses were delightful! Just the thing for keeping the kids entertained and the finished product looks delightful and would no doubt taste delightful. The girls did a great job of selling them, as well as their brandy snaps. Mum's pavlova endeavours should see her having them available for sale next week perhaps?

Sandy brings a little bit of Scotland to our market. This week she was trying a couple of new products including dukkah or is it spelled ducca? The debate goes on.

Sampling wine before noon wasn't a problem for lots of our shoppers.

Anne makes the best scones and jams!

Sigrid organised a fellow musician to join her busking at the market and they did a fantastic job of playing. It was really appreciated by stallholders and shoppers alike. They'll be back next week so make sure you give generously to support their endeavours.

The Murchisons first market day was a roaring success with all their walnuts being sold. They'll have a busy week shelling more for next week's market.

It wasn't the warmest of days with that easterly blowing in, but it didn't stop the shoppers. The home made icecreams didn't prove that popular on such a cold day however.

Judy's herbs were amazing and she soon sold out of her basil. More next week!

Nathan and Vicki sold out of their berries pretty early on in the day. They're hoping to have their terrific tomatoes available soon which is just as well, as everyone is asking for them!

Hayden is looking for his next customer to try his Olive Oil.

There were plenty of customers to try Jill's wine from Terrace Edge. She's going to be a regular stallholder, and there were no shortage of people wanting to have a wee taste.

6 December 2008 market

Vicki checks out Louise's preserve samples. Try that lemon honey!

Bernadette and Said selling their dressing to Ursula, or was it a finalising the deal of trading bread for them instead?

You have to concentrate when you are making bacon and egg butties!

Market day 6 December 2008

Louise makes the BEST preserves, under the label Pyramid Valley and also Hurunui Harvest. She had a bottle of basil oil which apparently took a mountain of basil leaves to make. The first customer that saw it bought it - I think she could have sold it 100 times over.

Ros made a very welcome return to the market, selling her Christmas cakes which are beautifully decorated. They would make great gifts, if you can resist eating it yourself!

The range of vegetables available is growing every week as we progress into summer. Sarah's spray free veges are always popular. She also sells a range of plants if you want to grow your own.

6 December 2008 market day

Bryan from Harris Meats had a variety of produce available including Hams for Christmas. He had his order book there so you could order your hams for later delivery.

Fern Rock Farms sold out of their eggs at about 11 oclock. The hens will be busy again this week!

The coffee truck end of the market is always busy

Market day 6 December 08

Melany put on a tasty bacon and egg roll, using local produce including her own free range eggs.

Setting up their stalls - Nathn and Vicki with Bronwen from Athena Olives ready to go and serving her first customer!

The Parkers had their delicious Elderflower Cordial as well as panetones (great for desert for Christmas) and bread

29 November 2008 Market

This week we moved to directly in front of the Hurunui Council Chambers as we had too many stallholders to fit in to the flat area beside the buildings. This move proved very popular with shoppers and stallholders. There's a lot more room and still plenty of room for more stalls. Many shoppers commented that it felt just like a european farmers market, with so many things to chose from the 25 stallholders there

Anne's stall is always popular, the yummy scones go well with the coffee!

Another satisfied customer (Jenny Uren) from Sarah Rodie's texel lamb stall.

Urs & Ursula Fricker's bread is VERY popular and we are also most impressed with the new stand that Urs has made himself

Sarah's produce from Waipara Gardens is spray free and I can thoroughly recommend her artichokes!

It was good to see Isobel from Wattle Grove back with her flowers and straw although when this photo was taken, she had gone off to do a bit of shopping herself!

Young mums enjoying the shopping. Don and Shari's coffee stand in the background is one of the most popular stalls in the market. As soon as all the stallholders are set up, the deal seems to be to get a coffee to go with a cinamon pinwheels from Urs Fricker!!!

29 November market

Elderflower cordial is very popular in the UK and now we have it here in Amberley. There's two stall holders selling it and my recommendation is that you should try it - soon! So refreshing and tasy.

Melissa multi tasking, selling fresh veges and fruit while looking after her two children!

Louise once again sold out of lemon honey and her other preserves were also very popular

Lavender can be used in so very many ways. Charlotte had a new strawberry and lavender tea on sale and it was delicious!

29 November 2008

Trevor and his honey next to Tom and his olive oil in their prime spots under the tree!

Harris Meats sold salamis, bier sticks, sausages and some yummy pies

Sigrid's vege plants are always popular

Sandy's first stall at our farmers market went very well with her vinaigrettes being a hit with the shoppers

Community Groups

If any community groups would like to have a sausage sizzle, or any other fundraising stalls, please contact the Market Manager (Jane on 03 3198688) as we would love to have you at our farmers market.

Our Amberley based farmers market has already held four very successful market days, with the Amberley Playcentre and the Omihi School each holding profitable sausage sizzles, using local produce.

We will be making a stall space available every week for a community group to use to raise money. The site will be free for local community groups. The only condition is that the groups stick to the farmers market philosophy, where local produce is used or local people are involved in the production of the food.

So, if you want to raise some money and are prepared to spend a morning doing a sausage sizzle, just give Jane a call or email. 03 319 8688 or jane.thompson@actrix.co.nz

We look forward to hearing from you