Katie, Beau and the Farmgate by Nashdale Fruit Co.

How long as Nashdale been part of the OFM family

About 4.5 years now.  We started out at Marrickville Market first and then joined Orange Grove Market about a year later. 

Your A-frame would have to be up there with one of the singularly most photographed items around the organic universe!  How did the initial design/use come in to play: was it something that was put together as a "make do for now and we'll deal with it later" or was it deliberately planned.

We are always looking for exciting ways to display our produce.  We take great pride in not just how our product tastes, but how it looks as well.  Setting up your stall at each market is an important part for us.

We are always on the look out for different things and came across the A-frame at Marrickville Markets about 4 years ago.  After a month's use it was a bit worse for wear so we decided to build some ourselves.  These are the A-frames we now use.

You are relatively new-comers as producers.  How difficult was the transition from city to country.

Farming has been in my background for generations.  I grew up spending most of my holidays on one of my grandparents farms. My Dad (John) started orcharding when I was about 5 and is still an orchadist today 25 years later.

I started working at the markets with him as soon as I could see over the tables, but they weren't farmers markets back then, just craft-type markets.

Beau and I worked with Dad and ran markets for him on our weekends for about 10 years before Beau decided to give up his "day job", move to the country and try some markets on his own.

Because of the background we already had with the markets and the guidance that Dad gave Beau when he first decided to make the official "tree change" to the farm, it was a much easier transition for us than it would be for many others.

As idyllic as many people think farming looks, it's a lot of hard work and we have definitely had our fair share of issues as well.

What has been one of the record sales of any item at one market

Hmmmm...I'm not sure, after 20+ years of being involved in markets there are many stories!  But we did have one customer come back 5 times to market before Christmas a year or so ago.  Each time she came back for more cherries!

The first time was for her household.  She then came back for her neighbours after sharing some over the fence with them.  

Then, after some visiting some relatives went home taking the ones out of her fridge, she came back to restock again....and it continued.  

It was great and such a nice way to end the year.

What has been the most fulfilling part of market life for the Nashdale mob

It would definitely have to be some of the amazing relationships we now have with our customers and other stallholders!  

It is a pleasure to be able to help educate them in what we do and how we do it!  The feedback we receive from our customers and their appreciation is incredible (especially when they show up rainy days to support us) and it makes all the hard work worthwhile.

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No arguments here!  From punters to stallies, everyone loves the Nashdale crew and we thank Katie for giving us a little insight in to life on the land and from where we stand, the love that they put in to their crops is reflected not just by the quality of their produce but by returning customers they have week in, week out.

Best bit?  As their branding says "100% Australian Owned and Grown"...read it, live it, love it.

Gee Love.....guess who LOVES Marrickville Markets!!

When did you first discover the wonders of Marrickville Markets

I've been a fan of organic food ever since I got introduced to id.  I decided to ease into the organic lifestyle slowly and did some research about organic shopping online.

This is where i came across Organic Food Markets!  Hence the Marrickville Markets!

We love your Facebook comment and love that you shared it with the world!  Are we correct in guessing that your time at market is not a fly-in/fly-out experience....and it is a solo or group expedition?

I intended my first trip to be a fly-in/fly-out, but the stalls were just so irresistible that I stayed for about an hour or so.  I now leave my weekly shopping to Sundays and even if I have finished purchasing my weekly goodies, I stay back and keep an eye out for things I'd most likely try the following week.

The day i posted that status on Facebook, I was just overwhelmed with the energy and experience while shopping in the morning!  Loved, loved, loved every minute of it!

Who is your favourite stallie and why

The dearest (closest to my heart) to me is the fruits and veggies stall.  After having non-organic food for so many years, I straight away see the difference in colour, texture and smell of the product.

My parents aren't fully aware of the difference between organic and non-organic food but now that I've squeezed the organic fruits and veggies into their diet, they love it too!  They keep talking about how different and nutritious it all looks and tastes.  Fruits and veggies are my staples at the market.

I also love the nuts and spices stall!! I Buy dates from there each week and last week the man who served me got me to try some dried mangoes and it was delicious!  I didn't even ask for it, so it was really nice.

In your opinion, what is it about markets like ours that are an important part of not only the local community but for those dedicated shoppers who travel quite a distance if nothing else than to get their fave organic pantry staples

It is the diversity and the healthy food range available to suit everybody's needs!  it is where one can shop for products, trusting that it is safe and all natural.  Knowing that we are able to get food that our bodies were actually made for adds to the excitement of shopping at Marrickville Markets!

How would you sum up Marrickville Markets in 5 words

Diverse

Addictive

Organic

Healthy

Fabulous!

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There is only one way to end this wonderful little interview.  Below is an example of Gee Love's addiction to all things organic and Marrickville Market and we will annotate with her words cause there ain't nothing like the real thing!

I call it the "organic tower".  Sprouted multi grain lightly toasted with organic free range boiled eggs, organic avocado and tomato.  Nomnomnom

Herbs of Life

Can you give us a little bit of history as to the beginnings of Herbs of Life and why you chose this life's path

It all started around February 2012, upon return from Bolder (Colorado) after a second stint of studying at the School of Natural Medicine.  I was greatly inspired by traditional medicine and the plant world, and wanted to create and share herbal formulas and teas and the market place provided just that conduit to get the great medicine of herbs to people.

So I began creating different teas, blends and singles as use for teas and selling at a range of local markets in my area.

From there the business grew and the product range also grew. 

Soon I realised that there was so much more to traditional medicine than the humble herbal tea.  

Food is our first medicine and healer. Subsequently I began to put into practice some of the things I learned about food to create a variety of delicious raw snack foods.

Bucca's Mountain Cottage kombucha plays a huge role in the business.  This all started around late 2008 to very early 2009 when my father and I first started creating our first batch of kombucha elixir.

Back then I was an Engineer and for 8 months in 2008 I was in Wisconsin (USA). During that time I somehow picked up a stomach bug and wasn't well with my digestion.  A friend at the time recommended kombucha "perhaps the probiotics may balance the bacteria".

I wasn't sure what she was talking about at the time for I was completely lost and unconscious to life giving food.  So I tried my first bottle and to my surprise I started feeling better and as I drank a bottle daily I began to regain my stomach strength and digestion, and my general well being was improving greatly.

I needed to get some when I returned to Australia but where???  I couldn't find any! So I began making some: from a lucky small SCOBY (a symbiotic culture of friendly bacteria and yeast).  

First in small batches for myself and family, then experimenting in flavours and tastes, until finally I achieved a consistent brew that was palatable and full flavoured.

Believe it not, every batch is brewed from an offspring from the original SCOBY first purchased: in essence they're all related and carry the same culture or gene pool from the previous.  It's wonderful to think how far this blood line can go.....

Putting the Engineering career on hold and exploring life's journey into traditional medicine from 2011, last three and a half years has taken me through personal healing (both physical and spiritual), learning what true healing is all about and thus fast forward to 2012 and along with the already existing herbal tea range, my father and I began producing a line of kombucha for the public.

Kombucha: an increasingly popular alternative drink for many.  What exactly is Kombucha and why are its properties important to our overall wellbeing

Kombucha is a raw fermented tea beverage, high in digestive enzymes and probiotics. Its main property is for digestion providing the necessary but essential flora our guts require for health and wellbeing.  It also creates a gentle detox for the liver, kidneys and urinary tract, thus providing an overall health elixir both your body and mind can enjoy.

As we (as human beings) are made up of living cells, it is important to take in living cells: "living cells for a living body".  As kombucha is a raw live cultured food, it's packed full of living cells which when digested assimilate into the body very well and feeds our own living cells.

Inevitably this is what ultimate energy and longevity really is: to take in foods that feed and nourish our cells.

As a stallholder at our markets have you noticed any trends in the way that people shop (ie: as their awareness/education of alternative therapies and food grows, they therefore become more selective in what they choose to purchase whether it be organic, natural or fair trade)

People are waking up; they realise that there is a world beyond what were once culturally exposed to.  They demand organic, they want local, to shop direct from the farmer or producer or chef.

To be able to ask questions about the product and in turn create the opportunity for an informative purchase/or conscious purchase.  When you can see the farmer or creator, you are able to trust the product and as a result customers can trust the markets, and in turn the markets create a name for itself as having to be the market for producers and growers: it's a positive reputation based on supporting local and organic.

What has been one of the highlights since you started trading at our markets

The people!  Seeing the diversity at the markets and being up close to customers.

This has allowed Herbs of Life to answer questions and enquiries by customers as well as supporting them with great local food.

What 5 words would you use to encourage those who may still be hesitant in trying your products

Be consciously aware of food!

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On that note we thank Daniel for giving us a little bit of education on the not so mysterious world of Kombucha and how his own discovery is now his way of life.

You can catch his stall at Hornsby on Thursdays, Marrickville on Sundays and occasionally popping up at one of our others!