MUCHOS GRACIAS!

quirky_way

Julia

borneo_vee

jackie_m

rindfleisch

rollerfit

Mai Creation

The Nutritionista

My Kitchen Stories

acully

The Backyard Picklery

Glory Box Designs

nat_bowie

thechairoom

Lee & Wami talk free range, organic and biodynamic

From free range eggs to biodynamic fruit and veg: you are now a well entrenched and much loved stallie at Marrickville Market.  What do you love most about market life

The markets are where you go to get something that is not available at your local store, an experience, something unusual or just a bargain.  We love being the one who brings this to people.

Your eggs literally "fly" out the door.  Can you explain what defines "organic" and "free range" and why they not only taste better, but more importantly, why we should choose to buy these types of eggs as opposed to those in the local supermarket

Well freshness is always a consideration and the usual story of supporting the little guys is a nice one too. What can I say: they are certified organic free range, no beak trimming with an open gate policy eggs: so if you ever want to pop in an ensure they are what they say they are then, you can!

Miso: we love it, the customers love it, it's something unique and you sell it ready to serve with hot water AND as a cookie!  What exactly is miso

Miso is a fermented condiment that is hugely popular in Japan and other Asian countries.  It has a strong pungent and very salty flavour.  This is the base stock which is used to make miso soup and has a whole variety of other uses and applications.

One of my personal favourites is miso on bread or crackers (whatever suits) with avocado: yum, yumm, yummmmmm!

It also makes a great dressing diluted with a little water or Mirin (Japanese rice wine vinegar), it is excellent as a marinade for meats (especially seafood)...the list goes on and on.  If ever you are stuck for ideas, do an online search for some suggested recipes.

The basics of making making Miso are:

Par cook brown rice/barley and soya bean.  Add a culture called Koji, water and salt. Put the mixture in a special room to ferment.  Once fermentation has taken place the Miso is then brought out and blended into a paste which some people think looks like peanut butter (I say this because this is the most common question we are asked..."oh! I thought it was peanut butter").

Miso is a wonderful superfood which is alive: if you look up the health benefits of Miso you will be richly rewarded!

Amongst your produce, you have biodynamic blueberries, mangos and insane tasting dragon fruit.  For those who may not fully understand, can you give us a bit of insight as to what "biodynamic" means, how it aids our overall wellbeing, why it's an important part of our daily intake of goodness and how it differs from say, organically grown produce

The quick answer for bio-dyniamic is "super organic".  You have all the organic principles that you must follow and then have another set of principles above and beyond that which must be adhered to.  The benefits to the earth and land have been shown many times over in research that has been carried out.

And what about us?  Well, I solemnly believe we should eat what we are guided to by our own intuition as we have the ability to make the right choice for ourselves at each step of the way.

From your perspective, what is it about markets like Marrickville Market that form an integral part of the community and why should we, as consumers, support it as much as we can

The basic premise for markets, in our opinion, is it gives people a chance to experience something which is outside the norm of what you would find in other places.

If it tickles your fancy or floats your boat then head on over and join the fun!

**********

Reckon there's something in that for all of us don't you?

Take it from us, there is standing room only for these guys and once you taste their produce you will too will become enslaved to their goodness and have a bit of a laugh while you're at it

Birgitta the Queen of Baking!

When did you have your debut at Marrickville Markets, and how did that come about?

I think I have been here for about 6 years.  I actually started market life at Frenchs Forest Markets but wanted a market which closer for me I decided to give it a go.

I love Marrickville Markets because of its uniqueness and the customers are absolutely wonderful.  

Why the markets? I had returned from the USA after life as a professional chef and decided to try something totally different & it's just grown from there....and the journey continues!

You have an extraordinarily large (and ever increasing we must add!) fan base.  What is it about market life that keeps you baking?

Market life is an interesting business and not easy by any means.  It goes without saying, it's my customers who drive me.  They feel like an extended family and they also provide me with major input to my product range with suggestions and requests, which then provides me with the opportunity to go away, explore and create.

For me the big picture is this: there is nothing better than sharing food with others.

From a tiny little kitchen comes some of the world's amazing creations.  You have your core stock of goodies and have now ventured in to the world of gluten free (which we can personally attest to their deliciousness).  

From start to finish, how long does it take you to make these babies until they are ready for market?

I am continually searching for new ideas or variations of current ones.  Trends tend to dictate a little in what I make and that is as a result of requests from my customers.

Gluten free is a major example of this.  As allergies increase so then does the need to a) gain knowledge and b) find alternatives so as to accommodate and have it translated in my food. This cycle is never ending.

I can make variations of an idea and then make adjustments to what tastes good to me personally, which is a bit a "trial and error" process.

My customers are the final deciders because I will always let them know if it's a new product and then ask for their feedback, including any suggestions they feel might improve the product.

This process can take weeks sometimes or if I have struck the jackpot it will be an instant hit!

The best satisfaction for any stallie is when that golden 'sold out' sign goes up.  What has been your biggest sale of any product in one day?

Hmmmm. Well I guess the answer is a bit seasonal because at Christmas if I ever see another mince tart by Christmas Eve, there are times I would have to scream from the rooftops!

(insert screaming!)

But in winter it is always the Dulce de Leche Brownie

What does the future hold for the Queen of Baking?

At the moment I am starting my little big cake range, which is basically taking a cake like Raspberry Coconut (which is my best seller) and miniaturising it which you could take to afternoon tea's or as a gift.

They look sooooooo cute!

Beyond that?  Well it's about time I hit the web and joined the rest of the universe and expand access to those who can get themselves to the markets to find me!

**********

Fortunately for us, we CAN get to her at the Markets and so can you!  Every Sunday peeps, so if you haven't you must, cause once tried you will be forever enslaved!!

And cause we can, we would like to thank Ciao Mag for allowing us to include this great little article they did on our Queen of Baking recently.

Ciao Mag

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!

**********

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!

Sharing a little bit of love

The Lush Scoop

Nikole

bunny_griff

EQ

Amy

Miranda

weebirdy

The Jugernauts

almost end of July Shoutout!

Rebecca

@thelushscoop

@jaxzon5

@han_mars

adele

Morgan

@mrskatmosphere

@nattystylist

katie

Stefano