LITTLE more than 12 months ago, Maitland’s food bowl was on the brink of extinction.
An increasing population was transforming fertile farms into new housing estates and there was no balance between the need to eat and the need for shelter.
Farmers who had worked the land all their lives couldn’t see a future for their children on the farm and were convinced their days were limited.
Now the city is about to become the first place in Australia to be part of the earth market movement – a worldwide network of farmers’ markets that provides shoppers with access to quality produce that has been grown or transformed locally.
It comes after a Fairfax Media series, which looked at the bleak future of farming in the region, ignited a groundswell of support for local growers and helped start a monthly produce market in the central business district in May last year.
Today the region’s farmers will be celebrated at The Levee, in the city’s centre.
Not-for-profit group Slow Food Hunter Valley manages the market, with the support of Maitland City Council, and has watched it grow from a monthly venture with a handful of farmers to a twice-monthly market with 12 growers. The market allows farmers to sell directly to shoppers and receive a fair price for their products. It also gives shoppers the chance to chat to the grower, learn about seasonal produce and eat food that has travelled less than what’s offered elsewhere.
Shoppers can buy a wide range of seasonal fruit and vegetables at the market, along with red meat, chicken, eggs, savoury and sweet pastries, bread, honey, eggs and flowers.
The Earth Market, which is part of the slow food philosophy, boasts a rigorous process that ensures produce has been grown in the area, or has been sourced from a 100km radius and been locally transformed into another product.
It allows produce to be tracked, so shoppers know exactly where their food was grown, who grew it and how it has been handled since harvest. Slow Food Hunter Valley leader Amorelle Dempster said the earth market title helped ensure the produce market stayed true to its roots and showed shoppers it had integrity.
“This will be the first earth market in Australia,” Ms Dempster said.
“It’s incredible what we have been able to achieve in a little more than 12 months.
“It’s the next step for the market and nothing will change, the produce still has to be from local producers. There might be produce that has been picked or foraged in the area and then it has been transformed by different people into jams or relishes so shoppers can buy them when they are out of season.”
The market was farmer Matthew Dennis’s last shot at profiting from his crops. Last year the broadscale farmer was struggling to make a sustainable living once he had trucked his food to the Sydney markets and paid his bills. Now he has balanced his broadscale interests with niche farming, where he grows a smaller quantity of a wider range of vegetables. He’s also added a regular vegetable box to his repertoire that shoppers pick up from the farm and built up a customer base.
“It’s been great, I think it’s important to have an outlet where farmers can come and sell their food direct to the customer,” Mr Dennis said. “I planted a lot more than I thought I’d need this year and it’s not enough, I should have planted more. I’m still getting used to the demand.”
Mr Dennis’ son Liam, who would have been forced to choose a different career, is now working alongside his dad on the farm. “We’re continually planting and trying to get a bit more diversity … it’s trial and error,” Mr Dennis said. “You can’t rely on wholesalers to survive.
“If you’ve got smaller amounts you can sell direct to the public and they get a fresher product.”
The earth market will be officially launched at the August 3 produce market, which will fall during the Slow Food of Australia National Conference.
Passionate foodies from across the country will converge on Maitland from August 2-6 to immerse themselves in the city’s fresh food revolution and learn from the region’s farmers.
The five-day event will inspire, educate and entice communities all over the country to create their own fresh food chapter and help cement a future for their farmers.
Three of the region’s farms and a winery will open their gates so the foodies can see a variety of farming principles.
“We’re putting Maitland on the map and bringing like-minded people together,” Ms Dempster said.
“This is so exciting – to think what we have achieved in a little over 12 months, it’s absolutely incredible.
“This is an opportunity for them to learn from our farmers and pick up some tips they can take home.
“They want to come here to see what we have done with the market and there’s no reason why other slow food groups can’t achieve what we’ve done here.”
Anyone can attend the conference events. For more details visit www.slowfoodhuntervalley.com.au
