The Gympie Regional Council’s Town Centre Growers Market has come a long way in just over a year of operating as an outlet for farmers and producers to sell their wares direct to the public on the first and third Wednesday of each month.

Originally in Mary St, the markets moved around the corner a few months ago to the grassy, shady and much more inviting Memorial Park.

Running from 7.00am until 1.00pm, the market hosts up to 30 stalls depending on the season, with everything from fruit and vegetables, seafood, poultry, pork, lamb, goat, freshly roasted macadamia nuts, tailor-made juices, spice mixes, eggs, breads and cakes.

One of the outstanding things about this market is its unerring integrity; the people who produced the food are the ones behind the stalls selling it. That means you get a true representation of seasonal food in the region each fortnight and have an opportunity to really connect with the growers and get to know them personally.

Each time I make it there on a Wednesday morning there’s something new and interesting to see and I have no doubt it will only continue to grow as time goes on.

Here are just a few of the stalls I managed to grab a pic of last time I was up there.

I’ll be doing some cooking demos next Wednesday the 21st which incorporate some of the produce from them. I hope to see you there.

CC’s Kitchen

CC and her husband Greg have a farm at Woolooga, west of Gympie, where they grow all manner of interesting produce including okra, rosellas, gooseberries, snake beans and cassava, as well as standards like tomatoes, beans and chillies.  They sell whatever fresh produce they have available each week, and CC turns a lot of what they grow into her amazing jams, chutneys and sauces which are constantly changing depending on the season. This year the family held their inaugural rosella festival at the property in May, and CC’s love of this delicious hibiscus fruit sees her constantly coming up with inventive ways to enjoy it. Word has it she’ll have a new rosella balsamic glaze and a rosella chutney to go with your Christmas ham available at the next market on the 21st of December.

Wharenui Avocados

John Tidy is the sort of person who you’ll go and buy an avocado from even if you don’t need an avocado. Always happy and generous, John is a true character of the markets and is much-loved by his regular customers. As well as avos, he normally sells his own honey and ginger and he has great pineapples for most of the year.

Purity Essential Oils

I cook with Zelda’s dried lemon myrtle a lot. Particularly in marinades for seafood or in cakes and biscuits. She has lemon myrtle available in many forms, dried, powdered, as a tea, and as an essential oil which she distills on her property at Goomboorian. She uses the oil to make soaps, creams and beauty products. A great Chrissy present idea. She also has aniseed myrtle and tea tree products. You can find out more about the process in one of my previous blogs “Pure Gold”.

Mama Dees

Very much a family affair, Mama Dees has developed a cult following for their moorish doughnuts, breads, cakes and muesli. Last time I was at the markets I brought home a jar of their zucchini pickles and it was gone in a day! Within the next week they’ll be opening a permanent shop in Channon St so we’ll have access to their goodies more than fortnightly.

Piggy in the Middle

Cousins Dean and Mason and their families produce free range pork, lamb, chickens and eggs at their farms in Kilkivan and bring whatever they have available to the markets each fortnight. I’m a big fan of their whole chooks, pork cutlets and lamb shoulders.

Unreel Seafoods

If you’re looking for prawns for Christmas then look no further. Ivan has cooked and green prawns, as well as bugs, crabs and a great range of locally caught, individually vacuum packed fish fillets.

Southern Cross Smallgoods

Dean Quick breeds goats on his farm at Sexton and processes the meat into fresh cuts, salamis and sausages. My favourites are his whole peppercorn salami and his chorizo sausages. I’ve also cooked a lot with his whole shoulders of goat, slow roasting them until they become meltingly soft. Look out for the selection of mangoes Dean brings along this time of year as well. I usually grab a handful of each variety so I get to try them all. His Nam Doc Mai (a Vietnamese variety eaten green) make a refreshing summery salad when shredded finely and mixed with seafood.

The Juice Caboose

These guys make seriously good smoothies and juices, and they also stock all the extra bits you could possibly want to add like protein powders, maca, chia seeds, cocoa nibs and dates. A great way to start your day as you wander around the markets.

Mary Valley Country Harvest

Bruno and Trish Gabbana are legends in the market world, and they really know how to grow great produce. Keep an eye out for their range of heirloom zucchini varieties, leafy greens, herbs, tomatoes and free range eggs.

Goomong Garlic

I’m pretty fussy about garlic. So when it arrives fresh and local in the markets I stock up. Goomong have produced a small amount of garlic this season with a view to increasing their production next year. Be sure to stock up while there’s still some around>