Every third Saturday of the month, the crowds start gathering from 7am to do their monthly shop at the North Sydney Produce Markets.
The reason for getting there that early? To beat the crowds who like to sleep to a civilised hour on a weekend, and who then create an enormous peak hour crush, which makes getting to the stands difficult.
The usual form is to grab a cup of coffee from one of the stands and then walk around the grounds tasting, looking, feeling and buying. All produce is very fresh, and very tempting. Those behind the stalls don't do a loud spruik, but do talk with considerable knowledge and passion about their goods.
For presentation, I believe the winner is the stand with the pigs trotters suspended above the counters full of sausages, pastrami and cured meats etc, which reminded me of the street markets in Paris. Somehow, I always end up tasting the Russian sausage but refuse to believe it is because I am "called" by the vodka in it.
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For personality, it is a difficult choice as the two chaps with their olive oils (highly recommend both the olive oil with blood red orange and the garlic and mint) and their aioli, chutneys etc, or the other two chaps who have all the lovely fig products, which go so well with the duck (especially their caramelised figs in jars) being sold at a nearby stand, which also sells spatchcock, partridge, chicken and rabbit. There are stands which only sell potatoes (many kinds but all with their names and uses listed on big boards), or only mushrooms (once again with many different types) or only apples (although they do also sell apple pies); another sells both the zucchini in fritters and zucchini flowers.
Other stands sell their own cheeses, milk, yoghurts and others their own lamb, while yet another has "stress free" Angus beef - and you get to have a taste from them all.
The fruit and vegetable stands are lovely to look at, as are the ones selling flowers, and the herb stand is very lush.
You do see a lot of the same people each month, along with their children and/or dogs and some turn the morning into a picnic, bringing their own chairs and rugs so that they can sit on the grass and enjoy the movement, the company and music being played by a busker.
The only problem with the market is that it isn't on every weekend, but being able to buy directly from the producer, being able to buy completely fresh produce, and being able to take part in the theatre of it all, is very satisfying.
