buy local at the market

NSW Gaia Farmers’ Market Every Thursday Young people who had gone to the city to study and work are returning home to Ulladulla, and bringing with them ideas and enthusiasm for new projects. Some grow food and need a market for their goods, while others just want access to fresh food — which is what the farmers’ market is all about. Tim Cooper brings his fresh vegetables down from Wandandian Organics. Gzone Hydroponics do a great line in cucumbers and tomatoes (yep, year round), and Dewsburys Free-range Pork has good-value pork cuts and boxes. Pia Winberg, from Bomaderry, attends about once a month with seaweed for all sorts of culinary applications. Waste issues are being tackled head on: the market is a site for Boomerang Bags, hand-sewn bags made from recycled materials which aim to reduce the use of plastic bags (boomerangbags.org). Ulladulla Civic Centre, Princes Highway, Ulladulla. 2pm–5pm. 0406 995 469; facebook. com/gaiafarmersmarket NSW Bega Farmers’ Market Every Friday There’s an active network of farmers markets in south-east NSW, with a market held somewhere in the Bega Valley most days of the week. The development of these markets has been due to the hard work of volunteers and SCPA, a community-run group that understands the importance of local food production and supply in an isolated community where shops only hold enough stock for three days at a time. SCPA has two stalls at the market. One represents up to 10 difffferent growers, while at the members’ stall, anyone can sell what they’ve grown. Littleton Gardens, Zingel Place, Bega. 8am–1pm. 0417 860 798; scpa.org.au