Grey Lynn 2030 Transition Community

Are you proud of your home grown veges?

Ponsonby News has launched its inaugural vegetable competition to be held at the Grey Lynn Community Centre, home of the Grey Lynn Farmers’ Market on Sunday 19 February.

Yates Garden Guide suggests some vegetable varieties which will be ready for harvest in February includes: beans, beetroot, brocolli, cabbage, carrots, courgettes, cucumber, garlic, leeks, lettuce, potatoes, spinach, tomatoes. The Ponsonby News team hope to have enough entries of these to have prize certificates for the best plate of each vegetable (perhaps 4-6 per plate), followed by a reserve champion and grand champion vegetable.

Vegetables will be grouped together where there are not sufficient entries for a separate category.Prizes will be awarded for: Best children’s grown vegetables; Best plate of salad greens; Traffic light trio (perhaps a yellow capsicum, a cucumber and a carrot); Most unusual vegetable (type, shape or colour).

Entries must be brought to the Grey Lynn Community Centre before 10am on Sunday 19 February, the third Sunday in February. (the same morning as the Farmers Market.  Judging  will be at 12 noon).

Local chef Sid Saharawat of Sidart, Ponsonby is one of at least two judges, who will assess the merits of entries for suitable gourmet dishes.We know lots of locals have vegie gardens – don’t be shy -your vegetables don’t have to be the biggest (those have probably had poisonous sprays all over them!), but it is an opportunity to promote healthy home produce, fresh, cut straight for the salad,  with no food miles necessary and good healthy exercise for all family members.It’s all about the participation and we’re certain many of you would love to have  a winning certificate to show the grandchildren.

To enter please email info@ponsonbynews.co.nz by 8 February. To cover hall costs, there will be an entry fee of $2 per family.

Unique to the Grey Lynn Farmers’ Market is the community trading table. Back garden growers can bring their excess produce to sell at the table. It works on an honesty box system. Bundle, label and price your produce to leave at the table with a container for coins. Come back at the end of the market to collect your earnings and anything unsold.

The table started at the market in April 2011 as a bit of an experiment to fill the gap left when the Ooooby ended their stall to focus on weekly food boxes. It has become a much loved and popular part of our market that goes beyond just selling home grown veges for extra pocket money. It is a central place to meet, exchange ideas and marvel over the wonders of what can be grown in a back garden.

It is therefore of huge concern that the trading table, as well as the market as a whole, is under treat because of the onerous food regulations proposed in the draft Food Bill. The bill aims to update 30-year-old legislation to better protect consumers and create a new framework for food safety. We  support a review of the Food Act 1981 as it needs to be updated, unfortunately the Bill as drafted:

• Places onerous and potentially expensive compliance costs on small operators. This is particularly worrying for traders at farmers’ markets who already operate within limited margins
• Requires small growers, people who sell food directly to consumers, and those who barter or swap food to have a “national safety plan”. It is unlikely the trading table would be able to continue with these requirements
• Includes seeds for cultivation and food seedlings in the current definition of “food” thereby extending the scope of the Bill to seed exchanges
•  Gives excessive powers to food safety officers to  to enter and search premises without a warrant in some circumstances and use any force necessary, while being immune from civil or criminal liability.

Food safety is a paramount consideration at the farmers markets and we recognise the need to take a best practice approach to keeping our customers healthy. There are many aspects of the Food Bill that improve the approach of the current legislation. However we want to ensure the Food Bill does not have the potential to threaten farmers markets and the unique role they play in encouraging local food production and access to reasonably priced produce.

The GLFM will be calling on the Minister for Food Safety, Kate Wilkinson to respond to the genuine concerns about the Food Bill. There is still time to make amendments to the Bill so we can look forward to keeping our trading table operating within a vibrant farmers market providing fresh, local and seasonal produce to our community.

Pippa Coom, Chair Grey Lynn Farmers’ Market Management Committee

Grey Lynn Farmers Market featured on a Campbell Live item on the Food Bill, 22 November 2011 

Petition opposing the Food Bill

Interested in using the Trading Table? Free for Friends of the Market or $3 per casual user . More details here

Grey Lynn’s last market of the year is a special one- off outside Christmas Market with live entertainment all morning:

• Our favourite sea shanty group, the Royal Fortune from 10am -11.30am
• Grey Lynn Community Choir at 11.30am
• The lovely sweet tunes of the Ukeladies   midday – 1pm

All our regular stallholders will be there as well as a full range of lunchtime food options including the Mexi-Kai truck

Note venue change for this Sunday only:  Carpark of the Grey Lynn Neighbourhood Law Office, between the Gypsy Tea Lounge and Nature Baby on Richmond Road.

And extended hours: Sunday 18th December 9am to 1.00pm

This is our last market of the year.  The Grey Lynn Farmers Market will reopen on Sunday 15th January 2012

At the Grey Lynn Farmers Market. FREE for Friends of the Market ($2 everyone else). 11.15am start in the Oval Room of the Grey Lynn Community Centre

Chickens at Home Seminar – Sunday 6th November

If you’ve ever wondered about whether you could have chickens at your place, this is the workshop for you.  Susie from Chickens at Home will introduce you to the basics of keeping chickens in your backyard. She’ll cover their food and care requirements and look at some different hen house options.

Composting in the City Sunday 13th November
with the Wilton St Community Garden Composters

Is your compost heap a little smelly or unbalanced?  Learn the secrets to amazing sweet smelling compost that deals with your kitchen and garden waste and improves your soil at the same time.  This workshop will be lead by the expert composters from the local Wilton Street Community Gardens.

Dirt Doctor: Bringing Life to your Soil Sunday 20th November

The Dirt Doctor’s philosophy is about building healthy soil that will in turn grow healthy and nutrient rich plants.  Dirt Doctor presenter Pania Robinson will give this introduction seminar that will cover bringing life to tired soil and growing lots of food in small spaces.

Yes this weekend is all about the RWC final (go the ABs!) but here is a great reason to keep it local as well with the Spring Festival at our fabulous market on Sunday. 

FOOD: ENTERTAINMENT: FACE PAINTING: MUSIC – and all the regular stall holders including masses of seasonal spray free produce at great prices

Outstanding in their Fields- grass roots cooking on 10am -12pm

2011 Culinary Fares Chef of the Year David Schofield will be conducting cooking demonstrations with fresh Farmers’ Market ingredients.  David will be cooking out of the mobile kitchen that has been touring Farmers Markets all over New Zealand during the Rugby World Cup as part of the Outstanding in their Fields event for the REAL New Zealand Festival.

The programme
9am  Lucia and Clare from from the Grey Lynn Ukeleles

10am Outstanding in their Field cooking demonstration

10.30am Story telling with Phineous Phrog

midday  The Royal Fortune is a fun-time ballad sea shanty group will be entertaining us

Our MC for the event will be Thomas Watts, media-personality, guitarist from Viillainy and Grey Lynn Farmers Market regular shopper. A born and bred Grey Lynner, he’s swapping his guitar for a microphone to entertain us between music and cooking demonstrations.

Specials for Friends of the Market
Farmhouse Freedom Farms bacon is going to be on a permanent special for Friends of the Market!
Friends will receive 10% off any purchase of bacon at our new Farmhouse bacon stall from now on

Blackwoods Bakery on going special for friends is 3 breads for $10

Salmon Man 10% off (this market only)

Spring Festival

9am-2pm (extended hours)
Sunday 23rd October
Grey Lynn Community Centre, 510 Richmond Road

Grey Lynn Farmers’ Market Spring Festival
9am-2pm (extended hours)
Sunday 23rd October
Grey Lynn Community Centre, 510 Richmond Road

FOOD: ENTERTAINMENT: FACE PAINTING: MUSIC

Outstanding in their Fields- grass roots cooking 

2011 Culinary Fares Chef of the Year David Schofield will be conducting cooking demonstrations with fresh Farmers’ Market ingredients.  David will be cooking out of the mobile kitchen that has been touring Farmers Markets all over New Zealand during the Rugby World Cup as part of the REAL New Zealand Festival.