By Gretel Sneath
Four years ago, Chris and Michelle McColl were among a small band of like-minded Limestone Coast local producers who helped establish the Blue Lake City’s first dedicated farmers’ market.
Today, the couple who own Kalangadoo Organic is excited to watch as Mount Gambier Farmers’ Market grows.
“Our vision was to create a vibrant, fresh food market and social meeting place each Saturday morning, and this is exactly what we are seeing,” Michelle says.
“Farmers’ markets are growing in popularity around the world; it is a trend, and this is what we have been working towards, so it’s great to see things taking off,” she adds.
The push to shop ‘local’ continues to gain momentum, with the region’s largest regular farmers’ markets now enjoying unprecedented popularity.
Kalangadoo Organic’s Michelle McColl’s vision was to create a vibrant, fresh food market and social meeting place
A seasonal smorgasbord of Limestone Coast producers are joining the weekly Saturday morning line-up outside of Mount Gambier’s Public Library in the Cave Garden precinct, with heritage breed free-range pork and boutique beef pies from Burrungule among some of the newest additions to the ever-changing menu.
The market attracts people of all ages and backgrounds, and also draws in tourists curious to taste local fare.
Winter offerings have included: ocean trout from Beachport, apple juice, cider vinegar, and potatoes from Kalangadoo. There’s also Jersey milk, cheese and yoghurt from Robe, extra virgin olive oil from Hynam, point-of-lay hens from Karoo, and lentils and chickpeas from Naracoorte.
James Koop from Amblemead Produce Mount Gambier has just started farming heritage breed free-range pork
“The range of food shows how productive this area is,” says Michelle. “It’s seasonal, local, and it’s about community.”
Glenys Hughes, who is the market committee chair, says all of the produce has been grown within a 200 kilometre radius of Mount Gambier, with the line-up of stalls posted each week on the market’s Facebook page.
Each product is proudly sold by the person who grew it or made it, with the effort to ‘put a face to the food’ clearly paying off.
Kalangadoo potato grower, Peter Lowe
“More people are coming through each week and they are bringing bigger bags and baskets, which is exciting to see,” Glenys says.
“Some stalls are reporting a 50 per cent increase in sales turnover in the past few months, and have even been completely selling out, which is quite incredible for winter.”
Headline image is some local producers showcasing their produce at the Mount Gambier Farmers’ Market
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