Saturday, 17 November 2012

Marrickville Organic Markets


If you are looking for an authentic, relaxed, quality market experience then look no further than the Marrickville Organic and Farmers market.

Held every Sunday* (8.30am – 3pm) at the Addison Road Centre (142 Addison Road, Marrickville 2204) you could easily be forgiven for thinking you have stumbled across a Byron Bay style folk festival in all its indie glory! 

The food stalls are the heroes of this market with fruit and vegies, milk, cheeses, wines, breads, pastries, cakes, cupcakes, biscuits, smoked fish, Thai food, crepes, coffee and pies all begging to be bought and greedily devoured – preferably while basking in the dappled sunlight at the grassy end of the markets as you are serenaded by the gentle strum of a guitar! 

The yellow Certified Organic signs on the stalls easily identify all organic produce.  Chatting to the stall operators is strongly encouraged, not only because it’s polite, but also because you will begin to get a sense of how much each of them truly believes in and/or has hand crafted their product for your consumption.  It is this accessibility and authentic, rustic charm that bring people back to these markets week after week.  That and the undeniable quality of the produce!

Some of the stalls sell seasonable produce and may only operate in the appropriate months, giving you ample opportunities to avoid getting stuck in a ‘gastro rut’ – only visiting the same few stalls week after week.

There is a small offering of clothing, books, stationery and home wares (both new and secondhand) towards the end of the stalls.  The fact that you are not overwhelmed with ‘material’ goods for sale only adds to the beautiful nature of these markets.

Anyone who drives in Sydney and spends the GDP of a small country on parking will be thrilled to hear that you are able to park for free in the surrounding streets.  For those who like to travel by public transport, the 428 bus stops right outside the gates.

On one of my recent sojourns to the Marrickville markets, I spied a ‘being slightly famous’ face casually browsing the food stalls (with her PA and brother in tow, of course!), her boho-chic ensemble enabling her to easily blend in with the diverse, colourful crowd.

Marrickville markets are where beautiful produce, combi vans, 747s and the Subaru set happily co-exist in urban bliss.

*The Sunday morning timeslot may go a long way to explaining the subdued ambience of these markets!

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