Hawkes Bay Farmers Market

Who doesn’t love a good wander around a Farmers Market on a sunny, Sunday morning?
A few weeks ago I came back to the Hawkes Bay to stay with family, a trip I had planned around visiting the Wildflower Sculpture Exhibition. My daughter had also suggested we call into the Hawke’s Bay Farmers Market on the way, and oh boy, what a market it is!

It turns out this isn’t just any old Farmers Market. But old (ish) it is - in that it has been running for 20 years and is one of the largest and longest-running markets in New Zealand. I was immediately caught up in the atmosphere of the market, wandering from stall to stall on this gorgeous Sunday morning, music playing, people having picnics, friends bumping into other friends. There was such a cool, relaxed vibe about the place and for me, this market was the epitome of a perfect Sunday morning – and the perfect Farmers Market.

I could have spent all morning here if we didn’t have other plans. You can fill the fridge for the week with all the fruit and veges on offer. The prices are amazing, everything is so, so fresh, and if you’re after vegetables that are a little unusual you will quite possibly find them here. I discovered kohlrabi, a lovely, light green vege that looks like a turnip and is a member of the cabbage family, but it tastes a bit likes a sweeter, more peppery version of broccoli stems. Kohlrabi sounds like a rather confused vegetable, but I learnt that it goes very well in salads.

If you’re after a fresh new salad for summer, try this quick and simple creation;

Thinly slice a couple of heads of kohlrabi (a mandolin is perfect for this), add a bunch or two of finely shredded spring onions, a few quartered radishes and a teaspoon of salt, then set it aside for 30 minutes. The salt will draw out any excess liquid.

While you’re waiting, mix together some mayo (175g), add a dash of horseradish (50g) and a teaspoon or two of cracked black pepper, quantities to suit your taste buds of course. Rinse and squeeze any excess water from the veges, mix with the dressing and there you have it!

I’d love to go back to the market just to get more photos of the coolest oyster mushrooms I have ever seen! The pink mushrooms from Good Vibes Fungi are artwork in themselves, and you can even buy your own wee mushroom farm in a box. 

I only took my camera to the market because I didn’t want to leave it in my car, locked up in the heat, but I couldn’t help taking a few photos. I wanted to capture all the colours, the textures and maybe a bit of the vibe. Lifestyle photography is my favourite genre, capturing the real, in-the-moment photos of everyday life and I absolutely love the vibrancy I’ve caught in these photos.

The fresh flowers from Hara’s Flowers were simply and utterly beautiful. The peonies were just gorgeous and this was a market stall full of garden love.

Kanapu Hemp Foods – you can’t miss their awesome black cart. Their product, their branding and their smiles are all top notch. If you are after the best in hemp seed flakes or oil to add to your culinary delights then you have to stop here! I tried a wee sample of this locally grown range and loved it’s nutty flavour, and it’s full of so much goodness!

A few other favourites were Aquiferra olive oils – I could’ve hung out at their stand all morning sampling all their different oils.

Monsieur Macaron – lots of French deliciousness… how could I not buy a macaron or three?

ChopMate had a great range of chopping boards, platters, pizza plates, and a very clever picnic wine table all made using native and sustainably sourced exotic timbers. If you’re after a gift or want to treat yourself, check them out. I just love the smell of natural, oiled timber.

As we left the market, we bought a few orange juice ice blocks from Henry’s Juice and they were exactly what we needed as the morning warmed up. There’s nothing like fresh fruit juice that’s been frozen on a stick.

This blog isn’t sponsored in anyway at all, I just had such a lovely morning here and wanted to share my photos with you, in the hope that if you are in the Hawkes Bay, you might take the time to pop along to Hastings one Sunday morning and enjoy it as much as we did. You will find plenty of good coffee and pastries, and the kids can check out the huge 20th Year Commemorative Rooster sculpture.

Enjoy a morning shopping outdoors - Buy local and support small businesses.

The Hawkes Bay Farmers Market is open every single Sunday, rain, hail or shine and if you want to find out more, you can check them out HERE.