Eltham Farmers' Market

Spirli Strawberries
Products:
Strawberries
Local outlets:
Farm gate
Township/suburb:
Wandin North
Municipality:
Yarra Ranges
Notes (in their own words):

Available November to April. Spirli Strawberries is a small strawberry farm focused on growing a quality berry for taste and appearance.

Sporadical City Mushrooms
Products:
A range of mushrooms, mushroom products and mushroom kits
Local outlets:
Farmgate
Box schemes
(The Flying Zucchinis, Brunswick Healthy Fresh Food Boxes and Melbourne Food Hub)
Heide Makers Market
Township/suburb:
Alphington
Municipality:
Darebin
Notes (in their own words):

Sporadical City Mushrooms is a small urban mushroom farm which supplies a variety of mushrooms to both local restaurants and to the public through box schemes, farmgate sales and markets. They also sell vegan xo sauce, mushroom confit, cold smoked dried mushroom broth, mushroom kits, certified organic mushroom mulch, straw bales and handcrafted chopping boards. They also give farm tours and run mushroom growing workshops.

A good way to buy their mushrooms is by signing up for their 3 month, 6 month or 9 month supply of mushroom boxes, where you also choose how much you want in each box (pick up weekly or fortnightly from the farm in Alphington).  One off purchases also available and welcome. By buying directly from the farmer, you are guaranteeing yourself access to the freshest mushrooms while minimising your ecological food-print and investing in your local economy and food security. This is called Community Supported Agriculture or CSA for short.

Sporadical City Mushrooms aims to be a zero-waste company and chooses to grow their mushrooms in reusable plastic buckets instead of single use plastic bags like most other commercial growers. They believe that cities have a much bigger role to play in feeding themselves and that small scale farming and local food systems are essential for food security & sovereignty, a healthy environment and the future of our community and the planet.

In August 2022, Ann Stanley visited Sporadical City Mushrooms. Read her writeup of the visit.

The video below was produced by www.healthyfreshfoodboxes.com.

Sugarloaf Produce
Products:
A wide range of vegetables. Also, swiss brown mushrooms.
St Andrews General Store and Post Office
Township/suburb:
Strathewen
Municipality:
Nillumbik
Notes (in their own words):

Sugarloaf Produce is a small organic farm located at the base of Mt. Sugarloaf and the Kinglake Ranges. They are the 5th generation to farm this property. Composted organic matter is the key to growing their produce, and all of their compost is made on site using a mixture of farm green waste, cow, sheep and poultry manure, sawdust from their mill and other organic materials. Other biological techniques used on the farm include crop rotation, mixed cropping and mixed stocking. Beneficial compost teas are sprayed on crops regularly, and plentiful habitat is provided for beneficial insects in their vast bushland areas.

Produce includes: beans, beetroot, broad beans, broccoli, capsicum, carrot, cauliflower, chilli, cucumber, eggplant, garlic, globe artichoke, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, pumpkin, radish, rhubarb, rocket, silverbeet, spinach, tomatoes and zucchini.

Tabouli Rasa
Products:
Salads, hummus, dips and falafel
Local outlets:
Notes (in their own words):

Tabouli Rasa sell salads, hummus, dips and falafel. Their salads include: tabouli, beetroot and lentils, slow, quinoa and roasted veggies. Their dips include: natural hummus, beetroot hummus, pumpkin hummus, baba ganoush and Moroccan carrot. All of their products are vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free, with no preservatives. All are made using products sourced from within Victoria.

The Cake Stall
Products:
Cakes and croissants. Also, sausage rolls, pies and quiche.
Local outlets:
Township/suburb:
Eltham
Municipality:
Nillumbik
Notes (in their own words):

The Cake Stall is a home-based patisserie who concentrate on quality ingredients for quality tastes. Their sweet products include: almond croissants, baked cheesecakes, tarts, flans, brownies, muffins and whole cakes. Their savoury products include: homemade sausage rolls, pies and quiche.

The Mushroom Co
Products:
A range of exotic mushrooms and mushroom kits
Township/suburb:
Ringwood
Municipality:
Maroondah
Notes (in their own words):

The Mushroom Company grows shiitake, shimeji, brown oyster, enoki, king oyster and black fungi mushrooms and sell them at farmers’ markets. In winter, they grow chestnut mushrooms and nameko as well, and they are the only company in Australia to grow nameko. The mushrooms are grown as spawns in test tubes, then transferred to jugs with cooked grains, then transferred to mushroom bags. No chemicals are used. They also sell growing kits if you like to experiment with growing your own. The only thing they spray on their mushrooms is clean water. If you visit them at a farmers’ market, Wendy will introduce all of the mushrooms to you, as well as some recipes for you to enjoy them.

The Mushroom Shed
Products:
Herb and veggie seedlings.
Local outlets:
Bundoora Park Farmers’ Market
Township/suburb:
Montmorency
Municipality:
Banyule
Notes (in their own words):

Despite their name, The Mushroom Shed no longer sell either mushrooms or mushroom kits.

Rather, they grow and sell a wide range of herb and veggie seedlings in pots and punnets – concentrating on heritage and unusual varieties.

The Natural Pasta House
Products:
A variety of pastas, including spelt. Sauces.
Local outlets:
Notes (in their own words):

Manufacturer of artisan pasta, sauces, ravioli, agnolotti, gnocchi, cannelloni and lasagne, all made using premium local ingredients. No artificial ingredients, no bulking agents. All made on the premises, naturally and fresh.

The Sweetest Moment
Products:
Vegan, gluten free, sugar free cakes, muffins, biscuits and pastries
Local outlets:
Notes (in their own words):

All products are freshly made in a home-registered kitchen with professional standards. The Sweetest Moment provides an alternative healthy choice for people wishing to eat good quality gluten free products. With many years of expertise in the baking industry, their aim is to provide good quality homemade patisserie products that satisfy and tantalise the taste-buds of those who try our products. Also, a lot of their products are mainly gluten-free as they feel there is a need to provide for those seeking alternative health diet.

(Featured image curtesy of www.sixinchheel.com/?s=eltham)

Thriving Foods Farm
Products:
A wide range of vegetables. Also, eggs.
Certified Organic
Notes (in their own words):

Thriving Foods Farm is a regenerative, Certified Organic, chemical-free farm. Their produce includes: beetroot, cauliflower, cucumber, eggplant, broccoli, kale, leeks, lettuce (cos, green and red frilly), onions, parsley, pumpkins, radishes, silverbeet, spring onions, tomatoes and zucchini. They also sell eggs, where their chickens are pasture fed with a very low stocking density (10 birds per hectare).

Tonemade
Name:
Products:
Beef bone broth and jus
Certified Organic ingredients
Local outlets:
ACME Clinic, Montmorency
Synergy Fitness & Wellbeing, Templestowe
Notes (in their own words):

Tonemade’s broth is a nutritious and delicious way to promote good gut health, boost your immunity and nourish your joints. It is available in both liquid and dehydrated forms. The meat, vegetable and spice ingredients are all Certified Organic. Tonemade simmer their broth for 48 hours to create a natural and readily absorbed source of minerals and amino acids. Medicinal ingredients such as ginger, turmeric and cinnamon not only add to the potential healing properties but also contribute to the taste.

Top Hundred Acres
Products:
Eggs (certified Free Range by FRFA).
Local outlets:
Farm gate – Friday & Saturday, 9am-5pm.
Health Bar Melbourne, Research
Township/suburb:
Yan Yean
Municipality:
Whittlesea
Notes (in their own words):

Top Hundred Acres’ produce is nurtured from the ground up using sustainable, chemically-free farming practices. They supply pastured eggs and garlic fresh from their farm to local stores, cafes, restaurants, caterers and direct to you.

Their hens (around 1,000 in number) are not de-beaked or wing clipped; their stocking density is less than 700 birds per hectare; they are fed natural grains (no yolk dye or meat meal); and they are rotated to fresh pasture (using portable sheds and fencing).

Situated in the heart of the Plenty Valley, Top Hundred Acres’ farm has been in the family for three generations and counting.

Ummu Gozleme
Products:
Gozleme (savoury, stuffed Turkish flatbread)
Local outlets:
Notes (in their own words):

Gozleme is savoury, stuffed Turkish flatbread. Ummu Gozleme’s varieties include: spinach & cheese; zucchini & cheese; leek & cheese; and nutella.

Yarra Coffee
Products:
Coffee and chai
Certified Organic ingredients
Local outlets:
Brunswick Flea Market
Coburg Night Market
Local brands sold:
Cunliffe & Waters
Township/suburb:
Lilydale
Municipality:
Yarra Ranges
Notes (in their own words):

Yarra Coffee have been roasting coffee for more than 20 years using Arabica coffee beans sourced from around the world. Their range includes certified organic and fairtrade coffee, plus a selection of teas. Their products can be purchased either online or at their cafe, where they also serve coffee, tea, light lunches, cakes and biscuits, plus a range of coffee equipment and accessories. At the cafe, they choose a single origin every week to feature.

They also sell cups of coffee, chai and hot chocolate at selected markets. The coffee uses certified organic and fairtrade coffee. The chai that they blend is also made from certified organic ingredients.

Finally, they wholesale their coffee to cafes and restaurants across the Yarra Valley to Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula.

Yarra Valley Gourmet Sausages
Products:
A wide range of gourmet sausages
Local outlets:
Own shop
Bundoora Park Farmers’ Market
Yarra Glen Racecourse Market
Township/suburb:
Mooroolbark
Municipality:
Yarra Ranges
Notes (in their own words):

More than 20 varieties of gourmet sausages made from beef, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey and duck. All varieties are gluten free and low in fat, using only fresh, in-season herbs and vegetables, with all ingredients sourced locally where possible.