A trip to the market is not a dash to the shops to grab a loaf of bread, but an experience that harks back to an era when shopping was a day out and not just a chore. John Pedler explores a selection of SA's markets...

 

The Myponga Wholesale Country Market

When: Weekends and public holidays.
Where: The Old Cheese Factory, Myponga.

Located inside the old cheese factory, the Myponga Market is a treasure trove of collectables, including old tools, glassware, china and LPs featuring artists who shaped the history of rock ’n’ roll. You’ll also find toys, clothes, candles, Balinese crafts and aromatic soaps with names like English cucumber, jojoba and buttermilk.

Willunga Farmers Market

When: Every Saturday.
Where: Willunga Town Square.

With considerations like food miles, non-GM, organics, low GI and gluten free becoming more important than price and convenience, shoppers are now seeking produce to suit not only their tastes and dietary needs, but also their ideologies. Whatever it is you’re after, you’ll find it here.

Adelaide Showground Farmers Market

When: Every Sunday morning.
Where: Leader Street, Goodwood.

You’ll find only SA-grown product here – to the extent that local wines must also contain locally grown grapes. The producers are encouraged to use local ingredients, so growers come up with inventive ways to ensure their stalls remain open all year around. The Merry Cherry Farms stall has dried cherries and juice for sale in the non-cherry months.

The Barossa Farmers Market

When: Every Saturday morning.
Where: Nuriootpa Rd/Stockwell Rd, Angaston.

Stallholders double as the growers, bakers, brewers and winemakers – especially in the fertile Barossa. Their enthusiasm is matched only by consumers' keenness to buy and scoff their tasty delights. If you’re going to stop for a treat, Steven’s Quality Raspberries produces raspberry sago dessert and raspberry vinegar that is a must.

Adelaide Hills Farmers Market

When: Every Saturday morning.
Where: 23 Mann Street, Mount Barker.

Here, you might fall in love with a roasted chicken pie and like the state’s other farmers’ markets, the produce here is all local and fresh. If the sheer deliciousness can’t entice you, perhaps the fact that you’re contributing to the local economy might. Memberships are also available to the public and can offer great discounts on already well-priced products.

Stirling Market

When: Fourth Sunday of the month.
Where: Druid Avenue – just off the main street.

Following similar philosophies to the farmers’ markets, but the range of goods here also extends to crafts, clothing, jewellery, furniture and other handmade creations. It’d be easy to while away a day wandering among the stalls beneath the sprawling canopies of Druid Avenue’s magnificent oak trees.

Macclesfield Market

When: Every Sunday.
Where: Macclesfield Institute Hall.

In the quaint town hall, I came across handicrafts that whisked me back to the 60s – when my mother was a dab hand at making coat hanger covers and tea cosies. The country-town atmosphere provides a perfect backdrop while you devour a home-cooked meal, prepared in the hall’s kitchen.

Read the full story in samotor e-magazine.