Food Finds at the Market

Every third Saturday morning of the month is sacred on our calendar - it's when the North Sydney Produce Market is on. I have been known to organise our holidays to make sure we don't miss the market, or that we make sure we go to the market to stock up on quality produce before we head off.

Today was pretty special, as not only was it the first market of 2009, but I went earlier than I have ever been, as the Hubby was off to do an early run and I wanted to still be able to have brekkie with him afterwards. I arrived at 7:00 a.m., just when most of the stallholders had just finished seting up. The normally bustling lanes between the stalls were quiet still, and there was a really lovely camaraderie as the stallholders helped each other put up signs and exchange Christmas holiday stories over steaming cups of coffee. Naturally, the coffee stands were among the first to be set up.

So after getting my own cup of coffee from Whitham's, I proceeded to shop and chat with all the stallholders (good thing I didn't have the Hubby getting impatient by my side!) and found some real gems amongst the beautiful produce that was around.

First stop (as always to make sure the mesclun and choice herbs don't run out) was at the Darling Mills stall. Amongst my usual purchases, I found the most amazing bunch of Thai basil that I have seen. The bunch was big and lush, with every single leaf in pristine condition. Usually, bunches of this herb are pretty sparse and wilted, with lots of tell-tale black spots on the leaves that say this ain't a fresh bunch. I'm planning to try out David Thompson's mussels with Thai basil and possibly sneak in a few leaves in an orange curry with prawns.

These beautiful mixed berries were just too good to give a miss. It's the height of berry season at the moment, and I've lately been addicted to Whisk and Pin's Summer Muesli with cinnamon and honey yoghurt and strawberries. I can't wait to have breakfast with these berry gems sprinkled on top!

I then found a bunch of water spinach, also known as Siamese watercress in Thai cooking, and kangkong in Philippine cooking. I know, it's sad, but I got pretty excited as this veggie can be hard to find outside of say Chinatown and Asian fruit and veg shops. It also reminded me a lot of home, as I was quite fond of it when I was a kid - one of the few veggies that I actually ate and enjoyed. Mind you, I best enjoyed it with the leaves battered and deepfried - almost tempura-like in texture, so it's not a big surprise I loved it. I'm still deciding on what to do with it, but will quite likely keep it simple as a stir-fried side veggie to one of the Asian dishes on this week's menu.

The Hubby and I are tomato freaks, so I can't really go past punnets of really, tiny baby toms when I see them. I specially pounce on yellow tomatoes when I see them, as again they can be hard to find. They are a bit more common now than they used to be, but still a real taste and sight sensation when you've got them through a simple garden salad or through orechiette pasta with feta cheese, or even through couscous.

Finally, I found something I've never seen before: Spanish bulb spring onions! I'm a bit funny with onions - I only tend to cook and use red Spanish onions. I just prefer their flavour - they're sweeter and milder, and they're pretty versatile across cuisines. On the odd occasion I will buy brown or white onions, and of course, white bulb spring onions but only if the dish *really* needs them. So it was such a delight to see these gorgeous Spanish bulb spring onions. Problem is they're so gorgeous, I just want to look at them rather than cook them! I'm still looking for a way to use them, and will let you know how I go.