Watermelon and rockmelon vines are springing out of the earth across the city in anticipation of a bumper summer crop.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But with Maitland’s monthly produce markets in The Levee due to finish for the year on Thursday, producers are looking for new venues where they can sell their food direct to shoppers.
Oakhampton farmer Austin Breiner has echoed calls for a summer market where farmers can send their crops off to the city’s plates in return for a fair price.
He is expecting to pick several hundred watermelons and a couple of hundred rockmelons over the coming months.
He will spend several hours each day tending to his crops – which include a wide range of summer favourites – and he would hate to see the food wasted.
“We need to be able to sell direct to the consumer,” Mr Breiner said. “When I can’t sell it some of it ends up on friends’ verandahs.
“This is a wonderfully productive area and to see it slipping away into hobby farms and land that isn’t utilised is very sad.”
Slow Food Hunter Valley leader Amorelle Dempster, who has been running the market, will open her Readers Cafe and Larder in East Maitland each week to the farmers.
She called for other venue suggestions and urged anyone who had space to hold the markets to come forward.
The markets were held in The Levee under a trial and Slow Food is still discussing the 2017 schedule with Maitland council.
Ms Dempster dreams of a weekly farmers market.
She said the trial markets had shown there was a demand for local produce and farmers could expand their crop range to meet the needs of the shopper.
“The farmers have shown they are capable of keeping up the supply, it’s a good opportunity for shoppers to buy local and its an economic opportunity for the farmer,” Ms Dempster said.
“They have nowhere else to sell it unless they sell to the wholesale markets or sell off the farm.”
The last farmers market will be held on Thursday between 7am and 12 noon in The Levee outside Millers.