Slow Food Hunter Valley are surveying shoppers to find out whether the twice monthly market should be held between 12-5pm or 2-6pm all year round, and what day of the week is best.

The market is currently held between 2-7pm on a Thursday. 

The survey comes as earth market producers and volunteers prepare to meet on Friday to discuss the future of the market.

Read more: Maitland’s fresh food revolution 

Read more: Throw a Rosella in your glass

Shoppers have continued to support the initiative but the number of producers taking part has shrunk in the past few months. 

There are a variety of reasons behind this including a lack of produce at certain times of the year. 

Slow Food is looking for more small producers to help fill the gaps, including meat and egg farmers.

Merrifield Farm used to come to the market but pulled out for family reasons last year.

Egg producer Sarah Sivyer – who created the Just Been Laid brand – also pulled out when she launched an egg subscription service.  

The market has had two honey producers, but both of them haven’t been in The Levee recently.  

“We need smaller producers who have the time to come along to the market, we know shoppers have been looking for meat and eggs at the market for some time,” Ms Kelly said.

“Our stallholder numbers are down, producers go away when they don’t have produce to sell and come back when they do. It’s a big ask for a lot of our producers to spend half a day a fortnight to be off their farm.

“We need to make sure that we’ve got variety too – we had pecans last year and we’re looking for things like that which bring people in too.”

Click here to take the survey