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About 250 broccoli, cauliflower and romanesco have flown off the shelves in two days to help farming duo Matthew and Liam Dennis.
Readers Cafe and Larder owner Amorelle Dempster said people had flocked to her premises to do their bit in a COVID-19 safe way and the Dennis family were overwhelmed with the response.
More than 100 were bought on Thursday and about 150 were sold on Friday.
"People bought the three vegetables for $10 plus filled their bags with other vegetables like cabbage and spinach," Ms Dempster said.
Ms Dempster will be open next week from Monday to Friday and will have the vegetables available every day. The doors will be open from 9am until 12 noon.
Shoppers must wear a mask, sign in and bring their own bags.
Earlier:
Farmers Matthew and Liam Dennis are in the midst of a vegetable dilemma.
They have fields of broccoli, cauliflower and romanesco and nowhere to sell them since the restaurants they supply in Sydney and the Hunter Valley were forced to close in the COVID-19 lockdown.
Some of the veggies are ready to be eaten now and more will be ready for harvest every week for the next two months.
"We planted them every two weeks over a three-and-a-half to a four month period so we'll have them for the next two months," Matthew said.
"We're losing about 500 romanesco a week and 500 cauliflower a week."
Earth market Maitland chairwoman Amorelle Dempster is on a mission to put these veggies on plates and stop the food being wasted.
If that doesn't work the Dennis family will be forced to plough all of them into the ground.
They've already had to plough some of them in, and with news that the Hunter lockdown is unlikely to end with another 14 cases announced on Wednesday, they are doubtful their supply chains will reopen any time soon.
The family are putting some of the vegetables into the weekly box they sell direct to customers from the farm, and some are being sold through the Slow Food Earth Market.
The trouble is those distribution channels are too small to cope with the number of vegetables that are ripening in the field.
"The Sydney lockdown has really hurt us and when the Newcastle lockdown happened that was even worse for us," Matthew said.
"The Newcastle lockdown has been another nail in the coffin.
"We don't know what to do - do we plant more now? Do we wait? When will this all be over? Do we plant a summer crop? Do I keep watering the vegetables and keeping them alive? We don't know what to do."
Broccoli, cauliflower and romanesco will be sold from the door of Readers Cafe and Larder in East Maitland between 9am and 12 noon from Monday to Friday every week until they are sold out.
They will be 3 for $10 and shoppers can safely come to the door and buy them while still complying with the lockdown rules.
Masks must be worn at all times and shoppers must social distance and bring their own bags.
Payment can be made via cash or card. All of the money will go to the Dennis family.
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Belinda-Jane Davis
Passionate about community news
Passionate about community news
