A soggy Spring has sprung and many stallholders are itching to get back to markets after their enforced Winter hiatus. It’s all poised ready to happen...fruit tree buds are waiting to burst, chooks are starting to lay, asparagus shoots will grow above the surface before your eyes, dairy animals will flow forth with milk from new green growth and our citrus focus might gradually turn from flu preventers to salad ingredients (mmm...orange segments with lovely fine sliced fennel and a cider vinegar dressing!)

Things may not be slow shooting outside, but garlic bulbs still hanging in their skein in my kitchen from last season are doing their natural thing and green tips are poking out of their skins thinking they should be planted out. It’s only a couple of months till we’re treated to new season garlic so here’s a tip- I’m going to peel and whiz them all up with a butter and olive oil combo then freeze in small containers. Was there really a time when we didn’t think we could have local garlic all year?

In news around the markets this month, we have two new starters at Veg Out; Milawa Mustard and Greenvale Farm free range pork plus Josephine Schneider, of Patersons Cake Shop family fame, will be selling her handmade pastry for at least the next couple of months. Collingwood will be the Jones family’s last market before December with their fabulous spuds, at Gasworks and Convent you’ll be spoilt for choice with lamb and mutton over the next few months rotating amongst three stallholders Matt Fitzpatrick will be bringing biodynamic lamb and rotating with Colita Scott and Sandy Leatham’s Hook and Spoon.

Hats off to Monique and Glen Euckerman of Larderfresh Specialty Foods (nougat, felafel and vegie burgers) for a wonderful new enterprise with Brunswick Disability Services. Under the supervision of a green-thumbed staffer, a group of eight members look after all aspects of parsley production, specifically grown for Larderfresh from planting and watering to the delivery of bunches. A win, win, win for small business, participants of the day centre and local food production.

Last month we ran the little competition for tickets to hear Joel Salatin present at CERES and entrants were asked to answer why shopping at farmers’ market is part of their routine. We got some really fab responses and this was the outright winner from Louis Simoneau. The last line is a quote from Michael Polan’s In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto.

"Starting the weekend at the farmers' markets means I get to spend the rest of the weekend in the kitchen, trying to do justice to all the hard work that's gone into growing the food. Nothing like shaking the hand that feeds you!"

It’s Royal Melbourne Show time from 24 September to 4 October and the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria have been kind enough to donate four family passes for me to give away.

So to go into the running to win one of these family passes I would like you to send me your best farmers' market photo. It could be a produce shot, you and your family at a market or your fav stallholder. The only condition is that I can use the pic for promotional purposes - crediting the photographer of course!

We're always interested in your take of the markets and our wonderful bunch of stallholders. Last month it was your written perspective but this month's prizes is about your visual appraisal. Bring your phone, digital, Hasselblad or Box Brownie and snap away. We'd love to see your favourite...

You've got until midday on Saturday 17 September to enter and entries can be emailed to me at miranda@mfm.com.au or posted on our Facebook page! Winners will be notified by email in the week following.

We're terribly happy to announce that a few of our stallholders have recently had babies - aka next generation farmers' marketeers!

Congrats to Naomi Ingleton's butter baby Hamish, Kath Clarke (Frank, Food and Me)'s Artie and Kylie (Verde Dips)'s Sebastian!