St Kilda Farmers' Market

Although Melbourne's weather is unpredictable to say the least, the occasional glimpse of sunshine and rare days of higher temperatures remind me that Spring is indeed upon us. As Spring is here, what can be better than going to a fun-filled day of eating, drinking and bringing back wonderful and fresh produce. That's right, a day at a farmers market on a weekend is a perfect way to spend time with loved ones and have fun at the same time. A few weeks ago now (I know, I've been lazy), Yuye and I along with 2 friends, went to the St Kilda Farmers Market. Although it was a windy and slightly chilli day, the sun was shining and the air was crisp.

Markets are always fantastic places to spot cute dogs and even farm animals at times. We were lucky enough to come across a gorgeous belted calf at the market. He was so popular that it took me more than 10 minutes to even get close enough to take a good shot of him. The golden retriever sitting next to him looked sad and neglected as the calf attracted all the attention.

What made me sad though was the sign that I saw after I happily snapped all the beautiful shots. The sign read 'belted beef'. Then I turned around. There was a stall that had a huge piece of cow skin slapped across the counter and pieces of red meat behind the glass case. At that moment I turned and looked into the eyes of the cute calf and sighed. Life sure is tough sometimes.

That aside, there were heaps of good stalls at the market. There was the usual cheeses, honeys, vegetables, fruits and there was a stall called Summer Snow Juice which makes the most beautiful apple juices. This family owned business produces apple juice that has no juice concentrates, preservatives, colouring or sugar. It is 100% pure apple juice. I've always liked orange juice more than apple juice in the past for some reason, but after tasting this brand of apple juice, I've changed my mind. If I can buy apple juice like this all the time, I will be a happier person. I bought two bottles, the 'pink lady' and 'fuji'. Fuji was more to my taste as it was very refined, sweet and subtle but the pink lady was also beautiful with a slightly more sour flavour.

The day will not be complete without trying some of the freshly cooked hot food on site. Yuye and I had a huge breakfast so we shared a beef sausage in Turkish bread between us. Although not the best sausage I've ever had, it was good enough to keep me happy. I love the combination of tomato sauce, mustard and caramelised onions. That zingy taste and sensation on the tongue always bring so much joy.

There's even live music at the market! What a pleasant little surprise.

After walking around at the market, we decided to take a short stroll to the busy Acland St where there are many cafes and shops waiting to be discovered. Along the way, we walked past an alleyway with walls full of graffiti. Although I don't approve of trashing public or private property in this way, the art I must admit was quite good. It adds a certain character to the lively place St Kilda already is.

Drinking the 'best' coffee in St Kilda at 95 Espresso (as voted by beanhunter.com) and eating gelato from Scoops across the road was a perfect end to the beautiful day out. The coffee was actually quite nice. It was rich and strong, just the way I like it and it was piping hot. Yuye didn't need to ask for double shots like we have to at some cafes. I would have liked to try their breakfast or lunch but we were way too full from the sausage we had.

The gelato flavour we had was chocolate crunch or something along those lines. It was a rich and creamy chocolate ice cream with cocopop bits mixed throughout the ice cream. It was totally delicious although I couldn't take too many spoonfuls of it. There's definitely no shortage of ice creams in the area too with Trampoline just down the road. Our friend Y got a strawberry flavoured one but I couldn't quite remember the taste of it as I was too fixated on eating my own.

I will definitely be going to more of these markets as the weather gets better and hopefully next time I'll be able to actually cook something with the fresh ingredients I buy. On a side note, the Tulip Festival at Tesselaar is currently on. It will run until October 12 but be quick if you still haven't gone yet as the tulips are in full bloom now and will not be getting any better than right now! It is situated in Silvan, near the Dandenong Ranges. Stay tuned for my next post of our latest adventures at the Tulip Festival!

St Kilda Farmers' Market
Peanut Farm Reserve, Chaucer St, St Kilda
Open first Saturday of each month from 8:30am to 1pm.

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