Early last Sunday morning, rain falling, I was moseying about the market when across the way from the muddy potatoes and tangled roots of horseradish I spied Jamface out of the corner of my eye. Here at the Adelaide Showground Farmers’ Market, among the lemon bergamot pears and earthy winter vegetables, this bespoke stall is so gorgeously presented that a magazine stylist may well have waved a wand over it. 

Artfully arranged with a hefty dose of panache and a cheeky, fun logo, I should have known that Poh had something to do with it!

Newcomer Jamface by Poh is the latest venture of the enthusiastic and multi-talented Poh Ling Yeow, who finished runner-up in the first season of MasterChef Australia (remember those cake decorating skills!) and went on to have her own cooking show, Poh’s Kitchen. She is also an author and a professional artist, which shows in the creative detail here.

Iced with style, the whimsical counter is laden with delicious cakes and pastries – at once rustic French provincial and bountiful country-Australian spread. There are glazed madeleines, apricot crumble tartlets and voluptuous clouds of fluffy meringue, the smooth mixture swirled with chocolate. The pastry layers in the Milly Fillys look so crisp that these vanilla mille-feuilles could have been ‘made to order’ in a Paris pâtisserie! Oh, and there are orange melting moments sandwiched with cream cheese and Grand Marnier, chewy Anzac biscuits and gluten-free chocolate hazelnut cake. Homemade with love and local, organic ingredients, it all feels so generous, wholesome and accessible, with a touch of CWA. 

Looking closer, there is a plum tart, and cheddar crusted apple pies with brandy anglaise, best eaten with the hot custard poured into those dainty little holes. And dark chocolate beetroot cake sandwiched with orange cream cheese frosting and covered in dark chocolate ganache. Shall I go on?

Launched a few weeks ago with Poh’s partners, the delightful stand also sells a range of homemade jams and pasta sauces, pot-set natural yoghurts and pan-fried pizzettas. A quirky sign announces ‘Pizza Fritta, Neapolitan pan-fried pizza with our two timing tomato sauce’.

I found myself ogling the golden chaussons, simply named Paris Pasties. These turnovers of cheddar-crusted pastry are filled with savoury delights such as caramelised onion & thyme, potato & parsley, and roasted sweet potato & rosemary – warming parcels of pleasure to tuck into on this cold July morning. 

On Sundays, you’ll find Jamface by Poh at both The Adelaide Showground Farmers’ Market and The Market Shed on Holland, the newest food market in Adelaide with an emphasis on organic, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free fare.

So tuck in with gusto and get some jam on your face!

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France’s mussel-growing is concentrated in Brittany, but some of the most prized mussels are from Normandy. Bouchot mussels from the bay of Mont-St-Michel are nurtured in the waters in front of the Benedictine abbey, and farmers have been using the same growing methods since the ninth century.

Dreaming of slurping up some good mussels in rich broth, my interest was piqued last week when I read that Kinkawooka Shellfish was celebrating their new season Petit Bouchot Mussels with a traditional cook up at both the Adelaide Central Market and the Adelaide Showground Farmers’ Market. Riding on a wave of success following their 2011 Delicious Magazine ‘Product of the Year’ award, Kinkawooka (an Aboriginal word meaning clear water) has again produced a small, seasonal crop of the classic French style petit bouchot mussels, adopting methods used in the traditional farming of mussels in France.

And so, last Sunday morning I rugged up and headed for the Farmers’ Market. I grabbed a strong, creamy latte from the Abbots & Kinney caravan at the entrance just as the bell ‘rang in’ the market, and made a beeline for the Kinkawooka stall.

Photo courtesy of Kinkawooka Shellfish

Soon I was talking mussels with Kinkawooka’s Andrew Puglisi, a fifth generation fisherman. I discovered that their petit bouchot mussels are only available from the beginning of June to the end of September, in limited quantity, before the launch of the mussel season. Characterised by their small size, soft and tender texture and sweet flavour they are one of the most prized eating mussels in Australia, and snapped up by chefs.

The revered shellfish company has developed a genius vacuum-packing system called sea-sure that re-creates the briny environment the mussels are plucked from, helping to reduce stress on the live mussels and preserve their natural sweetness and softness, resulting in a mussel that is far superior in freshness and flavour. It also means that live mussels can be whisked to domestic and overseas retailers within 48 hours of harvesting.

The Kinkawooka mussel farms are located in the deep, cold, pristine waters of the Great Southern Ocean on the West Coast of South Australia, with sites across Port Lincoln’s Boston Bay. A leader in the aquaculture industry in Australia, the company surpasses the most rigorous standards of quality assurance and is a standout in sustainable aquaculture, ensuring minimal impact on the environment. Like all of Kinkawooka’s mussel crops, les petits bouchots are seeded using spat harvested from the wild.

For me, the real drawcard is that these fresh-as-a-daisy mussels are pot ready; scrubbed clean, de-bearded and ready to go in 1 kg bags. Take away the usual prep time, and a meal of mussels is incredibly quick and easy to cook and plate up. Andrew also tells me that they are rich in omega 3, iodine, potassium, zinc and selenium, and have more iron than a fillet steak! Oh, and that old wives tale about throwing away any that are unopened after cooking – simply not true. Prise open and eat. Do, however, throw away any that don’t smell fresh and sweet.

After picking up a recipe with my mussels, a kind of moules marinières with cider, I gather a few other goodies called for in the recipe and head home for a cook up.

I melt a walnut-sized knob of butter, add a sliced shallot and a fat clove of tangy Bull Creek organic garlic.

Next, I glug in 100ml of apple cider from McLaren Vale Orchards, pour in my 1 kg bag of mussels and cook with the lid on for around 3 -4 minutes. Et Voilà! The mussels open. I throw in a handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley and stir in a tablespoon or so of incredibly thick and luscious crème fraîche from the Alexandrina Cheese Company, made from pure Jersey cream.

My recipe recommends Pepe Saya crème fraîche, a cultured cream made the authentic way. This Sydney company also creates a creamy cultured butter, so good that the hand churned, hand cut artisan pats are supplied to Qantas first class and business passengers on international flights. (South Australians can purchase Pepe Saya products from Say Cheese in the Adelaide Central Market.).

Photo courtesy of Kinkawooka Shellfish

I ladle the rowdy, clanging mussels into bowls and serve with rustic bread and cider. They are sweetly perfumed and soft, the broth wonderfully intense and as I slurp it up I am transported, for a moment, to France.

N.B. Kinkawooka mussels are also available at Foodland and Romeo IGAs around Adelaide, Samtass Seafoods in Keswick and at the Willunga Farmers’ Market on Saturdays.

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Image courtesy of OzHarvest

Before we leave on the run I sit and chat with Hayley Everuss, State Manager of OzHarvest Adelaide and Emily Bryson, Operations Administrator, who are both very passionate about what they do. I discover there are all sorts of reasons why donors call. Often, they initially contact OzHarvest in a bit of a pickle with excess food they don’t know what to do with. For example, one company had two palettes of jam that had been cooked a little too long. It was not fit to be sold but was still perfectly good to eat. ‘Last year,’ continues Emily, ‘the local cherry crop was a bumper one…the fruit was extra fat and juicy. OzHarvest got a call from a grower who couldn’t sell some of his cherries as they they just weren’t good enough for the extraordinary market conditions; they were small for the season, and couldn’t compete.’ OzHarvest arrived to find boxes and boxes of perfect, gorgeous cherries, 250 kg! Right at Christmastime, the agencies just loved them. ‘Especially for the drivers who get to deliver the much appreciated food, it’s a bit like being Santa Claus,’ says Emily.

Image courtesy of OzHarvest

On another occasion, a local organic milk company made a production error, bottling 4-5 palettes worth of full-cream milk in skim bottles. With the cost of rebottling too great, they rang OzHarvest…And then there were the eight palettes of beautiful truss tomatoes that arrived in South Australia en route to Perth. ‘Although destined for Western Australia, they did not comply with the state’s quarantine regulations and were going to rot in the warehouse,’ says Emily. OzHarvest came to the rescue.

We jump in the truck. Tim rattles through the city and heads down Port Road to Welland. Our first stop is a business that distributes to health food shops. The new donor explains that he was driving behind the big yellow truck in traffic, and when he thought about how much food he had wasted in the past, he decided to give the charity a call. ‘There is only so much yogurt and tofu you can take home and eat,’ he says. We collect a few litres of organic milk and weigh it in the back of the truck.

As we drive to our next stop, the Lirra Lirra Cafe at Urrbrae Agricultural High School, Tim tells me that the runs can vary greatly. ‘Every day is different, you never quite know what you will find. Once we picked up 100 kg of flavoured frozen yogurts in stainless steel cups due to an oversupply. Everyone loved them!’ Donors range from hotels, cafes, bakeries and supermarkets to catering companies and produce markets. ‘We pick up from a cooking school every Friday and it can be anything up to 500 kg of food. The average pick-up there is 200 kg, and it’s all excellent quality.’

As we bounce on the seats, high above the traffic, Tim tells me that he started as a volunteer with OzHarvest and became a part-time driver because he wanted to immerse himself more in a charity. ‘My role is not just about delivery, it’s about relationships, raising awareness and providing a service to those in need,’ he says. As far as I can see, everyone wins and OzHarvest has filled a massive gap that existed in food waste. ‘Donors are happy to have their excess produce used, and charities are even happier to receive,’ says Tim. There are lots of opportunities to volunteer and for those who would like to find out more, a Volunteer Information Session will be held on 8 August at 6 pm in the Central Market Kitchen.

Tim with the food collected from Lirra Lirra Cafe

We pick up a variety of goods at Lirra Lirra cafe including salads, cooked meals, drinks and sandwiches. There’s 24 kilos all up, around 70 meals. Our next stop is a backyard garage in suburban Malvern, where Keane’s Organic Food run their business. Here, we load up a whopping 47 kg of beautiful fruit and vegetables. Today’s run is to be delivered to a mobile food service program operated by St Vincent de Paul Society that feeds the homeless and hungry of Adelaide from a van.

Produce from Keane’s Organic Food

Enlightened, it’s time for me to jump off the truck but Tim still has a couple of stops. Next is a bakehouse in Goodwood that OzHarvest picks up from five days a week. ‘There’s always some surplus, in case they have a big day. Typically, there will be two trays of pastries and around 16 kg of freshly-baked bread rolls. There’s often hot cross buns around Easter time.’

If you would like to support OzHarvest in raising awareness to help fight food waste, you might like to attend ‘Be a Souper Hero’, a free Lunch for 500 on Monday 29 July from 12 noon to 2 pm on the Goodman Lawns of the Adelaide University, North Terrace. Lunches will be held simultaneously in Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane and the delicious food will be made from rescued ingredients that would otherwise end up in landfill.

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With the days becoming cooler and crisper after a long, hot summer, thoughts turn to the flavours of autumn and there’s no better place to witness the change of seasons than at a farmers’ market. The Adelaide Showground Farmers’ Market is the largest in South Australia and attracts up to 5000 locals and tourists every Sunday morning. Established in 2006 with the assistance of the Royal Agricultural & Horticultural Society, the non-profit organisation supports small family farms and regional producers who sell fresh, seasonal produce directly to consumers. It’s an authentic South Australian experience and has become a regular outing for me and my daughter Georgi.

We grab a coffee at the From Scratch coffee caravan at the entrance, which is excellent as usual, and await the bell that heralds the opening of the market. Buskers start up, buckets of flowers are whirled out, bacon and eggs sizzle on barbeques and outdoor tables soon fill up with a hungry breakfast crowd.

Our first stop, however, is always Patlin Gardens, the overflowing vegetable stall owned by Lina Verilli and Pat D’Onofrio, an engaging character who bellows his wares and dispenses earnest tips and advice on cooking to entertain the long queue already waiting. It’s one of the things I most love about farmers’ markets, the direct connection to ‘the source’. Their farm on the Gawler River produces a mind-boggling selection of seasonal and unusual pesticide-free vegetables grown outdoors all year round. The fertile soil is enhanced by organic manures, compost and seaweed extract. Today there are beautiful bunches of multi-coloured carrots,  ears of new-season corn, trumpet squash and squat orange pumpkins. Tempting as always are the tasty olives from their extensive olive grove, dressed in garlic, lemon pepper, oregano and sea salt, along with delicious extra virgin olive oil, homemade passata and Lina’s chilli sauce flavoured with their own jalapenos.

Next door is Willibrand Figs and just a bite into one of their soft-poached figs that has been gently dried and enrobed in thick, dark Belgian chocolate, and you will think you have gone to heaven. Willibrand’s orchard is in the Adelaide Hills and during the short but sweet fig season from February to the end of April, they welcome visitors to pick their own figs.

There are so many wonderful stalls that I can’t possibly do justice to them all in one post, but later on, I will tell you more about the delectable artisanal cheeses from Alexandrina, owned by fourth generation cheesemakers who have individually named their 80 Jersey cows…and about the ‘Pork Man’ from Minniribbie Berkshere Pig Farm with free-range sausages so good that I had to call my father to tell him I had rediscovered a taste from my grandmother’s kitchen. And then there’s the cloudy Kalangadoo organic apple juice from the Limestone Coast, available March to September.

At this time of the year the market is awash with crisp apples and Packham pears but I simply can’t finish without mentioning From Scratch pâtisserie, the place to go for your morning pastry fix. These delicious French and Italian inspired treats will make you dream and drool and Adelaidians can’t get enough! This morning the wait was so long that I gave up on my sfogliatelle with its light, luscious layers of wafer-thin pastry, custard, citron peel, cinnamon and vanilla, so I’m sorry to say that I can’t show you a photo. They do however, set up a pop-up pâtisserie in the alleyway next to Coffee Branch in the city on Friday mornings only, between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. I may have to set the alarm…just to get a shot for you, bien sûr.

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