Northey Street City Farm Organic Market

Post date: Feb 17, 2016

On Sunday, Dylan went to help at the Granite Belt Growers stall at the Northey Street organic market. This meant getting up at 12.30am, and being ready for 12.45am pick up, then driving to Brisbane, followed by the frantic unpack in the dark. Dozens of boxes of apples, strawberries, pears, zucchinis, kale, lettuce, squash, tomatoes, cauliflowers, eggs, flowers, and a few others I can't remember. Quite a variety of produce grown around the Stanthorpe area:

As customers started to filter in before 6am, we were still getting the last of the signs ready. Anyhow, away we went and by 11am it was just about all gone. What impressed me was the large number of people clearly doing their week's food shopping here - they arrived with those 'granny trolleys' - you know the ones where you pull it along and it has two small wheels on the bottom back.. And fair enough too - there was just about everything one would want to eat in a week - amazing diversity of products. Even mineral water in 10l containers. Of course, the prices are higher than supermarkets, but when I looked around, people looked healthy!! Very few overweight people. As the day progressed there were young children with their mothers or fathers or both, but not one screaming or crying. All happy. If only all the markets were like this and no-one went to supermarkets - the prices would be more affordable, a heap more farmers would earn a decent living, and the world would be a happier place!

During an early lunch break, I visited the Farm area and liked the social spaces set about the place. A cafe, a nursery, a park area, and of course lots of different growing areas:

Offices at the top with a open sided classroom underneath:

Some great educational signage around too:

I came away with a sense of hope. If every city could have one of these organic markets, then two, and then large towns, and smaller towns, and so on.. People don't have to eat chemical laced food. You pay with your health later even if it is cheap now..