Hamilton Farmer's Market

Baaawoooba. Baaaawooooba. A slap of my hand silences the obnoxious noise of the alarm. After taking a moment to wipe the bleariness from my eyes, I bop out of bed, dress quickly in the first moments of dawn, and make my way to the kitchen. Today is a momentous day for me—my first time working a stall at a Farmer’s Market—and I struggle to suppress my excitement.

Meg’s already busy packing the coolers when I get to the kitchen. Date scones, lavender shortbread, whole wheat and rye shortbread, Irish soda bread, Brown Bread, Yorkshire Parkin, Oat Cakes, and Tatty Cakes –all the fruits of our baking labors yesterday—make their way into the Celtic Cuisine van, along with 24 dozen free range eggs, an awning, chalk board, Meg, Karina, and myself.

After the half-hour car journey through the rolling hills of the countryside, we arrive in Hamilton—the fourth largest city in New Zealand—and the home of the Hamilton Farmer’s Market.

By the time 7:30 rolls around, the Celtic Cuisine stall is set up, the showcase bursting with all our delicious treats. I crate the eggs in dozen and half-dozen cartons, and by eight o’clock we’re ready for the market to open!

Honestly, four of the loveliest hours of my life. Everyone was so pleasant and friendly, and it’s amazing how easy it was to differentiate the newbie shoppers from the regulars. And there was this amazing sense of camaraderie amongst all the farmers, it was like we were all in it together, selling products we love and labored over. How sensational it was to be on their side!

I even saw a Trader Joe’s shopping bag at the market! Naturally, this sparked a long conversation with the Kiwi couple about their trip to Trader Joe’s in Los Angeles, how much they loved the store, etc, etc.

The eggs sold and sold, the breads as well. Meg is known for her Irish Oat Cakes, it’s the recipe she hopes to one paten, mass-produce, and sell to supermarkets in New Zealand.

The stall across from us belonged to Jonathan and The Soggy Bottom Holding. He raises rare breed animals and makes them into sausages and bacons (after sending them out to be processed of course!) The pork sausage with olive is particularly scrumptious…not that I know firsthand, but a trusty source told me so. If you visit Jonathan at his farm, you can take a class on salami making and create your own tasty cold-cuts to take home with you. How cool!

There was also Monavale Blueberries nearby, and I can say that their fresh blueberry ice cream is top notch! I also scored some divine apple juice from Jack’s Orchard; simply pure pressed apples, yum.

I loved my time at the Hamilton Farmer’s Market. It felt so great to share our breads with the customers, to share the joy of food with them. Their google eyes and oohs and aahs gave me so much satisfaction; they almost felt as good as the huge wad of cash in my apron!