Going Organic
with Eleesa Zlatic of the
Lemon Farm Organic Market
(monthly column from The Friendly Bay Islander magazine - June 2016 edition)
Hello. Eleesa is currently on an adventure in WA immersed
in sacred women’s business with four Women Elders and should be arriving back on
the island around the time this publication lands in your letterbox. While it
has been business as usual with the market operating during Eleesa’s absence,
her beautiful presence certainly has been missed by all and we’re very much
looking forward to her return. Eleesa’s daughter Ayla has taken on the
responsibility for ensuring that the market continues running smoothly and her
business management skills have been most impressive for one so young. Top job
Ayla!
We’re very excited that our next Infinite EarthFest event
is getting closer. Saturday 25th June is the day and we invite you
all to come along and celebrate the winter solstice with us. On offer will be a
lovely range of winter warming comfort style food such as hearty pumpkin soup
served with turkish bread, delicious curry and wood-fired pizzas. Traditionally,
pizza may not be thought of as a winter food as such, but as far as we’re
concerned pizza suits any season. Especially wood-fired pizza! Yum! Our friend
Mai will be joining us with her popular MI Street Food stall offering tasty
Asian treats and the market will also be operating as usual on the day with an
abundance of fresh produce, cold drinks and organic snacks available. And of
course the organic coffee bar will be serving your favourite hot beverages and
sweet treats.
There’ll be entertainment and activities suitable for all
ages and abilities happening throughout the day. Be sure to check out the free
activities and workshops being offered by some of our talented island artists
and crafters who are so very generously volunteering their time and sharing
their skills with visitors on the day. A great line-up of stalls selling their
wares and promoting their services will be at the festival. Stall sites booked
out very quickly this time so if interested in having a stall at our next
Infinite EarthFest (Spring Equinox) scheduled for September 24th
please don’t hesitate to register your interest now. If what you have to offer
has a creative or sustainable focus (ie: eco-friendly, green living, arts,
crafts, handmade etc) we’d love to hear from you.
This Infinite EarthFest is a proud partnership between
The Organic Farm and Running Wild (Youth - Conservation - Culture) and besides
being a celebration of the winter solstice it’s also a celebration of the
achievements made by the amazing and dedicated work experience team. The day
will be an opportunity for visitors to view and enjoy some of the completed
community projects that they’ve worked so hard on around the
farm.
Our courtesy market bus will be doing regular pick
ups/drop offs from the Macleay Jetty for our inter-island and mainland visitors
throughout the day, so phone or text 0476 000 996 to arrange a ride. This
service is also offered every Saturday coinciding with our regular market.
And speaking of the market, a change in season means a
change in produce so we now have all those lovely cold weather fruit and
vegetables to enjoy… plentiful pumpkin varieties, this is when potatoes,
silverbeet and spinach are at their best, the kiwi fruits are so very good, the
apples are deliciously crispy and full of flavour and all those juicy citrus! We
realise that these cold mornings means it’s all the more difficult to bounce out
of bed early on a Saturday morning to rush to the market to snap up your
favourite produce before it runs out. It can be quite the dilemma! We understand
and we sympathise. We also offer a convenient solution. Order a produce box and
we’ll have it ready and waiting for you to collect after you’ve enjoyed that
leisurely sleep-in that you so deserve. Complimentary delivery of produce boxes
on Macleay is also offered, and for inter-island and mainland customers we send
via the ferries. For produce box enquiries and orders please phone or text 0476
000 996. Happy winter everyone and stay warm. Love from the market crew xo
