A lot has changed at Farm Gate, and the changes are not always comfortable – believe us, we know!
We’ve had some questions about why we are asking you to shop solo at the market. It’s for very important reasons…
- The Government’s legal requirement is an allowance of 4 square meters per person, which limits the number of customers we can have onsite at any one time
- If one person per household shops it means we can service more households in our community every Sunday
We LOVE our Farm Gate community, and we know that many of you have always shopped together: as a family, as friends, as a couple. It is important that you support us in our Covid-19 measures, as you have always supported us.
Here are the exceptions to our solo shopping measure:
✅ People physically unable to shop alone
✅ Single parents or parents without childcare
✅ Couples who come with the intention of ‘dividing + conquering’ their shopping lists, in order to spend less time at the market
✅ Those shopping for multiple households
If you are asked by one of our team members – and it is a compliance requirement – please politely explain your circumstances when you wash or sanitise your hands upon entry.
And don’t forget, we all have a responsibility to ensure the survival of Farm Gate Market. Along with the measure above, here’s how you can be the most help to us all:
📝 ‘Shop + Go’ – have your shopping list ready
🕙 Limit your time at the market to half an hour
🛒 Bringing enough baskets or a carrier with wheels
🥦 Handling produce – ‘you touch it, you buy it
🏠 Leaving the kids at home if you can
🙋♀️ Shopping for your neighbours or community, too
❗️ Remember: do not attend the market if you or a member of your household is sick ❗️
Now on to some other stuff… we’ve got some new faces at the market!
Rod Stirling has arrived back at Farmy with some seriously good lookin’ pumpkin varieties. “I am now harvesting a great crop of pumpkins on the block at Richmond. Grown organically, about 8 varieties with the best eaters and keepers like Queensland Blue, Jarrahdale, Australian Butter, Grey Crown, Buttercup, Futsu and Potimarron.” He also sells his (award-winning) cold climate extra virgin olive oil.
Martino + Sofia came to us recently after their Italian-inspired bistro, Osteria Petty Sessions in Franklin, has been forced to temporarily close its doors like so many other restaurants this last month.
“We moved to Tassie 11 year ago from Italy. We are an energetic couple that believe in the bounty of the produce that our region has to offer. Our goal is to incorporate this with our knowledge of Italian and Mediterranean cuisine.” The handmade, egg (or vegan) pastas changed weekly – keep any eye out for herb + ricotta filled ravioli. Their sauces then match each pasta shape, so ask them if it’s rabbit cacciatore, mushroom + sausage or basil passata for dinner with your casarecce, gnocchi or spaghetti.
It feels so good to write about market food and produce again. Bountiful autumn is well and truly here, and in normal circumstances we would have already been excitedly detailing David + Annie’s enormous late-season Periforme Abruzzo tomatoes, Surges Bay organic apples or creamy, purple-topped Home Farm Product swedes. We’ve been in survival mode for a number of weeks, but now that we have some certainty from all levels of Government about our continuation, we can settle in and appreciate that the earth still turns, the seasons keep changing around us and our kitchens need Tasmanian produce now more than ever.
Thanks for your ongoing support, Hobart. Stay healthy and positive x
