Market Matters

An evening market lit up at twilight in Melbourne
Night Markets Melbourne Loves: A Seasonal Twilight Guide
Search for "night markets Melbourne" and you will notice something. The demand spikes in December, then quietens down. That is not a fluke. Most of the city's night markets are... Read more...
baker shows fresh sourdough loaf at Sunday market in Melbourne
Sunday Markets Melbourne: A Local's Guide to the Good Ones
Most people typing "sunday markets melbourne" into a phone on a Friday night are asking a narrower question than the words suggest. What's on this weekend, close enough to bother... Read more...
Fennel bulbs with pale ribbed skin and trimmed green stalks, laid on a market crate.
Market Find: How to Cook Fennel
There's a pale, bulbous vegetable topped with a cloud of feathery green fronds sitting at the stall, and if you've walked past it wondering what on earth to do with... Read more...
Three kohlrabi bulbs tied with twine, stems and leaves still attached, on a dark surface.
Kohlrabi, the Crisp Little Sputnik of the Winter Stall
There is a vegetable on the winter stall that looks like it landed rather than grew. Pale green or deep purple, round as a cricket ball, trailing leafy stalks at... Read more...
Bunches of silverbeet tied and laid overlapping, pale white stems against dark crinkled leaves.
Market Find: Silverbeet, and How to Cook Silverbeet Properly
There's a moment at a winter stall when you spot a bunch of silverbeet standing tall in the crate, leaves the size of dinner plates, stems flashing white or gold... Read more...
Whole cumquats stacked in a ceramic bowl, their small oval form and glossy skins catching the light.
Market Find: Cumquats
Picture yourself at a winter stall, rugged up, and there in a shallow crate sits a heap of little orange jewels, some still wearing a leaf or two. These are... Read more...
Golden quinces, hard and fragrant
Quince Recipes and the Golden Fruit That Gives Its Secrets Up Slowly
Picture a cold autumn morning at the stall, a crate of knobbly golden fruit, and a scent that reaches you before you've stopped walking. That's quince. Pick one up and... Read more...
Round russeted nashi pears on a dark surface, one cut in half to show the pale flesh and core.
Market Find: Nashi Pear
It's a cold, bright morning at the stall, and among the winter fruit there's a round, russet-freckled thing that looks like a pear pretending to be an apple. That's a... Read more...
Bunched Dutch carrots with their green tops
Dutch Carrots — Small, Sweet and Sold with Their Tops On
There is a particular kind of happiness in a bunch of dutch carrots: small, slender roots the length of your finger, feathery green tops still attached, often in a jumble... Read more...
A crate heaped with knobbly unwashed Jerusalem artichoke tubers.
Jerusalem Artichoke: A Market Guide to the Knobbly Sunchoke
Some vegetables arrive with a straightforward name. The jerusalem artichoke is not one of them. It is knobbly, a little odd-looking, and it is neither from Jerusalem nor a relative... Read more...
Witlof (Belgian endive) with pale, tightly furled leaves
Witlof, the Pale Winter Head Grown in the Dark
Some vegetables shout for attention. Witlof is not one of them. It sits quietly on the stall, a pale cream torpedo with the faintest yellow at the tips, looking almost... Read more...
A bunch of fresh leeks with washed white roots fanned out and long dark green flag leaves.
Leek Recipes and How to Choose the Sweetest Ones
If you find onions a bit shouty, the leek is your quieter friend. It brings all the savoury backbone you want from the allium family with none of the sharp... Read more...
Cavolo nero growing in dark soil, its long strappy leaves showing heavy blistered texture.
Cavolo Nero: The Dark Winter Kale Worth Getting to Know
If you have wandered past a stall in winter and spotted long, dark, deeply crinkled leaves that look almost prehistoric, that is cavolo nero. It is a member of the... Read more...
Fresh produce at a Melbourne farmers market
The Best Farmers Markets in Melbourne's West
Ask around the inner west and everyone has an opinion on where the good produce is. So we did the legwork: this is our shortlist of the best farmers markets... Read more...
A baker serves customers at a farmers market bread stall stacked with sourdough loaves and baguettes.
How to shop a farmers market like a pro
There's no exam to pass and no secret handshake, but learning how to shop a farmers market well does make the morning better. More of the good stuff in your... Read more...
Fresh produce on a farmers market stall
Farmers market vs community market: what's the difference?
Farmers market vs community market: ask ten people to explain the difference and you'll get ten slightly different answers. The terms get used loosely, and honestly, the lines do blur.... Read more...
Freshly picked green cabbages packed tightly together, seen from above.
What's in season in Melbourne: a winter produce guide
If you've been wondering what's in season in Melbourne right now, the short answer is: a lot more than you'd think for the cold months. Winter here isn't a lull.... Read more...
A grower's hands steadying a timber crate of freshly picked lettuce in a field.
Why I'm building Yarraville Farmers Market
A year ago, I was sitting at home behind a laptop wondering why nobody was buying from my small business. I'd built Coco Loco from a homebrew experiment with my... Read more...
Fresh fruit and vegetables on a farmers market stall
Why shop at farmers markets? 7 reasons they beat the supermarket
If you've ever wondered why shop at farmers markets when there's a supermarket on nearly every corner, you're asking the right question. The honest answer isn't a slogan. It's a... Read more...
A shopper in a hat choosing fresh leafy produce at a farmers' market
What Makes a Great Farmers' Market? Our Ethos
Anyone can put up a few marquees and call it a market. But a great farmers' market is a different thing altogether — and once you've shopped at one, you... Read more...
Punnets of fresh berries for sale at a market stall
Weekend Markets in Melbourne's West: A Local's Guide
Spend a weekend morning in Melbourne's inner west and you'll understand why the area has quietly become one of the best parts of the city for markets. There's a rhythm... Read more...
The Art Deco facade and sunburst sign of the Sun Theatre in Yarraville.
Things to Do in Yarraville: A Local's Weekend Guide
Ask ten locals for the best things to do in Yarraville and you'll get ten slightly different answers, but they'll all circle the same few streets. This little heritage pocket... Read more...
Open parkland with mature gum trees and mown grass, low morning sun casting long shadows.
A New Monthly Market Is Coming to Yarraville
We've got news the neighbourhood has been waiting for: a new monthly market is coming to Yarraville and Kingsville. Yarraville Farmers Market launches in September 2026 — a farmers market... Read more...