Autumn at the Farmers Market

Colour in the Market 

The Market celebrates autumn.  It is the season of change, when the rains come, the grass greens and the leaves turn and fall. The next season’s produce, luscious figs, shattering crisp apples and just picked pears arrive at the Market as summer’s harvest goes out in a blaze of glory. Stalls are piled with summer's local golden corn, red glossy capsicums and shinny black eggplant. When you visit a farmers market you get a sense of what is in season as our SA producers bring what they grow. What they grow is directed by the climate in their region.

We are “Keeping it Hot” for Indian summer this “mad March” as the fringe festival takes hold of Adelaide. The farmers are busy decorating their stalls with multi-coloured chillis, banana peppers, chilli necklaces and chilli products. The gardeners will find a variety of chilli plants from black decorative to super hot bird's eyes. Sophie Thomson, South Australian gardener extraordinaire of ABC Gardening fame, will be in the Farmer and Chef Kitchen on Sunday 4 March to help you get enthused about your autumn garden.

Chilli does wonderful things to the palate.  Not always hot, it can enliven natural flavours, as it stimulates the senses and gets the blood flowing. It is the perfect time to add a little heat to your cooking at home, add a touch of chilli to your favourite dishes and create new flavour sensations. Chillies and end of season tomatoes are great for saucing.  Chilli salsa lights up your roast free-range chicken and a pinch of chilli in your dressing can lift your seared grass fed beef salad. Add chilli and fresh herbs to your dips, artisan fetta and olives.

Remember to ask the farmer how hot the chillis are and if you don't like it too hot, scape the seeds out of the chilli before cooking with them. Another tip is to wear gloves when you are cooking with chilli. Get all your cooking with chilli tips this month from the Farmer and Chef Kitchen as our chefs and cooks this month add chilli to their creations.

Take the chilli trail and taste your way through the Market.  Experience hot to mild chilli everything, from chilli smoked mullet and mettwurst to hot tomato sauce and chilli dark chocolate and see if you can handle the heat.

Why not post your favourite chilli recipe to our Facebook page?

See you at the market, 
Amanda