This little piggie went to market!

Market season on the MP has nearly finished for this season. Balnarring is done, and Red Hill has just one more on May 2nd.

Red Hill is the 'grand dame' of Victoria's craft markets.It began on the Red Hill Recreation Reserve in 1975 as a truly community event, where local producers and crafts people bartered their goods with each other.Bartering no longer takes place, but the atmosphere, colour and excitement of those early years is still there. We go for the fresh produce and the insanely good food. Like all markets, there are some gems and some tragedies, but at Red Hill, there are some truly outstanding gems.

First up are the gourmet tarts from Bridge Farm Organics. This weekend they were doing a caramelised onion, and also an asparagus and Gruyere cheese.

The cases were  true short crust and had clearly been blind-baked. It's this sort of attention to detail that makes food like this memorable.They were sensational. As well as tarts (both sweet and savoury), they sell organic produce, this weekend being the last of the seasons asparagus and some wonderful rhubarb.

Next stop was the Crepe Man. We usually get one of his enormous crepes at the Balnarring market.  They're made of rice/chickpea flour and they're HUGE... at least the size of a car tyre, but so amazingly thin.

Our favourite is the olive, sun dried tomato and moz. One crepe, at $6 is enough for 2.. believe me. 

Next stop was a newbie for us, the Gilbert and Marcel mini-cakes. These perfect morsels are no bigger than a 50c piece. 

A perfect size for tasting several of their tempting choices. Furry opted for their mini pecan pie, but he was shaking so much with anticipation, the photo didn't turn out!!!


I wish I'd had a ruler, or a matchstick for scale, these things are just a perfect two-bite size!!

 

Don't they look wonderful in the early morning sunlight??

There were a couple more outstanding stalls, so good in fact, there are going to get posts of their own later in the week.