Duncan, there’s a place for $9 prunes – hostess gift for your mother in law springs to mind – but really, homemade is better, particularly when you can buy extremely good unsulphured dried prunes at the same market.

gobbler, do people do a lot of exchanging produce ’round your way? Because if everyone’s producing and sharing the market is pretty irrelevant. Perhaps the newcomers will enjoy the villagey atmosphere that Megxx talks about; I always run into some people I know at the market and enjoy the social aspect of it. I am also really nosey about what other people are buying so I like that part too ;)

yep, grocer, no breath holding here on the ACCC report. On The Insiders on the ABC this morning the suggestion was that $13 million would be spent setting up an online “grocery watch” that would be updated monthly, ie would be practically pointless.

Thermomixer (if that is your real name) – my son’s school has been building an “environmental courtyard” this year. There are two “compost kids” in each class who take food scraps to the school’s chooks, and now they’re inviting locals to plant an allotment. There are quite a few blocks of flats and older people living nearby, so it could be wonderful. It’s a very motivated school community so chances for the program to succeed are good. I’d rather see that $13 million spent on this type of community activity. And I try not to bang on about Choku Bai Jo all the time, but it’s just that good. Brazen’s a fan too.

dylwah, there are very few vendors who discount at the end of the markets here; but most of them shift to the southside of town for an afternoon market (at CIT in Phillip, from memory) so perhaps they do it there. (And now I’ve just read your comment at crazybrave and worked out who you are! Big kiss to you and folks. Also have been unable to find locust recipe – we did a salt and pepper one that time at Anna & Sean’s didn’t we? I just remember crunchy. And for any curious folks, yes indeed it was the slightly illicit substances which sparked the desire to catch and eat the locusts.)

Always Hungry, I do think the prices at the market are generally reasonable. But you always have to ask, and make a point of it where things aren’t labelled. I’m happy to put something back if I don’t think the price is justified.

Pav, I thought you were kidding! That photo is actually quite blurry if it’s any bigger than that ;) I would dearly love to be a better photographer, but I don’t really have the time to devote to it at the moment, and the family keep wanting me to stop taking pictures and give them their dinner. (And I spent the morning mending while watching The Insiders, although truth be told I am about as skilled with a needle as I am with a camera.)

Megxx! Suffering with the seafood, I hear ya. Do the locals near you sell much stuff, or is it mainly dairying? It was always great fun to see you at the markets, and easy to find you when your hair was pink, too!

Also, thirded re lots of honing of poverty skills in student days; once learned, never forgotten. I can still mend moth holes in jumpers, too.

Zoe, why are you apologising for the photo?

We’ve only started going (very occasionally) in the last year or so – which may explain why we thought it interesting that you had the experience that the markets were at one point cheap. Even as newbies though, we did think it was a little weird that they do feel at times a little “Jones the Grocer” (of Manuka) to be quite right.

and if you are buying your nappies at the supermarket (thumps head, forgot to buy them today) in SE melbourne you deserve a plague of rorts visted upon your wallet.