One of the interesting food events in Hamilton this weekend is the local Weston A Price group’s monthly Saturday afternoon meeting. This month’s theme is “Real Food on a Budget”. Group organiser Marea Smith says, “If you have decided to limit junk and processed food...
Craft beer and superb artisan cheeses are riding a wave of popularity in the Waikato local food scene. This Saturday October 1st there’s a chance to check out some award-winning cheeses, and the burgeoning range of local craft beers, at Hamilton’s first ever...
When I first moved to Hamilton I wondered why the Waikato – the land of dairy farms – didn’t have its own iconic milk brand. Now it does, and it’s called Jersey Girls. Most Sundays I bring home a couple of bottles of wonderful Jersey Girls milk from the farmers’...
When you eat locally, you become very aware of what’s in season. Right now, in mid-September, there isn’t much fruit at the farmers’ market. There’s a new stall selling excellently ripe oranges grown at Ohinewai. There are plenty of lemons, and there are apples that...
The top favourite breakfast in my household is duck eggs. We’re lucky to get them from Ian, who has a property down Matangi Road, not far from where we live. Ian has a small flock of Buff Orpington ducks – free-range, of course. When he has spare eggs to sell,...
The Hamilton Farmers’ Market has recently moved to its new permanent home in Claudelands Park. The stallholders say they’re happy to be in a covered building. There are stalls outside as well, but it will definitely give the market more options in bad weather. Market...
We bought some beautiful feathery red and green mizuna from David of Suncakes Gardens at the Farmers’ Market. When I seized it with enthusiasm, David asked me how I was planning to use it. Mizuna is a mild-tasting member of the mustard/cabbage family. It thrives in a...
I’m very fond of tea in all its forms. (No tea bags in our house!) And I’d often driven past the Zealong tea plantation on the road to Gordonton, but never been there. So when my tea-loving friend Melissa proposed a visit, I was more than happy to agree. On a wet...
A huge daikon radish arrived in the Ooooby box last week. It was over 1kg, with a crown of beautiful fresh green leaves. I have learned to love daikon, but some people have said to me that they’re not sure what to do with it. So, this is a post about what to do with...
One of the biggest practical challenges when eating locally produced food is sugar. It’s an everyday food ingredient that is not grown in the Waikato. This became an issue when I was preserving this summer’s fruit harvest. All my favourite chutney recipes call for...
