'Tis a happy place.
There's foot-tapping music, swapping of knowledge, the hiss of the bean and village banter. At a delicious pastoral pace, we sift through the shire tipping the hat to the neighbours' toil in the soil.
But there's trouble brewing in the gourmand's paradise.
A new kid on the block, Hastings City Growers' Market, has upset some from the incumbent Growers' Market and the Hawke's Bay Farmers' Market. Both have objected, and submitted, that there's neither room nor appetite for the advent of an additional artisans' market.
This is remarkably precious; seemingly flying in the face of the enterprising heart of a foodie-phenomenon that continues to hit a favourable note across this country.
On its website, the Farmers' Markets New Zealand Ltd body states its mission: "To promote and support the development of Farmers' Markets in NZ." For this, and the following reasons, the histrionics of the two current markets continues to baffle me.
From where I'm sitting, the farmgate philosophy revolves around unadulterated produce, heightened education, investment in local resources and sustainable agriculture. Surely there's nothing better than an increased presence to galvanise these values.
Of all its traits, the cornerstone we treasure the most is that in spite of the top-shelf produce, our weekly markets have remained fiercely grounded. The elitist challenge from those fearing for market share threatens this.
Besides, by snubbing the middleman, these markets were always, and should continue to be, wonderfully rogue.
Thus, the freedom to flourish is as much a cornerstone of the farmers' market, as it is the free market.
