Bridgetown Sunday Market
On our recent trip down south, we spotted a farmers market on our way home as we drove through Bridgetown. It was a chilly, crisp misty morning and the market stalls were nestled among the trees. We couldn’t resist stopping to take a closer look.
Market stalls nestled among the tall trees
The diversity and quality of produce was fantastic. At this particular stall there was a variety of home-grown fruits and nuts, including tamarillo, white sapote, pink lady apples and macadamia nuts roasted and sold in 250g bags.
Tamarillos
We had not come across white sapote before. The chap running this stall explained that it is native to central America. They’re ready to eat when just soft to touch. He had sapote that was ready to eat right now or in a couple of days time and offered to help us select our fruit. He warned that the ready-to-eat fruit is susceptible to bruising in transit.
White sapote and pink lady apples
He offered us a free taste of the sapote. It had a creamy texture that reminded me of mango or banana, but its flavour is much milder than mango. We bought three for a dollar.
Slicing up sapote for free samples
Roasted macadamias, white sapote and tamarillo samples
Pink lady apples
Enid Blyton books and plants for sale
Macadamia tree seedlings, Tasmanian blackwood and lilly pilly for sale
It’s a very social, relaxed market. The regulars know the stallholders by name and are happy to have a chat about the day’s produce and catch up gossip as they select their fresh fruit and vegetables.
Lots of fresh fruit and vegetables for sale
Want to buy a pumpkin? I love the rooster table cloth that’s draped over the table
We bought a bag of Bridgetown apples, a steal at $2 a kilo. We were welcome to choose our own apples but to be honest, it was so cold we preferred to keep our hands warm in our pockets – the man minding the stall was happy to grab us a kilo of apples.
Apples grown in Braeside Orchards in Bridgetown – all varieties $2 a kilo
We bought some Sundowner apples
Plants including herbs for sale
Poffertjes (Dutch mini pancakes) sprinkled with icing sugar and served with either maple syrup or butter and golden syrup or honey. You can brew your own cuppa and buy locally made lemon butter, marmalade and other jams
Bric-a-brac. In the background – there’s plenty of free parking
We bought lemon and lime butter and a tub of honey. An in-car toaster would’ve been brilliant as I could’ve eaten some right away!
We bought some Granite Hills lemon and lime butter, made in Boyup Brook, plus a tub of honey
At every good community market, you’ll find lots of happy dogs, tails wagging merrily. They’re out for their morning walk, eagerly ‘helping Mum and Dad’ with the shopping, or may be slightly more serious, on duty guarding the market stalls.
Guarding the trees
These pictures only capture some of what was on offer. In addition to fresh produce, plants, second-hand books and bric-a-brac, there was clothing, jams and spreads, honey, spices, a seafood van and more.
Bridgetown Sunday Markets
Every Sunday fortnight 7.30am to noon at Blackwood River Park – the south side of the Blackwood River Bridge on road to Manjimup
Check the Bridgetown-Greenbushes Visitor Centre website for market dates
See the other posts about our Manjimup trip
Chefs of the Margaret River Competition
Australian readers, don’t forget to enter for your chance to win a copy of Chefs of the Margaret River Region (valued at $55) and a $50 breakfast voucher for Morries Anytime. Entries close 12 August. Enter competition
TFP will be away 1-12 August
I will eating and photographing my way around Cambodia and Vietnam. While I’m away, I may not have regular internet access, so I may be ‘quieter’ than normal on Facebook and Twitter, and my email replies and moderation of your comments may take a little longer than usual. Please don’t worry if your comment takes a while to appear. I’m looking forward to sharing my adventures with you when I return.