Out Standing in their Fields

Out Standing in their Fields

Farmers' Markets New Zealand is pleased to present our four outstanding regional chefs for - the perfect Christmas Present for 2011

Trade me Auction - Jonny Schwass - Click here- Lunch for four people in Jonny's Christchurch Garden - Awarded Cuisine Restaurant Personality of The Year

Trademe Auction - Marc Soper - Click here
Luncheon at Pirinoa Station in the Wairarapa for 6 people, serving a combination of dishes including 2011 Wellington chef of the capital award winning dishes and utilizing some of the finest regional products available

Trademe Auction - Jan Bilton - Click here
Cloudy Bay Winery will be your venue for 8 guests to sample the very best of Marlborough with Jan Bilton for a cooking demonstration and luncheon to be matched with Cloudy Bay Wines

Trademe Auction - Julie Biuso - Click here
Cooking Class for 6 in Julie Biuso’s home featuring fresh produce from the market, organic meats, and eggs from Julie’s own chickens

Check out the Out Standing in their Fields Blog for detailed updates, videos and recipes from the road!

Outstanding Kitchen being built - Chris Fortune NZ Chef

Outstanding Kitchen being built - Chris Fortune NZ Chef: "A Marlborough-built kitchen is being prepared to tour the country helping top Kiwi chefs promote homegrown New Zealand cooking to the world."

'via Blog this'

Well deserved Winner of NZ Rural Womans Award

Lisa Harper is Supreme Winner !!

Lisa Harper attended the awards ceremony at the Rural Women New Zealand National Conference 2011 on Friday night and has just been announced the overall supreme winner.

Well done Lisa from the Marlborough Farmers' Market Team.

Making cheese is something the Harper women have done for generations. We lovingly coax fresh milk into cheese, in our tiny farm dairy, from recipes more than two centuries old. Each cheese is hand-crafted using traditional methods, which have been discarded by modern dairy factories in the quest for efficiency. At Sherrington, we choose to make only limited quantities of cheese, using the old ways, because we believe it creates a better product - this is the way cheese was before mechanisation and standardisation became the norm. Sherrington cheeses look, smell and taste the way they were meant to - a real taste of history.

Strengthening rural communities is the aim of Rural Women New Zealand.

As an organisation they are constantly working to enhance our position as a respected voice of rural New Zealand families and communities.

They aim to develop rural communities by valuing rural uniqueness, understanding the needs of rural communities and working with agencies and RWNZ members to develop a strong rural network.

Master chef recipes

My step mother had a special recipe that would make a appearance once a fortnight at the dinner table, it was her pride and joy, and to her it was a culinary masterpiece or signature dish. Little did the three hungry boys who devoured every last little bit know that it was little more than glorified leftovers. She would lovingly call this impossible pie

Impossible pie recently made a comeback to the dinner table in the Fortune household as our Miss Four year old princess helped me make dinner for the family. Having recently been collecting eggs from our friends cookhouse she is always looking for a reason to get the bowl and whisk out, and once we had removed all the broken shells we had something that is acceptable for whisked eggs to form the base of our impossible pie

Mr Eight year old “I know everything “came bowling through the kitchen with a big ''yukkkk - I am not eating that !!! '' - which resulted in the prompt reply from missy – “ then you cant have any icecream !!”. That settled that. The Fortune fridge promptly gave us left over peas, carrots (sorry rabbits !), silverbeet and some cheese that had seen better days. The more leftovers the better for impossible pie

Missy would not allow any further help so I was relegated to the dishes and setting the table while she mixed all of the ingredients and then decorated with tomato smiley faces and cheese teeth ontop of. Into the oven and a new master chef contestant was born. I cant remember ever being taught how to cook at home, dinners were just provided and we were expected to eat it, no questions no fuss, and what we did not eat was put into our lunch the next day. Impossible pie never tasted good cold in lunch boxes so I am pretty sure this was the main reason we used to eat it all, the fear of lunch consisting of left over left over’s for lunch was just to much for us to stomach

Mr “I know everything” enjoyed seconds that night, and as I carefully removed egg shell from my dinner it was decided that impossible pie truly lives up to its name, and we will look at leftovers as the next culinary superstar dish, but I doubt you will find it on masterchef soon !

Little Missy’s Impossible Pie

1/3 cup Flour

3 eggs (shell removed)

1.5 cups milk

1 cup left over peas

½ cup carrots

¾ cup grated cheese

½ cup cooked silverbeet

1 onion (optional)

Tomato and herbs to garnish

Salt and pepper to season

Any other left over’s that you fancy. Whisk eggs and then add all other ingredients, place into a oiled shallow dish and bake in a mid oven 170 degrees C for approx 30-45 min or until set. Serve with salad and follow with ice-cream for extra bribery

Marlborough in the running for Taste of the Year

When Marlborough Farmers' Market started 10 years ago it was only the second such market in the country.

But despite the relatively small population of Blenheim and the surrounding areas, market president Chris Fortune says people have embraced the ethos of "authentic and transparent" food grown close to home.

Out of 43 eligible markets in the Taste Farmers' Markets Awards 2011, Marlborough is sitting in sixth place as customers' favourite, but there is still time to register a vote. Voting closes on Saturday.

"We're doing really well – it's a good sign of the strength of the base and support that we have in Marlborough," Chris said.

"But all the markets are reflective of their own regions – what works in Auckland doesn't necessarily work in Marlborough."

The markets gave food businesses the opportunity to have a retail outlet in their region, Chris said.

Although New Zealand was still relatively new at farmers' markets, it was catching up fast.

"Australia only had them one year before New Zealand so we're still the babies of the group, but we're looking at what's happening in farmers' markets around the world.

"(Marlborough) is certainly a growing market."

In the 2011 awards, Tauranga is leading the voting, with New Zealand's first farmers' market, Hawkes Bay, second.

Chris said rural people were generally more supportive of the markets and cities could struggle to become established. However, once they do they have the population to make them grow.

Those interested can vote at tastefarmersmarkets.org.nz and be entered into a competition to win a trip to Singapore.

Transparency of Marlborough

Having settled in Marlborough over a decade ago after eating the grass on the other side of the fence, it was not a hard decision to start using local produce.

While the rest of the world is busy hunting and gathering from exotic corners of the Earth, the real tastes can be found right here in our own backyard.

We have some of the best aquaculture farms, and practices that produce a word-class product that can be found not only on New Zealand dinner tables but all around the world.

While I am not tempted by flashy promotions and marketing campaigns for the latest food fad or trend, I put just as much emphasis on getting to know the people who produce our proteins and starches as I do on cooking them. This gives me transparency and awareness of what I am cooking and serving to my guests and family.

Having been involved with New Zealand King Salmon for at decade, it is no wonder that the company is now seeking to increase the size of its operation as it meets the needs of the marketplace. I have visited the salmon farms and worked with the staff through the highs and lows

The proof of success is in the pudding or, to put it into context, in the taste of the salmon that is dispatched from Marlborough every day of the week.

Transparency comes with years of hard work, and this is part of the story of why New Zealand King Salmon has become one of the world leaders in salmon production and sustainability.

If a product is local, it gets my attention. If a product is local and tastes great, I am interested. If a product is local, tastes great and has a sustainable and proven record, then I am more than interested. If a product is local, tastes great, has a sustainable record and is produced by a transparent company or people, then it will take pride of place at my dinner table for my family and guests.

Ingredients

2 large salmon fillets

1 cucumber

3 litres water

200g brown sugar

300g salt

3 lemons, sliced

Dressing:

3 egg yolks, beaten

3 tsp dried mustard powder

6 cloves garlic, crushed

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp dried oregano

15 drops Tabasco sauce

Olive oil

5 Tbsp white vinegar

Combine all the dressing ingredients except the olive oil in a blender, using low speed. Maintain speed and add the olive oil very slowly until the mixture thickens and is the consistency of mayonnaise.

Season to taste and refrigerate for up to a week, using as needed.

Place the salmon pieces in the brine for at least two hours and then rinse well. Pat dry and place on a smoking rack.

Place 2 cups of smoking chips in the smoker and hot smoke for 15-25 minutes or until the salmon is medium cooked.

Cut the cucumber in half, scoop out the seeds and peel the flesh into long, thin strips. Place the smoked salmon on top, sprinkle with the capers and drizzle with the garlic dressing.

NZ cookbooks at Taste Farmers' Markets Awards 2011

Vote online for your favourtie Farmers' Market and you will also be in to win one of the following New Zealand cookbooks. There are two copies each to be won!

Julie Le Clerc's "Made By Hand" & "Simple Cafe Food" CLICK HERE

Dean Brettschneider's "Global Baker" CLICK HERE

Adie McLelland's "Black Dog Cottage Cook Book"CLICK HERE

The Ripe Deli Cookbook CLICK HERE

Simon & Alison Holst's "100 favourite ways with chicken" CLICK HERE
Winner Chris Brock - Hamilton
Winner Andy Collins - Hamilton

Simon Gault's "Nourish" CLICK HERE

Genevieve Knights' "Pavlova" CLICK HERE

Paul Jobin's "A Pinch of Salt" CLICK HERE

Chris Fortune's "The Kiwi Sizzler Smoking Book" CLICK HERE

Michal Haines' "Scent of the Monsoon Winds" CLICK HERE

Annabelle White's "Annabelle White's Best Recipes"CLICK HERE
Winner Helen Sebastian-Pace - Auckland
Winner Bethaney Davies - Christchurch

Cooking with Charles Royal CLICK HERE

Anne Thorp's "Kai Ora" CLICK HERE

Caffe L'affare's "How to make really good coffee"CLICK HERE

Taste Farmers Markets New Zealand Awards 2011

News > Tauranga Farmers' Market still in front (just) |More

Tauranga Farmers' Market still in front (just) There are now over fifty Farmers’ Markets scattered throughout the country from Keri Keri in the North to Invercargill in the South. Tauranga Farmers' Market is currently leading the consumer voting polls for Best Farmers Market and here is a little taste why...........fresh seasonal produce from the market From the Tauranga Website CLICK HERE

Organic orchard lifeblood of market | Stuff.co.nz

Organic orchard lifeblood of market | Stuff.co.nz: "In Marlborough's endless sea of grapes, Bob and Jennie Crum's organic Renwick orchard offers something of a life-raft.

With 20 varieties of plums, seven of blueberries, a feijoa block and newly planted kiwifruit vines, Windsong Orchard's diversity is perfectly pitched to meet the Marlborough Farmers' Market season.

'We've tried to get the widest range of production for the longest time over the season, set up basically for the Farmers' Market,' says Ms Crum.

The development of the orchard has been closely linked to the local producer market, established 10 years ago, with strong support from the Crums."

Marlborough Puffery

You might be forgiven for thinking that we live in a town that is full of negative doom and gloom citizens, this is judged by the number of personality driven media campaigns and Puffery that is currently placed on the Marlborough District Council.

http://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/155872/council-inquiry-needs-be-independent-councillor

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=194423

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/72768/marlborough-council-to-investigate-corruption-claims

Our present and past council staff and councillor’s fronted by Mayor Alistair Sowman have done a outstanding job of representing our region, the assets that we have now and the infrastructure that we want for our children. They gather all of the facts, they make decisions based on these and they move towards the future.

The majority of negative people have half the facts, are personality driven and keep pulling things backwards and sideways, and are the first to preach a undemocratic society or that they are exercising there democratic right depending on what side of the fence they are standing on today.

I will personally contribute, to a one way air-ticket to Australia, to those negative people that feel that they are hard done by here in Marlborough. Part of our role as community citizens is to support the people who put themselves forward into the position of governance, right or wrong they me be, they have all of the facts and work in all of our best interests as a community. To redeem your "I am a Negative B**** " voucher for your one way air ticket please send a self addressed envelope to P O BOX 991, Blenheim

Regards

Chris Fortune

www.chrisfortune.co.nz

cuisine@chrisfortune.co.nz

021935995

Professional Love Marlborough Consultant

PS: Great Communities don’t just happen ! They are created, nurtured and substained by caring, connected and involved residents…..Peter Kenyon

Taste Cooking Demos in the super city

CHRIS FORTUNE at the Taste Cooking Demos in Auckland Sunday 10 th April

Since winning HELL’S KITCHEN in May 2003 Chris has relises he can no longer stand behind a Cow

Having been busy working and running restaurants for the last 15 years he is now enjoying helping raise his young 8 year old son and 4 year old daughter. Never to be far from the hotspots though, Chris is also currently working for the Heartland Hotel Blenheim and the Marlborough Convention Centre as the Executive Chef and presides as the Chairperson for the Marlborough Farmers Market and chairperson of the New Zealand Farmers Market Association. Chris is passionate about all NZ food producers and supports local fresh honest cuisine. This gives him a much broader and deeper appreciation of how produce gets to the kitchen. Having run many different kitchens and an active member of different organisations both in Marlborough and New Zealand Chris understands that no longer can a chef hide in his kitchen; they must represent their philosophy and understanding of hospitality.

Taste Farmers Markets New Zealand Awards 2011

A Major Earthquake centered on Lyttelton occurred at 1pm on February the 22nd 2011

The Civil Defence Centre for Lyttelton is the Recreation Centre on Winchester Street

Tune in to Volcano Radio on 88.5fm or listen to our live stream

If you wish to make a donation to support the community reconstruction of Lyttelton follow this lin

Taste Farmers Markets New Zealand Awards 2011

Brett McGregor: The birth of a celebrity chef - Food - NZ Herald News

Where are they now? It's so often the public catch-cry following reality TV shows. A young unknown is snapped from obscurity into the bright lights and fierce heat of competition, to win 15 minutes of fame in their chosen field of music/modelling/cooking only, more often than not, to disappear back into obscurity just as quickly.

Brett McGregor: The birth of a celebrity chef - Food - NZ Herald News

Taste Farmers Markets NZ Awards 2011

Welcome to the Taste Farmers' Markets NZ Awards 2011

To be in to win, vote for your Favorite Farmers' Market CLICK HERE

Vote online and you will also be entered into the draw to win one of the following New Zealand cookbooks. There are two copies each to be won! 

Julie Le Clerc's "Made By Hand" & "Simple Cafe Food" CLICK HERE

Dean Brettschneider's "Global Baker"  CLICK HERE

Adie McLelland's "Black Dog Cottage Cook Book"CLICK HERE

The Ripe Deli Cookbook CLICK HERE

Simon & Alison Holst's "100 favourite ways with chicken"  CLICK HERE

Simon Gault's "Nourish" CLICK HERE

Genevieve Knights' "Pavlova"  CLICK HERE

Paul Jobin's "A Pinch of Salt"  CLICK HERE

Chris Fortune's "The Kiwi Sizzler Smoking Book"  CLICK HERE

Michal Haines' "Scent of the Monsoon Winds"  CLICK HERE

Annabelle White's "Annabelle White's Best Recipes"CLICK HERE

Cooking with Charles Royal CLICK HERE

Anne Thorp's "Kai Ora"   CLICK HERE

--

Have you voted for your favorite Farmers' Market in NZ ?

www.tastefarmersmarkets.org.nz    

Chris Fortune

www.chrisfortune.co.nz

www.marlboroughfarmersmarket.co.nz 
www.farmersmarkets.org.nz 


www.chrisfortunerecipes.blogspot.com
www.marlboroughcommunitygarden.blogspot.com

Havelock Mussel Festival

My favorite festival is about to happen  on March 19, 2011 the atmosphere is great, the food is exceptionally tasty and fresh and the  entertainment  is first class but the overriding number one reason that the Havelock mussel festival is my favorite in NZ  is the community spirit and fun that i have their every year.

NZ's first ever Master-chef winner, Brett McGregor  will be providing cooking demos this year in the live cooking theater sponsored by Regal Salmon where you will be treated to the taste of the freshest and tastiestmussels and Marlborough seafood.  Local school children from Havelock and Linkwater will also assist myself and showcase the future NZ Master- chefs to the festival goers as we slice, dices, steam and bubble and boil in the kitchen. 

The Havelock Mussel Festival Committee has invested into the local schools and we are currently running  a series of cooking demos called "What¹s on your Plate"  It is an inquiry into the influences on our food choices using the social format approach.  Our focus  is to look at what food choices are grown locally (and what is more local than Mussels !)  and what is available to  students and their families for consumption, as well as the impact that this has on them, their community and globally.  Mother nature and seasonality are mixed with some fun to then be baked into a interactive  and social kitchen experience.  Students from these cooking demos at Havelock and Link-water School will be attending the festival and participating in the cooking demos

My Love affair is revealed

My love affair began a number of years ago.

I did not tell my wife at first, as I knew she would not approve, but as time went on, she accepted that we were just meant to be.

All the signs were there – http://www.chrisfortune.co.nz/testimonials/myloveaffair

Toastmasters - I like Olive oil on my toast

O P E N    D A Y

Wider Horizons Toastmasters Club

WED MARCH 16^th 10 – 12 noon

St Mary’s Parish Church Hall, Maxwell Road, Blenheim

Programme includes

·       Marlborough Olive Oil Use

and Tasting Demonstration (interactive)

Chris Fortune is presently Chef and Chairperson of the Marlborough Farmers Market and also Chef at the Heartland Hotel and Marlborough Convention Centre.   He is passionate about local fresh cuisine…. and Toastmasters

·       Renate von Petersdorff – Picton Artist and Potter

Renate, one of our newer members, is presently exhibiting at Highfield Winery and talks about her firing techniques and glazes

Gold Coin Entry

For more details contact Cathy Brown 573 9111 -  021 045 1799

www.toastmasters.org.nz

“Celebrating Toastmasters International Week”

Kia kaha Christchurch

Our hearts go out to the people of Christchurch, particularly those who have lost loved ones and everyone who is helping in the mammoth clean-up effort.

In the rural areas, farmers and producers are battling on and this Saturday from 9am to 12noon you can visit the Farmers' Market which will be held outside Riccarton House. This will be an  opportunity to catch up with friends and family while also supporting local food producers.

You can expect to find anything from fresh fruit and vegetables to wines, chocolates and cakes. With its organic and locally sourced produce, manager Jamie Bennett says the market can’t be beaten for quality.

“You’re buying direct from the grower, you don’t have the middle-man there, the pricing is very good and you have the freshness as well. The majority of the people that sell fruit and veges usually pick on the Friday and its at the market on Saturday so the quality is very high.”


Megan Singleton is an
award-winning travel
writer who has been
gallivanting around the
world writing stories
for the last 12 years
and blogging for 5. Her
style is informative, sassy and a little tongue-in-
cheek as she provides insights and tips that you
may (or may not) find useful and entertaining

A open invitation to NZ Bloggers

Voting for the Taste Farmers Markets New Zealand Awards is now open (see CLICK HERE), and to celebrate and promote the event, we are working with food bloggers based in New Zealand. We will be setting up a page dedicated to showcasing NZ food bloggers, and the link to this will be on the home page and main menu. There are two ways you can get featured:


1. Write a post that showcases or uses (in a recipe for example) any food product from a NZ farmers market (remember to link to the market and/or producer too, or tell people their details if they don't have a website), and link to tastefarmersmarkets.org.nz, encouraging readers to either nominate their favourite producer/stallholder or vote for their favourite farmers market. With your permission we will link to you AND feature an image and the subject from this post (please send a 250x250pixel image or one that we can easily resize to that). You will also go into the draw to win a prize pack that includes cookbooks by Farmers Markets New Zealand Chairperson and Chef, Chris Fortune, and lots of delicious foodie goodies and wine. 

2. Alternatively, if you'd just like to spread the word, you are welcome to do so by linking to tastefarmersmarkets.org.nz and encouraging readers to either nominate their favourite producer/stallholder or vote for their favourite farmers market. You will still go into the draw to win the prize pack, but we will only feature a link to your site. 

The bonus for anyone who votes is that they will be automatically entered into the draw to win a return trip for 2 to Singapore to visit Loewen Gardens Farmers Market, and cookbooks by NZ food icons.

Let me know if you're interested, and if you pick option one, send me your image as soon as the post is public. Attached is a logo for the awards - please link it to the tastefarmersmarkets.org.nz if participating :) Please note the deadline for posting is Monday April 25. Feel free to circulate this email to any other food bloggers you may know. Also please don't hesitate to ask me if you have any ideas or questions! You can also contact Chris directly at tasteawards@farmersmarkets.org.nz.



Zo @ twospoons.wordpress.com, helping promote the TFMNZA 2011.

Autumn Season has arrived now that.......

Summer is just about to finish, March is officially the start of Autumn and you will be able to feel the coolness sneaking through in the middle of night. The days are thankfully still long and hot which is perfect for ripening grapes and the main crops of all of our  fruit and vegetables  - Sweet corn is at its best after a long summer of ripening, Royal Gala Apples are now available, crispy and sweet, tart and juicy.    Zucchinis, Scaloppini’s, onions, carrots, beetroot  are in full flourish.  Omega Plums and NZ Table grapes have now come on stream and are in abundance.

Jim tannock for photo credit

It is in the spring that we sow all of these seeds, the flowers are pollinated and the long slow process of growing begins.  Summer provides the heat and more importantly the light to allow for successful harvests of our edible products. At this time of year, the word plentiful is on the tip of the tongue and while the end-of-summer crops are still in abundance,  along comes some of the most flavoursome ingredients that nature can offer.   Time is the ingredient missing from most recipes today, the time to slow down and enjoy what we have around us and just what is in season, what taste the best and is seasonally cheaper than other times of the year –  we forget when one season starts and another finishes as other things consume our lives.

The name for autumn in Maori is  Ngahuru, an archaic word for ten. This is because autumn started during the tenth month (February–March) in the traditional calendar. Ngahuru is also the name for harvest, which occurred at this time and you put away food (preserved) for the cooler months of the year.  While we may not preserve and store food like we used to do it is something that more and more people are turning to as both a relaxing, social and enjoyable lifestyle choice,  so that they too can capture the real flavours of a season and then enjoy them at a later time. 

Sweet and sour tomatoes and apples

These will go perfectly with white meats and garden vegetables, either as a side dish or mixed with rice or other grains to make a tasty salad.

500 g green tomatoes (unripe toms)

4 green chillies, cored and seeded

2 onions, finely diced

4 tablespoons grapeseed oil

2 cooking apples, peeled and diced

¼ teaspoon allspice

½ teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons brown sugar

¼ cup white wine vinegar

To skin the tomatoes, pierce their skins, place in a bowl, cover with boiling water and let them stand for 3 minutes. Drain, peel while hot and chop finely. Heat the oil in a medium-size frying pan, add the remaining ingredients, bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes until thick and puréed. Pour into hot sterilised jars and seal for later use. 

Farmers' Markets New Zealand: Taste Farmers Markets New Zealand Awards 2011

WIN A TRIP FOR TWO TO SINGAPORE BY VOTING FOR

YOUR FAVORITE FARMERS' MARKET

Vote for your Farmers' Market now CLICK HERE