Glenorie is a semi-rural village in the Hills District of north western Sydney. On the fourth Sunday each month local farmers and producers come together for what is a true community market. An ideal setting alongside the village shops, the Glenorie Growers market is well laid out and stalls have carefully been selected ensuring good variety.

The Glenorie Rural Fire Brigade greets us on arrival. It is hard to go past the shiny red truck and of course the children delight in climbing on board for a photo opportunity.

So what can you find? Sweet tooths I will start with you. ‘That Gingerbread Place’ has an amazing display of colourful and fun gingerbread bouquets and lollipops. Beautifully decorated you can choose from flowers to animals and smiley faces. This is definitely something to remember for gifts and special occasions (The Buzz Lightyear pop was a hit!)

Local business ‘The Chocolate Pot’ also puts up a mountain of temptation. Perfect as a treat or a gift if you can part with it.. It is never too early for chocolate; try their bestselling truffles or their chocolate coated nougat.

Boxes of fresh homemade pasta infused with flavours such as chilli or parmesan get me thinking about dinner. You can also make a hearty meal with that. I then head to ‘Paddock to Plate’ who offer locally grown Hawkesbury Valley grass fed Angus beef.” Why should I buy grass fed?” I ask. “It has better nutritional value, the cows feed as nature intended and it tastes better!” Of course their philosophy is right, we should care more about the food our food eats. The locals know it, Paddock to Plate have nearly sold out.

I am also lured by the delicious rillettes (pork pate) from the 'Tony Bilson at Home' Stall. Famous for his decades of contribution to modern Australia cuisine, Tony Bilson is now sharing his flavours at the markets. Gourmands will love the selection of items including duck and pork terrine, duck confit and homemade stocks and sauces.

There are so many different produce stalls from 'Ding The Recipe' selling their delicious Asian pastes to ‘River Flats’ olive oil and newcomer ‘Wattle Tree Creek’ celebrating Australian Native flavours. You will also find a nice selection of gift stalls including local business ‘Divine Infusions’ with their natural body care and scalar energy health pendants.

Plan a day trip to the area, start with Glenorie Growers Market in the morning then drive down the valley to the Berowra Waters (10 mins away). Take the car ferry crossing and wind your way back up through the the beautiful leafy scenery and come home via the F3. Discover something new, it’s a great day out!

Glenorie Growers Market is held on the fourth Sunday each Month
8am to 1pm

An easy and delicious dessert which can also be substituted with strawberries.
Serves 4

Poached Pears
4 firm pears (buerre bosc) peeled, cores removed and halved
1 cup caster sugar
1 ½ cups red wine
2 cinnamon Sticks
2 bay leaves
1 vanilla bean split

Place the sugar and wine, cinnamon, vanilla & bay leaves in a saucepan and heat until simmering. Add the pear together with enough water to just cover them. Cook for 15 mins until they soften. Remove from pan and continue to simmer liquid until it becomes syrupy. Place the pears back in the syrup to warm slightly before serving.

Mascarpone ‘Zabaglione’
3 eggs
275g mascarpone cheese
2 tspn vanilla extract

Beat the eggs and sugar in a stainless steel bowl until well combined using a hand mixer.

Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (without letting the bowl touch the water), and continue to beat for 5 minutes until warm and thick. Be careful not to overheat as the eggs will scramble.

Remove the bowl from the heat and beat for another 6 minutes until light and thick. Fold in the mascarpone and vanilla extract until just combined.

To Serve: Spoon the mascarpone into the dishes and place the spiced pears on top.

Recipe adapted from Belinda Jeffrey in association with Delicious Magazine

Essential Oils are a concentrated liquid containing a fragrance carefully extracted from plants. The essence can be found in different areas of the plants including leaves (such as eucalyptus), petals (rose), bark (sandalwood), resins (myrrh), roots (calamus), rind (citrus fruits) and seeds (caraway). They are often used in aromatherapy for their fragrance and also for their therapeutic and healing effects including mood, cognitive function, beauty and health. The most common form of extraction is steam distillation.

Essential Oil Quality

*Essential Oil quality can vary. The most pure form is used for therapeutic purposes and requires hundreds of pounds of plant matter before extracting only one pound of pure essential oil. The purest form therefore comes with a price tag.

*Many oils on the market have been diluted or adulterated, losing their healing properties and in the worst case can even cause toxic reactions.

*The quality of essential oils (and therefore its effectiveness) is also dependent on the plants growing conditions such as soil, fertilizers (chemical or organic) temperature, altitude, the harvesting process & distillation.

Essential Oil Facts

*The use of plant oils can be traced back over thousands of year years – the Chinese, Egyptians, Greeks & Romans all recognised curative properties of essential oils.

*Essential oils in their pure form cannot be directly applied to the skin. They need to be added to a carrier or vegetable oil such as almond oil and apricot kernel oil.

*Most essential oils have anti-bacterial qualities.

*Oils can change over time. Some including Rose and Patchouli oil are known to age well whereas citrus based oils can become irritating and toxic with age.

*Essential oils are strong anti-oxidants

*Essential oils are capable of penetrating cell walls and being metabolized like other nutrients

*Whilst Essential Oils are used used to fragrance cosmetics, soaps, cleaning products and candles, the vast majority are used in the perfume industry

It is always a good idea to check whether products use pure essential oils, this may be the difference between a nice smelling candle and one that has beneficial qualities.

Calming Scents at the Markets in Sydney

Local Sydney market business Calming Scents hand pour natural soy wax candles using 100% essential oils. Their large range of products offer something for everyone from relaxation, to improving concentration or aiding tiredness.

Click here for product details.

Eggs are filled with nutrients and vitamins and what’s more they are an all-natural and affordable food, available all year round.

So what makes eggs so good for you?

*Eggs are a great source of protein which help you feel full and energised and are essential for building new cells and replacing damages ones. (According to Sunny Queen Farms, one egg is equivalent to 6g of protein or 180ml milk!)

* Eggs are a good source of iron, essential in the production of red blood cells (and gain according to Sunny Queen Farms are equivalent to 1 lamb chop!)

*Eggs are filled with vitamins A, D, E and Complex B

*Eggs are relatively low in fat. Yes eggs are high in saturated fat which can be converted to high cholesterol in the blood, however eggs are also high in unsaturated fat which can help lower fats levels in blood.

*Eggs play a role in muscular strength, weight management, brain function and eye health. They are also high is choline which is ideal for foetal development in pregnancy.

Some of you may remember what eggs used to be like, golden yellow yolks and rich in flavour. Sadly it is hard to find such an egg off the shelf these days unless you buy directly from a farmer who believes in nurturing hens in a natural and non-intensive farming environment (or you have your own).

Egganic have a small property close to Orange NSW with hundreds of Isa Brown hens. Roaming freely on green pastures which are chemical free and managed under organic practices, the fresh farm eggs are collected daily and sold within days. Scarily this is often before most other eggs even reach the retailer.

You can find Egganic at The Beaches Market every Friday in Warriewood on the Northern Beaches. They are just like you remember them and even better!

http://www.egganic.com.au

A quick and easy salad perfect for your family feasts and Easter BBQ.

Salad
500g peeled and deveined cooked prawns (or green prawns cooked on the BBQ)
2 cups cooked vermicelli (or flat ribbon rice noodles)
½ red onion finely sliced
3 tomatoes deseeded, cut into strips
1 Lebanese cucumber peeled, cut into small pieces
1 cup Thai basil leave chopped
1 cup coriander chopped
3 tbsps. spring onions chopped (white bulb)

Dressing
3 garlic cloves crushed
1 tbsp. sweet chilli sauce
1 tbsp. lime or lemon juice
2 tbsps. brown sugar
1 tbsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. grated lime or lemon zest
1 tsp. crushed line kaffir leaves
2 tsps. minced or pickled ginger (if you can!)
Salt & Pepper

Additional / Optional Toppings
Crushed Peanuts
Dried Shrimp bits
Chopped Shallots

Method
Cook the vermicelli noodles and allow to cool.
Mix the dressing ingredients. Toss together with the prawns.
Layer the vermicelli noodles on a platter and cover with prawns and dressing.

Ian Parmenter Recipe from Poh’s Kitchen