Fresh produce in Sydney

Weekend farmers markets

Ditch the supermarkets and shop in the open air. On Saturdays, start your day at Carriageworks Farmers Market in Eveleigh, a sprawling affair where stalls sell everything from olives to oysters, fresh bread to flavourful fruit. You can also pick up a coffee and crepe to fuel your shopping expedition. The community vibe is equally strong at the city’s Organic Food Markets, hosted across the city in Kings Cross, Mosman and Marrickville, among other suburbs. Once you have your haul, order a gozleme and enjoy live music.

Crowd enjoying a day out at Carriageworks Market, Redfern

The Sydney Sustainable Market in Darlinghurst is also held on Saturdays, and champions the three principles: sustainable, seasonal and simple. There’s nothing like an organically grown heirloom tomato on a slice of just-baked sourdough. A similar philosophy is adopted at the Sunday Tramsheds Growers Market , proudly supporting local gin distillers and kale growers – and just about every purveyor in between.

Tramsheds Sydney, Glebe

Weekday farmers markets

Markets aren’t just a weekend event. The Cambridge Markets EQ are held at Moore Park’s Entertainment Quarter every Wednesday (and Saturday), with more than 70 stallholders uniting to deliver tasty produce, plants, knick-knacks and homewares. Double Bay Organic Market is on Thursdays, and The Beaches Market at Warriewood  – one of the biggest of its kind in Sydney – is held on Fridays.

Cambridge Markets EQ, Sydney

Speciality markets

Ocean-fresh lobsters, crabs, sea urchin, snapper… the Sydney Fish Market is epic, whether you’re visiting for a meal or for take-home produce. This is the largest seafood market in the Southern Hemisphere, after all. Traders sell produce you can cook up later, or you can order a bottle of wine and a Singaporean-style crab to enjoy on alfresco tables beside the harbour. The Sydney Vegan Market is held on the third Sunday of every month at the Entertainment Quarter, and brings together more than 100 stallholders, with plenty of space in between for you to lay out a picnic rug and enjoy live entertainment.

Sydney Fish Market, Pyrmont

Farm-fresh produce

For the ultimate in freshness, go straight to the source. In the Hawkesbury, on the edge of Sydney, you can pick apples, pears, mandarins, oranges, nuts, stonefruit… and so much more, depending on the season. Look out for farm-gate honesty boxes where you can drop off a couple of coins in exchange for already harvested produce. Honey is a highlight. Dive deep into the region’s food scene following the Hawkesbury Harvest Farm Gate Trail, linking growers and makers on a self-guided road trip.

Shields Orchard, Bilpin

Many restaurants in Sydney champion local produce from around the state, and others take it even further and grow their own. Chiswick in Woollahra has a kitchen garden you can see from the dining room, and pretty much everything else on the menu is sourced from chef Matt Moran’s family farm in regional New South Wales.