You will be able to find us at the Bowral PS Markets each month this year! Markets take place the second Saturday of each month from 8am – 1pm.
Here are the upcoming market dates for 2014:
Saturday 12th April 2014
Saturday 10th May 2014
Saturday 14th June 2014
Saturday 12th July 2014
Saturday 9th August 2014
Saturday 13th September 2014
Saturday 11th October 2014
Saturday 8th November 2014
Saturday 13th December 2014
Come and say hello!
Why the Bowral Farmers’ Markets? We were all there; all of us who have worked so hard towards the Geoff Jansz Farm project of “Sow Grow Prepare Share”. Family first: Angela and Tash, the website queens, Russell who is driving me to produce my three best hand-made products, Harry, my Monday and Wednesday farming buddy, Jonny, my taste tester, and lurking in the background, my Mother Val. And wedged in amongst a sea of Janszes was Jacinta who puts things together with me back at the Farm. Even Mara turned up on her day off! The day at the markets was a culmination of everybody’s amazing efforts and belief. We are all local and revelled in an honest days work and participation in a community day out. I highly recommend anyone capable of sustaining a supply of genuine quality locally made/grown foods to seek out their farmers’ markets and participate. It’s a deeply satisfying and potentially financially rewarding experience.
Would you like a deeply personal insight into another reason that I do this? It’s quite selfish, really. When I grow wonderful, interesting produce, then create my very best recipes, nothing, absolutely nothing is more satisfying than having someone stand before me, taste my efforts, roll their eyes with pleasure and say “I definitely want that”. With the other (more lucrative) work I do, consulting for food organisations, or designing kitchens and equipment or creating recipes for other manufacturers, we receive letters of appreciation and often gifts of gratitude (keep them coming). However, as psychopaths like to look into the eyes of their expiring victims, I too thrive on that immediate, visceral, unreserved response to the first taste. So it’s not merely the compliment, nor the potential for an ego boost; it’s vicariously having the pleasure along with every first time taster. Over and over again, like an addict of some kind. Is that normal? Creepy? I really don’t know and equally, don’t mind because at the end of market day, all I ever want to do is plant more seeds and create more wonderful flavours. If there are any psychologists or psychiatrists reading this… “Would you like to try my Roasted Capsicum Jam? It’s a knockout with any cheese. Here, have a taste, I’m sure I’ll… err I mean you’ll just love it.”
We have an exciting week ahead of us here at Geoff Jansz Farm. Geoff has been locked up in the kitchen cooking up batches of our three favourite products; Roasted Capsicum Jam, Hot and Sweet Chilli Sauce and Spiced Tomato Relish. This means we’ll be opening out online store and will start to ship these wonderful jars in the coming week. Stay tuned for the store’s opening and for Geoff’s recipes and ideas for how to use the Jars from the Farm range.
We will also have a stall at the Bowral Public School Markets on Saturday 8th March. Alongside our three hero products, we will have a few special one-off pickles and jars that Geoff has been playing around with on the farm. We will also have great food to enjoy on the day, made from ingredients straight from the garden. A rustic tomato soup using Geoff’s Special Tomatoes, Pear and Apple Frangipane Tarts and more… We’ll be there from 8.30am-2pm, so come say hello and have a bite to eat.
A festive, prized ingredient that reeks of summer is the Zucchini blossom. Pick them in the morning when they are open; the suns rays triggers the flower to close. The male flower has the zucchini attached while the female flower is on a stalk. I either leave the male to reach full term in it’s pregnant state and then harvest the zucchini, or pick the male flower with tender young zucchini attached. In my restaurant days, we’d snip out the stamen and stigma, fill the flower with crab mousseline and steam them. The delicate art was in keeping the flower still attached to the zucchini which was subsequently fanned onto the crab bisque reduction. Back then Flock of Seagulls and Wham were on the music charts and I used to tuck my shirt in. Now that the shirt is out and I listen to Justin Bieber, I’d still do the stuffed zucchini flower. I will post a recipe soon for a light batter and quick fry of the female flowers.
On Friday the 9th of May 2014 the inaugural East Gippsland Salad Trial Days will be held at Bulmer Farms in Lindenow, Victoria. The brief given to the 9 seed companies with trials on display is – we want to see new varieties, new lines and types which will challenge the leafy salad definition.
At the event, Geoff will be preparing salads for all. Seed companies have been asked to provide Geoff with something different, something he can get his teeth stuck into, as well as the normal lines.
A dinner will be held on the Thursday evening with presentations and informal drinks celebrating the conclusion of all our hard work on the Friday evening.
We encourage all planning on attending to book accommodation fast. The trial days are being held in conjunction with the East Gippsland Field days and accommodation in Bairnsdale is at a premium.
A flyer is on its way, but in the meantime enquiries can be made to Noel Jansz at Elders in Bairnsdale on (03) 5152 3037.
Stay tuned to geoffjansz.com for more information.
This week we will be closed Monday 16th January.
Come in Tuesday for a continental breakfast and an all day Mexican fiesta! All things Mexican… Empanadas, quesadillas, and a few specials from south o’ the border!
Normal menu returns on Wednesday 18th until Sunday 22nd January.
Unfortunately dinner bookings for Saturday 21st January are now full. Bookings are not necessary for breakfast or lunch though so please drop in any day this week apart from Monday.
While we are at the cafe we will be holding 2 dinners, all will begin at 7pm for a 7:30 start.
Dinner on Saturday 14th January will be a set menu from the items on the lunch menu with a couple of specials. Dinner on these two nights will cost $75 per head and includes corkage, coffee and tea. *Due to the nature of the set menu and our short amount of time in the cafe we won’t be able to cater to a range of allergies. Please look at the menus prior to making bookings.
Dinner on Saturday 21st January will be a degustation menu, a special menu taking things up a notch and having some fun with some good ingredients. Dinner will cost $120 per head and includes corkage, coffee and tea. *Again due to the nature of the menu and our short amount of time in the cafe we won’t be able to cater to a range of allergies. This menu has not been set as yet, but we will be preparing a back-up dish that can replace others should the need arise, and notice will be required prior to the evening if this meal is required.
Bookings will be essential for all dinners and can only be made by caling 48 622 899. We will take a credit card number, but you must pay cash on the evening. Bookings are non-refundable unless we are able to replace your booking, in which case you will no longer be charged. If you fail to show up on the night the total amount will be charged to your card. Please only make a booking if you are happy with this policy.
My kids and I are running a local restaurant for 1 more week only ! The guys at our favourite local cafe normally shut up shop and head to the beach for summer, and we had this great idea to take it over for two weeks and do what we do…..take the beautiful fruit and vegies we grow on the farm and cook for family and friends. If you’re in Bowral, drop in for a chat, a meal or after 2pm, coffee,cake and live music.
Find us at: Gastronome, 23a Boolwey St, Bowral
Check out our tumblr blog: http://geoffjansz.tumblr.com/ or the latest news on twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/GeoffPJansz
