Spoilt for choice at Ballan Farmers’ Market

BREAD hand-shaped and baked in Daylesford, cheese handmade in Ballarat, and olive oil grown and bottled in Gordon are a few of the local produce choices available on the second Saturday of every month at the Ballan Farmers’ Market.

Set in the surrounds of Mill Cottage on the main street in Ballan, the market is run by a volunteer committee of local residents.

BFM chair Jacqui Sfetcopolous said, “This means that all the money raised at the market, instead of paying for a manager, is donated to the community.

“We support local schools, sports groups, charities and organisations from the money raised at the gate as gold coin entry and the stall holder fees.”

Funds are also raised at the market’s sausage sizzle, manned by three shifts of volunteers cooking and selling snags made by the local Ballan butcher.

The market, started seven years ago with funding from the state government, has been financially sustainable and viable for the past four years with close to $30,000 going back in to the local community since it opened.

Mrs Sfetcopoulos said, “Without the assistance of our volunteers, many of whom have been helping at the market for a number of years, we would struggle to keep the market running.

“There is always a palpable camaraderie at the market between our local customers, stallholders and volunteers.”

Brooklands Free-Range Farms owners Jono Hurst and Nat Hardy have been selling their free-range rare-breed meat at the market for two and a half years.

“It is a nice small-town market, well supported by locals as well as people from out of town,” said Mr Hurst.

With apples from Harcourt, chutney and relish made in Bannockburn, free-range eggs laid in Mt Egerton the produce at the market doesn’t use up many food miles to get there each month.

Ballan Farmers’ Market is held the second Saturday of every month from 9am to 1pm at 96 Inglis Street Ballan.