The Grounds of Alexandria Markets, Alexandria
Live honeycomb by Maya Sunny Honey
Hello! I'm back after three weeks of eating donuts, fried chicken and barbecue around the USA. It was a crazy non-stop eat-fest but I wouldn't have had it any other way. If you haven't been following me on Twitter or Instagram, you can catch up on all the incriminating evidence here.
Never fear. There will be USA blog posts to come - as soon as I sort through the 2,000 photos taken of food, food and more food. In the interim, I'm reminiscing about the warm Sydney weather I left and sharing the photos I took at the recent Grounds of Alexandria Markets I visited before my trip.
There still seems to be no end to the queues at the Grounds of Alexandria cafe but the monthly markets -- held on the first Saturday and Sunday of every month -- are a fun way to explore some of their offerings without having to wait hours in line for a table. I rode my bike there (the Bourke Road separated cycleway is awesome!) and was impressed that the Grounds had bike racks right out the front.
Morning market-goers
I visited the Mothers Day markets which were a 'special event' market featuring more stalls than usual. There's a great sense of community and lively hustle and bustle to the market, but it's the high end styling that makes this market particularly picturesque, combining bucolic rustic charm with Vogue chic in ready-to-Instagram glory.
Sicilian green olives by Salt Meats Cheese
The markets feature regular stalls by nearby neighbours, including Salt Meats Cheese who reside next door. There are free tastings, product displays and plenty of friendly staff on-hand to provide information and advice.
Salt Meats Cheese
Italian coloured pastas by Salt Meats Cheese
Preserved red jalapenos by Salt Meats Cheese
Charcoal chicken, lamb and chorizo
The charcoal barbecue only adds to the liveliness, with skewers of chicken, lamb and chorizo licked at by greedy flames.
Skewers of chicken, lamb and chorizo over coals
Serving up chorizo and chicken rolls $9 each
Cheeseburger station
There's also the Grounds cheeseburger station, with patties flipped fresh on the grill and served on a bun with fries on the side for an easy al fresco lunch.
Flower beds
Kale flowers
Market florist
Fresh lemonade
Punnets of strawberries
Baby farm animal petting enclosure
The free baby animal farm provides hours of fun for kids young and old.
Feeding baby lambs
Resident piglet Kevin Bacon
Kevin Bacon's house
Maya Sunny Honey
I was immediately drawn to the Maya Sunny Honey stall, featuring raw honey from their apiary in Mudgee.
Live bee hive with jars attached at the top to create ready packaged honeycomb
Hidden behind a painted "log" is a working beehive with empty jars ingeniously attached to the top.
Live honeycomb jars
The open jars (there's a small opening in the lid of each jar) enable the bees to create honeycomb directly within each jar. It takes approximately 400 bees about one month to create each honeycomb jar.
Live honeycomb jars for sale $15 and up
When the jar has been filled with honeycomb, the bees leave the jar and continue elsewhere. The jars are then removed for sale. It's an incredible sight to see the bees working furiously.
Fresh ciabatta loaves
Chocolate chip cookies
Sweets and baked goods at The Grounds bakery
And there are plenty of sweet treats for everyone.
Organic sourdough
Strawberry and fruit tarts
Handmade chocolates by Kakawa
Macarons by MakMak
Smoked vanilla and pecan praline macaron by MakMak
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The next Grounds of Alexandria Market will be on the weekend of July 6-7, 2013.
Please note that the market visited above was a special Mothers Day event market with extra vendors on-site.
Grounds of Alexandria Market
First Saturday and Sunday of every month
8am-3pm
Building 7A, 2 Huntley St, Alexandria, Sydney
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posted by Helen (Grab Your Fork) on 6/24/2013 02:24:00 am