Lot 101 Farm Gate manager Sofia Nyman loves the idea of history repeating itself. She works at the Farm Gate Market at the Megalong Valley Tearooms on Saturdays and says the vegetables are being grown on the same flats that retailing magnate Mark Foy had vegetables grown for the Hydro Majestic in the beginning of the 1900s.
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"The vegetables used to then be brought up via a flying fox to Medlow Bath. Now vegetables are again grown on the flats. This time for a restaurant (Lot 101), The Megalong Valley Tearooms and for the market."
Produce is all grown in the valley, according to organic principles and the market is held every Saturday from 9-3pm offering a "beautiful range of vegetables for the community".
"When I came to the Mountains about nine years ago, one of the things I missed was the weekly farmers markets.
"I thought that the Mountains would thrive and expand its consumer awareness if the markets were held weekly, instead of monthly. I thought (and still think) that each village could have a produce market weekly and still be viable," she said.
"Weekly markets move people to buy more consciously, away from supermarkets and towards locally grown and organic. Markets, for me, represent true community - it offers a place to gather food, meet and connect."
The Farm Gate Market in Megalong started less than a year ago.
"It has so much potential, with amazing growers in the gardens working passionately to provide vegetables for Lot101 Megalong Restaurant, the Tearooms and the weekly Farm Gate Market.
She said at the Farm Gate Market the produce is sold straight from the farm and the vegetables are as fresh as you can possibly get them, harvested on the Friday.
"I think the flats might be one of the most fertile places in the Blue Mountains and it's great that they are being utilised for something so important. I'm very passionate about local food for local people and, of course, any visitors that come to experience it.
Ms Nyman said the market also celebrates food preservation.
"The super yummy Ploughman's pickle is made with the vegetables from the garden. The plum jam is from trees in the Megalong and the blackberry jam is sold and has been kept on the Tearooms menu to honour the original idea of the Tearooms, where days and days were spent foraging in the valley for enough blackberries to last the year."
