Each week we set up our Lebanese Street Food stall at the Fremantle Farmers Market. We arrive in the dark and bang in the tent among a huge list of other stall holders, some of which have been there since three am preparing their massive array of fruit and vegetables.

Quite often someone will comment on the weather and let you know if you should put up the awning for the rain, or use the tent pegs for the wind or have extra water for the forty degree day ahead. It’s the Sunday morning ritual of arranging all the weeks mouneh along the trestle table - vibrant orange, purple and pink pickles gleaming in the morning sun. Hummus jars and toum, fragrant ma’amouls and the weeks specialty desert. Firing up the pizza oven and chopping the fresh produce from Margaret River Fresh for the days felafel wraps. Having chats with the regulars who come before the offical opening time and getting a much needed coffee from the van before service. Working here has become more than just a job, it’s a way of life.

Farmers markets are one of the last examples of communities gaining control over their economic lives, and stall holders are more than just business enterprises, but rather an opening to stories, histories, recipes, culture, debate, politics and community.

The Fremantle Farmers market is one of the most cherished Sunday rituals in Fremantle for locals and visitors alike. This is a place that invites you walk around, sample free tasters, listen to local music, bring the kids or just be out in the weather and enjoy handmade products and local produce- the best in our state. If you are facing financial hardship, these markets are one of the only places in Fremantle that welcome all members of the community equally, a free place to walk around, no purchase necessary.

Gone are the days of social style voting, hanging out at the tavern at uni & lingering in public spaces without a smart phone for a distraction. We’ve segregated and isolated ourselves and it creates such a huge disconnect in our society. The farmers market offers a community for people to come and connect, talk or just feel like they can sit on the grass and be among a good vibe of people. Not only do farmers markets help us reconnect to the land as well as with each other, it is perhaps the one rare wild card left in this world increasingly dominated by food globalisation and corporate greed. You can’t ask someone in the large chain supermarkets what the best in season produce to buy that day or to what human effort it took to grow the food or where even most of the produce is sourced. Or maybe we should start asking them these questions at our local Woolies and Coles!

Farmers Markets offer a space to learn and exchange knowledge about the produce, the items of clothing made, perfumes, drinks and food on your plate. The stall you frequent each week becomes an opening for story sharing and cultural exchange. I am constantly blown away by the support and gratitude we receive from our customers who are always keen to try the hummus, ask questions about the food, learn about Lebanese culture and its origins and traditions.

In turn, this has made us, the stall holders more interested to learn about Lebanese street food and what it has to offer. So much so that this year we travelled to Greece and Lebanon to visit farmers markets in Beirut and Chania. We went to learn more about the produce of the Mediterranean and the Levant, taste the street food, mouneh, hospitality and traditions that have been practiced for centuries.

Farmers Markets emerge from innovation and tradition. These markets in Chania (pictured) have been running since 1913, way before supermarkets. The stall holders roll down from the white mountains with their stunning produce - cheeses, honey and snails - but the vendor that captured our hearts the most was the smokey souvlaki stall. Hunched over a tiny charcoal bbq, this Cretan was cooking his meat sticks and toasting white bread on a Saturday morning by the side of the road, calling out to his daughter to bring more meat from the eski in the back of their beaten up car. Real Cretan style.

I love how these farmers markets bring together tradition with current lifestyles. In Lebanon we witnessed the same at Souk El Tayeb in Mar Mikhael with the vast array of Mouneh (preserves) on show. This market is a social enterprise that promotes the culinary traditions of the Lebanese people. Here we gained so much inspiration behind all the different types of pickles & the genuine friendliness and passion behind each stall holder. They truly love what they do in keeping the tradition and food culture alive.

image of Souk el Tayeb in Hamara by Karim Sakr

Image by Karim Sakr: a Beirut photographer who also sells his prints at the Souk and online

Lebanons recent economic crisis has forced food makers to create local variations of previously imported products. This again is the tradition of Mouneh. Historically, through times of unrest or war and famine, the Lebanese would preserve whatever food was available so it could last the longest period of time without spoilage. Here you can find traditional items such as labneh and makdous as well as newer products like lentil cookies, apple syrups and chocolate zaatar mix.

Fish monger selling his catch from baskets - Image by Karim Sakr

We bundled up all this new inspiration from both farmers markets in Chania and Lebanon and took these ideas back home to carry on the traditions and spirit of the Creten Laiki and Lebanese Souks.

It’s a radical act having a market stall, its a way of supporting yourself and really flipping the bird at large corporations who are trying to drown out little businesses. Being part of the Fremantle community, creating your food from scratch and with heart, holding your culture and family traditions close and sharing it with the wider community is a rare and special service and one I am immensely proud of in our Lebanese food stall. Being held by the farmers market is special and an example of communities taking control over their lives -

“Voting with their dollars and their feet to support local artisans and local agriculture.”

Robinson and Hartenfeld

These farmers market are so important because they help people reconnect with the environment, food, culture and most importantly with each other. The relationships you form in your community are above and beyond the most precious part of this job. Chatting to customers and other stall holders about food and culture is so enriching and the exchange you get about travel and food is what makes this community so special. To turn up each week in LITERAL rain hail or shine is one of the greatest pleasures of owning a small business and sharing this experience with the rest of the community.

Farmers Market

Heritage Baking: The Ma’amoul