He Needs Food (at Orange Grove)

What or who drew you to Orange Grove Markets initially

A friend actually mentioned the markets to me quite some time ago, so I had been meaning to drop by for a visit.  I was in the area one day and saw some people carrying fresh produce and it was at that moment I remembered the markets were nearby.  That's when I had a look.

Your blog is fantastic (and we thank you for it!).  From start to finish, how long does it to (a) select a subject, (b) write it (c) select photos (d) publish

It really depends upon the type of post I do as to how long it takes for me to get it published.  Sometimes I make multiple visits to restaurants over several weeks to get enough photos.  

Selecting a subject is basically down to whether I feel it is something I want to have on my site.

Am I interested in it?  Does the food sound interesting enough?  Selecting photos isn't all that difficult as the good ones tend to stand out from the ordinary ones.  

I guess from start to finish, on an average post, it would take 2-3 hours.  I'm not a great writer, so I'm constantly re-editing my words.

Apart from eating and blogging, what other indulgences/interests does the man who needs food have?

Once upon a time I did quite a bit of drawing and painting, sometime before I discovered how much fun the camera is.  Now the paint brushes are stored away in my attic, just in case I get the urge again.  

I also love to travel.  Mainly overseas but exploring our own Australian backyard is good as well.

My partner and I head overseas pretty much every year to escape and see as much as we can.  I love Sydney, but I also love leaving it.

In your previous you were a chef.  Do you miss the creativity and intensity of the kitchen?

It's been many years since I was last tossing pans in a commercial kitchen. I don't miss it at all and admire those that keep slugging it out for a living.  The intensity is something I can live without, but the creativity is still kept alive thanks to my recipe categories on my site.

My creativity won't ever switch off providing I have fresh produce in my world.  I can experiment and create in my home kitchen (as anyone can), but I am willing to share it all on my site.

In 5 words how would you sum up Orange Grove Markets?

No frills neighbourhood market hotspot

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Our thanks to He Needs Food for sharing both his time, his love of our markets via his blog and his photos.

You can check out his blog which for us is a definite read:  www.heneedsfood.com

Seana Smith

We love that you share your love of our Frenchs Forest Markets in your blogs.  When did this love affair begin?

We moved to the Frenchs Forest area about 6 years ago and found the markets soon after that.  Quite a few friends of ours had told about them before, but we never made it there until we moved close by.

Being a busy mum with blogs continually on the go, do you find that our Frenchs Forest outings can  hinder personal time or is it a natural Flow. 

By that we mean: you go to have a good time, you try, you buy with the intent to go home, stock up the pantry, get the meal ready for the evening only to find you have an little voice inside saying "time to Blog Seana, time to blog"

The absolute best times for me to go is really early in the morning, and that's generally the time I have to drop off my teenagers off for a 7am shift at Beacon Hills McDonalds. Then I can whizz back to the markets and browse joyfully before the big crowds get there.

Otherwise I tend to go mid-Sunday morning and take my 7 year old twins with me. They do get in the way of my browsing and they're always asking me to buy them things!  But at least they can help me carry the bags.

Through your blogs and outings to our markets have you noticed the way people view the markets.  Instead of simply rushing in/out with said groceries and list ticked off, they take time to sit back, relax, catch up and get to know the traders etc.

I see lots of families all sitting around and relaxing but I never get to do that as much as I'd like.  My kids are totally active, a bit wild even and they are NOT good at sitting still!

Do you have an all time number one top recipe that you make with the produce you buy?

No top recipe with the things I buy, but my children do have some favourites: lemon tart from the tarts and pies stall 

and salty pretzles from one of the bakeries.

I love that there is heaps of vegetarian food on offer as my husband is totally veggie and we eat heaps of veggie meals. He loves a felafel pack

I like to wander around collecting together whatever takes my fancy.  Then when I get home and unpack it, I can write a menu plan for the week using what I've just bought.

What 5 words would you use to encourage other families to come, sit a spell, kick of their shoes and relax a while at FF markets?

Love the fact that the foods are fairly locally grown and seasonal

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We would like to thank the amazing Seana for not only blogging about us, but sharing a part of her busy life and her photos with the OFM crew.

You can check out more of Seana's fab blogs here:

Sydney Kids Food & Travel Seana Smith

The Mum's Diet

Seana Smith (Author) Facebook Page