Food - Farmers' Market

If you think only eating local seasonal vegetables means a diet of carrots and turnips, you haven’t realised that Lewes has its own Japanese vegetable farm, run by Robin and Ikuko Williams, within a historic walled smallholding right in the centre of town. The couple, who have been running the place for over two years now, have started selling their organically farmed produce as far afield as London, and during the summer months they have a stall in the Farmer's Market. In season this month are daikon, edamame, kabu, mitsuba, mizuna, nira, shiso, shungiku, tatsoi, wasabina, wild rocket, yomogi and bags of ready-to-eat seasonal salad. Instead of a sell-by date they annotate the date of harvesting, so you can tell how fresh the product is, which is very fresh indeed: usually picked the night before. The couple will also be doing a cooking demonstration to show you the best way to prepare their succulent products.

Another interesting stall this month will be run by the couple from Gote Farm, Suzanne and William, who will invite customers to make their own smoothies on a bicycle-powered blender. “Pedal power drives a motor which in turn drives a liquidiser,” says Suzanne. “You can pedal your own smoothie. They will be 50% raspberry and blackberry (from Maynards in Kent) and half unpasteurised cow’s milk from the farm.” The cows in question are Fresian Holsteins, who produce, we are informed by Wikipedia, 10,000 litres of milk each a year. AG