We have an indoor Farmers Market which has been running for thirteen years in Kerry. It is every Saturday morning 10am until 2pm and the location is in an old church, in the centre of Milltown Village. There is parking just next door in the school and indeed the street has room for plenty of cars. We are, for those who are unaware of the whereabouts of this small village, on the R563 inbetween Castlemaine and killarney only five minutes from Kilorglin and just 20 minutes from Tralee or killarney .
Every Saturday I, (or my son Kyle) trundle over to our our permanent stall in the church, our car laden with good organic dips, pates, salads, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, colourful and nutritious party food. I cook my sprouted chickpea falafels and sell them to eat hot and sizzling served with our yummie crunchy and tangy ten-a-day salad (why go for five when ten works just as well) and a delicious phoenix dip of your choice. It costs an unbelievable €5; you get a comfy seat in the pop up cafe as well as a friendly chat with someone you may not have seen for ages- who may well be feasting on a spinach and green split pea soup of the day. (spinach that was only growing a couple of hours ago, Popeye we run rings around you). The tea table will be full with people tasting Almond Twists or gluten free Florentines and the banter will be humorous, interesting and informative.
We have an award winning a tasty cheese stall with free range eggs and -dare i say it- unpasteurized milk and yoghurt. Cakes and beautiful breads of all description, bite sized quiches, jams,chutneys, home grown tender salads and herbs, brightly hand painted china, bricabrac, diverse crafts and pretty unique gifts. Customers will be getting free useful advice on health matters, then buying the appropriate herbal remedies, having a chair massage and because it is after all a church of Ireland the parish vicar may be there too with news on parochial events. He is fun and I always remind him to join my weekly prayer for a plentiful flow of customers. There is still more, as from 11oclock, live music and songs from our talented In House musician can be enjoyed and sometimes danced to(!) every single week.So next time you slump over a supermarket trolley deeply scrutinizing cellophane packaging for that ever-so tiny bar-cod smiling hopelessly at a machine that answers peeep to all your queries, ask yourself: "There must be other ways to shop, it could be fun, interesting even a cultural event; something that would nourish the soul,perhaps, as you sigh nostalgically, the way it used to be, in the old days when people had more time to spare." At this point you may tap your feet to the distant melody of someones else s ringtone, desiring and communication, check your own messages, glance at the time, the length of the queue and wish you were ...well altogether somewhere entirely different.
