I often go to the Flemington Farmers’ Market on a Sunday morning. I love the atmosphere of the market – lots of dogs and families and a huge selection of local produce. You’ll find meat, vegetables, fruit, cheese, bagels, dips, pies, gozleme, flowers, bread, jam, pork pies, beer, apple cider, and too many other yummy things to remember.

I always visit Lightwood Organics for their potatoes (especially the dutch cream), Red Beard Bakery for fruit buns and bread, Misty Springs Berries for Raspberry Jam and Lemon Butter (delicious on the fruit buns), and The Orange Lady for blood oranges and mandarins when they’re in season.

Then I wander around the other stalls to see what else takes my fancy. Last Sunday I bought kale.  Those close to me know that I’m not a huge fan of green vegetables, but I know they’re good for me and I know I should eat them which is why I’ve made it my mission in life to find recipes that make green vegetables irresistible. My latest discovery is kale chips. Who’d have thought that a little olive oil and salt, and a half hour in the oven could make a green vegetable taste so good? Try them and you’ll see what I mean.

How to make Kale Chips

Remove the leaves from a bunch of kale and break them into bite size pieces.  Rinse and drain the leaves and pat them dry with a clean tea towel or some paper towel. Put the leaves in a bowl and sprinkle over a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Rub the oil through the kale with your hands.  The leaves should be just damp with the oil – you don’t want them too soggy. Sprinkle some good salt into the bowl and toss it through the kale (I use Murray River Pink Salt).  Spread the leaves over the base of a baking tray. Don’t pile them up too high – you may need to do a few batches.  Bake them at 160 degrees.  Check every 10 minutes or so and turn them over until they are crisp but not brown.  If you like salt and vinegar flavour, toss a teaspoon of white wine vinegar and a little more salt through the chips when they are hot out of the oven. Delish!

The Flemington Farmers’ Market is held every Sunday from 9am to 1pm at Mount Alexander College.