Singapore-farmed oysters, coconut shakes among highlights at Open Farm Community’s upcoming Social Market
For a restaurant that prides itself for sticking to locally farmed and sourced ingredients, it is no surprise that Open Farm Community (OFC) is also behind a series of farmers market pop-ups, called Social Market, since 2012.
Located at 130E Minden Road on Dempsey Hill, OFC’s Social Market returns to its backyard from 3 to 4 March for its eighth instalment, this time with more local farmers and an open air cinema to boot.
From 7pm, organisers will be screening a documentary by activewear brand Dharma Bums and Italian filmmaker Alessandro Sigismondi called “My Dharma”. But visitors looking for locally-farmed gems should be there earlier as the market will only take place from 11am to 5pm.
Here are some local brands to look out for at the upcoming Social Market.
1. Kuhlbarra
Look out for the freshest Barramundi or Asian sea bass by local brand Kuhlbarra, which farms them in the Straits of Singapore, off the southern coast of the island. According to their website, the waters in this area is rich with oxygen, has strong currents and a clean ecosystem.
2. Sea Farmers @ Ubin
Bet you didn’t know that Singapore has its own oyster farm. Owned by Sea Farmers, the farm is located just behind Pulau Ubin and faces Malaysia. They will be bringing their crunchy homegrown oysters to the market.
3. Ah Hua Kelong
Look out for more homegrown fish by Ah Hua Kelong, which specialises in farming Seabass, Pearl Groupers, XL Mussels and Flower Crabs. Their farm is located off Changi and Sembawang.
4. NONG by Edible Garden City
NONG, the retail arm of homegrown urban farming company Edible Garden City, will also be setting up a booth selling all the supplies you need to set up your very own urban farm, including composite and self-watering kits.
5. Seeds Master
For those who would like to expand the variety of plants in their gardens, you might be able to find the right crops from Seeds Master. They have a wide variety to choose from, including seeds for flowers, fruits and vegetables.
6. Yummy Poffertje
Homegrown brand Yummy Poffertje will be whipping out mini Dutch pancakes and stroopwafels, which are thin waffles with caramel syrup filling.
7. SOICOCO
Take a break from all that shopping with a cup of coconut milkshake by SOICOCO, made with young coconuts directly imported from Thailand.
8. Butterknife Folk
If you like gelato, cakes and coffee, Butterknife Folk has a variety of gelato flavours such as strawberry basil, hojicha and sesame praline. Their cake flavorus include Fruit Loop (lemon mousse, strawberry jelly, pistachio sponge and butter sable), Lemony Snicket (Buckwheat tart, lemon curd, torched meringue) and Frasier (genoise, strawberry syrup, fresh strawberry and mascarpone chantilly).
9. Pili Pushers
Ever heard of Pili nuts? These stress-busting superfoods come from Pili trees that are grown at the foot of volcanoes in the Philippines. Thanks to the guys from Pili Pushers, these nuts, which are enriched with nutrients such as magnesium, vitamin E, zinc and manganese, will be available at the market.
10. Botanica Culture
Did you know that the toothpaste you’ve been using might be toxic? Botanica Culture’s organic liquid toothpaste, which also functions as a mouthwash and breath freshener, only uses organic botanical oils. The brand was founded in Singapore in 2001 and is also available in Europe, China, Indonesia and Japan.
