Byron Farmers Market: A Local's Guide to Thursday Mornings

Some mornings the best thing you can do in Byron Bay has nothing to do with the beach. It's a Thursday, it's just after seven, the grass is still cold underfoot — and the whole town seems to be drifting, basket in hand, towards Butler Street.

When is the Byron Farmers Market on?

The Byron Bay Farmers Market runs every Thursday from 7am to 11am, rain or shine, at Butler Street Reserve in the centre of town. It's one of the longest-running farmers markets in the region, and it's an early one on purpose — the best produce goes in the first hour or two, so the keen locals are there at opening with their baskets and keep-cups.

What makes it a "farmers" market (and why that matters)

Byron is the real thing — a certified, producer-only market. The people behind the tables are the ones who actually grew, raised or made what they're selling. No middlemen, no resellers, nothing trucked in from interstate. What you see is what the Northern Rivers pulled out of the ground this week.

The legend of the Byron Bay Bananaman

If you find one stall at this market, make it this one. Look for the banana surfboard — a battered white longboard with a single fat banana painted down the middle, propped out the front of Craig Evans' stall.

Craig runs one of the smallest banana plantations in the shire — and that's the whole point. Going small lets him farm more sustainably, the way the old hands did. His production is low, he's a one-market stallholder, and as he puts it, his produce is "grown exclusive for the Byron Farmers Market — grown just for you."

He'll also tell you, with total conviction, that his are the best bananas you'll ever eat. Buy a small hand of his sugar bananas, eat one on the walk around, and you'll struggle to argue.

Craig says it best, so we'll let him: seek out the small growers when you fill your basket. They're the ones competing against the big operations, and they're the ones who most need you to turn up.

Organic veg, and a few surprises

For produce, look for Conscious Ground, the regenerative, certified-organic market garden whose no-dig beds turn out some of the best seasonal veg around — watch for their "all natural seasonal vegetables" sign and the three-for-ten-dollars deals. It's also where the market's mix of cultures shows up: Japanese and international produce you rarely see elsewhere in Australia — Okinawan spinach, okra, bitter melon, Japanese eggplant, finger bananas, a proper fresh taro. For a homesick Japanese cook, it's a small thrill. Say hi for us at @consciousground.

Come hungry: breakfast at the market

This is a social market as much as a shopping one, and breakfast is half the reason to come early. Our pick is Ohayo Japanese Brekky — the market stall run by Ebiya, the much-loved Byron Bay sushi eatery (Ebi and Yuko). They cook a proper Japanese breakfast from market-fresh ingredients, served out the back of their van under a blue gazebo dressed with proteas. The miso soup is the real thing — deep and warming — and the morning donburi (a rice bowl piled with toppings) is exactly the right way to start a cold Thursday. Ohayō means "good morning," and that's just how it feels. Say hi for us: @ebiyakitchen.

If you're after something plant-based, Soul Foods Byron Bay (@soulfoodsbyronbay) is the one to seek out. Their food is wholesome, generous and full of colour — think a big grain bowl heaped with seasonal vegetables, pickles and greens, or a warming cup of soup made for a cold morning. It's the kind of breakfast that's good for you without ever feeling worthy: you order at the stall, carry it to a table in the sun, and let the whole morning slow right down. Much of what's on the plate has come from the same growers you've just been shopping, which is the whole charm of eating here — the market on your fork as well as in your basket.

Our pick for a morning drink: Matcha Byron

We can't walk this market without stopping at the Matcha Byron stall — certified organic matcha straight from Japan, poured into iced lattes and hojicha, with boba an optional three dollars on top. An iced matcha in hand is the perfect way to do a slow second lap. Say hi for us: matchabyronbay.com · @matcha_byron.

Don't leave without flowers

A bunch of seasonal flowers is the most Byron thing you can carry out of this market, and in the cooler months it's all about the dahlias — blousy, sun-coloured heads in coral, apricot and butter-yellow. Tuck a bunch in beside the greens and they'll see your kitchen through the week.

How to make the most of a Byron market morning

Australia mostly runs on tap-and-go these days, but the market is one of the last places where cash is king. Plenty of the smaller growers prefer notes, and you'll see the odd "cash is king" sign on the stalls to prove it. There's an ATM on site if you're caught short — but the queue is no fun, so bring a few notes from home.

• Come early. The Bananaman's bananas, the best of the veg, and the parking all get tighter as the morning goes on.
• Bring cash — and your own bags and a keep-cup. It's that kind of crowd.
• Talk to the growers. They'll tell you how to cook the thing you've never seen before, and they're usually right.
• Eat there. Breakfast at the market is half the reason to go — don't shop on an empty stomach.
• Make a morning of it. You're in the centre of Byron; the beach and the town are a short stroll once the basket's full.