I have been to Modderfontein several times, especially to the Nature Reserve which has some great hiking and bike trails and a really great restaurant. It makes for a perfect day away from the city’s madness and its just 15mins from my house! However, it was only this weekend that I came across the cutest little farmers’ market, that takes place only once a month – the last Saturday to be more precise.

The village of Modderfontein was established in 1894 for the sole purpose of manufacturing dynamite, which was hugely essential for the mining of gold. Most of the old village and the buildings still stand, adding to the aura and charm of this area.

It is amid these historic and quaint surrounds that the In2Fresh Farmers’ Market is held. Located in a small part of the Franz Hoenig house (one of the oldest houses in Gauteng, built in 1896 for the mine manager Franz Hoenig), the market consists of stalls selling fresh produce, home-made goodies and handicrafts. The market sells an assortment of jams, sauces and dips – free of any chemical preservatives, delectable read-to-use African-inspired sauces from Mrs O, freshly grown herbs and veggies, cold meats cured by a chef at home, the yummiest home-made Glühwein, freshly brewed beer from the Oakes Brew House (an all girl brewed craft beer located just round the corner from the market), fresh grape juice all the way from Steinfurt Farm in Rustenburg, baked goodies, ceramics and loads of pretty little things! A beautiful duo, playing some live music further added to the ambience. 

This market is much smaller when compared to most other farmers’ markets in Joburg, but this only adds to its uniqueness. The only thing is to arrive early. We learnt this the hard way as by the time we reached (around noon), a lot of the goodies were gone! Being a small market, the traders usually get a small quantity of their products. And I guess since most of the goodies are home-made, the quantity is anyway limited. I really loved these jute bags with quirky quotes! The chirpy lady selling these told us that the nicest ones had gone but she would have more next month. So I really have no choice but to go back again!

Located on the same grounds is the Oakes Coffee Roastery, owned and run by the same people as the Oakes brew house. So if you get tired of the market or want a quick break, you could always pop in at the coffee shop or the brew house. We went to the latter for a few quick pints!

Information:

Address: Corner of Main St and High St, Modderfontein, Johannesburg

Opening hours: last Saturday of every month, 8am to 2pm (arrive early)