WHEN Sunshine Coast food writer Petra Frieser left her home town of King Valley in north-eastern Victoria twenty years ago she quickly missed the food connection of living on the land.

But that sense of loss later became a boon for the Coast as Petra went on a journey of food discovery and found the region is a unique foodie's paradise.

"Living on an apple orchard we would often trade our produce for other's and by doing that we were largely self-sufficient.

"When I came here (the Sunshine Coast) I really missed that connection with local produce so I went exploring for it.

"I found lots of great stuff that no-one knew about so I decided to put it all in a book."

A Gourmet Odyssey - Noosa to Mooloolaba was published as a way to expose the Sunshine Coast's edible treasures to local residents and encourage them to explore further what is on offer in their own back yards.

Now Petra has published several books on local food with more to come in the new year, she runs a website dedicated to the discovery of good food and produce on the Coast and pens a popular blog on the subject.

"I'm passionate about connecting consumers and restaurateurs with local producers and we have a lot of niche industries right here on the Coast, you just need to find what's out there.

"My best advice is to get to a market on the weekend and explore for yourself. And always ask where the produce is from, either at the markets or in a restaurant or cafe.

"Local is fresher and incurs far less food miles (the distance your food is transported before ending up on your plate) so I would rather pay more for local produce if I had to.

"And there are a lots of regional foods, particularly suited to the local climate, that you may not be familiar with yet, so just get out there and explore."

And the Coast has many great farmer's markets.

For a first foray into the market scene try one of the more popular ones like Nambour Farmers Market on a Saturday and Noosa Farmers Market on a Sunday as well as great local markets at Witta, Eudlo and Sippy Down. The famous Eumundi Market also has an amazing array of great produce, especially on Wednesdays.

Petra's favourite local producers

And Petra's top five local producers? "Five is just not enough," she complains, finally narrowing her list down to only 12:

•    Mighty Bean Tempeh
•    Spanner Crabs Noosa
•    Bendele Ducks
•    Gympie Goats Cheese
•    Cedar Creek Farm's range of native food condiments
•    Midyam Produce (especially their Pimentos de Padran)
•    Rolling Dolmade (for home-made meze)
•    Cedar Creek Cheeserie (for buffalo cheeses)
•    Palato Gelati
•    Tomarata (especially for their nectarine liqueur)
•    The Sunshine Coast Brewery
•    French Sin

Petra warns that there can be a difference between a farmer's market that traditionally features stall holders selling their own produce and a grower's market where there is no such guarantee.

She also believes that knowing what is currently in season in your local area helps you to avoid buying what could turn out to be lower quality food that has been transported many more kilometres than you would like.

And a keen restaurant-goer, Petra is thrilled to see that Sunshine Coast restaurants are increasingly featuring local foods in a way that is producing an "eclectic and interesting" fusion of tastes that utilises the Coast's very unique flavours.

Not to mention the range of local cooking schools available that will teach foodies the way to make the most of living on the Coast and eating local foods.

"Celebrate the Coast lifestyle," says Petra. "And enjoy the great weather and food that is available to you."

Petra's website can be found at www.localharvest.com.au.