Reflections as the year comes to an end

This week we celebrated Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. It came just as our lavender crop matured. As we cut lavender under the hot sun, listened to the neighboring farms raking hay, round bales criss crossing fields, and bit into our first peaches, we felt that Summer feeling. We revel in the long days and the warmth even while we feel at the mercy of the sun and we hope for the combine forces of light, warmth, water and earth to ripen our seasons harvest.

Lavender at the perfect maturity now to hang and dry. Wonderful in sachets and potpourri, it is also known to soothe irritated skin, symptoms of PMS, and treat scratches. Lavender is culinary - used to flavour vinegar , jellies, ice cream, sugar, shortbreads, etc. It is highly prized for its essential oil and our bees are crazy for it. Suspended in the closet or tucked into your woollen sweater and blanket drawer, lavender repels moths. The smell lasts for over a year

We took Christmas off and enjoyed family and friends, but the zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes and broccoli do not rest. We were back harvesting, pruning, sowing, transplanting and weeding on Boxing Day.

We are looking for a hard working, motivated person to join our farm crew as we head into our busy summer season... you can read the full employment details and apply through our website…

We would love to share almost all aspects of the farm with the right applicant: seeding, planting, harvesting, cultivating, irrigation, pest and disease control, mowing/whipper snipping, greenhouse work, record keeping, animal care, seed breeding, seed harvesting. Most days are full of many varied tasks.  You can expect to gain a strong understanding of all aspects of running a small scale, certified biodynamic, regenerative market garden.

There is a farm tour happening on 22 February, Saturday.   In late February, the farm looks amazing with the corn, pumpkins, tomatoes, zucchini, sunflowers, autumn brassicas, beans, greens, root crops green manure crops and flowers all putting forth a great effort to make the most of Summer. The tour is a 2.5 hour guided walk around the farm with a focus on our biodynamic practices - The ecosystem as a whole, soil building, biodynamic preparations, integrated pest management, supporting our thriving bee population, intercropping, green manures. There will be vegetables available for tasting after the tour.  Choose the MORNING (9:30-12:00) OR AFTERNOON (1:30-4pm) tour. For bookings please visit our website.

FERMENTATION WORKSHPS - An Alchemy of excellence

Together with our dear friends at With Baxter, we will be hosting two world class authors and fermenters in the New Year.

Sandor Katz, author of "Wild Fermentation' and international presenter and authority,  will be running a workshop 'Ferment Yourself Wild' on the farm on Sunday 1 March.  For more details and bookings , go here... Spaces are limited.

Sharron Flynn, from Melbourne's "The Fermentary", a wild traveled researcher about fermenting fr your gut health, will be running a workshop 'Rewild your Gut' on the farm on Sunday 19 April. For more details and bookings, go here... Spaces are limited.

So that is looking ahead, but as we approach the New Year, I find myself reflecting on the year past.

Applying Prepared 500 - a biodynamic earth activator - last Autumn

This year saw us deepening our appreciation for and understanding of the Australian Demeter Biodynamic Method. The transformations in soil structure, plant health and resilience and human wellness that we have observed since we joined the Bio-dynamic Australian Agriculture Association (BDAAA) have deeply endeared us to this method and their attention to detail in their preparations.

In 1924, Rudolf Steiner indicated “The most important thing is to make the benefits of our agricultural preparations available to the largest possible area over the entire earth, so that the earth can be healed and the nutritive quality of its produce improved in every respect.” He gave his agricultural lectures in the desire to encourage and reinvigorate farmers to grow food connected to the natural forces, instill health into land, plant and animal and feed this produce to the populations. It was his hope that food that feeds through Earth and sunlight would “supply people with the nutrition and strength necessary to manifest spirit in physical life”

We are lucky as farmers here in Australia to have had these teachings, passed forward with refined practices through the life work of the late Alex Podolinsky who defined the Australian Demeter Biodynamic method. It is based on Biodynamic preparations of the highest quality, which have been refined in Australia under Alex’s guidance, working from the insights of Rudolf Steiner and the scientific experimentation of Ehrenfried Pfeiffer. 

We have found time to engage with other farmers using this method and continue to feel inspired by the purity of their biodynamic practices and the resulting soil and plant health. Drought resilience, pest and disease immunity, animal, human and ecosystem health and food with incredible flavour are common threads that weave together these farmers, their produce and the land they steward.  We have had a few days of extreme heat thus far this season. There are areas of the farm where the soil acts like an air conditioner. Living soil is resilient, not only through heat and drought but in its ability to regulate water. If you would like to learn more, visit the Australian Demeter Bio-Dynamic website. They run Introductory Field Days designed for farmers, small scale growers and home gardeners, offering an overview of the Australian Demeter Biodynamic Method and hands on practice in implementation. They also have great reading and video resources!

Our seed growing skills continue to develop as does our understanding of how to build soil, grow nutrient dense food, feeding ourselves and our community. The balance between farm and family is ever delicate.

We send our best wishes to you for 2020 and the decade ahead!

In light,

Peter and Robin

December 2019