I grew up on an organic farm, before organic food was trendy. My dad grew Avocados, and for most of my childhood years during the season on a weekend, we would drive into town to the truck company depot and drop the carefully packed boxes of fruit. And they were gone, to Sydney or Melbourne on big refrigerated trucks, never to be heard of again. More recently he has helped start the Rainbow Region Organic Market providing local farmers a place to sell their produce direct to local customers. I blogged about a recent visit here.
Chokos are one of the most sustainable crops in Northern NSW, and you can make them taste of almost anything! Photo taken at the Rainbow Region Organic Market.
To be honest, as a child I didn’t like the farm. I wanted to live in town like my friends, in a normal house, doing normal things. Though, it is true, I lived in a house on a farm, I had very little to do with the actual farming, just occasionally helping to pull a bogged tractor out (yes, I can drive a tractor), rounding up the sheep, writing a list of things that I would like for dinner.
Since I have moved away I have realised how great the farm actually is. At about 4pm in Wintertime dad will ask what I want for dinner. He harvests the required produce, maybe beetroot, asparagus and potatoes, and delivers them to the back verandah. A few hours later we eat it for dinner. The freshest and tastiest organic produce I have ever enjoyed. Thinking about this, I realised that most people don’t have this luxury, and never have. More than that, many people are interested in organics and sustainability now, but don’t have access to people who live their lives in this field.
So, I have decided to try to share this with you all. Look out for a coming post looking at Organic vs Conventional produce. Post any questions you may have in the comments, and I will (get my Dad to) attempt to answer them 
Did you ever wonder:
- Why you couldn’t find Organic Berries?
- Why certain organic products were so much more expensive? or
- Is eating meat bad for the environment?Or ask any other organics/sustainability question you might have and I will try my best to answer.
4 Comments
Sometimes I see stuff in the supermarket with “organic” on the packaging, like as a marketing thing – like “organic oats” is the product name or something – but no organic certification logos or whatever, is that stuff genuinely organic? How do I tell what to actually buy?
F
Great idea! And it’s true you never appreciate things until you’re away from them. Sounds like a lovely way to have a meal having had to picked or harvested just hours before.
Just one question from me for now, which F&V require the use of the most pesticides/chemicals?
I think as kids, we all want to be just like everyone else, and it’s only when we grow up, that we realise how lucky we were to have the experiences we did.
Look forward to reading your upcoming posts, and I’d be interested to know what your dad thinks about organics, then and now.
I’ve always wanted to drive a tractor, by the way!
F: Thanks for the question – I will post the answer soon.
Lorraine: Yes, it is delicious and very hard to come by in the big city! Thanks for your question, I will post an answer soon.
Y: Yes, the grass is always greener!
Haha, driving a tractor is not terribly glamorous, though I do remember having some fun bouncing along on it