A Discussion of Sustainability, Life on the Farm.

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.

choko
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.

Posted in market, miscellaneous | Tagged , , 4 Comments >>

Sugar Plum Crostata

Google sugar plums and you will get all kinds of confectionary recipes. When I think of sugar plums I get an Ani DiFranco song in my head and a yearning for those last weeks of summer where I can feel the season slipping away and endeavour to enjoy it’s bounty to the max.

sugar plums

Sugar Plums are small, wonkily football shaped with pale yellow honey sweet flesh. Their seeds are quite small making these tiny fruits packed with juiciness and flavour.

sugar plum crostata

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Posted in Dessert, tart | Tagged , , , , 4 Comments >>

Chat Thai, Haymarket

chat thai menu

It seems like everyone knows about Chat Thai. Well, everyone except me, and until now.
I had walked past the Haymarket branch, pushed my way through the waiting crowds and wondered what the fuss was all about. Somehow, though, Chat Thai managed to rate on my radar and I had to visit. Immediately!

som tam
Som Tum – Spicy Papaya Salad $10

And often, see I managed to visit two nights in a row, with different dining partners, and this post is an amalgamation of both visits.

Firstly, the queue: on Monday night I signed up on the DIY bookings list at 6:25, and soon enough we were whisked through the thickening crowds and seated. On Tuesday I signed up at 6:30, and we had to wait until 7:10 until we claimed our table.

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Posted in review | Tagged , , 9 Comments >>

Roast Duck and Noodle Salad, the perfect mid-week indulgence

duck noodle salad

Sometimes work is such a drag, you know, going to the same place everyday doing that 9 – 5 thing (or til 6 if you’re lucky like me) can really get you down. Holidays feel like they happened an age ago and it’s months until the next long weekend. You wonder why you have to work, why couldn’t I just be independently wealthy and be able to play all day?

Then, in times like these you are thankful and happy to still have your job, even though it takes up almost every waking hour 5 days a week. You are lucky because you are learning loads, meeting cool people and getting paid. This last bit is important so you don’t get evicted, but more importantly, so you can buy some roast duck at your local Chinese BBQ joint.

duck noodle salad

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Posted in Dinner, salad | Tagged , , , 9 Comments >>

Toh Soon Cafe, Penang

How embarrassing! I have been back in Australia for a month and I still haven’t finished telling you all about my holiday. My laziness is especially bad as this breakfast that I am about to tell you about was a revelation.

toh soon cafe breakfast

We had been in Penang for a few days and were dealing with that age old no-plan travelling dilemma: should we stay here in this town that we like and eat some more, or do we leave early to spend more time at our next destination, but we don’t know if we will enjoy it as much. So many unknowns! We took a chance and booked bus tickets so we would have 3 days in Malacca. 

I had read about this great ramshackle breakfast spot which happened to be right near our guest house, so on our last day in Penang we breakfasted here. And right away we wished we hadn’t bought tickets south, I wanted at least one more breakfast here.

toh soon cafe

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Posted in Malaysia | Tagged , , 7 Comments >>

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