Wandered around the Hawkesbury area visiting farms last weekend. Support the local economy, healthy, organic greenie activity... Would never have believed it, me supporting the environment. Must be old age!
The Hawksbury food bowl is one of the most productive regions of Australia, about an hour's drive north west of Sydney.
Couple of standouts, the Clarendon Organic Free Range egg farm was one. A dozen organic free range eggs for $5, a bargain.
The chooks were strolling in these large paddocks, protected by a pack of
Italian Sheepdogs bark was a lot worse than their bite.
Always wondered how the eggs are found and collected if they're laid all over the paddock. Oddly, the hens only lay their eggs in mobile hen coops (well trained hens). Who knew?
Next stop, pick your own apples. One thing I've discovered, apples straight off a tree is nothing like what we buy at the supermarkets. Much, much juicer and sweeter!
It was one for the basket, one for me (one is only charged for what's in the basket).
More fruits.
In season are pears, plums and apples.
Was never too keen on apples, but have somehow been converted! It's not just the apples but the whole idea of growing your own stuff. I could quite happily be a farmer.
Read more about the Farm Gate Trail here and experience it before all these farms disappear under Sydney's urban sprawl!
Read more about the Farm Gate Trail here and experience it before all these farms disappear under Sydney's urban sprawl!
5 comments:
Sounds quite yummy. Did you compare the taste of the eggs and apples and so forth to what you traditionally buy at the market?
Organic has many good things going for it, the best of which is not using toxic fertilizers and sprays!
Wow, that sounds like fun! My grandparents owned a chicken farm (plus had one cow) so I have lots of experience of collecting eggs and plucking chickens to eat. Yuk. My sister got so traumatised she has never been able to eat eggs or chickens since. You are so right real food tastes so much better.
It may well be an age thing or we are all just sick to death of the crap plastic food we buy in the supermarkets now. I have always had fantasies about living an alternative life but I think I am too much of a princess. I cannot even manage a vegetable garden.
Anyway, it was well worth the trip and it is fantastic for the farmers too. We don't want them to stop providing real food for those who want it.
Do I see a vegetable garden in your future perhaps? I bet there was no need for labels on that produce other than "the real thing" perhaps.
The real eggs are completely different from store bought ones. I'm happy you had such a great time. I was just yelling at a rouge hen yesterday for digging up one of my flower bulbs. Maybe I should plant different things and lay off the hens :)
@Mary: The apples definitely taste better, more juicy and sweeter!
@Lilly: Just about manage a herb garden, but going down to Bunnings to get myself an apple tree.
@Lisa: eggs or flowers? I'll take the egg, can't eat flowers ;)
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