A couple of years ago I was living in a regional area and the local supermarket didn't stock much in the way of quality fresh fruit or veggies, there was little in the way of farmers markets and the local green grocer closed down. I had to travel into the regional centre for my fresh produce a two hour return trip!!! Around this time The local Council's of Coffs, Bellingen and Nambucca got togethe
r and were successful in obtaining $2 million funding for an Urban Sustainability project. This project ran for 5 years and was called Our Living Coast. www.ourlivingcoast,com.au
The aim of the project was to introduce urban sustainability to the region. This was done by community workshops (and a lot of other stuff which I won't go into)- what normal people like you and me can do to reduce our reliance on non renewable natural resources and help us to be more self sufficient - like the old days. So I planted a veggie patch, grew fruit trees, used non chemical natural pest control methods and ate from my garden. My veggie patch was very successful and I ended up having too much produce for just me!!! So I started preserving the harvest. That year I entered a couple of my jams, marmalades and chutneys in the Macksville Show and ........ I won some prizes!!!!! Friends were lining up for my preserves and giving me fruit from their backyards. I was churning out jar after jar. It was a pretty amateur affair back then. Fast forward to 2015 and my Anna Bay garden is overflowing with citrus, peaches, chillies, passionfruit, strawberries... etc etc. So I decided to start preserving again and this time create a more professional product. I do not use any chemicals on my produce besides home made white oil, I use companion planting and grow pest repellent plants next to fruit trees that are susceptible to insect attack to reduce the carnage. I also source other fruits and vegetables from other chemical free gardens to make my preserves. I only use quality ingredients and proper preserving techniques in line with Australian food standards. Several of my products are now being used by restaurants and I hope to get some onto shop shelves in the area soon. My stock is seasonal, so like my page and follow me to see new products and old favourites.
