Our friends at Hawkesbury Harvest have expanded into the Illawarra region with a new Farm Gate Trail called the South Coast Harvest Experience. Visiting 23 producers in the Kiama and Shoalhaven shires including The Schoolhouse boutique cheesery, tea workshop and tasting room, Kiama Fisheries seafood, Shoalhaven River Oysters, Kangaroo Valley Olives, Coolangatta Estate wines and Martins Orchard, it is a varied and scenic route from the seaside to the country.
The success of the Hawkesbury farm gate program has led to it being used as a model to develop agritourism in other rural areas and its range of food trails now include the Sydney Hills/Brooklyn Harvest Experience, Penrith Valley Harvest Experience and the Wollondilly Harvest Experience.
To get a free copy of any of these Farm Gate Trail maps go to http://hawkesburyharvest.com.au/contact.asp#request
From: Sprout Winter 2011
Although it’s not quite the same as talking face-to-face with the producer, a new website supporting small producers from across Australia has launched. eFarmersMarket sells gourmet handcrafted food and drinks from regional areas including the Barossa, Hunter Valley, Margaret River, Northern Rivers and Sydney. Instead of scouring the country in search of the finest artisan food, from oils, vinegars and sauces to chocolate, tea and preserves, founder Carla Penn has done it already and handpicked every product on the site. Criteria include producers who source their ingredients locally, use sustainable practises in their production and have no additives, preservatives or flavourings.
The website also includes profiles of producers and details on their products and how they’re made.
www.efarmersmarket.com.au
From Sprout Winter, 2011
The prevalence of food allergies in Australian children is rising with a new study revealing 1 in every 10 children has one.
Anaphylaxis Australia says 9 foods are responsible for 90 per cent of food-triggered anaphylactic reactions. These are milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, fish, crustaceans and soy. However, any food can trigger anaphylaxis.
Even trace amounts of food can cause a life-threatening reaction. Some extremely sensitive individuals can react to even the smell of food, like fish.
There’s no cure for food allergies and treatment focuses on management and increasing community awareness. Anaphylaxis Australia’s website has lots of hints and tips for sufferers and their carers.
www.allergyfacts.org.au
Published at the beginning of each season, Sprout is a celebration of local food, producers and cuisine. It is about living sustainably through promoting fresh, seasonal produce from Sydney region farms and encouraging people to make a difference by growing their own food and making sustainable food choices.