11 farms, lots of interested city folk and stunning winter weather made for another successful and fun Farm Gate Tour in the Hastings Valley, in June.
Farm Gate might sound like the latest American political scandal, but is in fact, an annual self-drive tour in one of the most picturesque areas of New South Wales.
A genuine city meets country event, the Farm Gate Tour showcases the farmers of the Hastings area, who produce outstanding dairy, meat, fruit, vegetables and more. The Hastings Valley in the mid-north coast, is only 4 hours north of Sydney.
An initiative of Hastings Land Care, the tour gives the public the chance to visit farms that aren’t normally open to the public, talk with the farmers and taste the outstanding produce of the area near Port Macquarie.
Some of the highlights include Port Oyster Company in the north, to Shenstone, an urban farm in the centre of Wauchope to Ticoba Avocados and Bluberries on the edge of the Comboyne Plateau.
These farmers are practicing sustainable agriculture and are doing their bit protect the environment. ThisMagnificentLife visited Ewetopia Farm, Barbushco Foods and Lorne Valley Macadamia Farm. They told us about their seasons, harvesting or milking and their efforts to make their products as clean and green as possible. http://www.hastingslandcare.org.au
Barbara and Bruce Barlin have over 26,000 Australian native trees at Barbushco Foods in Lorne nestled in the picture-perfect Lorne Valley. They produce a range of spices, sauces, jams, dukkah, essential oils and teas with the unique flavours of the Australian Bush.
Distinctive native ingredients like Lemon Myrtle, Bush Tomato, Dorrigo Pepper and Davidson Plum add a complexity to chili sauces, jams, pasta and teas. Many of the trees grown at Barbushco are found naturally in the area. http://barbushco.com.au/
The 50 acre Lorne Valley Macadamia Farm sports 1400 macadamia trees as well as pecans and oranges. Ray and Joanne Scott didn’t resist their yearning for a sea-change and 18 years ago after falling in love with the rolling hills of the Hastings Valley.
Both the macadamia market and processing have undergone dramatic changes since they started. Today, not only has the Chinese taste for the nuts risen sharply, but their own plantations are now putting pressure on the viability of the top grade Australian product.
As well as nuts in the shell and natural nuts, they sell caramel, honey, garlic, smoked, chili as well as salted. Their prize-winning macadamia oil is a natural for salad dressings and the butter is a great alternative to peanut butter. http://www.lornevalleymacadamiafarm.com
The appropriately name Ewetopia Farm is a licensed sheep dairy that produces cheeses and other dairy products. Traditionally, sheep are milked from September to March to produce feta, haloumi, yoghurt and labne.
Ewetopia gave both adults and children the chance to get up close with the sheep, cows, pigs and more on the farm.
During winter, Jill and Ian McKittrick milk their Jersey cows for yoghurt and unhomogenised milk they sell at many of the local markets in the valley. Walking around the farm you see the fruits of all their hard work including a new three-bedroom self-contained cottage perched on the top of a hill with amazing valley views. The cottage is offered as part of a farm stay where guests can collect eggs and feed the animals. www.ewetopiafarm.com.au
