Sunday drive to the Adelaide Hills

For a good day out take the Stirling exit from the SE freeway to experience Autumn at her best in the quaint village of Stirling. The special autumn light shining through the richly coloured leaves and the aroma of roasting chestnuts.A scene reminiscent of the past that may transport you to another time and place.     

 

 

 

 

 

 

Autumn is hot roasted chestnut time and will be the twenty-fifth year that Quentin Jones will be setting up his colourful stall in Stirling village. It all started in 1986 at the Aldgate Autumn Leaves Festival. That first year was a big learning curve and the chestnuts were cooked very, very slowly in a kettle bbq. After a bit of practice the nuts were cooked and a legend was born. The current rotating cooking basket was developed in 1987 over a few beers in a neighbour's back yard. The basket is ideal because it can cook a lot of nuts in a short time. Over the years Quentin has received much advice from the many nationalities making up our diverse culture. “You have to burn them a bit so they are easier to peel”. This advice was accepted and adds to the colour and smell as smoke from the nuts wafts up and down the street. Cars screech to a halt and whole families burst from the doors to purchase their weekend treat. Walkers and window shoppers are also enticed by the smell and movement. There are some people who have never tasted chestnuts and they can have a free sample if they ask. They too may be seduced by the subtle sweetness and soft, warm texture of the humble chestnut.

Quentin says that he loves meeting people and the regular customers have become firm friends, sharing their last year’s experiences as they scoff their cone of hot nuts. Quentin is now serving the next generation. Young families who were brought by their parents are now introducing chestnuts to their children. The rhythm of life in the hills continues.

The cooking of the chestnuts also gives Quentin a reliable guide to how the rest of the crop is fairing in the cold room, a sort of quality control for his fresh nut sales at the farm gate. Quentin cooks chestnuts in Stirling Village on Saturdays from 11am and Sundays and public holidays from noon. The season usually goes from Anzac day to early July.

After a wander around Stirling you can visit our farm shop just 3km from Stirling. On arrival you will be met by Deb and dogs Myka and Frank and have a selection of some top quality fresh chestnuts , quinces feijoas and limes to choose from as well as our exclusive range of jams and preserves, all of which have travelled no more than 300 metres from where they  were grown.

 

Autumn, chestnuts and biodynamics

The summer has been long, hot and dry as well as and busy with harvests and keeping the water up to the trees. Preparations for a new covered orchard, mainly for our own use is underway but Autumn heralds our 30th  chestnut harvest. Every morning we start picking up the fallen chestnuts which are then graded and put into the cold room. After a short maturation, where the starches start turning to sugars, they are available direct from our farm shop and then to keep you warm , roasted in Stirling an weekends .

Another very important event happens here in Autumn. Members of the Adelaide Hills Biodynamic Group  come together to make the preparations that underpin the Biodynamic method of farming and gardening. This is an important day as old hands share their wisdom with new members.The day started with the filling of the cow horns with manure to make horn manure or 500. The horns are then buried and spend winter underground while the earth is most active. By Spring the manure has been transformed into a humus rich substance ready to be stirred and spread on the land.

 

Next job is to make 5 of the 6 compost preparations. 502 Yarrow, has been hanging in the walnut tree over summer and now has been placed in the soil for winter. 503 chamomile , 504 nettle, 505 oak bark and 506 dandelion where all prepared and buried.

After lunch we then mixed 2 buckets of cow manure with some ground egg shells and rock dust to make a barrel compost. After mixing it was put in the container , compost preparations where added and its now busy creating a rich humus material that can impart the compost processes on the land.

After a little more rain it will be time to spread the 500 on the damp earth to renew the positive humus developing processes that are most important to successful work the land in a sustainable and creative way.  

A Nirvana Christmas

The air is filled with the scent of chestnut flowers and bees hovering in and out of the chestnuts then heading for the linden or bottlebrushes. Dragonflies,  hover flies and swarms of common brown butterflies are among the other insects filling the spaces in the orchards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The berries provide the colour, red, yellow, purple, black, white and green. No need for Christmas decorations here. All the fruit trees have babuls of their own, gifted with developing fruit.

 

 

 

The gosling which hatched late are fluffy with white down and developing feathers better than any fake or real snow. While the  RIR s chicks provide a lot of entrainment as their mother hen tries to keep control.

 

 

 

The vegetable garden is green and lush, lots of salad greens, beans, and purple peas. The garlic has all been harvested but the onions are still developing. The scarlet runner beans are flowering, there are a few of their rough but yummy beans already. The tomatoes are green but growing and developing  as well as  the cucumbers.

The tunnel provides a warm home for the capsicums, eggplants, sweet potatoes and ginger.

December is one of our busiest times with the berry harvest and customers coming and going but when all the Christmas berry orders are picked up the valley will be quite and we can relax knowing we are having a good harvest.

And on Christmas day, after picking the berries we can retire to the veranda and relax with a simply yummy lunch created from the gardens and orchards. Our gifts are the beauty and diversity  nature  has created.Everlasting and always changing.

Red Currants–Natures Jewels

Red currants glisten in the sun as they reach full ripeness at this time of the year.

Red currants and in fact white currants although considered sour by some add a tart richness to a green salads,  fresh vegetables or a fruit salad.I like adding them to salads for their rich colour .their glistening red adds colour early December when the tomatoes have only just set their fruit.I especially enjoy them just off the bush and think the white ones taste the best.

As they ripen during the festive season their colours make great decorations  for the Christmas table.They can also be used to top a cake or tart,decoration on a fruit punch or cocktail. Or served with cheese.

Red currant jelly are traditional with roasts of lamb, poultry and game birds.They also make an excellent glaze for brushing over pastries, cakes and open fruit tarts.

REDCURRANT & CHOCOLATE

150gm Dark coverture chocolate

100ml cream

8 teaspoons red currant jelly

4 tablespoons fresh red currants

Melt chocolate over a double boiler then  add the cream , stirring to combine.

Using small  glasses  place 2 teaspoons of red currant jelly into each glass then top with chocolate mixture leaving room at the top for fresh currants. Finish with a layer of fresh currants.

Chill 15 minutes before serving

A few more serving suggestions

Best of all try them by themselves.Available now from our farm shop along with our yummy raspberries, fruit vinegars , Deb’s natural fibre baskets and more…………….!.

Fruits, Nuts and Berries

I am often asked ‘what grows in the hills’ Growing conditions and seasons can be very localised. Heathfield is in the highest rainfall (1200mm) part of the hills. Many areas also have a variety of micro climates which is worth bearing in mind.

Fruit growing at Nirvana

Apple :Granny Smith, Golden delicious , Jonathon, Red Fuji,

Avocado

Berries

*Raspberries: Nootka, Chiliwack, yellow’ , Heritage

*Blackcurrant: Hatton black, Baldwin, Magnus

*Red currant

*White currant

*English gooseberries: Farmers glory, Green Giant, Yorkshire champion, Late red.

Jostaberries

Blue berries: Northland, Blue Rose, Denise, Brigitta, Blue Rose

Elderberries

Bunya pine

Cherry

*Chestnuts (a mix of varieties)

Citrus:Tangelo: Minneola;Mandarins; Kara, Imperial; Blood orange; Maltese; Seville orange;Navel orange; Washington;Sweet orange; Grapefruit: Marsh; Lemon; Myer: rough seedling; Tahitian Lime; Kaffir Lime

Crab Apple; Eleyi

*Feijoas

Fig:Spanish Dessert, Brown, Luscious Ruby, yellow

Grapes

American Table: Himrod (white), Venus (black), Glenora (blue), Canadice (red), Kyoho (black)

Guava:Chilean guava (myrtus ugni), Strawberry guava

Hazelnut: White American, Ennis, Cosford

*Kiwi Fruit: Bruno,Hayward

Loquat: Enormity, Herds Mammoth

Macadamia: Nutty glen, H2

Medlar

Mulberry: *Black English, Hicks fancy, White Shahtoot, Red Shahtoot,White Fruiting

Nashi: 20^th century

Nectarine

Peach: Golden Queen

Pear:Dutchess, Packhams Triumph

Persimmon:Fuyu Gaki

Plums: Satsuma, Formosa,Narrabeen, Wickson

Prunes: Robe de Sergeant,Splendor

Pomegranate

Quince: Smyrna

Walnut:

Hops;Pride of Ringwood

Linden

Rowan

Lillypilly

Tupelo

* These are our commercial crops.

Successful Heathfield Produce Share

A very succesful share occured at Nirvana Farm last Saturday.The initiative came as a way of Nirvana Organic Farm celebrating 30 years of growing bio-dynamically and living a lifestyle in tune with nature and sharing  knowledge to the wider south Australian community.


What a hoot! 19 mostly very local households contributed and shared their excess produce in an amazing gesture of generosity. The range of produce was impressive from the initial response of...” oh, I’ve only got lemons “, to what overwhelmed the table capacity and the need to fetch another. Some of the produce included avocadoes, lettuce, carrots, fennel, broad beans, silverbeet, rhubarb, mustard greens ,kaffir lime leaves, lots of herbs, green tomato chutney, biscuits, brownies, preserved lemons, seville oranges, tangelos and of course lots of lemons. Perhaps next time everyone will want lemons to make Nirvana’s lemonade! But there were more goodies that required a third table. These were plants, including strawberries, boysenberries, raspberries, nettles, cardoon, borage, chestnuts, rocket, herbs, horseradish, and no doubt more, plus garden tools!  We are now looking forward to our next produce share on November17th.

HEATHFEILD PRODUCE SHARE

An opportunity for our Heathfield community to come together to share surplus home grown or homemade produce.

3rd Saturday of the month from 3pm – 4pm

at

 Nirvana Organic Farm’s classroom

184 Longwood Rd  Heathfield.

Dates and times may change according to seasonal conditions and community needs.

First swap OCTOBER 20th 2012

COME ALONG AND SWAP
Fresh home grown fruit and vegetables
Herbs
Home Baked goods
Homemade jams and preserves
Plants, seeds, seedlings and cuttings

Or just come along for a chat and a cuppa

 

 

Run by local residents
totally not for profit
no money changes hands
no cost, no strings attached
everyone welcome

People come to this with a spirit of generosity and community. All produce goes onto a communal table and then we can all take what we would like and what we think is a fair swap. No money is to be exchanged for goods. It’s not a barter system where x many of one thing is swapped for y many of another .Just sharing our surplus.

Bring along your own cup to share a chat over tea or coffee.

By swapping your home grown and homemade produce you will add variety to your diet, save money, reduce food miles, eat fresh local food, meet new people, catch up with old friends and gain knowledge about cooking and gardening.

Enquiries 83392519