It’s been a challenging couple of weeks at Gathered. Whenever something happens that affects the cost of everyday items, or access to something we all rely on, it inevitably has an impact on sales at the farm shop. Unfortunately it’s a reality for many that paying extra for organic or local and sustainably grown food is something of a luxury, so it is often one of the first things that are dropped to save money.
Goodness knows we have had a fair bit of experience in trying to make ends meet ourselves, but the irony is that to have a strong, resilient food system, we need to support the growers who do it right. Those who put in the time and effort to collect seed to breed stronger plants; apply compost, manure, seaweed, worm castings and rock dust to build the soil instead of fossil fuel based fertilisers; and growers who are local which means between zero and very little food miles, who are also less susceptible to oil price changes.
It’s not just us, but all small scale farmers and local businesses in your neighbourhood. Without them, we are all at the behest of the large supermarkets with their ridiculous supply chains and complete dependence on fossil fuels.
Every little bit makes a difference - if you can’t afford to buy a week’s worth of organic veggies, just a few items for one or two meals means more dollars staying local and keeping our local food system system going. Thank you!
Among other things, the kids in the farm session this week took the goats for a walk, did some invertebrate sampling in the dam, created Motorbike frog lifecycle wheels, worked on building up the soil in the raised gardens, learned how to make fried rice and bliss balls from scratch and collected the eggs for Sally and Patrick. It’s an absolute joy working with kids and watching their confidence around food - both in the growing and preparing - grow each week.
