Since moving back to Gippsland, we’re no longer ‘farmers’ in the traditional sense of the word. Do I still call myself a ‘farmers wife’? Yes. Does my (immediate) family’s bread and butter come from primary production? Well, no. But yes…in a round-about kind of way. The bottom line is, we’re always going to be involved in agriculture, that’s not going to change, but farm life seems to have been a bit absent from She Sows Seeds (especially since the arrival of a certain little baby girl!)
Essentially, my family farm potatoes (and lamb) and have done so since 1945 in this district, longer if you go back to Ireland. (Irish Catholic potato farmers – cliched much?!) Our little piece of Gippsland we call home is prime potato growing land, red volcanic soils in the undulating foothills of the Strzlecki Ranges, with high rainfall. Gods country. The humble spud though has had a bit of a bad run in terms of PR in recent years. It’s all quinoa this and no carbs that. Hmph. In the past 30 years potatoes have gone from being on 70% of Australian family’s dinner plates as a sidedish to just 10% in 2014. Reality bites. We grow Delight Potatoes (available at Woolworths), this little film gives you a small insight into our farm, our growers, and my dad!
Spud season is just cranking into full swing (January-June for us). The hum of the harvester I can hear on a nearby hill, the packing shed is staffed and the grader clattering to life, trucks are noticeable on the local roads as they come to collect hundreds of tonnes of our produce to deliver to markets in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne. It’s a busy time in our little sleepy community, it’s all hands on deck, but with the hard work comes a heck of a lot of pride. Every grower I know in this farming district takes so much pride in their produce, and so they should, it’s delicious!
‘Super foods’ may come and go, but potatoes are forever. On Saturday night I shared a photo on Instagram, preparing our dinner – lamb which we grew in South Australia (and had been in our freezer since Matt butchered it himself), potatoes delivered to my back door by Dad from a grower who sells his produce to us, garlic and rosemary from my garden. People commented that it must feel good. You bet it does.
Yes, we’re farmers and we grow it. And we’re very proud of it. Now, go grab a bag of Delight potatoes at your local Woolies for dinner tonight. A potato farmer like us will thank you for it.
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For more information on Delight Potatoes you can visit the website here, where you can view other videos of growers around Australia. You can also like Delight Potatoes on Facebook to get some delicious recipes in your newsfeed.
Reen says
They spelt Thorpdale wrong! Great video, we love our potatoes here. No quinoa for us!
Fashionista says
The potato gets a run at least four times a week on our dinner table. Left to my daughter it would be every meal which just shows her cliched Irish Catholic roots 😉
I truly miss home grown meat. Last year I had a wonderful weekend with my girlfriends on Magnetic Island and one of them bought a leg of mutton that they had grown. Oh my lord it was divine.
Great little video, thank you for sharing.
Ainsley says
Love this post Emma …. real farmers producing real potatoes. What more could we ask for! Commenting as a real beef producer of course x
Anne@Grit and Giggles says
And you should be proud. Farmers feed Australia right? And with quality fresh produce too. What a beautiful part of the world it is down there. Friends of ours are spud growers too but up here in the north. They dabble in different types, whatever it is that it seems that market wants and they are pretty good if I do say so myself.
I recently visited family and it was so nice to have tasty home grown beef and pork. My Father grows the pork, my Uncle the beef but on the same farm so they help each other out. Veges abounds are usually on offer too, fresh from the garden. Be proud of what you grew and those in your community that grew it too. Grown with love is what makes it so tasty I swear. You are lucky to be able to still keep your hands in ag and to bring up a family in an area like that.
Reannon @shewhorambles says
Potatoes ARE forever! They still grace our dinner plates at least twice a week, more in Winter. How anyone could prefer quinoa over potatoes is beyond me.
Loved the video of your dad. That countryside makes me yearn for the East Coast. It ain’t nothing like that over here!
Grace says
My dad and grandad used to sell potatoes, pumpkins and onions etc out of Brisbane Markets.. that video sure takes me back to family vacations as a kid, going to meet growers! My sister and I used to be in awe/ terrified of all the machinery in packing sheds! There really is nothing better than that beautiful red dirt and potatoes fresh out of the ground! Lucky little Eleanor getting to grow up in Gods country /with that right outside her door!