Tastes of Hunter Valley

Still on the theme of senses, I have chosen taste as the way in which I would like to capture some great moments during our time in Hunter Valley.

After an afternoon of swimming/me napping on a pile of my hair by the poolside, our group banded together to make a group dinner. It was really lovely. Janet Mobus (also endearingly known as J-MO) concocted a salad of mango, avocado, and toasted almonds all sprinkled with a bit of lime which was delicious. I can’t tell you how many mangos I have eaten so far on this adventure, but I can tell you that the avocado twist is delightful! Chrissy also brought on the cooking charm with her fresh tomato, basil, and smoked salmon salad on little French bread pieces. There was also Aussie style Doritos, macaroni salad, and then of course the infamous Outdoor Rec Wrap (One tortilla with anything and everything your little heart desires). And the food kept coming! A second course of sautéed green beans and carrots of walrus tusk proportions with some version of rice-a-roni and a dessert of dates enveloping a slice of brie cheese topped off any possible remaining room in our stomachs.

This smorgasbord of wonder was an opportunity to not just eat to fill my belly (which certainly happened) but instead was also a rewarding experience which brought a group of growing friends together to create and enjoy a smattering of fresh Australian foods. I think this was particularly valuable since now that I am at the ecocenter in Crystal Waters writing this post, I am more aware than ever of the value and beauty of a locally grown product. I am finding that good food is even better when I am aware of where it is coming from and how it has been produced. Here at Crystal Waters we have been having freshly picked salads for lunch with so many different types of greens that I am pretty sure that I have not had the same piece of lettuce twice. Additionally, eating in the presence of those who put in all the hard work of growing, harvesting, and cooking the food makes me feel especially appreciative of being fed and knowing that I am being fed so well. It is also fun to know that we did some of the harvesting (potato digging and Alex on the bean picking).

Still on the taste theme, day two at Hunter Valley was a whirlwind tour of three different wineries, a cheese company, and a brewery. Needless to say perhaps, there was a lot of tasting going on. Our taste buds were delighted with flavors ranging from banana beers to biodynamic certified champagne as well as sun dried tomato cow feta cheese to grapefruit sorbet. All of the places we went were great fun but I would especially like to highlight Tamburlaine, an organic winery. Here we got a spectacular tour from a very passionate man about running an organic winery. He showed us the aerobic digester (how they recycle the insane amount of water that is required during the process), the principles of biodynamic growing (pruning, harvesting and watering within the greater context of lunar and planetary cycles) and the VCU (Verticle composting unit, along with all the other composting steps and components). Tamburlaine however takes organic beyond the soil and vines. By using soy based fuels they reduce oil dependence, recycled paper in the office with soy ink can later be used for the compost, insulating buildings with straw effectively replaces less organic products, and constructing the building with local timber rather than materials like stainless steel their business is able to practice what they preach. The holistic approach to their business and cooperation among the staff was really impressive. Overall the values and mission of Tamburlaine match the quality of the products they produce. So sold on ORGANICS!