What Real Food Looks Like…

On Saturday morning at the crack of dawn my husband and I went into Lismore, a small country town about 25 minutes drive from our farm.  We needed to buy some hay for our weaner calves, and there was a truckload of bales for sale at the showgrounds, which is also home to the Lismore Organic Farmers’ Market each Saturday. Ben reminded me that we couldn’t stay long – we had a house full of visitors and a full day of farm work to be done!

So we only went to buy hay…

but of course I was no help loading it all with two perfectly capable, strong men at the ready, so I snuck over the market for a little bit of a look-see.  The first thing I spied was just-picked broccoli, and of course I had to put a little bit of that in my basket.

Then I helped myself to some plump red beetroot and a big bunch of rhubarb.

The ute was still only half loaded, so I crammed some assorted greens and herbs into my basket as well!

And what’s the point of greens without a tomato or two?

The ute was finally loaded but then we had to stay a little longer to have a coffee and a chat with some friends we’d bumped into. In the process I acquired a bag of  limes, an armful of pink lady apples, and some excellent lady finger bananas.

On the drive home I planned out a menu for Saturday night’s dinner, based on my haul, and here it is:

Vegan Broccoli, Cashew and Lime Soup with crusty fresh bread. (I’ll be blogging this recipe for the Vegan Virtual Potluck on November 1!)

Red Wine and Garlic Marinated Steaks with a Rustic Salad – our own organic beef, grilled and served with the simplest of salads.  (The cheese is local too – Newrybar semi-hard from the Bangalow Cheese Company.)

Rhubarb Cream Puffs – squares of puff pastry stuffed with an apple-and-rhubarb compote and fresh cream from the farm down the road.

Twenty minutes of preparation when we got home (we were home by 8.30am!) and I had a delicious three course meal ready for the finishing touches that night.  Food miles – negligable. The only ingredient that wasn’t local was the pastry. And almost every ingredient had been harvested within the last 24 hours or less.

Off we went to work…

Come dinner time we were all starving after a full but satisfying day working in the river paddock, clearing regrowth and rebuilding an old rock wall.  Thank goodness meal prep was nearly done. While Ben lit the barbeque I heated soup and threw dessert together. Easy! Let me know if you want me to blog any of the recipes; this food is so simple, and it tasted like heaven. Good fresh food never takes much fancy-ing up.

Luckily we had a little rhubarb compote and cream left over, which I used on top of home-made date and ginger scones for afternoon tea the next day.  Farm life is such a chore – but my willing workers just seem to keep coming back.  Maybe it’s the good clean air, maybe it’s Ben’s singing, or maybe, just maybe, it’s the food…