Today we went out to get a few things done off of the farm, which gave us a chance to get to know more of the farming community here.
We started off by going to the local farmers market in Amberley. It was small, sweet, and charming. Everyone I saw had a smile on their face and greeted me kindly. There were a myriad of things I had never seen or tried before, and all of my senses were fully perked as I witnessed and tried new delicacies.
Quark- a soft cheese made from warmed sour milk, similar flavor to cream or cottage cheese
Meat Stand: Rouvlees (Sausage Cakes), Kolbasz (Hungarian Sausages). They also had yummy venison.
Leydon, Masdam, and Kombre Kaas are all dutch cheeses, and the rest represent local areas in New Zealand.
Last, but certainly not least, we picked up some marvelous Foccacia bread with rosemary and garlic.
All the people in the area seem to really enjoy these fresh, created products that belong to somewhere rather than the placeless sense we get in America at our oversized superstore. It has been refreshing not spotting any Walmarts or Targets anywhere for a few days.
One interesting thing I noticed about the people is that a number of them were completely barefoot, walking in and out of stores and banks and such, particularly very young children. Lyndal tells me it’s quite common, and that she rarely wore shoes until she was about 5 years old. How strange! I bet they all have insanely strong feet here, and it was warming to think that they have a closer connection to the earth because of it.
Next, we went to an antique shop, where we saw more cool things. Some included a water buffalo head and some hand-crafted miniature wool sheep.
After checking things out here, we preceded to drive about 40 minutes north to a place called Scargill to pick up some black oats from Lyndal’s friends who had extra. We got about 30 kilos in total, which is 10 really full bags worth! I felt my heart melt a little as they tenderly gave away something they could have sold. The animals will certainly be very happy about that. Since her other good mates Sue and Neville live nearby, we paid them a visit. They are almost entirely self-sustaining, off-the-grid, and have one of the most lush gardens in the world. Like Lyndal and Steve, they have what I might call one of the most peaceful lives in the world. Living away from the looming pressure of corporate companies taking over and free from some of the disgusting pressures of civilization, true courage and accomplishment is found. I have a deeper respect for their lifestyle than I have known I could come across.
In transit
Sue and Neville’s Greenhouse
Stone house they built themselves
One final stop on the way back was to find some wild cherry trees. Sue knew a plentiful spot along the road where her family goes to pick on Christmas Day, and reccomended we take a look to see if there were any left. Our mission was successful! We found a load of both tart (red) cherries, and sweet (black) cherries, then foraged blissfully. We were careful to not strip them too much to leave some for others, and since lots were on high branches we decided to save a good portion of the lower lot for smaller folk. Lyndal put me on her shoulders while Maddy stood on a fencepost to reach the ones closer to the sky.
Maddy picking
Colorfully stained hands
