Permaculture in New Zealand

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

Inexplicably sweet cherries

All in all, today was unforgettable and I can’t wait to interact more with the farming family around me.

One of the first things we do after our tour is have some fun with berries. There are two big barrels of them, and we begin by sorting out the mushy ones to feed to the pigs, separated from the human-grade ones. There is a lump of mushy boysenberries, which we collect into a bucket to make something out of later. Under them lies a tasty looking harvest of strawberries! We bring them in to wash, chop, and process. Some become covered in Whittaker’s chocolate (an NZ brand), some are made into strawberry-basil jam, and others are to be frozen for later. It seems so very simple and peaceful to create your own jam, and I wonder why products like Smucker’s even exist when crafting some homemade jam is this rewarding.

 

Arriving at AislingQuoy was quite literally entering a little slice of paradise. The smell of hay filled my brain and washed over my body, giving me a shiver of pleasure down my spine. I can already tell that Lyndal and Steve are brilliant, lovely people and I aspire to absorb as much knowledge from them as humanly possible. We take a stroll around the property, meeting all of the animals and getting to know just a bit of background about them. The passionate care that Lyndal has for family of animals is truly beautiful to see, and I am excited to become best friends with all of them.

Lyndal teaches me all of their names, and I take notes but it will take some time to remember all of them. I am shocked by how much personality they have, each and every one is quite different. As I pet them I think of how amazing it feels that here at this farm,  they are incredibly in touch with where their food comes from. In fact they get to know it well, and these animals are so very respected in every aspect of their lives.

Lip quivering and hands shaking, I fly over the equator as the sun fills the sky with pastel pinks, yellows, and oranges. I can’t help but shed a few tears (both happy and sad) as I leave life as I know it behind and start on my new adventure.

I embark on this journey to find hope. I yearn to gain a  grasp on the concept of sustainability, and acquire skills necessary to build a more wholesome food system. My mind, heart, and soul thrive openly within me, waiting to see how they will grow and all they will learn.