WELCOME TO PATRICE NEWELL GARLIC
May 2012
May has to be the best month everywhere in the world.
Sad to say but this year we have not harvested our olives for oil.
A small crop together with abundant birds meant we hand picked the best and now they are soaking in salty water in preparation for pickling olives……more on that later.
Meanwhile Garlic is looking wonderful, and the bees are buzzing.
We're looking forward to munching on some good olives after they've cured in the brine.
I don't remember there being a lot to smile about during the tiny olive harvest, but it clearly wasn't all bad. Just disappointing we didn't get a big crop. But that's farming for you!
Even Graeme chipped in to pick olives.
Roger and Phillip taking a rest during olive harvest.
Gavin carefully went through every crate to make sure there were no bruised, nipped or ugly olives in the crates.
Honey is on the way soon.......
April 2012
Greetings to all this beautiful Autumn.
Trees are turning and Demeter is standing proud in our garden!
Olive harvest is hopefully going to happen at the end of April. A poor crop this year - after the massive one last year!
It's hard to believe I’m still picking up odd bits of chain around the farm.
My collection has become quite extensive.
They're glorious.
Meanwhile, over Easter, we finally boxed up soap ready for delivery. The wet summer meant it just refused to fully cure. It's a slightly darker colour due to the greenness of the oil.
March 2012
2011 Garlic Harvest is Sold Out.
Preparations and plantings for our 2012 crop – due November 2012 – are full steam ahead.
To be notified when the Garlic is ready to order please sign up for our Newsletter.
From tranquil clear water to a torrent.
All the debris dumped on our bridge.
Greetings.
It’s that time of year again when we stop thinking about one crop and pay attention to the next.
Yes, we’re about to plant our 2012 garlic crop.
Please go the garlic pages to read all about our garlic.
Meanwhile olive trees, cattle and sheep are taking up our attention.
We do not sell our beef direct nor to special butcher shops.
But the cattle are certified organic and managed using holistic management principles.
Our famous premium Biodynamic Extra Virgin Olive Oil is ready to post in a
3 x 500ml bottle pack
and also our new glamorous economy box
6 X 500ml bottles.
Order click here to order on line our Australian biodynamic Olive Oil
Olive Oil deliveries Full Steam Ahead
Above and below is our main Purple hard neck variety
January 2012
This week we trimmed our LATE HARVEST, WHITE SOFT-NECK GARLIC.
This is the garlic that we plant two months after our main crop and consequently harvest two months later.
Some of the cloves have a natural GREEN tinge.
It’s the last variety to sprout.
We’ve been planting it each year to test it and for the first time we’re selling it.
It’s definitely a stronger flavoured garlic and takes longer to bake than the purple.
I literally use half as much when cooking.
The only snag with it is that it rained just before harvest and the outer skins were stained brown – so it’s perhaps not as beautiful on the outside. But remains perfect on the inside.
But just as a crooked carrot can still taste as good as a straight one, I hope for those who snapped up the crop - you’ll enjoy this garlic. For those who missed out, again sorry.
Garlic Gifts to Send
SIMPLY CHANGE THE DELIVERY ADDRESS AS YOU ORDER and your present from our farm can be on its way.
We can write a special note to be included inside the box, and/or place another sticker on the outside of the box for special instructions
Olive Oil and Garlic go so well together.
OCTOBER 2011
The Garlic Inspector Echidna is pleased with progress
SEPTEMBER 2011 - 35 Sleeps till Garlic Harvest
Spring has arrived. September is the month when garlic starts to bulb up and we prepare the soil for the following years crop.
Here’s Graeme with the winter oats we grew on last year’s garlic area.
We plough it back it to help build up organic matter in the soil.
The soil is alive with worms, smells sweet and looks edible
"I am super keen to buy your garlic. The box you sent us last year lasted for ages. I confitted (is that even a word?) it and used the garlic confit in our aioli.
I also went foraging down on the banks of the Nepean where wild fennel grows like weeds. This is potent stuff and I used this with your garlic to make a super garlic and wild fennel mayonnaise."
Ross Dobson Food Writer
JULY 2011
Garlic is on track for November - 85 sleeps till Harvest
June 2011 - Philip and I in China
- We met some farmers growing garlic for their household.
We didn’t get to the big garlic farms, but the garlic most people were growing in the south was small but strong in flavour.
- Beekeepers were out in force
Along many streets we came across Beekeepers. All the bees were calm, no need for nets, and each person was quick to offer a sample of their honey. The bees we saw were only working local natural flowers, not crops. The different honeys were all floral. All quite unusual.
- Yulong River was spectacular
These Karst mountains have been my idea of wild China forever. I want to go back.
- We had a lesson in traditional tofu making
Making tofu is very time consuming. The beans are soaked, crushed, and then drained. The pulp is fed to animals and the milk fermented with a piece of gypsum, then strained and allowed to set.
- Many farmers had Fluffy Lion Dogs - or Chows
Who doesn’t want a Fluffy Lion Dog?
May 2011 - Olive Oil....How delicious.
I must be increasing my fat quota 100% this time of year. I’m pouring olive oil over everything.
It’s also the season for Jerusalem Artichokes those much underrated tubers.
My friends Gideon and Eli were visiting last weekend and filmed a few things around the farm– including me harvesting Jerusalem Artichokes……… if you’re not familiar with how they grow you can see the film here.
My regular way of cooking them is a simple sauté.
Preferably I get enough to fill a single layer of a fry pan.
Scrub the artichokes – no need to peel - and cut into pieces about the size of a walnut.
Sauté one onion, and when cooked add the artichokes, mix and then add 2 cups of white wine, then 2 cups of good stock. They absorb a lot of liquid so be careful not to let the pan dry out. If you don’t have stock, add Worchester sauce, or soy, or even miso to water, a dash of balsamic vinegar is good too. Put the lid on and in about 15 minutes the juices will get syrupy. Stick a knife into them to test if they’re soft. If they need longer, add more stock or water. When ready, I pile them into a serving dish and pour loads of olive oil over it and chopped parsley.
They have a nutty, comforting flavour.
When Fresh Olive Oil is available try Tony Bilson's Olive Oil Ice Cream Recipe.
P.S. I’ve started a PhD with the Tom Farrell Institute at Newcastle University on Pyrolysis and Biochar. More on that this year as my research develops.
A letter from Roger Sternhell
Thank you Patrice.
You’re a brave farmer, entertaining my mad fruiterers ideas from cyber space.
But most of all, thanks for your genuine integrity and commitment behind your sustainable practices and the remarkable quality that you produce.
Thanks for having a go, of being proud of what you have achieved at Elmswood and sharing your story and most importantly for the booty itself.
All this fuss over web sites, on line ordering, credit card facilities, banks and information technology, Australia Post and the production of getting your fine produce, directly, efficiently and reliably from your farm to deserved diners’ kitchens is worthy of support, endorsement and excitement.
All the tasks have been a pleasure. It's been like ten years of Dynamic Organics all rolled into one.
Anyhow, enough of my banging on, there is so much more to read, I do hope you enjoy the fascinating story of Patrice Newell and Elmswood Farm in cyber space.
Regards, Roger
