hilbarn Fruit Boxes Now Available

Lately, we've been asked if we offer hilbarn fruit boxes as healthy eating options in the workplace. Well, because you've asked, we do. Let us know if you would like to order a $20 hilbarn fruit box, consisting of a range of seasonal fruit sourced from local growers, by emailing us at hilbarn@bigpond.com. We are offering this as a weekly option and there is no need to subscribe. Just let us know and pay before 9 pm on a Wednesday for our ordering purposes. The current seasonal selection (a range of eating apples and pears) is photographed above. Delivery to a Pick Up Point is free or $5 to your workplace. Contact Hil & Barn to check if we deliver to your area, or have a look under the "Where We Deliver" tab at the top of our website. Healthy snacking options at work are this simple and support local growers, too. We think this is known as a "Win Win". Thank you for asking and we're glad to make it happen.

Off to the Campbell Town Show

This week's Kate Smith for hilbarn 'jamalade' was made from Nuns' House apples, lemons from Art and Liz in Launceston, and rosemary from Kate's Pipers' River garden. This morning, Kate has packed her car ready with no less than seven different marmalades and is heading for the Campbell Town Show where the Northern Midlands community is celebrating the show's 175th anniversary. Leon Compton is broadcasting live from the Showgrounds today from 830am on ABC Local Radio. Happy showtime!

An Orchard of Quinces!

Diana, one of our hilbarn customers, phoned us this week to see if we'd like to have the last of her quinces: "You can only use so many of them," she said. We were expecting to find a backyard tree, but when Diana showed us to the old orchard on her family's farm at Evandale we were over the moon to see three magnificent old quince trees bearing golden drops. Diana dropped the book work, left her quinces slow cooking on the kitchen Aga, and joined us outside to pick the fruit for hilbarn boxes this weekend. As we stood on tip toes - and Di climbed the branches - to pluck the highest fruit she told us the farm has been in her family for seven generations. It was lovely to think of her, her mother, grandmother and all the greats before her, running through the orchard with the air ripe with quince. We hope there's enough to share one or two of this year's crop in everyone's boxes this weekend.  Diana works as a health coach in Launceston; so, what's her tip for cooking them? Just slow cooked in water, she says. Don't bother to peel or core them, or even add sugar. A cinnamon stick or vanilla bean will do. Then, once they're soft and stewed, peel off the skins and blitz in the blender, et voila! Quince sauce you can pour on anything you like from breakfast to pork! Thanks, Di, for helping us run riot in your orchard. Now, we just have to remember not to put any in your box this weekend!

Good Times

While Barn is cooking supper tonight Hil is sitting down to share a special moment. Nirvana has been a hilbarn customer for... gosh, how many years, Barn? Hang on! He's checking the computer.... Wow! Three years. A couple of weeks ago we had a lovely time sourcing a recipe suitable for a Mother's Day Brekkie from the good people at Blue Cafe & Bar in Launceston using fresh produce from the hilbarn box. Some hilbarners took snaps of their version of the recipe for our photo competition, and while Nirvana's wasn't chosen as the winner, we wanted to share our love of the photo she sent us. We checked with her first and she was happy to introduce us to husband Sam, son Bryn, who's nearly 3 and whose first food, says Nirvana, was a hilbarn apple, and new baby Claerwen, now 11 weeks old. There's something about this photo that is good for all times. We just love the look on Bryn's face. Just helps to remind us that all the important things happen at home. 


We also wanted to share a new word we've just learnt from another hilbarn customer, Nan. She says she came across the Scottish word "scushling" in a book by George MacDonald. "The word," says Nan, "so very well describes the sound and action of walking through deep fallen leaves, kicking them up a bit as you go (just for the fun of it)." 

Thanks, Nan, for sharing your love of scushling.

"It was early October by the calendar, but leaves brown and spotted and dry lay already in little heaps on the pavement – heaps made and unmade continually, as if for the sport of the keen wind that now scattered them with a rush, and again, extemporizing a little evanescent whirlpool, gathered a fresh heap upon the flags, again to rush asunder, as in direct terror of the fresh-invading wind, determined yet again to scatter them, a broken rout of escaping fugitives. Along the pavement, seemingly in furtherance of the careless design of the wind, a girl went heedlessly scushling along among the unresting and unresisting leaves, making with her rather short skirt a mimic whirlwind of her own. . . ."  George MacDonald - 1824-1905  -  'Far Above Rubies'

Lyndy's Chook Gossip #5

Lyndy and Dave's hens at Pinners B&B have been having a little rest these past few weeks. Despite the unseasonally warm temperatures (21 degrees here yesterday) they're taking their usual winter vacation, laying less than Lyndy would like, losing their feathers, and in Miss Muffet's case, mothering nine new chickens hatched on Monday. Which means The Nuns' House hens Marilyn & Monroe are now aunties! In the meantime, Lyndy says she's looking forward to when their new Australorps start laying - apparently they're not as broody!

And here's a snap from Vikky who helps us with our boxes. She took her daughter Hollie to the beach yesterday. "Have a paddle for us!" we said. And not much later, this photo arrived. Thanks you two - lovely to see the toes taking a dip in May!

Big hilbarn Sunday

Celebration of Autumn 1 - Let's kick leaves!

It's official. Today has not only been a fantastic day but also the biggest since hilbarn started a little over four years ago. This morning started at 730 collecting fresh baby bok choy, coriander and cavolo nero which we chauffeured home in the white van to add to the rest of the goodies already collected and stored in the hilbarn cool room. The inside of the van was thankfully warm - given the first major frost of the season outside. 

Now, we're sitting in front of the wood fire, realising the day is ending as it started: in low temps! Suitably low, in fact, to enable us to stack the packed boxes straight into the van instead of the cool room: ready, set, go! for tomorrow morning's deliveries. 

We have to say, we're quite proud of the look of this week's hilbarn boxes: the sweetest little Beurre de Cap pears from Hillwood, ruffled Savoys from Laurie in Lower Barrington, and fragrant coriander from Chua and Zong... Plus, one of our favourite Masako illustrated recipes in preparation for a special day next weekend. We'll post the produce list and recipe on our Facebook page in the morning. We're delighted to say it's a recipe kindly shared by Blue Cafe Bar, Launceston. We invited them to come up with a recipe using ingredients from this week's hilbarn box. Inspiration, we hope, to share with (or make for) someone you love.

Celebration of Autumn 2 - yesterday @ Jansz Wine Room

Breakfast Jam

After planting bags of bulbs in the garden this morning, it was a relief to get up off wet knees to enjoy a breakfast entree of: macadamia nut muesli with yoghurt, local passionfruit and a fair dollop of Kate Smith for hilbarn's Caramel Apple Butter (left). It's a delicious autumn treat for you in next week's hilbarn fresh produce boxes, made from Nuns' House apples. Kate will be in her regular spot at Evandale market this Sunday so if you're heading that way make sure you find out what else she's been adding to her bubbling pots this week. A big thank you, too, to the Hillwood hilbarners who left a bag of passionfruit in their recycle hilbarn box this week... hopefully there might be some more where they came from! Now for the main course...

Chestnut Time

When Jeni and Pete from Lilydale dropped off their sacks of fresh chestnuts for this week's hilbarn boxes we asked them for their favourite chestnut recipe. On top of Jeni's list was one she'd found for Chestnut Souffle from Simon Bryant, courtesy of Chestnuts Australia.

We tried it (photos above), and although our souffle didn't rise because we were lazy and didn't peak up the egg whites enough, it was still really tasty in an interesting way: we thought kind of cheesey, although the recipe has no cheese! Note: make sure you beat the egg whites to firm peaks before stirring in the chestnut meat. Love to hear how you get on. 

Fashions in the Field

We picked up sweetcorn from Liz and Michael in Lebrina last Sunday morning after the rain. It was good to see the old scarecrow again. Being master of your domain while standing perfectly still is quite something when you think about it. What's more, he'd donned his raincoat and was looking particularly dashing presiding over the last remnants of the corn wearing a brand new hat that Liz had procured for the new season. Quite the fashionable dude, don't you think? After we left, Michael let the cattle in to finish off the crop before getting down to digging it all in again.

Pumpkin & Silverbeet Recipe

In this week's hilbarn fresh produce box we've included a recipe (left, drawn in exquisite detail by Masako) which uses three of our box contents: fresh butternut pumpkin, silverbeet and red spring onion. And, right, a snap of the leftovers we had for lunch today. Just as good cold as it was hot last night after packing. Enjoy!

Spring in Japan

Thank you to Masako, who draws the beautiful recipes that we place inside our hilbarn fresh produce boxes most weeks. After living in Launceston for a few years, Masako has now moved back to Japan where she took this beautiful photograph of the recent Spring blossom. We love how she still draws for us and keeps in touch.

Back On The Road

We're back after the Easter break which, as it turned out, was not such a break in some ways. When you run your own small business there's always something ready to test an otherwise good nature. During our last hilbarn delivery run, our trusty red van, Versace, broke down at the end of Pipers River Road. We had to drop everything and head into town to hire a van to complete our deliveries. Turns out that Versace had blown a head gasket and has probably seen his last delivery days for us... Three years was more than we could have asked for a van we rescued from someone's back yard. So now we have a white van, pictured yesterday in Lilydale with Barn, collecting boxes of crunchy Scottsdale carrots that had just arrived at Rob and Pat's hardware store. Trusty white van? We're yet to find out. The price seemed too good to be true and you know what that means, don't you? It probably is. Still, we have fingers crossed hoping the white van will do you proud. 

Meantime, just to prove that we haven't been stuck with our heads inside two engines all Easter... here are two of our favourite dishes we devoured during the break:

Left: Hil's sister-in-law's Good Friday dessert "Poached quince meringue tart"- as good as it looks!
Right: hot smoked ocean trout salad polished off at Lost Farm restaurant in Bridport on Easter Sunday

Hazelnuts & Pears

We source and collect produce from all over the State, but this morning it was great to stay close to home to enjoy the wonders of the Lilydale Festival of Wood while collecting pears, hazelnuts and apples from our own and our neighbour's gardens and orchards. First stop, Peter and Jeni at Plover's Ridge Country Retreat (top left): we think they have some of the best views in the district perched on top of the hillside where this hazelnut grove (above, centre) has just supplied them with one of their best crops ever. A bagful features in this week's hilbarn box. Cute the way they often hang around in winged twos... 

Thanks to Pete and Jeni for contacting us about their surplus, and to Rhonnie and Bob at The  Pear Walk just down the road who let us collect hazelnuts from their trees, and the last of the pears from their beautiful laneway of 100 year old pear trees. Sadly, only enough for our double boxes this season.

We couldn't resist stopping to forage for damsons and blackberries growing wild in one of our favourite secret laneways on the way home. And then, a few boxes of apples from the hilbarn garden to add to those from Millers Orchard in Hillwood and Bron's Cox's from Underwood. It's been a fruit picking kind of day. Now, to packing. Then, what to make with this bounty?

Now Showing!

Shades of red in the garden (clockwise from top left): flowering red gum (being ravaged by bees), rose hips (ready for plucking), and veranda begonias (do you think they're vulgar?).

Plums, Nuts & Records

Endless days of "record" thirty degree temperatures mean autumn's jobs are hacked out in temperatures more common to summer! Plums: plucked from Barn's trees and shared with Rhonda who has promised to turn them into her wicked Worcestershire sauce, and hazelnuts gathered from both trees and ground with Rhonnie at the Pear Walk. Another thirty plus degree day yesterday, but today the barometer is hovering between "Change" and "Rain" and outside in the Nuns' House garden the scorched leaves are scattering and plummeting between gusts which tease us that a cool change might be coming. Finally.

Cherries, Tarragon, Bay Leaves

Still-warm days, long shadows, colours turning... it's March in Tassie, autumn is in the air, and we're celebrating the change of season with an autumnal hilbarn fresh produce box. This week, featuring Kate Smith for hilbarn's latest jam-packed jar of goodness with East Tamar Cherries pickled in Vinegar with Tarragon & Peppercorn (photographed above). Plus, Lower Barrington cabbage (thanks Brett for having to go through the unexpected health & safety induction program when you delivered to Quoiba!), Forth celery; Scottsdale onions; carrots & swede from Jetsonville; beans from Wesley Vale; crunchy new season Akane apples & Williams pears from Millers Orchard, Hillwood; Meander Valley raspberries from Hillwood; and freshly picked bay leaves from the hilbarn garden. Bring on autumn's gifts!

hilbarn Goes to Hobart

Hil & Barn will be at MoMa Market, MONA in Hobart on the March Long Weekend. You can pre-order a $30 or $55 hilbarn fresh produce box packed with fresh Tassie fruit & vegetables, and pick it up at MoMa on Saturday March 9th between 11am and 4pm. Tell all your friends and make a day - or weekend - of it! To pre-order, simply email hilbarn@bigpond.com before 9pm next Wednesday and we'll send you a form.

$30 box in a basket

 $55 box 

Borage & Bergamot

Particularly loving these flowering herbs in the hilbarn garden: borage & bergamot, sound as old fashioned as they look.

Summer of Contrasts

                      

SYDNEY, Feb 14th, 2013                               KAROOLA, Feb 17th, 2013
Jan 2013 total rainfall 137.8 mm                       Jan 2013 total rainfall 26 mm

Clever Re-Use #5

 We've often admired hilbarn customer Jennifer's garden and particularly her canny ways of attracting birdlife. This morning we caught her at home (waiting for a builder to arrive), and she gladly let us photograph her teacup seed holders and kettle nest. Like a mad hatter's tea party for the birds! Lovely. Oh, and here's Jennifer with her best friend Graham. Inspiration while we deliver on a Monday morning...

hilbarn's Cocktail Jams

For the past few months our boxes have featured Kate Smith's luscious Cocktail Jams made exclusively for hilbarn from seasonal produce sourced from our growers, our neighbours, and our gardens. We have to confess our jam tasting sessions (this one photographed yesterday, above) have never been a chore... We've been asked if Kate's jams are more widely available and we're pleased to say they will be coming to a market near you soon. Kate's been busy, left, filling her jewel-like pots with every delicious colour under the sun. Yesterday we dropped off a basket of greengages from Barn's garden to help complete the rainbow.

UPDATED (February 18, 2013): You can now find Kate and her Jams (Just Add Moonshine) at Evandale Market on Sundays.

hilbarn delivery day

So here is the last hilbarn fresh produce box we packed on Sunday night. It's a double box overflowing with this week's colourful array of summer produce. Blueberries from Alex & James in Lebrina and John & Lesley in Lilydale; squash and green beans from Va & Pheng in Wesley Vale; Graeme's basil from Thirlstane; tomatoes from Colin & Jenny in Glengarry; roquette from Richmond; capsicum from Kindred; Hillwood cherries; garlic from Sam & Pete in Devonport; Dutch cream potatoes from Wayne in Hollwell, and Yolla iceberg lettuce.

Yesterday we delivered to Pick Up Points and homes in Launceston from Mowbray to Riverside, Prospect to Newstead, and everywhere inbetween. One of our highlights was catching  Edie (left) playing in the garden and Tavish (right) helping dad bake scones. We love these morning moments. Catching people going about their daily lives is not normally what strangers are allowed to do. But through our delivery days we have come to watch young people growing up enjoying both the bounty of their back yard and the joys of mum and dad's kitchen table.

The final joy of the day: Pat's no sift scones on display in the upstairs cafe at Neil Pitt Menswear (a hilbarn Pick Up Point in central Launceston). Perfect, or what? It was a tip-top scone kind of day...