The Art of Spice

Dukkah (zaatar and chip spices) from Tanya and Jamahl of Bodhi Farm Organics, Geeveston, features in this week's hibarn fresh produce boxes. The Middle Eastern dipping spice is made from ingredients grown organically on farm or sourced from local organic producers. Enjoy it with crusty bread and olive oil, or sprinkled over cooked chips, meat or fish, or roasted/deep fried cocktail kipfler potatoes from Scottsdale, also a feature in this week's hilbarn box. Love to hear what you think.

Strawberry Fields Now & Forever

For some reason we can't quite work out, when you follow the seasons, the years seem to fly by. This has its pros and cons. It's not such a welcome quality when it comes to ageing, although we're trying hard not to act our age. It's wonderful, though, when the seasons flick by and you realise it's strawberry time again. Hilbarners are lucky this week - they'll have strawberries in their box before the Berry Patch in Turners Beach even opens on Thursday. We met Craig today, in the midst of re-vamping their shed with a sexy new lick of paint, front counter, and pebbled front step. "The first pick is never the best," said Craig, who, after three seasons, we know to be the master of understatement. We hope you'll agree they still taste as good as ever. So good to be able to get Craig and Wendy's berries to you again: we hope you love the fruits of their labour as much as we do.

New Season

This weekend, Barn travelled east to Jetsonville to meet Adam who was in the process of harvesting sturdy fresh sticks of rhubarb for this week's hilbarn boxes ("picked" - not cut - by twisting each stem off the plant, one by one). Meanwhile, Hil journeyed west to Penguin for new potatoes (hooray - the first of the season!), Thirlstane for spring lettuce, and Northdown for basil. It might be slightly chilly, but we're loving the journeys we're making to find the best of new season produce for you.

In this week's box...

...Scottsdale Dutch cream potatoes, brown & red onions from Jetsonville, organic mizuna & wild roquette from York Town, East Tamar pears, Turners Beach cherry tomatoes, Forth pumpkin, carrots, & in doubles (photographed, above, in the making): North Lilydale lemons plus a splendid splash of waratah from Pipers River.

Waratah Haven

Grand Final Day is when NSW waratah grown in Tasmania are at their peak, says Kate, who harvested these stupendous 'Shady Lady' stems for us this morning ready to pack into hilbarn double boxes this evening. When the morning sun hit these grand bushes in her Pipers River native garden you couldn't help but be cheerful. We're celebrating light today, in all its forms: Day Light Saving is here at last!