Canberra Harvest Festival 2014
Locally produced food products and crafts were on display as hundreds of people attended the 6th Annual Canberra Harvest Festival held out the front of the Canberra Environment Centre in New Acton on Saturday 22nd March.
There were stalls providing advice about how to grow food locally as well as other advocating environmental causes and getting back to the basics of food.
The Canberra City Farm stall sold potted plants of herbs and vegetables including coriander, mint, basil, oregano, asparagus and lettuce plants.
Gavin Williams, Secretary for Canberra City Farm explained they were at the Harvest Festival for three reasons.
“The first is to raise funds, the second is to engage people in the community, and the third is to demonstrate what food looks like,” he said.
Mr Williams said that most of the plants they were selling at the festival were grown in local vegetable gardens.
“We don’t have a communal garden site as of yet,” he said.
“We are pushing for one with the ACT government for a site in Turner so it can be noticed by people.
“A local government department says that it has need for the site and there is some reluctance on their part to give it to us even on a temporary basis,” he said.
The organisation, founded in 2011, has 50 paid up members and involves over 400 people according to Mr Williams.
It provides a newsletter about growing plants, which provides advice about what plants are viable for which season, and also holds monthly meetings and workshops and is involved with planting for Floriade.
“It’s about involving people in the community as well as supporting the local economy and other environmental reasons such as climate change and renewing the soil,” he said.
Ken Fuz, owner of Black Horse Fine Foods was selling jams, chutneys, relish, and marmalades at the Festival.
“The Dark Whiskey marmalade is the most popular today,” he said. “But the plum jam tastes the best.”
Mr Fuz started out making sauces before moving on to expand his range.
“I’ve been doing this for 20 years, and have been working on it full time for the past three,” he said.
Black Horse Foods is based out of Kaleen and uses mostly locally grown ingredients.
“The tomato relish has a hint of cayenne chilli in it,” he told a customer who asked if he sold anything spicy.
The dark whiskey marmalade was a nice mix according to the customer who subsequently bought a jar.
Text by David Byrnes
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