Some people think that all we eat on our farm is meat.
Perhaps it has something to do with the name of our commercial farm, Fat Pig Farm, or the fact we’ve reared sheep, cows, pigs, turkeys, geese and chooks for the pot.
It could be that the vegetarian scenes for Gourmet Farmer don’t make the cut as often as the ones showing abalone, venison or wild rabbit. Maybe it’s because my market stall was based mostly on meat. Or, that we are unashamed meat eaters, consciously choosing to eat ethically reared animals.
The truth is, we eat mostly vegetables in our house. We eat quite a few nuts, lots of grains and plenty of fruit when it’s in season. We have over 150 metres of garden bed providing us with greens just about all year, along with root vegetables, herbs and a year’s worth of tomato preserved in bottles. I was once a vegetarian, so I know that food without meat can taste really good.
Here are some of the vegetable dishes we eat at home. A sample, really, of the variety that graces our table. Not just garnishes. Not just an afterthought. Real dishes that should keep both the omnivore and the herbivore happy.
Photography Alan Benson.
As seen in Feast magazine, April 2014, Issue 30.
