Meanwhile down at Joe’s
If you’ve walked or ridden past Joe’s Market Garden in Coburg recently you would have seen a large patch of broad beans swaying in the spring breeze.
If there’s one vegetable that embodies Joe Garita, who farmed here for 70 years, it’s the broad bean.
Joe’s large, sweet broad beans were locally famous.
Each year he’d plant a big patch and come harvest time people from all around the North would appear at his gate, waiting while he picked them a fresh 5kg box or two.
Joe always left the bottom-most broad bean pod to save as seed for the following year.
He laid them out to dry in his shed, green pods shrivelling to black husks, then he’d shell them and hang them in an old onion bag under his house ready for next season.
The secret to Joe’s broad beans was choosing the best pods – after decades of patient selecting Joe was rewarded with the large, sweet, long lasting beans he became known for.
This week the CERES farm crew at Joe’s Garden are harvesting the broad bean crop – you can find Merri-bek’s freshest broadies on Saturday mornings at Joe’s Farmgate Stall, at CERES Grocery in Brunswick East and this week here in the Fair Food webshop.
Joe’s Garden is a farm but there’s so much more to Joe’s than just veg.
The birds of Joe’s, like this Tawny Frogmouth above, the resident white heron, the kookaburras, maggies, honey eaters and a very occasional sacred kingfisher, are as much fixtures as the farmers.
Now, if getting to know your local birds better is something you’ve been wanting to do, then you might want to drop into Joe’s Aussie Bird Count Picnic.
On Saturday the 21st of October, bird counting citizen scientists from all over Australia will tally the birds they see around them for 20 minutes and report their counts online.
CERES will be running two 20 minute bird counting slots at Joe’s at 11am and 12pm.
Entry to the bird count is free, there’ll also be a bird-themed raffle, children’s craft activity, music and of course Joe’s fantastic Saturday farmgate stall.
And if you want to go fully ornithological there are a couple of paid workshops ($25 / kids under 12 free) you can sign up for;
Emily Coats from Nature’s Apprentice will be running a Bird Language workshop at 10:30-11:30am
And Tristan Best from Friends of Merri Creek is leading a Guided birds of the Merri Creek walk at 11:30-12:30pm
Head here to register for the picnic, workshops and find out more details.
As the days lengthen and the soil warms down at Joe’s the sense of urgency to get beds ready and summer crops planted grows by the day.
If the urge to farm is rising within you too and you’d like to join the garden crew, Joe’s Garden is looking for volunteers!
There is no better way to learn and literally connect with the Earth and likeminded farmer friends than volunteering.
This is the way many urban farmers have started their agricultural journey.
These spots are super-popular so get in quick!
Have a great week
Chris
