The whole tomato rainbow

In the nineties when Bunnings set its heart on capturing the Australian market with its big box hardware & garden juggernaut it followed a playbook so successfully employed by the big supermarkets;

• Sell a dizzying, no, a dazzling array of items to overwhelm local stores on range.
• Buy cheaper in bulk to undercut local stores on price
• Centralise buying from as few suppliers as possible to out-compete local stores on cost.

Part of the playbook was saving money on stock control by only having one or two products in any category. 

This meant that if you walked into a Bunnings looking for tomato seedlings twenty years ago you would only find a Grosse Lisse and a Roma if you were lucky.

It was around this time that a couple of CERES farmers, Matt Danielle and Aidan Quick, who had spent a lot of time pouring over the tomato section in their Diggers Seed Club catalogues, got inspired to start their own seedling enterprise.

Wanting to bring to life the pictures in their seed catalogues they went all-in growing every kind of vegetable they couldn’t buy locally including twenty-five varieties of heirloom tomatoes. 

When their tomatoes went on sale at CERES Nursery people couldn’t get enough of the amazing colours, new flavours and the wonderful names – Jaune Flame, Banana Legs, Tatura dwarf and Yellow Cherry Honeybee.

Year after year Matt and Aidan and later Meg’s heirloom tomatoes sold out.

Today we think nothing of planting a Green Zebra or a Rouge De Marmande and it’s thanks to Diggers and farmers like Matt, Aidan and Meg Stewart who changed us and how we think about tomatoes – and also changed the big box hardware and garden stores who have begun stocking their own range of heirloom tomatoes over the last few year.

This month between the 21st-24th and 28th-31st of October, Fair Food is teaming up with the CERES Propagation team to deliver organic heirloom tomato seedlings your door. 

There’ll be four varieties – all ready and waiting to be planted in your garden or balcony.

Last year we sold out in no time flat, so get your seedlings sorted when they go online on the 16th October – they’ll be available for delivery Tuesday to Friday 21st-24th and then the following Tuesday to Friday 28th-31st.

And if you miss out or want to go see the whole colourful rainbow of CERES heirloom tomatoes then head down to CERES Nursery in Brunswick East.

Pick-your-own at Joe’s

Joe’s Garden on the Merri Creek, as you may know, is named after much-loved local farmer Joe Garita.

Joe, who would have turned 100 this year, planted his first broad beans or fava in Coburg in 1945.

Over the years Joe saved the largest and sweetest fava pods for next season’s crop. It took persistance but over time Joe’s beans sweetened, even when they got big and should have tasted woody. Word got around and people came each year and would take away boxes and boxes of sweet fava that they would eat fresh and freeze what was left.

In 2003 when Joe retired and handed the garden lease to CERES, one of the things he passed on was an onion bag full of his precious broad bean seeds. Two decades on and we’re still planting and saving Joe’s fava, keeping his beautiful legacy alive.

Next Saturday we’re celebrating Joe and his broad beans at our Festival of Fava – a day of celebration including music, cooking demonstrations, farm tours, pick-your-own beans, garden workshops and activities for adults and kids alike. 

Tickets are free – you can find them here

Have a great week

Chris