Local Farmer Spotlight - A Pumpkin 70 Years in the Making!!

G'Day Folks,

This week on the farm we find ourselves once again squelching around in our gumboots, trying to stay upright while constant showers continue to saturate our fields.

The soggy ground allows us to witness the previous nights activity more easily with deep hoof marks left by what can clearly be seen as two wandering Deere, following their tracks leads straight to the bed of carrots where they have nibbled at the tops of the leaves.

It’s that time of year when our fingers are starting to feel stiff and our breath starts creating fog in the cool early hours of the morning as we prepare for harvest.

Taking a moment to witness these changes, goes a little like this... the low lying cloud resting against the hills and slopes of our farm combined with brief cracks of light from a rising sun and the tranquil sound of the stream flowing strongly with last nights rain...all of this makes you appreciate just how lucky we are to grow food in such a beautiful way.

Another local farming family growing this way are the Lambert family, owners of Doraville Organics, only 15 minutes from us in Moorland.

Recently we had Wayne Lambert introduce us to The Lambert Dry pumpkin. It’s an all-rounder pumpkin, perfect for baking and delicious with a bit of butter!

The story of The Lambert Pumpkin all started 70 years ago when Wayne's grandfather was given a little pumpkin from the back of a customers truck.

We shared a video on our Instagram (watch here) earlier this week, where Wayne interviewed his 90 year old Dad, Norman Lambert, about the origins of their pumpkin.

The Lambert family have been farming for nearly a century! Over the last 70 year they have nurtured the Lambert Dry pumpkin to grow in size and colours through the help of bees pollinating and propagating.

From humble beginnings The Lambert Dry is a pumpkin we don’t come across every day. The seeds have been kept each and every season, then planted, nurtured, harvested and now these beauties are ready once again for us all to enjoy too!

If you’re looking for ways to Spice Up your pumpkin Soup, heres a bit of inspiration to add a bit of flair!

With the cooler weather nipping at us, cosy warm-us-up soup is definitely a winner.

Especially the hearty pumpkin soup with a bit of crusty bread... Heaven!

Try adding to your pumpkin soup:

Chicken stock, double cream and bacon,
A touch of lemongrass, ginger, chilli and creamy coconut milk for a Thai twist,
Fresh red chillies and crème fraîche (the perfect spicy, but creamy mix),
Thai red curry paste and lemongrass, with coconut milk and a bit of fresh lime juice,
Chilli, paprika and turmeric spices for some heat!
Sprinkle over some toasted pumpkin seeds, almonds or pistachios.
Fry off some chorizo until nice and crispy and sprinkle over the top of your finished soup.

We hope this inspires some delicious dinners!

Thank YOU for joining us on this epic journey & supporting Your local farmer!