There’s a huge buzz everywhere you go these days about locally produced food and supporting local growers. One of the issues often faced by consumers is that sometimes it’s hard to know if the person has truly grown the produce themselves or just driven to the Rocklea Markets and filled their car boot with boxes of veggies from interstate.

Well, after spending a day at Farmer and Sun’s Food and Grocery Shop and Cafe at the Gympie Southside Shopping Centre, and taking the trip out to their farm at Widgee, I can tell you that the Waugh family has local integrity by the tractor load.

Steve and Trena Waugh both come from generations of farmers in the region and have been a regular feature at the Noosa Farmers Market every Sunday for many years, but have recently decided to take a break from the markets and concentrate on their much-loved shop. And judging by the amount of locals flowing in and out the door every minute of the day it’s providing plenty to keep them busy.

They have recently expanded the shop to twice its original size, and now their daughter Sharla runs the family’s new cafe with an army of baristas, cooks and waitresses, all running to keep up with  the demand for their great coffee and produce driven food.

The cafe is beautifully decked out in country-style furniture and farmhouse equipment; not stuff bought from an expensive boutique, most things are authentic family heirlooms that Trena and Steve have been collecting over their lifetimes living in Gympie.

After enjoying a cold pressed juice, roast vegetable fritatta, a Greek salad and a perfectly brewed Botanica coffee (I’m a coffee snob, and this one passed the test), Steve took me for a ride out to their property to see what they are growing for the shop at the moment.

This is where the magic begins. Going from row to row of crops with Steve you can tell that even after years of farming he still gets a buzz from seeing these vegetables spring to life in the fertile soil of the Widgee region, about 20 minutes west of Gympie.

I was always aware that these guys grew a lot of produce for the shop, but going and seeing the farm puts it all into perspective.

Cavolo nero, rainbow chard and silverbeet, green and butter beans, 3 types of cabbages, 5 types of tomatoes, 3 types of radishes, snow peas, sugar snap peas, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, carrots, zucchinis, button squash, beetroots, custard apples and lettuces all get picked fresh every day and go straight onto the shelves. Other than growing these at home yourself, this is really as fresh as you can possibly get.

Whatever the Waugh family doesn’t grow themselves they try to buy in from other growers and producers in the region to maintain their philosophy of supporting the local farmers and the local economy.

I brought home a bit of everything and cooked up a feast with a middle eastern influence (I had to invite a bunch of friends around to help me eat it all!) I’ve included all of the recipes and pics below.

Whether you’re a Gympie local or you’re passing through town, I’d highly recommend that you drop in for a coffee and snack at the cafe, and if you’re anything like me, you too will be so excited by the produce at Farmer and Sun, you’ll end up going home with bags and bags of some of the tastiest, freshest produce you’ll see anywhere in Australia.

Happy Feasting!

Matt

Farmer and Sun

Shop 306/1-5 Ramsey Road

Southside Town Centre, Gympie

Ph (07) 54812055

Open Monday – Friday 8.00am – 6.00pm  Saturday 8.00am – 5.00pm

www.facebook.com/farmerandsun

 

Rainbow Chard and Fetta Gozleme

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 bunch rainbow chard

1 onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, sliced

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

2tbs olive oil

150gm fetta cheese, crumbled

salt and pepper

 

500gm plain flour

7gm dried yeast

2tbs olive oil

1 tsp salt

approx. 375ml water

Method:

To make the gozleme dough, place the flour, yeast, oil and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer, and with a dough hook attachment running, slowly add enough water to form a soft dough. Continue mixing for five minutes on low until the dough is smooth and elastic.

If you don’t have a mixer, place all ingredients into a large bowl and work in the water with a fork. Turn the dough out onto the bench and knead by hand until smooth and elastic. Cover the dough with a clean tea towel and leave to prove for at least one hour.

To make the filling, strip the rainbow chard leaves from their stems and blanch in boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Refresh in iced water and squeeze out all excess water with your hands. Finely chop the chard and transfer to a bowl.

Fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil over a low heat until soft. Add the spices and fry for a further 2 minutes.

Mix together the onion mixture, chard and fetta and season with salt and pepper.

To make the gozleme, knock the air out of the dough with your fist and cut into four. Roll each piece of dough into a rectangle about 30cm x 45 cm and place ¼ of the spinach mix on the front half of each, leaving a 1cm edge without any filling. Fold the dough over and press down around the edges to seal.

In a large heavy based pan or a BBQ on a medium heat, cook the gozleme on each side until golden brown.

Cut each into 4 strips and serve hot with lemon wedges.

Fattoush Salad

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

100gm yellow tomatoes, sliced into rounds

8 radishes, finely sliced into rounds

1 red onion, finely sliced

50gm spinach

½ cup flat leaf parsley, picked

1 red capsicum, diced

1 Lebanese cucumber, diced

100gm flat bread or Turkish bread, toasted

2 tsp Sumac

75ml lemon Juice

100ml extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Method:

Toss together all of the salad ingredients and sprinkle with the sumac. Dress with the lemon juice and olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.

Tomato Braised Green Beans with Basil and Garlic

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 clove garlic, sliced

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

500gm roma tomatoes, diced

200gm green beans

½ cup basil leaves

salt and pepper

Method:

 Fry the garlic in olive oil for 30 seconds.

Add the tomatoes, beans, basil and salt and pepper, cover and cook over a low heat for about 30 minutes, or until the beans are well cooked and the tomatoes have broken down into a thick sauce.

Sauteed Broccoli and Zucchinis with Pinenuts and Raisins

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

200gm broccoli, cut into florets

200gm baby zucchini, halved and grilled

50gm pine nuts, toasted

50gm raisins, roughly chopped

handful of fresh oregano leaves

50ml lemon juice

50ml extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Method:

Blanch the broccoli in boiling salted water for 2 minutes and refresh in iced water. Drain well.

Cut the grilled baby zucchinis in half on an angle.

Toss together the broccoli, zucchini, pine nuts, raisins, and oregano and dress with the lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Roasted Baby Carrots with Za’atar

Ingredients:

1 bunch baby carrots, peeled and cut in half lengthwise

1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp sumac

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Method:

Toss the carrots in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Place in a single layer on a roasting tray, cover and roast at 190 degrees c for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with a mixture of the sesame seeds, thyme and sumac.

Return to the oven for 10 minutes uncovered to allow them to get some colour.

Sugar Snap Peas, Cavolo Nero and Chickpeas with Tahini and Lemon Sauce

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

200gm sugar snap peas, topped and tailed

1 bunch cavolo nero, stripped from its stems

1 x 400gm tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed

80 gm tahini

1 clove garlic, crushed

40ml lemon juice

40ml water

salt and pepper

Method:

Blanch the snow peas in boiling salted water and refresh in iced water. Drain well.

Blanch the cavolo nero in water for 1 minute, refresh in iced water and squeeze with your hands to remove all excess water. Chop roughly.

Whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, water, garlic and salt and pepper until smooth. It should look like thick pouring cream.

Toss the chickpeas, sugar snaps and cavolo nero with half of the tahini sauce and place in a serving bowl. Drizzle over the rest of the sauce to serve.

Kale Chips with Cumin Salt and Yoghurt Sauce

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp cumin seeds, roasted

1 tsp sea salt

½ cup natural greek yoghurt

1 clove garlic, crushed

salt and pepper

Method:

Strip the kale from its stems, wash and dry well. (A lettuce spinner is good for this)

Rub the olive oil into the leaves with your hands so that they are all evenly coated.

Spread in a single layer on a baking tray (use 2 trays if you need to) and bake for 25 minutes at 150 degrees C, removing the tray every 5 minutes and moving the kale around so it cooks evenly.

Crush the cumin seeds in a pestle and mortar, add the salt and continue to crush until the two are well combined.

Once the kale has cooled for a few minutes sprinkle with the cumin salt.

Mix together the yoghurt, garlic, salt and pepper.

Serve the kale chips in a bowl with the yoghurt sauce on the side for dipping.