I thought I’d take the opportunity in my last blog for the year to recap on some of the great products I’ve come across and cooked with throughout 2015. While there’s obviously been far more than just ten, some of these are ones I’ve used for various dinners or events, or ones that stood out as being interesting or unique. Some are great examples of producers and growers thinking outside the square and value adding to make the most of what they grow.

It’s been a big year for the Gympie Gold Regional Produce initiative, with 2 “Unearthed” meet the producers days, attendances at the Goomeri Pumpkin Festival, Gympie Show, Good Food and Wine Show, Tin Can Bay Seafood Festival, Regional Flavours and a Producers Lunch at Kenilworth Homestead.

Photo Credit: Leroy Todd

Thanks to Lynne Wilbraham, Andrew Saunders, Celeste Brockwell and Nicole Harper from Gympie Regional Council for all of the work they put in to make these events a success, and thanks especially to all of our growers and producers who stretch their valuable time to attend the various festivals and industry days.

2016 is looking like being even bigger, with more and more great producers coming on board each month. I look forward to discovering new people and products and having a whole new list of food highlights next December.

To find out more about any of the producers below, or to get in touch with them, have a look at the Gympie Gold Regional Produce website.

www.gympieregionalproduce.com.au

Merry Christmas!

Matt

1.Suncoast Limes Frozen Lime Zest and Lotza Limes Kaffir Lime and Chilli Salt

Both of these lime producers have come up with interesting ways to value add what may otherwise be just fresh limes or fresh lime juice.

Suncoast Limes, as well as producing a range of cordials, ice blocks, salts and fresh lime juice, have developed a machine which shreds the zest from their limes before they’re juiced. Sold frozen, this is a great food service product for restaurants or food processors. Used in conjunction with their fresh lime juice I’ve made fantastic baked lime tarts, cakes and biscuits.

Lotza Limes, who also produce cordials and salts from their limes, decided to try drying their surplus Kaffir lime leaves and adding them to their already popular Chilli and Lime Salt. Perfect to use with in Thai or Vietnamese dishes, or just cracked onto avocado toast with a squeeze of fresh lime.

2.Cooloola Berries Blueberries

Jason and Kim Lewis have had a hectic year on their property in Goomboorian, with the popularity of their PYO strawberries taking them a bit by surprise. Some weekends during the season they had more that 200 cars a day showing up to experience the joy of eating different varieties of strawberries straight from the patch.

Despite this, they still had time to plant a trial patch of blueberries, which produced a small amount of fruit this year but will hopefully be at the point of producing a commercial quantity by next season. Jason is currently planting raspberries on the farm for next summer as well. I look forward to gorging myself on both when they are available in 2016.

3.Barenuts Chopped Macadamias

Michael Cameron and Jodie Carstens bought their 2000 tree orchard north of Gympie earlier this year, and have been busy developing different products in their on site kitchen. Their products are available online or through retail outlets all up and down the coast.

As well as various flavours of roasted nuts (lemon myrtle are my favourite) and creamy macadamia butter, they recently produced a range of different sized chopped raw macadamias for me for an event I was doing in Darwin, which I truly believe have great potential for applications in the food industry.

4. Unreel Seafoods

It’s always hard to know if the seafood you’re buying is fresh and local, but Ivan from Unreel Seafoods actually goes out and catches his own fish, fillets and vacuum packs them and sells them straight from his seafood stall in various locations around Gympie each week. What he’s selling depends on what he’s caught. Expect to see Red Emperor, Snapper, Coral Trout, Pearl Perch and Spanish Mackerel at different times of the year. He also has a great supply of the best cooked prawns I’ve tasted in a long time.

Check Facebook for days and times of where he’ll be.

https://www.facebook.com/Unreel-Seafoods

5. Avocado Oil

While there’s nothing new about avocado oil, there are more and more growers in the region having their avocados pressed to make this viscous, golden oil which is great for cooking with or for using in salad dressings.

Both Sun Coast Avocado Oil and Wharenui Avocadoes produce exceptional oil.

6. Southern Cross Smallgoods Goat Shoulders

Dean Quick makes a legendary range of goat salamis and sausages at his property in Sexton, as well as selling different fresh cuts of goat.

Earlier this year I asked him to supply me with a dozen bone in goat shoulders which I turned into a goat tagine for the Producers Lunch at Kenilworth Homestead. Slowly braised with roasted spices and heirloom tomatoes from Farmer and Sun, the result was a meltingly good and surprisingly light dish.

7. Purity Essential Oils’ Lemon Myrtle Infused Olive Oil

I’ve only just discovered this product, Zelda from Purity Essential Oils handed me a bottle just before I jumped up to do some cooking demos last week, so I used it in a salad I was making.

I’m a big fan of good olive oil and the flavour of Lemon Myrtle, so this one ticks all the boxes. These guys produce a great range of Lemon Myrtle products at their farm in Goomboorian, and this beautiful oil adds another string to their bow.

8. Naturaleza Garlic

If there’s one thing I won’t skimp on, it’s good quality garlic. In fact, I’d rather not use any garlic at all than use imported rubbish.

So it’s nice to have Luke Stacey and his family at Naturaleza producing top quality Purple and Elephant garlic at their property in the Mary Valley.

I always make sure I stock up every time I’m at the Dagun Growers Market, but you can also buy it online.

Naturaleza are experimenting with fermented black garlic at the moment so keep an eye out for that in the near future.

9. Double Creek Farm Eggplants

Tony has been producing incredible hydroponic tomatoes at Double Creek Farm in Imbil for the past couple of years, and this year decided to try his hand at eggplants. I’ve used them for a lot of different events this year and often combine his tomatoes and eggplants in the same dish.

Double Creek Farm is expanding their operation, building more shade houses, so expect to see a lot more of their produce about in 2016.

10. Tamworth Flyers Bacon

Phil Stringer farms heritage breed Tamworth Flyer pigs on his property in Mothar Mountain, with an emphasis on producing natural, ethical pork.

I recently bought some of his bacon at the Dagun Growers Market, and it was some of the best bacon I’ve ever eaten.

And I’ve eaten a lot of bacon.