It's not just meat that we are looking at providing to ourselves and our friends, we also aim at being sustainable ourselves in fruit and vegetables. When we moved to Gowan Brae a decade ago and started raising our sustainable grass fed beef, we also set the foundations for fruit and veggies that would meet our needs year round. In our veggie gardens we grow seasonal veg that we either eat or bottle, and a variety of berries. In addition to the 120msq of raised veggie gardens that we established, we planted out a orchard with lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruit, figs, various apple varieties, peaches, apricots, plums and pears. We are also self sufficient in olives, with a variety of types that we brine and preserve. Most nights we eat food that we have produced at home.

Being in Gippsland in the Southern Hemisphere, means we are into pruning week for the orchard. We have had a couple of lean years rainfall wise so we pruned lightly to reduces stress on our trees. This year with better Autumn and early Winter rains we enbarked on a stronger prune, taking off some subtantial wood; as a result of this yeras's prune we will get better and healthier fruit that we can eat fresh, bottle, or use in our charcuterie.

Hamish the farm dog was in attendence and provided moral support by keeping our yearlings at bay across the fence and doing the important duty of sleeping in the sun. 

The aim is a wine glass tree shape for maximum fruit and easy picking 

Exhausted after my important duties