Pod 13: Sizing up to stay on top

Pod 16: Culture baked in - Silver Creek Sourdough

Beechworth has a famous bakery. But in this small NE town there's another, less famous and much smaller bakery called Silver Creek Sourdough. Louise Ritchie is a local artisan baker making great bread, pizza bases and crumpets. Her bread has gained a real following and some of her goods are being sent far and wide. This short episode introduces us to Lou and why she does what she does.

Pod 15: Growing gold in Beechworth

Goldfields Greengrocer has been a Beechworth institution for decades. Family-owned and community-oriented, this small greengrocer adds value all along the local food chain. In this episode I talk to owner Kathleen Stackpole about her business.

Pod 14: Connection to country: terroir

Wine is frequently celebrated and understood for its connection to landscape. It reveals time, place, landscape and maker. Beechworth is regarded as one of Australia's premier wine regions. One of the smallest wine denominations in the country, its premium wines are almost entirely estate-crafted and bottled from hand-picked fruit. With a second generation of winemakers coming onto the scene, in this episode I talk to Phoebe Grant, Beechworth's youngest winemaker, articulate, and now creating her second vintage.

Pod 13: Sizing up to stay on top

Keith Nightingale has been growing apples for 68 years. From 20 acres in Doncaster he and his brother stepped up to 100 acres at Wandiligong in Victoria's alpine North East. Since then they've expanded their Wandiligong orchard to almost 170 acres with more trees in the nearby Buckland Valley, Stanley and Batlow in NSW. Keith is not shy of investing in what he sees as necessary to stay ahead of the game. By North East standards, the Nightingale's Alpine Orchards are the largest in the district however they are far from large compared to more industrial scaled producers further afield. In this episode Keith tells me about their very impressive family operation.

Pod 12: Value is more than money

Charlie Showers and Jade Miles eat a lot of apples. As heritage apple growers in Stanley, you might say apples have completely bitten them. Like me, they've watched apple orchards being torn out and felt more than a vague, passing sense of sadness. Astute, clever and hard-working, they've thought it through and felt the need to take a stand. Inspired by what they've seen overseas, including in Vermont in the North East of the United States, at Black Barn Farm they're celebrating the seasons, connecting with old ways of doing things and sharing their story.