Dirty Hands & Glorious Sunsets: Daily Life on a NSW Produce Farm
From grafting avocado plants and inspecting the macadamia orchard to packing pumpkins and watermelons, this is farm life
Julia Foyster grew up in Germany. Twelve years ago she decided to backpack through Australia with a friend. She joined Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF) and worked and lived with farming families in exchange for board and accommodation. She harvested coffee beans; picked, packed and sliced mangoes; worked on a horse riding farm; and eventually ended up on her now-husband’s farm picking and packing avocados, mangoes and limes.
Young avocado trees being grafted.
Mooball, Tweed Shire country of the Bundjalung Nation, Northern NSW
This green and lush 450-acre property is our beloved home and has been farmed by the Foyster family for five generations. It stretches along Wooyung Beach with the roaring ocean waves echoing towards our house. It overlooks the rolling fields of sugarcane with a panoramic view of the sun setting behind Wollumbin/Mount Warning with its distinct curved silhouette. It is as stunning as it sounds!
I have pinched myself more than once that I get to call this my home. It is a joy watching my son drive his motorbike through the sugarcane. Or while embarking on one of the many farm walks and taking in the nature surrounding us, all while having the beach just minutes away.
Mooball, Tweed Shire country of the Bundjalung Nation, Northern NSW
This green and lush 450-acre property is our beloved home and has been farmed by the Foyster family for five generations. It stretches along Wooyung Beach with the roaring ocean waves echoing towards our house. It overlooks the rolling fields of sugarcane with a panoramic view of the sun setting behind Wollumbin/Mount Warning with its distinct curved silhouette. It is as stunning as it sounds!
I have pinched myself more than once that I get to call this my home. It is a joy watching my son drive his motorbike through the sugarcane. Or while embarking on one of the many farm walks and taking in the nature surrounding us, all while having the beach just minutes away.
Sunset on the farm.
The best time of the day is around sunset when the farm workers have left. After that it’s just our family working together, overlooking the fields or walking through the macadamia orchard. This still feels special to us.
The rich volcanic soil of our Mooball property currently grows 10,000 macadamia trees. It also produces acres and acres of sugarcane, which is rotated with watermelons and pumpkins yearly.
A few years ago we built our own nursery to grow avocado and macadamia trees ourselves. Due to their popularity, avocado trees started becoming hard to come by. The nursery has a capacity of approximately 20,000 trees. It’s currently filled up with thousands of trees that are ready to plant. The trees are grown from seed and then get grafted, a skilled task that we taught ourselves.
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The best time of the day is around sunset when the farm workers have left. After that it’s just our family working together, overlooking the fields or walking through the macadamia orchard. This still feels special to us.
The rich volcanic soil of our Mooball property currently grows 10,000 macadamia trees. It also produces acres and acres of sugarcane, which is rotated with watermelons and pumpkins yearly.
A few years ago we built our own nursery to grow avocado and macadamia trees ourselves. Due to their popularity, avocado trees started becoming hard to come by. The nursery has a capacity of approximately 20,000 trees. It’s currently filled up with thousands of trees that are ready to plant. The trees are grown from seed and then get grafted, a skilled task that we taught ourselves.
Inspired to get gardening? Find a local landscaper near you, browse images of their work and read reviews from previous clients
Julia after a day of planting.
The kids love dancing under the nursery water sprinklers in summer to cool off – the farm has always been a massive playground for them. I remember when the nursery wasn’t set up and we started growing macadamias from seed. One of my jobs was to push 20,000 seeds into the ground, yes, 20,000 seeds! That’s what my husband calls a trial. My then 1.5-year-old son joined me by digging up the seeds almost faster than I could bury them. It was rewarding and not back-breaking at all. If I might be a little sarcastic here!
The kids love dancing under the nursery water sprinklers in summer to cool off – the farm has always been a massive playground for them. I remember when the nursery wasn’t set up and we started growing macadamias from seed. One of my jobs was to push 20,000 seeds into the ground, yes, 20,000 seeds! That’s what my husband calls a trial. My then 1.5-year-old son joined me by digging up the seeds almost faster than I could bury them. It was rewarding and not back-breaking at all. If I might be a little sarcastic here!
Julie’s husband Nathan checking macadamias in the nursery.
My father-in-law began growing potatoes in his early thirties. He has always been someone with a clear vision who doesn’t shy away from big projects. Growing potatoes requires large amounts of water, so he built multiple new dams, one of them bigger than a football field. He installed water pipes across the whole 450 acres and to this day the same irrigation infrastructure is being utilised during dry periods, for the sugarcane as well as the pumpkins, watermelons, and now also for the macadamia trees.
We are lucky to live in a high rainfall area as we are able to harvest the water that nature provides us. However, the irrigation infrastructure that is in place is vital, as daily watering is required for the smaller plants to thrive and survive. The long dry spells throughout the year would be very problematic without such established irrigation. A huge investment that keeps on giving and giving.
Browse images of beautiful Australian gardens to inspire your own
My father-in-law began growing potatoes in his early thirties. He has always been someone with a clear vision who doesn’t shy away from big projects. Growing potatoes requires large amounts of water, so he built multiple new dams, one of them bigger than a football field. He installed water pipes across the whole 450 acres and to this day the same irrigation infrastructure is being utilised during dry periods, for the sugarcane as well as the pumpkins, watermelons, and now also for the macadamia trees.
We are lucky to live in a high rainfall area as we are able to harvest the water that nature provides us. However, the irrigation infrastructure that is in place is vital, as daily watering is required for the smaller plants to thrive and survive. The long dry spells throughout the year would be very problematic without such established irrigation. A huge investment that keeps on giving and giving.
Browse images of beautiful Australian gardens to inspire your own
The kids helping plant pumpkin seeds at another farm, Hogarth Range, Richmond Shire country of the Bundjalung Nation, Northern NSW.
My father-in-law continued to grow potatoes for 20 years and became a significant supplier to a well-known Australian chip brand. However, prices for potatoes never increased, at times the prices even dropped while expenses continued to rise every year. Growing potatoes started to become unviable and that’s when the idea to grow avocados began to form. To this day there is still some lack of clarity as to who had the idea first, my father-in-law or my husband. I best not take sides as it may result in trouble!
My father-in-law describes the 20 years of growing potatoes as one of the most insightful times for him. Not everyone is cut out to establish orchards years before they start making any profit. As he learned to negotiate, invest and deal with large amounts of expenses, he became the reputable business owner that he is. I admit it took me a while to adapt to his mentality and see the long-term goals and gain.
My husband, having grown up as a farmer’s child, as well as his four siblings, was heavily involved in the day-to-day work of harvesting and packing potatoes. In the early hours before school, they would earn their pocket money by submerging themselves into the thick mud-coated potatoes or in the afternoon, harvesting watermelons by hand in the hot sun, sweating away for hours at a time.
My father-in-law continued to grow potatoes for 20 years and became a significant supplier to a well-known Australian chip brand. However, prices for potatoes never increased, at times the prices even dropped while expenses continued to rise every year. Growing potatoes started to become unviable and that’s when the idea to grow avocados began to form. To this day there is still some lack of clarity as to who had the idea first, my father-in-law or my husband. I best not take sides as it may result in trouble!
My father-in-law describes the 20 years of growing potatoes as one of the most insightful times for him. Not everyone is cut out to establish orchards years before they start making any profit. As he learned to negotiate, invest and deal with large amounts of expenses, he became the reputable business owner that he is. I admit it took me a while to adapt to his mentality and see the long-term goals and gain.
My husband, having grown up as a farmer’s child, as well as his four siblings, was heavily involved in the day-to-day work of harvesting and packing potatoes. In the early hours before school, they would earn their pocket money by submerging themselves into the thick mud-coated potatoes or in the afternoon, harvesting watermelons by hand in the hot sun, sweating away for hours at a time.
Working the fields.
It was not only the Foyster kids that worked in the hot paddocks. Locals, friends, and extended family would spend their school holidays learning one of life’s lessons of just how hard a day’s work can be. Lifting heavy watermelons and pumpkins in the heat certainly gives the money earnt a whole different value to the usual household chores. Crops need to get harvested when they are ready, not when it suits the farmer.
Long hours of hard physical work meant that my mother-in-law would often serve her kids birthday cake on the banana wheel while she packed bananas.
It was not only the Foyster kids that worked in the hot paddocks. Locals, friends, and extended family would spend their school holidays learning one of life’s lessons of just how hard a day’s work can be. Lifting heavy watermelons and pumpkins in the heat certainly gives the money earnt a whole different value to the usual household chores. Crops need to get harvested when they are ready, not when it suits the farmer.
Long hours of hard physical work meant that my mother-in-law would often serve her kids birthday cake on the banana wheel while she packed bananas.
The kids, today.
My own kids would be in a baby sling, their highchair, or hanging in their jolly jumper from a beam in the shed so I could continue to work.
When there weren’t enough daylight hours, work continued into the night. I would have my eyes glued on the video baby monitor while the kids slept. Clearly, farming doesn’t guarantee the ideal work-life balance. But if you asked my family, they would agree that it’s worth it for the incredible farm lifestyle we treasure so much.
Working with animals and crops, getting your hands dirty can heal your soul. Farm life keeps us connected with what really matters in a world dominated by technology and now Covid-19.
My own kids would be in a baby sling, their highchair, or hanging in their jolly jumper from a beam in the shed so I could continue to work.
When there weren’t enough daylight hours, work continued into the night. I would have my eyes glued on the video baby monitor while the kids slept. Clearly, farming doesn’t guarantee the ideal work-life balance. But if you asked my family, they would agree that it’s worth it for the incredible farm lifestyle we treasure so much.
Working with animals and crops, getting your hands dirty can heal your soul. Farm life keeps us connected with what really matters in a world dominated by technology and now Covid-19.
Our family farm in Mooball is also where the Tweed Real Food magic happens. Nestled between our avocado packing shed and our home among the gumtrees is Tweed Real Food headquarters.
We generally start our day sitting on the beautiful timber veranda overlooking the sugarcane. Over a freshly brewed tea or coffee, we laugh and discuss life, kids and work. We then start our busy day creating delicious seasonings and balsamic vinegars for … our beloved customers.
We generally start our day sitting on the beautiful timber veranda overlooking the sugarcane. Over a freshly brewed tea or coffee, we laugh and discuss life, kids and work. We then start our busy day creating delicious seasonings and balsamic vinegars for … our beloved customers.
Children watching a controlled cane fire.
Everything is made by hand, with love, passion, and the right eye for detail to deliver only the freshest and highest quality products. We believe real food doesn’t have ingredients; real food is ingredients. So, our plant-based products are 100 percent natural and free from gluten, preservatives, additives, anti-caking agents, and any other nasties that shouldn’t be found in food.
Being fifth-generation farmers, we know how important it is to support Australian-grown. We pride ourselves on using as many local ingredients as possible while being 100 percent Australian owned and made. We appreciate our environment. Our goal is to have minimal impact, so we use recycled, reused, or biodegradable materials wherever possible. Our 100 percent recycled paper labels, for example, are printed with vegetable-based ink.
Everything is made by hand, with love, passion, and the right eye for detail to deliver only the freshest and highest quality products. We believe real food doesn’t have ingredients; real food is ingredients. So, our plant-based products are 100 percent natural and free from gluten, preservatives, additives, anti-caking agents, and any other nasties that shouldn’t be found in food.
Being fifth-generation farmers, we know how important it is to support Australian-grown. We pride ourselves on using as many local ingredients as possible while being 100 percent Australian owned and made. We appreciate our environment. Our goal is to have minimal impact, so we use recycled, reused, or biodegradable materials wherever possible. Our 100 percent recycled paper labels, for example, are printed with vegetable-based ink.
Julia Foyster’s book, There is a Story Behind Every Meal, (AU$42.95) features 65 delicious recipes, intertwined with untold farm stories and beautiful imagery, encapsulating the journey of overcoming hardship, providing heart-wrenching insight to the reality of farming in Australia.
Your turn
What green-thumbed tips do you have for growing your own produce? Tell us your experiences in the Comments below, like this story, save the images, and join the conversation.
More
If you enjoyed this story, you might find this article interesting – Building for Extreme Weather: The Pressure on Our Architecture
Your turn
What green-thumbed tips do you have for growing your own produce? Tell us your experiences in the Comments below, like this story, save the images, and join the conversation.
More
If you enjoyed this story, you might find this article interesting – Building for Extreme Weather: The Pressure on Our Architecture
A decade later they are married with two children. In the first few years, Foyster drove tractors, helped run the packing facility, pitched in to establish new orchards, and investigated new crops to grow. More recently she started Tweed Real Food, taking her connection between the land, who we are and what we eat, into her passion for real food. This edited extract, about one of their farms, is from her new book, There is a Story Behind Every Meal.