Wattle Organic Farms, VIC
Nathan Free ‐ Managing Director
Even from a very young age (he was too small to see over the steering wheel as he drove the farm's Mini Moke), Nathan Free knew he wanted to be a farmer. It's a yearning that never left, to the point that he's now Managing Director of Wattle Organic Farms, in Victoria's Lake Boga region.
Situated between the arid sand hills of the Mallee region and the Great Lakes Floodplains, the region provides excellent soils and growing conditions. And its ability to turn air, soil, water and sunlight into fresh and healthy food is at the core of Nathan's love of life on the land. While the current property has been farmed since 1944, a more recent move towards organic produce appealed immensely.
"I'm passionate about the natural production of fruits and vegetables." ‐ Nathan Free.
Created by a group of like‐minded farmers who believed in the benefits of organic produce, Wattle Organic Farms have been in operation since August 2009. With the belief comes the work. Once the farming land was certified organic, the crops themselves could begin to be planted. Wattle grows everything from stone fruit (peaches, nectarines, apricots and plums) to grapes, melons, pumpkins, tomatoes and vegetable seed crops. And everything's organic.
The process is somewhat different to that of traditional commercial farming: For stone fruit, the soil is kept 'biologically active' through regular compost applications supplemented by liquid seaweed. A covering of mown grasses and weeds protect the soil from sunlight, while irrigation ensures that the right amount of moisture is present to reduce stress to the fruit. As the fruit ripens, it's monitored daily, with only the mature fruit being picked so that it's juicy when it reaches the customer ‐ as soon as the day after picking.
For tomatoes, the soil is prepared using the foliage of the winter crops. More compost is added before the organic seedlings are planted. The young plants are watered regularly, with seaweed and other organically approved products added to help them mature and the fruit ripen. It takes two to three months from planting to harvest, and the fruit can be in‐store within 24 hours of picking. To Nathan, it's the best way to farm.
"This lets me create a nutritionally dense, flavour‐filled experience grown using only natural inputs and procedures, and that helps me sleep at night... " ‐ Nathan Free
Managing this requires a lot of trial and error, and Nathan never stops learning, whether from his father, the industry, formal courses, or the constructive criticism from his neighbours and family.
"I was lucky that I was given a lot of rope to develop into the farmer that I wanted to be. I have very understanding family and friends who have supported me through my development as a farmer." ‐ Nathan Free
When success does come it's definitely worth the effort, and the fruits (and vegetables) of Nathan's labours are now easy to find. Wattle Organic Farms have been supplying Woolworths directly with 500 tons of stone fruit and 200 tonnes of tomatoes annually since 2012. As that relationship strengthens, so does Nathan's confidence that organic produce is not a passion for himself, but a viable, long‐term direction for his farming.
As such, he believes Wattle's success will be tasted by everyone who bites in to their produce.
Wattle's organic stone fruit are in season from November through to March, while their tomatoes are best from January through to May. When it comes to choosing your fruit, Nathan recommends looking for stone fruit that's firm to touch, has a good aroma and is appealing to the eye, while the tomatoes should also be bright red in colour.
Once home, stone fruit can be stored in the fridge or a fruit bowl, while tomatoes should be kept out of the fridge so they don't freeze. As for eating, Nathan suggests having them just as they are, or as part of something special ‐ from a juicy plum chicken to a smooth tomato passata.
Bon appetit!