Contributed by Catherine McGlead
WINTER weather has set in this past week but the market still operates regardless of the weather. We are lucky to be able to hire the hall if the weather is very unpleasant for stallholders and customers. This month we feature our local free range pork producer Amber Creek Farm.
Located at Fish Creek, the farm is 165 acres and two enterprises are run from the property. Sawmilling and timber framing is the main enterprise and growing high quality pasture raised pork for local customers is what Amber Creek is known for at the market.
Dan and Amelia from Amber Creek Farm are artisanal producers, not a commodity producer. The products are a direct reflection of the region and environment they come from and are shaped by skilled people who turn them from raw materials into things people can eat or use in their lives. The business does not aim to produce the most pork or the most timber for the cheapest price; rather they produce what the land and workers can comfortably create without mining the soil, or relying on mechanization to replace skilled workmanship.
Dan and Amelia subscribe to the assumption that not all food is the same. Price and quantity are not the only factors one should consider when choosing what to put on the table. Quality, nutritive value, local provenance, flavour and the integrity of the farming practices used to produce the goods are all factors that should be given consideration.
The price of Amber Creek Farm products is a reflection of the total imbedded cost of the item. By practising ethical farming and sourcing ethical timber, these recovery methods are not leaving a legacy of denuded land and environmental problems for future generations to repair. On the contrary, they are sequestering carbon, reducing waste, improving soil biology, planting trees, protecting and increasing habitat for wildlife and reducing nutrient run-off into waterways.
Amber Creek Farm pigs live in grass paddocks with unfettered access to water, shade and choice of pasture. Their pasture diet is supplemented with grain, fruit, and vegetables.
Fresh cuts of vacuum sealed pork will be available this Saturday, as will smallgoods made from Amber Creek Pork by Rosedale Butchery. The smallgoods include delicious thick cut bacon, homestyle ham, polish sausage (Gluten Free), cabana (Gluten Free), and cheese kransky (Gluten Free).
Amber Creek Farm also offer bulk packs at a significant discount. You can order quarter (approximately 10kg), half, or whole pigs packed to your requirements. These are a great option to share between friends or family.
If you haven’t tried Amber Creek Pork yet, call in and see Amelia at the market on Saturday morning and choose from the huge variety. The flavour will amaze you.
The Prom Country Farmers market is held in the grounds of the Foster War Memorial Arts Centre on the third Saturday of each month, between 8am and 12noon.
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