May might be the nicest month here is the Mary Valley. Everything is green after the summer (on in this year’s case, Autumn) rains. The heat has finally given way to crisp mornings and crystal clear warm days. The garden starts to call again ready for our best veg growing period. The days are shorter which means a little longer in bed in the morning and log fires at night. This is why we love living in the country.
May is also GourMAY here in the Valley and greater Gympie region and we love it. GourMAY is all about celebrating local food – the farmers, the produce, the cafes and restaurants and the experiences that good food grown by passionate producers can bring.
At Kandanga Farm we, along with other local farmers, threw open the farm gates and welcomed a huge cross section of people for tours of our little organic farm. It’s always so heartening to know that there are people, not from farming backgrounds, that really care about animal welfare, environmental regeneration and of course food quality. These are the things we want to share. These are the things we want everyone to care about. On farm tour day we also had other local artisans and producers at the Kandanga Farm Store taking part in a pop up mini market. There were ferments, guitars, small goods, herbs, Grandma crafts and preserves – all local, all with the maker there, willing to share their heart’s work. It’s as far removed from homogenised, corporatised, big business as you can get and something we really want to celebrate.
Oh for a community that is underpinned by diverse, thriving small business – where money made in the Valley, cycles in the Valley – can you imagine the resilience and opportunity that would create for all of us – fulfilling work opportunities , a totally unique identity, diversity, security, interest and services. There is so much to celebrate here – so much to be proud of – so much to offer. But – it feels at times that the world is stacked against the small. As the ‘average consumer’ chooses the multi national supermarket/chain store over the independant in the belief that they will save a $. Sometimes yes but not always and definitely not in the long run when the diversity is gone and small businesses and the humans they employ move on to jobs in those same multi-national and homogeneous chain stores – what free choice will we have then? We have to vote with our dollars and to do so is not even a sacrifice – how lovely it is to shop with people whose personality infuses their businesses – who have sought out the products and services that they are excited about and want to share.
This is what GourMay has reminded me of, to see the person behind the business, behind the product. Because seeing them gives the product, what ever it is, so much more value. What we value we will respect and what we respect we will honour and what we honour we will fight for.
