PVAS Winter Trip to Balingup Small Tree Farm

By Chris R.

With the winter rains comes time to plant more trees in the Valley for shade, fodder and fruit, meaning a trip to one of our favourite nurseries – Balingup Small Tree Farm, to collect our annual order. 

This horticultural jewel is just a short drive from the beautiful town of Balingup.  Here we collected an order of bare root poplar and hawthorn trees, which will join the previous years' plantings to provide non-toxic and non-flammable shade and shelter along paddock boundaries.

We stopped in at one of our favourite bed and breakfasts overnight – The Green Welly. Situated in Bridgetown, Ivan and Jenny once again provided a wonderful stay with some amazing cruelty free food and hospitality. The accommodation is well appointed and warm, having the added highlight of a small family of rescue sheep and hens residing by the house.

A wonderful vegan dinner and breakfast were provided and we ate overlooking the tree lined valley and hills to the west of the property. Jenny kindly shared her recipe for the delicious patties served at dinner (which we have included below). The patties came with an amazing tahini sauce and roasted vegetables. Dessert was equally gourmet – a chocolate mousse with sorbet and macerated strawberries.

The following morning we managed to fit in a walk, meeting some of the resident animals, before a delicious breakfast of avocado bruschetta, home made baked beans, granola trifle, fruit and lemon and poppy seed scones. All were beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. After saying our farewells to the lovely hosts, we braved the winter rains to collect our tree selection, which was kept well watered on our drive back to the Valley.

The accommodation is beautifully kept and decorated, including this neat little lady striking a pose on the bathroom window sill.

While visiting the region to collect the farm trees we noted that Bridgetown was enjoying its ‘Winter Festival’. Many of the buildings throughout the town and surrounds (including our accommodation) were adorned with blue fairy lights.

On the way to the tree farm we also visited Tinderbox. This amazing shop stocks botanically based products, ranging from perfumes to essential oils and insect repellents. Every product is hand-made in small batches, removing the need for preservatives. Organic ingredients are used wherever possible. We picked up some natural moth repellent for our pantry and a tasty raw treats gift for our lovely house sitter Kym. See https://tinderbox.com.au/ to explore their many products or order online. All Tinderbox products are suitable for vegetarians and most products are vegan-friendly, with only a few items containing beeswax, honey or bee pollen. Tinderbox products are not tested on animals and made locally in the south west of WA.

Recipe: Jenny’s Sweet Potato and Lentil Patties 

Ingredients:

- 500g of sweet potato, peeled and cubed

- ½ teaspoon of cumin

- ½ teaspoon of coriander seeds (ground)

- 400g tin of brown lentils, drained

- 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves

- ½ cup of English muffin breadcrumbs

- 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil

- ½ avocado, mashed

Method:

- Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan forced).

- Spread the sweet potato cubes on a lined baking tray and sprinkle with cumin and ground coriander seeds. Roast for 25-30 minutes.

- Place in a bowl and mash coarsely. Let cool.

- Add lentils, fresh coriander and muffin crumbs, using the avocado to bind the mixture. Shape into patties.

- Cook in batches in an oiled fry pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.

Tahini sauce

Ingredients:

- ½ cup of tahini (room temperature and well stirred)

- 1 clove of garlic, minced

- 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil

- ¼ teaspoon of salt

- 2-6 tablespoons of lukewarm water (depending on consistency of sauce)

- Pinch of cumin and cayenne

Method:

- Whisk the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, oil and salt.  

- Add the water a tablespoon at a time, whisking well after each addition. 

- Adjust to taste using salt or lemon juice.