Join Jill and Nick as they take you behind the scenes to see where your food actually comes from!

We are very excited - after our interesting Gelato Workshop on 31 Mar we can now announce a Spice Workshop with Ian "Herbie" Hemphill on Sat 30 June 2012!
These workshops are both very special and usually only available in Sydney.
We have to finalise the venue etc - but just wanted to share the news.
Keep an eye on our website or get on our mailing list to stay informed (contact us from the website www.foodpath.com.au).

There are only about 8 days left of the chestnut season in the Southern Highlands for this year and I have learnt a lot. It has been fun taking more and more people on this unusual tour. I was not very experienced in handling or using chestnuts before - but after three tours and many kilos I know a lot more now :)
I find boiling them for about 10 mins and then peeling them using a small sharp knife is the easiest. There are two layers to remove during peeling - the outer thick covering and then an inner skin. Quite laborious - I am wondering how Biota Dining went with the 6 kilos we gathered for them!!
The flavour is buttery and sweetish and the texture crumbly and a bit like potato. We downloaded masses of recipes from "the net"- but so far I have used them for crumbling on cereal or putting in salads - as you would other nuts. Am planning to try a chestnut soup and using them in seasoning - yum!
We have had a few children come along this year and they had fun. Six year old Zoe has a husk carefully wrapped ready to take to school for show and tell. I love it when the kids learn where food comes from - that is, to some extent, what we are all about!

• A FoodPath Tour on Saturday visiting farms and wineries, followed by
• A ’Celebration Sundays’ long table lunch at Biota Dining where you also meet local producers at their market stalls in the garden.

During April we will be having two Day Tours because there is so much to see. The potato farm and the cheese makers are only available on 21 April and they are both very special, so we decided to bite the bullet and run two tours.
We start with a beautiful sustainable farm near Moss Vale. Privately owned - not normally open to the public. Lots to see.















                                                                               

After lunch you can browse through the French furniture that is for sale in "the shed" before we leave to catch the afternoon milking at the dairy nearby.


Finally we go to Small Cow Farm for a cheese tasting and talk with Mark and Lesley Williams. If you haven't tried their cheese this is your chance. If you have, it is interesting to hear Mark talk about his cheese making.



All in all this is going to be a great day - a long one too.
Meet at Cecil Hoskins Reserve near Moss Vale at 10am.
Finish at Small Cow Farm Robertson at 5pm.
A guided self drive tour where you follow us in your car.
Price: $120
To book contact us from the website www.foodpath.com.au, email info@foodpath.com.au or ring Jill on 0419 617 021

Well, what an interesting afternoon it was at Howards Lane vineyard for the Gelato Workshop yesterday.

I had trouble visualising what Olive Oil Sorbet would be like - but it was delicious, with a smooth oily "mouth feel" at the end.

We ended up with a group of fourteen plus Kym who came to tell us about her olive oil business - Sutton Forest Olives. She had fun and stayed the whole afternoon. Included one very good child who has been to four FoodPath activities this year with his Mum!!

Can't believe we have had four FoodPath activities in the last six days - and we are not even exhausted. That's what happens when you enjoy what you are doing :)

Luigi has sent through his program for the Gelato Workshop tomorrow - just look at this, I can't wait!

• Olive oil and black pepper SORBET
• Buffalo milk and pure choc nugget GELATO
• Mittagong raspberry farm GRANITA
• Coffee and cream combo (GRANITA & FRESH WHIPPED CREAM)
• MATCHA Japanese Green Tea tasting/ceremony (during the break)

We picked up three punnets of fresh raspberries from the farm this afternoon - only 2 kms from where we will be making the GRANITA (low fuel miles - couldn't be lower). Berries were picked the morning (couldn't be fresher).
Kym from Sutton Forest Olives is coming in with her olive oil for the SORBET and will talk to the group about her business. Elena is bringing her buffalo milk up from Camden PLUS some fresh Jersey milk - so we can taste the difference.

How nice to be able to use fresh and local ingredients - what we are always encouraging others to do!

What a fun day! We arrived at the chestnut farm to find groups of Greeks and Italians who had been there since early, all relaxing and soaking up the peace and quiet away from the city. Our Nick was born in Alexandria and speaks Greek so he had a lovely time chatting away while he lit a fire in the brazier to roast our chestnuts.
The rest of our group of eleven went off armed with buckets and gloves and Dennis showed us where to find the best ones. There are three types, each ripening at different times.

We all learnt the "chestnut wiggle" as we opened the prickly husks with our feet, then sought out the biggest and best glossy kernel nut within with our gloved hands.
Biota Dining restaurant in Bowral had asked us to bring them 6 kgs so I was busy with that and also gathering some for us to try over lunch.
We had two children in our group today (6 and 8yrs) and it was fun for them - definitely a good activity for kids - I will mention that in our promotion next year.
After gathering chestnuts for about an hour we went to see Dennis in the shed to have them weighed and purchased to take home. Some of the group remembered eating chestnuts in their childhood, others were very familiar with them and for others it was a new experience.


Today we had people from Sydney, Thirlmere, Canberra and the Southern Highlands on our tour.
Most people brought their own lunch and one couple brought wine which they kindly shared around. Tables were set up under cover and this was perfect - shelter from the sun or from the rain.
The nuts took longer than we expected to cook but finally they were ready and everyone tucked in.
Certainly a memorable day and I'm sure some people will be back next year for more!

On Sat next weekend - 31 Mar - Luigi de Luca will entertain us at Howards Lane Winery with tales of his family business that spanned several generations.

He will also tell us the history of gelato making and show us how to make gelato using fresh local ingredients.
This will be a fun workshop. Actually more of a Masterclass I guess because we will be watching and tasting (yum), not actually making.

One of our group is bringing her own buffalo milk (!) and Luigi has asked me to source some local produce. He said olive oil but I'm not so sure - I think I will get some of our wonderful local fresh raspberry sauce. The raspberries have just finished so there should be lots of value added products that carry the farmers through the rest of the year.

Nick and I were lucky to be invited a couple of years ago to Luigi's launch of his Prickly Pear Granita at his Leichhardt Gelateria. That was delicious!

Come along and join the fun. Price: $66
To book contact us from www.foodpath.com.au, info@foodpath.com.au or ring Jill on 0419 617 021

Chestnut time is almost upon us - and it is a short picking season so don't miss out.
Want to try something different - come with us on our FoodPath Chestnut Tour on Sun 25 Mar 2012.
Very popular with the Spanish and Europeans generally.
During the great depression chestnuts were part of the staple diet in northern Italy where they grew wild.

Chestnut gathering is a nice communal thing to do - rather like mushroom gathering for the wild mushrooms is.

The chestnut farm we take you to has over 300 trees but they only sell to pickers, not having to look any further.. that is how popular it is.

We are delighted to have secured a place for a FoodPath group again this year.
Come along and join the fun!

Meet at the Exeter General Store at 11am and follow us to Wingello.

Bring a picnic or we can get one for you. We will roast some chestnuts on a brazier for tasting and give you some recipes to take home.
Wear sturdy shoes and gloves if you have them. Be mindful of the weather and dress appropriately (sun screen or raincoat). Being the Highlands we go ahead whatever the weather.
Price: $45 or $65 (incl lunch).
Suitable for children accompanied by an adult. Price: $11.25
To book contact us on info@foodpath.com.au or ring Jill on 0419 617 021

We were so proud of our local producers last Sat when we put on a showcase for a bunch of Travel Writers.
Tourism Southern Highlands asked Southern Highlands Food and Wine Association to help with this
and of course we need the producers to come along. Thanks to all those who did and thanks to Tertini Wines for hosting this event.

See the great photos - and come along one day on a FoodPath tour to meet the people behind the food we grow in the Highlands.

Steve from the 1910 Bottling Company and Nicki from Cuttaway Creek Raspberry Farm

Delicious raspberry products from Cuttaway Creek

Lyn's beautiful skin care products made from her own olive oil

A range of gourmet potatoes from Robertson, Berrima Ridge free range eggs and Highland Organic Cheese made by their new cheese maker David Snibson

Kym of Sutton Forest Olive Oil who does all the work on the farm and produces award winning olive oil at Sutton Forest

Montrose Berry Farm have 8 varieties of berries and Bruce and Fiona make a huge range of jams, pies and vinegars

Our business FoodPath - and we work with all these wonderful producers, either tour or a workshop

Steve Hogwood telling the travel writers about his business

Fabulous fresh raspberries from Cuttaway Creek - sumptuous.