Nirvana Biodynamics

Kiwifruit are the last of the deciduous fruits to be harvested. most commercial crops are harvested in May, at this time they can be stored for a long time and really only ripen when taken from cold storage then  allowed to ripen. However when left on the vine to ripen  and harvested in July they are fully ripe and can be eaten straight away. They do not store as long  BUT their  taste is amazingly great. Our Kiwifruit had a bit of disaster this season when in April a large stringy bark branch crashed right through the middle breaking the trellis posts , wires and plants. Now the kiwifruit has been harvested I can get in and prune them before replacing the posts and wires. Kiwifruit are great to eat fresh, their refreshing taste is so good and blends well with winter climate. They also add a zing to a green salad and go well on a cheese platter. As with most fruits they can also be turned into cakes,topping sorbets ,chutneys and jam. They also dry extre...

If you want top quality chestnuts then there no better place to purchase them direct from a grower. By about now in the supermarkets and fruit shop you’ll see plenty of dull, soft chestnuts – the price like most local produce is well below the cost of  production .DO  NOT BUY THEM they are rubbish. When p urchasing Chestnuts they should look shiny and feel firm and cool. Don't buy dull and crackly nuts because you will be disappointed. At Nirvana Farm we have been growing and selling chestnuts direct from our farm for 30 years as well as  roasting them in our local village , Stirling. Our chestnuts are hand harvested every day, graded and placed in our cold room at 0c,Each weekend during the season Quentin cooks them in Stirling. As well as tasting delicious they are our quality control. When you purchase fresh chestnuts from the farm they are fresher and younger than the batch that are being cooked. All nuts are logged and sold in order Chestnuts are fresh...

Sales direct to the public from the Nirvana Farm Shop 184 Longwood Road HEATHFIELD South Australia. Open 10am- 5pm daily Once the cooler weather arrives the chestnut roasting season begins in the Stirling village.This year the season will kick off with the Stirling Autumn Garden Festival on April 29th 10am to 4pmon. After that you can experience the great taste of roasted chestnuts on  Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons. the season lasts  until we have sold all our nuts- usually late June-early July. .

When I started this blog I thought I would have one for the farm and  one that told the story of our lifestyle BUT I realised that they are intimately connected which is why I would agonize over which post should go where . So now they are all one which is how it should be .

This season has been excellent for the hazelnuts we have around 30 trees some of which are very young.Most produced good crops this season.We use for our own consumption or bartering other goods with as the scale and work involved ,its not worth selling them if we sold them either fresh or value added. The trees enjoy our cool spring fed valley and grow and produce very well. The shady hazelnut grove One of the amazing things about the hazelnut harvest in a hazelnut in our front garden near the garden studio which has both red and green foliage. It has been here long before we came. Over the years I would open some to find only blank nuts. Now it has lots of full yummy kernels so each time I walk out to my studio I pause and collect a few more nuts. The garden hazel has wonderful red ‘skirts’ and lovely full kernels with red skins.I think I'll make something spe...

This season seems to offer a abundance of life.The flowers have been stunning. The chestnuts are heavy in flower and their scent permeates the whole area.Clouds of common brown butterflies form  wavers as they emerge from the cover of the grass to feed on the nectar , chestnuts,buddleias and bottlebrushes are on the top of their menu.The bees are also busy around the same flowers along with hoverflies,wasps and other beneficial insects. All the fruit trees are laden with fruit which really needs thinning if I could muster the time as the berries are keeping us busy, a bumper crop. A bit of a shock after  a number of drought years but 2 average winters have now produced abundance.The Christmas customers will be happy as we can fill all their orders and more. The sugar plum in the goose pen was groaning under the weight of the crop but the rainbow lorikeets  are stripping it , the geese,chooks and dogs compete for the fallen ones but I still cant find one ripe enough to ...