0423 183 485 | gday@rolypolyfarm.com.au

Roly Poly Farm

 
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LOCAL | SEASONAL | HAND-FARMED

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Roly Poly Farm produces high quality, seasonal vegetables, year-round in the hills of Perth, Australia. Our produce is for families, individuals, restaurants and cafes across Perth who want fresh, local, nutrient-dense food, that sustains the individual, community, farmer, and land.

 

Sign up to our convenient weekly vegetables boxes, or come see us at the farmers markets every Saturday. Are you a restaurant or cafe that needs some flavoursome, unique and REAL local produce on the menu? Look no further.

 

We are a direct connection between you, our local community, and the food that sustains you - this means a longer shelf-life, greater flavour and less food miles.

 

We use hand tools, strong arms, and a whole lot of love to grow food, soil, community, and ecology.
 

 

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"A light wind swept over the corn, and all nature laughed in the sunshine." - Anne Bronte · #corn #acropofmanystories #afoodwithahistory #marketgardening #knowyourfood #maize #growfood #🌽
SUMMER CSA SHARE 11! · Large: Rainbow Chard | Shishito Peppers | Tropea Onions | Midge Melons | Basil | Shiso | Cucumber | Purple Sunrise Carrots | Purple Mizuna | Chiogga Beeteoot | Broccoli · Small: Cos Head Lettuce | Rainbow Chard | Purple Sunrise Carrots | Shishito Peppers | Dill | Broccoli | Beetroot | Basil · Lately I have started scribbling a detailed and reflective gratefulness each day, finding that the benefits continue to resonate beyond that moment. Yesterday, curled up into the couch on the porch after markets and chores were done, I scrawled words of thanks for the community that we have both created and fallen into, the community that has welcomed us without question. · I filled a page with names (and sometimes descriptions when names have not been exchanged) of people who structure our weeks. I drew upon faces of regulars at the market, other market stall owners and workers, CSA members, other farmers, online helpers, neighbours, suppliers, chefs, family members, and old friends who have resurfaced as strong and consistent parts of our week, drawn together again through shared beliefs, values and visions. · Community, connection and belonging is something that has always been important to us. In our increasingly isolated, digital bubbles of urban living, it's importance in creating a healthy and fulfilled society, filled with healthy and fulfilled humans, is often forgotten. · A friend of ours always reminds us that friendships and relationships do not just happen, they require 'building'. They require effort, time and intention. Thank you to all those who have built this community with us; who show up, give their time, and intentionally create something larger than both themselves and us. · “Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much” – Helen Keller · "There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about." – Margaret J. Wheatley · #csa #communitysupportedagriculture #perth #community #society #isolation #healthycommunities
Master of smiles, giver of the best darn hugs in Perth, and our general beacon of positivity. No, not Dec. The creeper behind him in the shadows 😉 · Thew joined our market morning mayhem a few months ago, and we honestly can't imagine our Saturdays without him anymore. · He brings sanity to our setup, juice to our bellies, music to our speakers and joy to our mornings. He joins us with full gusto on our caffeine/almond croissant/gozlame addictions, and has well and truly owned his domain as checkout chico cum walking talking recipe database, always yarning and complimenting and doshing out all of the good feels. If you have a "how do I use this strange exotic vegetable" question, Matt's your guy. · When most other 20 something year olds would be in bed catching up on zzzzs from their Friday night, Matt is up and at 'em, sometimes napping in his car when we are running late (which is more often than not!), but always at Kyilla at 6:45am on the dot to greet us with a huge cuddle, and an even larger amount of readiness to get stuck into the morning. · Sorry Matt, I know you've joked around with mentions of going abroad to bigger and broader horizons, but you ain't goin' nowhere...it's in the fine print 🤓 · #mat #thew #mattthemorningman #farmersmarket #getyourcuddles #andyourcompliments #healsohasgreathats
SHISHITO FRYING PEPPERS · Heat some oil in a pan, throw in a handful of these babies, salt 'n pepper them, then cook until they begin to char (replace pan with BBQ if you're that way inclined 😉). The deep, charred flavours that are released when you cook these bite-sized snacks are out of this world, and you'll be a repeat offender once you try them, I'm sure! · Frying peppers are a popular bar snack and/or appetizer item across the world, however they haven't really gained much momentum here in Perth. We supply these delicious little peppers to @winesofwhile, and even got a generous mention in @stmperth a few weekends ago 🙈 · Needless to say, these guys are the bomdiggidy, and will only be around for as long as this warm weather lingers, so get in quick to @kyillafarmersmarket tomorrow morn to see what all of the hype is about!! · #shishitos #fryingpepper #barsnacks #nibbles #farmersmarket #perth #perthfood #buylocal #eatlocal #grownwithlove #northperth #knowyourfarm #comesayhi #summer
Market gardening can be pretty hard on the ol' body. • We are constantly self-analysing our own and each others movements, postures, and pains, and trying to care equally for both our bodies and productivity. • During beet harvest, I usually squat, kneel and bend, moving from one stance to another as different parts of my body take their turns in tiring and aching. Today, I carted freshly pulled beets to a 'bench' I had fashioned out of crates, allowing me to sort, bunch and clean all in standing position...#standingdesk! • Whilst slightly less efficient than doing all of this in-field, no parts of my body are or were sore, and for now, at least, I like to think that increased longevity has outweighed the slight decrease in efficiency. • In physical careers, your job is your most important tool, so why not keep it sharpened and use it properly 💃🏼🕺🏽 • #marketgardening #physical #movement #harvest #beets #standing #limitations #efficiencies #longevity #perthfarmersmarket #care #selfcare #bendfromtheknees! #stretchingsimportanttoo
It always surprises people when we reveal that, despite living and working in a semi-rural location, the days and nights we are alone are much fewer than those shared with others. · Without fail, each week we are approached by a stream of good-hearted souls, asking if they would be able to come and spend the day with us. · Today was spent with Ruth and Jane, two strong, fierce, impassioned questioners who, with broadfork in hand and transplants a-plenty, helped us while away the afternoon deep in conversation, laughter and cold beers on the hay. · Dec and I will be the first to admit that we are not the best managers/coordinators/delegators (although he is admittedly better than I, so lucky him, he often gets dealt the managerial role!). We overthink, worry too much about people not getting enough out of their time here, and let's face it, managing people is HARD WORK, especially when, at the base of it, there is work to get done and limited time for it to get done in! · Despite this, we always finish volly days full of warmth and energy and exhausted rejuvenation (yes, that's a thing). We're determined to keep at the scribbled to dos and inner 😫 feels, until the stress and anxiety disappear completely. We are constantly fine-tuning to allow this to happen (setting max. number of vollies helps!), but any tips well and truly welcome. · For now, thank you to Jane, Ruth (energetic sparkles you are!), and to all of the helpers, both old friends and new, that we have had thus far. As always, so so so grateful, and there's always a place both at the table and in the field for you! · #volunteers #community #sharedpassions #sharedvisions #newfriends #growstuff #chatsoverveggies #marketgardening #farmlife #closetotown! #perth #perthcommunity #perthpeeps #knowyourfarmers #knowthewholecrew #manyhands #lightwork
APHIDS THREE WAYS (yum!) · 1. Ladybugs - our first port of call. One study reports that a single ladybug can eat up to 5000 aphids in their lifetime, so if you have created a nice habitat for them (habitat, pollen, water, insects), 🐞🐞🐞 should appear in your garden and take care of any aphid infestations. Unfortunately, whilst we are RIDDLED with ladybugs elsewhere in the garden, they did't seem to like it over in Kale World, even when we tried transporting them by the handful! If you are having a hard time attracting ladybugs to your garden, you can also buy in ladybugs to get your population started, but be sure to get them from a reputable source. · 2. Row Cover - a great resource to have in the garden, as you can reuse for years to come. This is also our main defence against white cabbage moth. Just make sure you get one that has a tight enough mesh to exclude aphids. Otherwise, you'll merely create a safe haven for aphids, allowing them to feast, whilst excluding their predators (have a look at the video if you want to see what this looks like 😂) · 3. Saponin Spray - this requires a little more time and energy than the other two methods, but when your kale is bringing in half of your rent, we like to think it's worth the effort 😉. The saponins in the soapy spray kill soft-bodied insects by breaking down their protective cuticle or skin. Dr Bronners Castille Soap is our go-to for soaps, both in and out of the garden, as they pretty much stand for all that we do. They are transparent (in more than just their bottles!), organic and fairtrade certified, and also have an amazing Regenerative Agriculture section on their website if you fancy a read (and their lavendar soap will make you feel a million in the shower!) Whenever we are doing any foliar sprays, we always combine whatever it is with a seaweed solution, as if we're going to the effort of applying something to a leaf, we may as well do a beneficial spray in the process. Seaweed promotes root growth, contains essential micronutrients, has growth-promoting hormones, and feeds microbial communities. We will repeat the process early next week. · #aphids #pestcontrol #ladybugs #🐞 #kale #gardening
Throwback to a time when irrigation fell from the sky, jumpers were worn beyond 7am, and I vowed never to grow more than we could keep weed-free. · I showed Dec these photos last night, and his first response was, "Where's that?" 😂 · #marketgardening #farminginwinter #perth #perthfarm #australia #weedfree #questionablenow #bringonautumn #knowyourfarmer #grownwithlove #seasons
We grow soil. Rather than feeding our plants synthetic NPK, we focus our efforts on fostering the symbiotic relationship between soil microbes and the plants root system. When this relationship is active and strong, the soil and surrounding ecosystem are active and strong, the plants themselves are healthier and stronger, and you are healthier and stronger when you eat 'em! · "Plants produce complex organic molecules like sugars that they exude from their roots to encourage the microorganism populations that comprise a healthy soil. In turn, microorganisms, by way of their complex ecology, release minerals that are already in the soil so that they are bio-available to plants. Microorganisms such as fungi with their extensive network of filaments, deliver water and nutrients from a wider area than the plant roots cover. These symbiotic relationships between microorganisms in the soil and the plants above are natural processes and will maintain themselves, provided they are not destroyed by excessive chemical or mechanical disturbance." - Healthy Soils Australia · The root mass on this Orach plant is a good sign that those relationships are going strong 💪 · #soil #activesoils #growsoil #soilgrowsplants #plantsgrowyou #roots #exudates #microbes #marketgardening #notill #minimaldisturbance #knowyourfarmer #perth #healthysoils #grownwithlove
Before the birds got them. · I read somewhere that a sure-fire way to keeping parrots off your corn is to plant decoy sunflowers nearby. Has anyone played around with this? · These sunnies bloomed a tad too early to work for this function, but they smashed it at providing some much-needed shade for our melons; offering themselves up as food for our hard workin' bees; and they made me smile every single day as I headed into the patch. · That's the beauty of plants; even if they don't quite do as intended, they're still a darn pleasure to look at. · #sunflowers #birds #parrots #marketgardening #corn #decoy #vegetables #🌻 #perth #sunday #knowyourfarmer #knowyourfarm #knowyourfood
SUMMER CSA SHARE 11! · Large: Green Mizuna | Cos Heads | Cucumber | Carrots | African Horned Cucumber | Pea Shoots | Rosemary | Dill | Broccoli | Jalapenos | Chilli Medley | Eggplant · Small: Zucchini | Carrots | Chicory | White Beetroot | Eggplants | Rosemary | Jalapenos | Green Mizuna | Cucumber · #csa #community #agriculture #perth #perthfood #perthfarm #summer #withabitofwinterthrownin #local #buylocal #eatlocal
🙆 TURKS TURBAN SQUASH 🙆 · These not-so-little beauts have been eagerly awaited here at Roly Poly. They are an heirloom varietal from France, and are a winter squash, meaning their thick skins allow them to be stored throughout the winter. · Along with pickles and preserves which capture the bounty of seasons, it's storage vegetables like these that bring the essence of growing food home strong, and resonate the ancient practice of preparing for less bountiful times ahead, prior to globalised food transport. · These gloriously unique pumpkins will be heading home with our CSA members in two weeks, as a little taste of Summer to take home. We hope they will provide a bit of warmth and nourishment in the colder months, and offer the lingering taste of hot, cicada-laden summer afternoons, which by then will seem but a distant memory. · #turkspumpkin #turkssquash #turksturban #squash #pumpkin #seasonaleating #seasons #storage #nourishment #winter #winteriscoming #csa #perth #perthfood #grownwithlove