Mastering Crafts in Orange
Story by Alice Armitage Images by Mike Terry
In recent times there has been an undeniable shift in the number of people who are drawn to reimagining traditional crafts and old school methods of food production. A desire for a slower paced life, a stronger connection to where their food comes from and deeper ties to community is driving many to find answers not for reinventing the wheel but in reviving old ones.
The rise of interest in these old school ways of being has also seen a rise of interest in regions like Orange and surrounds. Just four hours west of the Sydney CBD, this regional pocket has built a reputation for championing local produce and celebrating local producers – making for a very appealing destination for a new era of craftspeople to settle.
Orange FOOD Week – running from Friday the 5th to Sunday the 14th of April this year – is a long standing community festival, perfectly positioned to open the doors of local orchards, fermetaries and breweries to give us all a lens into how some of our most beloved hand crafted produce is created. Starting out as an idea dreamt up by a group of passionate local foodies thirty years ago, the festival aims to celebrate the Orange region’s diverse food and wine culture as well as showcasing all of the individuals contributing to that culture.
A series of workshops happening over FOOD Week are highlighting some of the impressive people who are making a living from the traditional crafts they themselves have reimagined. And these workshops have been designed to make that craftsmanship and food production practice accessible to the everyday person.
In the lead-up to FOOD Week, we’ve spoken to a series of workshop facilitators about their practice and what to expect from their workshop experiences.
Bianca Newcombe, The Orange Fermentary – Fermentation workshop
Bianca self identifies as one of the most unusual people you will find selling fermented wares at a farmers market. Making a living from creating fermented goods is a far cry from her career as a PhD holding chemical engineer, as Bianca’s journey to fermentation mastery started as a personal health journey to examine ways she could combat her autoimmune diagnosis.
“I had been researching the health benefits of apple cider vinegar. It was the first thing that I made for myself. I started taking apple cider vinegar but I thought the stuff I bought off the shelf at the supermarket tasted like old socks! I knew there must be a way for me to make it for myself,” shared Bianca.
Bianca continued to teach herself the art of fermentation and when her pantry began to overflow with the produce she was making she started to share with friends and family, eventually branching out to the local farmers markets.
Workshop specifics – Bianca will be running four fermentation workshops across the 5th, 6th, 9th & 11th of April. These practical demonstration workshops will cover how to make a range of fermented goods including kombucha, kefir, kvass and apple tonic. Each will be held at Bianca’s fermentary surrounded by olive trees and an orchard hosting fifteen different varieties of stone fruit. These workshops have been designed to centre around showcasing everyone’s ability to produce healing food in and around their own homes.
Nick Geoghegan, Small Acres Cyder – Cider Making Workshop
Nick became the custodian of Small Acres Cyder three and half years ago after deciding he would miss his beloved cider too much when the previous owners made the move back to the UK. Nick and his wife were both cider fanatics and had made a little bit of cider beforehand but taking on this new venture was quite the learning curve.
“We had been looking around to see if we could find a local business that we could take on that would allow us to be more connected to the community and the land. Now we work with growers, tradespeople, restaurateurs etc. from across the region and running these workshops creates another link in the community ecosystem for us,” shares Nick.
These days, there is nothing more satisfying for Nick than bouncing through the orchard on his tractor on a beautiful evening.
Workshop specifics – Nick will be running three cider making workshops across the 6th & 7th of April. These ninety minute sessions will give attendees the opportunity to learn the foundations of the cider making trade. Participants will spend some time in the orchard to understand what makes cider apples special, get some hands-on experience crushing and pressing apples while learning about traditional cider making techniques, as well as getting the chance to sample some of the final product.
Paula Charnock, Hillside Harvest – Delivering a series of workshops
As a fourth generation orchardist Paula has a long standing affinity with growing fruit and through her work she continues to advocate for better education on sustainable food sourcing practices. As well as running a seventy-five acre orchard growing cherries, apples, pears, stone fruit and berries, Bianca offers a farm store at Hillside. Stocking a wide variety of local produce that allows producers to showcase their wares as well as activating conversation about seasonality, sustainable sourcing and the importance of supporting the region's food community.
“We’ve had a relationship with each of the workshop facilitators for a number of years and practices like preserving brings a use for our second class fruit. It’s a very sustainable way to operate. When we can offer these small makers quality produce that suits their needs, they’re also solving problems for us as well. It creates a very healthy ecosystem for sharing and producing food, there is no waste in that cycle,” shares Paula.
Workshop specifics – A series of workshops will be facilitated by Paula and the Hillside Harvest team over FOOD Week – all with the intention of showcasing a multitude of ways people can make and create produce from the fruits grown at the Hillside orchard. Events taking place include apple pie making workshops, retro preserving workshops, as well as a workshop focused on pears. Each experience has been designed to give people the opportunity to not only learn a new set of skills but to also understand the full growing process of the produce they are working with.
This roster of workshops giving us all the ability to explore traditional crafts are just a small showcase of the experiences on offer during FOOD Week this year.
For each of these workshops, group sizes are intentionally small to cultivate a truly immersive experience – if you’re interested in trying your hand at one of these experiences you can find all the details and secure your place in a workshop via the Orange360 website.
This article was created in partnerships with Orange360