An Apple Tree Creek couple with a passion for organic farming are providing Childers locals with a sidewalk mini market every Friday and Saturday.
Greg and Dionne Dixon of G’Day Farm, stack their quaint barrow or vegetable cart each week and set up on the footpath outside Insane Caffeine in the main street of Childers.
The couple openly exhibit a zest for life that obviously transposes into the tasty produce they grow.
“Seasonally, we manage to grow about 100 varieties of vegetables, herbs and fruit and at the present time I would say we have about 60 in production,” said Dionne.
The couple’s farming practice is based on established non-traditional and permaculture methods. Fertiliser and pesticide free, they undertake food production based on methods that are environmentally sustainable, diverse and ecologically friendly.
Dionne and her American husband were both working in Phoenix, Arizona before returning to Australia to pursue a lifestyle which offered self-sufficiency.
“Our friends thought we were a little strange in leaving a modern lifestyle to relocate to an obscure part of Australia near Childers,” laughed Dionne.
“We both worked from home, Greg still does, but the food production eventually required me to stop work and devote time to the marketing of the excess we were producing.
“There really are not that many outlets that provide organically grown produce.”
With a more acute public awareness of healthy foods, Dionne and Greg are finding increased demand for their home-grown delights.
She said that sometimes the vegetables may not look that pretty but what it may lack in aesthetic appeal it more than compensates for in taste and nutritional value.
Dionne said cucumbers, radish, round carrots, lettuce, zucchini, kale, lettuce, rocket, avocado, garlic and numerous herbs are among items currently available on the vegetable cart.
The couple also have a stall at their property located at 175 ATC Hall Road with produce available daily from dawn to dusk.
Most items, professionally bagged and presented, are available for sale for around $2.50 to $3.
Further information is available by visiting http://www.gdayfarm.com.au/
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