This week, we’re transported to a lush and expansive garden tucked away in a family’s backyard on the foothills of the Illawarra escarpment. It’s the home and workplace of Pope’s Produce founder Sarah Anderson. As the head gardener of this small urban market garden, Sarah makes the case for small-scale food production and edible gardens. She describes her work as ‘active, edible, creative play’ and we feel healthier and happier having just read those words.
If you’re not a green thumb already, chances are you will be after reading this interview.
Enjoy. Ciao ciao!
Enjoy. Ciao ciao!
Talk us through your journey in food.
My journey started when my Dad bought a general store in a small country town, stocking all the things. Since then, it’s been a wide journey through hospitality, organic food retail, and then, almost by chance, horticulture. A while back, my husband and I took an international trip with our kids for a year, volunteering at small-scale food-producing enterprises. That’s when my food-growing journey started, just shy of my 40th birthday. I discovered that when you plant seeds in the right conditions, eventually, you get to enjoy the results!
What made you decide to start an urban market garden?
The aligning of time and resources with a generous lashing of naivety. We’d recently moved into a place with a monumentally large north-facing backyard. I was looking to change from my role in organic food retail, and I was part of a conversation where the words ‘market garden’ glowed like a beacon. I didn’t do any further research, just leapt in. In hindsight, a bit more research could’ve helped a lot!
What do you love about being in the garden?
All of it! Well, except when it’s super humid. Gardening is such an immersive experience; you’re moving your body, listening to everything around you, and there’s time for music and discovery. Every time a seed germinates and produces a yield, it totally blows my mind. You really learn to observe and tune into what the garden needs
How does your work connect you to community?
I get to connect with my neighbourhood, plus I’m involved with school education, and then there’s chatting to people online. From what I’m experiencing, people are keen to engage with land but many don’t know where to start. This work is an invitation to get amongst it with your community - sadly this connection has been eroded over time. I love stories from older neighbours of what grew in their gardens as kids: fruit trees and flowers that bring back beautiful memories.
What advice do you have for anyone who might want to cultivate their green thumb?
Firstly, think about the kinds of food you enjoy eating and make a wishlist. If you love salads, maybe start with sprouts on the windowsill. Check out Gardening Australia for tips and inspiration. Look for organic seed companies online and local nurseries, as their heart and soul and focus is on producing for the long-term health of people and the planet. Explore your neighbourhood for gardeners and community spaces where you can ask questions. Local knowledge will take you a long way on your journey.
What recipe would you recommend serving with the Nonna’s Grocer butter Candle?
It’s winter, so I’m thinking a thick pumpkin soup with cracked pepper and a side of Miller’s sourdough with a good butter for eating.
What essential items do you always keep in the cupboard?
Barest of essentials include butter, olive oil, salt, rolled oats and, of course, coffee!
What have you been listening to?
Podcast-wise, I’m listening to The Food Programme from BBC and The Market Gardener. Otherwise, it’s playlists: random ones I make up, and currently a Cafe Lounge Chillout Music for when I really need to focus on getting things done.
Ultimate snack.
Because it’s winter, it’s a slab of toasted sourdough heavily buttered with lashings of a mate's marmalade and topped with slices of tasty cheese.
Because it’s winter, it’s a slab of toasted sourdough heavily buttered with lashings of a mate's marmalade and topped with slices of tasty cheese.
You’ve just arrived home from a long day. You’re hungry and tired. What do you make for dinner?
In an attempt to stay somewhere near healthy, I’ll flash a whole bunch of chopped veg in the frypan with a respectable amount of olive or sesame oil and serve over boiled soba noodles, which only take four minutes to cook. I can have a meal in a bowl in around 15 minutes and feel good about getting veg into it.
Where do you source food from? Do you have a favourite shop/grocer?
Naturally, I like to see what’s in the garden first. For staples and produce, it’s Flametree Community Food Co Op in Thirroul as you can buy the quantity you need in your own container. They stock local producers and organic foods which I love, and are operated by its members.
