HAPPY WOMBAT

HAZELNUTS

DISCOVER

OUR FARM

WHERE TO BUY

WHY HAZELNUTS

OTHER SEASONAL PRODUCE

OUR HAPPY WOMBATS

FARMING SUSTAINABLY

happy_wombat_hazelnuts

The Scarlet Robins are back as they migrate from t

The Scarlet Robins are back as they migrate from the alpine areas to warmer locations for winter. During winter, the birds will visit more open patches so we see them in the pasture paddock (usually perched on star pickets, posts or fencing wire), in the hazelnut or chestnut trees or around the garden and sheds.

Their habit of foraging for insects on or near the ground for food makes them vulnerable to cats, and young birds that roost close to the ground may be taken by rats.

The Scarlet Robin is a declared a vulnerable species in the ACT and NSW and, rare in South Australia.

The male boasts all the bright colour. Female in the last picture and listen to the birds call in the video.

#scarletrobin
#threatenedspecies
#birdsonfarms
#batlow
#snowyvalleys

Nothing like harvesting chestnuts to be present in

Nothing like harvesting chestnuts to be present in the moment.

Focus on not getting spiked picking up nuts and watch out for any spike balls that fall from above. Gives the hamstrings a good workout too.

#chestnuts
#batlow
#tumbarumba
#snowyvalleys

Where will it surface? What is it? Exciting to

Where will it surface?

What is it?

Exciting to see this rakali among the reeds. It was having a good preen and scratch as well.
#rakali
#batlow

Our recently completed gazebo in the fog today.

Our recently completed gazebo in the fog today.

The site was first cut in Jan 2022 and finished earlier this year. All except the screws, brackets and bolts are from recycled materials. That’s, hazelnut prunings, old printed corrugated iron, part of an old apple dip, salvaged steel and old verandah floor boards and skirting boards.

(No Bess. Sam had to fill in as the model and not happy about it.)

#hazelhurdles
#gazebo
#creativereuse
#snowyvalleys

Fiddly to pick but oh, so delicious and no thorns.

Fiddly to pick but oh, so delicious and no thorns. Candy like combination of strawberry, pineapple and apple with a hint of pepper.

#Myrtusberry
#chileanguava

No Easter bunnies today No Easter bilbies today It

No Easter bunnies today
No Easter bilbies today
It was about the Broad-Toothed Rat today.

Early start on Easter Sunday for @deakinuniversity students surveying for this nationally endangered species. pHD student, Sally (Fuik-) Burgemeestre and colleagues Yvonne Wang and Pip Bell spent the morning in our farm swamp tunnelling under fern, sedges and snow grass looking for scats (poo).

It’s the best method to search for this cryptic native rodent in decline. The main reason, it produces between 200–400 scats per day. Deposited in new small piles each time along (shared) small tracks and tunnel-like runways. They can be found living in the undergrowth of montane, subalpine and alpine areas, usually in close association with water bodies, including sphagnum moss bogs. The scats are fibrous with small fragments of undigested grass.

Sally’s surveys have been underway on private and public land in the Snowy Mountains and higher elevated areas of the Snowy Valleys impacted in some way by the 2019/20 bushfire.

The broad-toothed rat gets its name from its wider-than-usual molar teeth, which help it chew the stalks of sedges and grasses. It also nests in these grasses.

And do we have them? Verdict is possible based on a scat find.

Meet the ‘dream stream team‘. Absolute pleas

Meet the ‘dream stream team‘.

Absolute pleasure hosting @unicanberra Applied Ecology 2nd year students this morning. One of seven student groups out and about this week in the snowy valleys, surveying local biodiversity like birds, mammals, vegetation and water health.

This ace team are looking at acquatic macroinvertebrates, commonly referred to as waterbugs but includes animals like dragonfly and mosquito larvae, water fleas, worms, beetles, snails, crustaceans and mussels. It will be interesting to find out what is living in the dam overflow, the headwaters of the Yaven creek. And, students are surveying downstream of here too. Earlier in the week they sampled water from the Bago, Gilmore and other streams around Laurel Hill.

While on the farm I could not let the students go without a berry forage and some hazelnut harvesting, a first for most. Exposure of this type is important and investing time to support their broader learning brings mutual benefit.

The students are staying at Laurel Hill Forest Lodge and from all accounts really enjoying their prac stay in the region.

Heard before seen. The Superb Lyrebirds are elusiv

Heard before seen. The Superb Lyrebirds are elusive but quite active at present on the farm. All through the forested area around the dam two(?) have been foraging, turning the litter over and helping to speed up leaf decomposition. This in turn, reducing the amount of fuel load for bushfires.

It’s also so good to see them foraging in the bush area burnt in 2019/20.

Here’s a link to research about why they are excellent fire wardens. https://amp.theage.com.au/national/victoria/not-just-a-pretty-tail-the-lyrebird-is-a-superb-firefighter-20150303-13tg3o.html

And just another reason why we focus heavily on fox control.

#lyrebird
#birdsonfarms
#snowyvalleys
#batlow

It’s crazy to think that this time last year we

It’s crazy to think that this time last year we were only starting hazelnut harvest and here we are, this same time of year, and we have finished pick up already. We were fortunate the weather stayed dry as well, unlike last years wet and cold late harvest. The Robmac harvester was a dream to operate and will take over from many years of manual pick - up with rollers. We can hear the many volunteers who have helped us over the years, sigh with relief.

And how’s the 2024 crop you ask? It’s a ripper. The nut quality is the best in many years and the yield is our best ever- our tonnage has moved into double figures. Some trees haven't fully recovered from the 2019/20 bushfire but geez, we are happy with what we have produced this season.

We are still bedding up nuts to dry and grading for sale. None of this would be happening without some behind the scenes help.
Foremost, uncle Mick who is putting tonnes of nuts through the air leg blower to remove harvest debris. We are working towards an improved mechanised system as our yield has definitely, and quickly outgrown this hand operated method.
Also a thanks to Louise H, Louise R and Will R who are also serial return volunteers.

Thanks everyone for your continued interest in our farm operations and customer support.

And yes, Bess is fat and shiny from eating hazelnuts!

# snowyvalleys
#batlow
#hazelnutharvest

This continual hot dry weather calls for swims whe

This continual hot dry weather calls for swims when harvest stops for the day.
Bess loves to try fly
We love to watch Bess try fly
Sam could not care less and always looks the other way in the open paddock.

You bet there was concentration. After a few hours

You bet there was concentration. After a few hours I got the hang of using the Robmac nut harvesting machine for the first time. And what better day to learn than on International Women’s Day. Harvest continues.

#internationalwomensday
#notthefarmerswife
#womenwhofarm
#snowyvalleys
#hazelnutharvest

Instagram post 17850919569127407

Instagram post 17850919569127407

It was a privilege to host @suestuartsmith psychi

It was a privilege to host @suestuartsmith psychiatrist and psychotherapist, and author of the critically acclaimed and bestselling book ‘The Well Gardened Mind’, despite it being harvest time.

Sue’s book is now translated into 19 languages and explores the positive power of gardening on the mind through lived experiences, both historical and current. A significant recent enquiry she has had, is linked to the Ukraine war.

It’s Sue’s first time to Australia and the Snowy Valleys inclusion was organised by the Tumut Region Community Foundation, led by Louise Halsey.

Our farm provided one perspective to the 2019/20 bushfire recovery journey- how the physical recovery on country intertwines with mental health and well being. Other properties were visited as well.

The small group who joined us for lunch with Sue included Sally Bryant from ABC Riverina radio and other snowy valley locals. A brief farm tour included the hazelnut orchard, berry patch (which, included pick your own dessert) and the wildflower orchard. Oh, and meeting Bess.

Special thanks go to @batlowbees for the blackberry gelato that went down a treat on such a hot summers day. Gosh it’s delicious!

The evening took us to Laurel Hill Forest Lodge for a local produce dinner and two conversations. One between Sally Bryant and @wondalmavineyard, then the feature conversation between Sue and distinguished ABC journalist Geraldine Doogue.

Artist Julie Vulcan capped off the night with her audio visual presentation ‘Darkswell’. featuring her farm at Balmoral, @highfieldfarmandwoodland and ours https://julievulcan.net/darkswell/

We were back into harvest pretty quick (as were the vignerons) but what a fabulous learning and networking opportunity on many levels.

#snowyvalleys
#thewellgardenedmind
#bushfirerecovery

Smooth start to harvest 2024 with ‘Barcelona‘

Smooth start to harvest 2024 with ‘Barcelona‘ variety. Topped off with a beautiful full moon and a Brushtail Possum out early for a feed in the gum leaves.

The dry weather makes it so much easier to harvest and the Robmac harvester started and performed without any problems whatsoever.

The remainder of last year’s harvest was bagged up to make way for the new seasons crop to keep drying in the ventilated shed. It’s the first year since the bushfire (2019/20) we have not run out of nuts early. Good for us and good for customers so we can keep them stocked up all year without a break.

Oh, and it’s an early start to harvest compared to previous years. We usually start mid March.

#hazelnutharvest
#robmacharvester
#hazelnuts
#batlow
#snowyvalleys

Today- How it started How it ended. #clouds #co

Today-
How it started
How it ended.

#clouds
#contrails

And so it begins, nut fall. Varieties ‘Barcelon

And so it begins, nut fall.
Varieties ‘Barcelona’ and ‘Butler’, first to drop.

#hazelnuttrees

We’ve been up to some seedy business this week.

We’ve been up to some seedy business this week. It was such a productive year for native seed in the natural forest and in our wildflower orchard. Pods containing seed were harvested by hand into these cotton bags during December - January and left hanging to dry. This week these 10 species, mostly groundcover plants were cleaned through a series of different sized sieves depending on the seed size. There would be 1000’s of plants in this seed collection even though it doesn’t look like it. Some seed will be for us, but most to sell. All local provenance. The colours, shapes and textures are all beautiful. From little things big things grow.

#seedcollection
#snowyvalleys
#seeddiversity

Crickets and an Australia Day sunset

Crickets and an Australia Day sunset

It’s been an action packed period between Christ

It’s been an action packed period between Christmas and Australia Day with commitments on and off farm.

We’ve had to work around the stormy weather but this has also meant no need for irrigating.

Mowing has been ongoing in the orchard as has berry picking. Weed control especially Blackberry and St. John’s Wort is never ending. Same for fox control.

We’ve collected native seed from our bushland and also from the wildflower orchard. Harvested our small patch of garlic and onto the potatoes now. A bit of building has also gone on using recycled materials but more on that when complete.

The diversity of bird life and other wildlife brings much joy, except the pesky noisy cockatoos. Highlight was watching Nankeen Kestrels fledge and seeing the elusive male and female Whip Birds together!

We’ve also enjoyed the company of several visiting friends and family members, some rested while others were put to work.

Many photos were taken this last month and here are a few capturing the farm with a very busy start to 2024.

Sorry I haven’t posted for a few weeks. Been fla

Sorry I haven’t posted for a few weeks. Been flat out.

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