January - April 2025 Update

During our break during the hottest time of year, we visited the farm to make sure the plants received the water and attention they needed, but we largely kept out of the sun and reflected on the past year and planned for the next one. We left out watering points for the birds, bees and bugs amongst their favourite plants, to make sure the plot remained a refuge for the thirsty.

This was a time of growth, both for the plants getting the height of sunshine (and as a result the most water) and for the staff that work in the Bushfoods plot. We had a great year with incredible momentum, and we had a lot to reflect on. We had achieved a lot in the previous year. 

Local Correa variety that exploded with growth

Time to Reflect

Previous staff that held down the fort had moved on, both to new employment and to higher education. We relied a lot on their dedication and regular care of the plot, and it was bittersweet to see them leave. 

Murnong Mummas was always a springboard for mob in the local community, whether it was upskilling, entering the workforce for the first time, or as an opportunity to incubate their own business ideas and gain support to begin their own venture. It’s always sad to see the regular faces move on elsewhere, but it usually means new faces too.

Grace began working in the Bushfoods plot with us at the end of 2023/beginning of 2024 - and with her came enthusiasm and momentum. 2024 brought a lot of work, a lot of laughs and a lot of connection. When we finally came together at the beginning of 2025, we had a lot to reflect on.

It’s important to think about both the successes and the failures, we wish that everything we ventured out to do worked out, but it’s simply not the case. When we are honest about things that don’t go as planned, it’s a way for us to learn and grow.  

Old Man Weed returning to the plot

Old Friends Return In 2023 we had planted Old Man Weed around the plot, and it didn’t like the conditions. On Country it is a plant that will often die off and go dormant, and this is what happened with our plants.

When a plant that we’re excited about dies or disappears, it’s easy to become discouraged, and sometimes even easy to blame ourselves - but this isn’t fair on anybody or a productive way to move forward. 

By the time we were compensating for the heat with regular watering and also experiencing a little bit of summer rain, the Old Man Weed returned. 

They didn’t come back where they had been planted previously, so we know that seeds had spread and stayed dormant until they were under the conditions that would bring them back to life. Not only was it the heat and water that supported them, it was the layers of groundcover and shrubs we have been carefully cultivating doing their magic - a confirmation that our efforts were bringing our aspirations to fruition. When things started to cool down we finally came back together. We sat down amongst the abundance of plants that had exploded in growth in the previously mentioned conditions, in absolute wonder at how well things were growing. We were congratulating the plants (and ourselves) at the realisation of our garden layer goals, only to be interrupted by a high pitched humming approaching us.

The majesty (and clumsiness) of Blue Banded Bees

To say we were overjoyed when we caught sight of Blue Banded Bees coming toward us would be an absolute understatement. We watched as a small swarm approached and began feeding on the Vanilla Lillies around us, and we both burst into tears of joy. We hadn’t seen these native bees on the farm before. Although we have had Vanilla Lily in the ground since the beginning of the Bushfoods Plot, it wasn’t until we started holding regular tours for visitors to the farm that we began to spread them around and interplant them.

Each time we have a tour we rotate through our favourite plants on the plot, telling stories of triumphs and tribulations, of certain plants abundance prior to colonisation and their unceasing significance to mob. Each tour ends with the digging up of Vanilla Lily to demonstrate what our mentor Aunty Julie refers to as the ‘underground gastronomy.’ Each time we dig up these tubers we separate some and spread them around, to increase the diversity of planting.

This ritual has proved itself fruitful, as we watched the Blue Banded Bees hold onto the small flowers growing on long spindly stems, weighing down the flowers until they reached the ground. Once the bees were finished feasting they let go and the flowers sprang back quickly, catapulting back into their usual position. We were lucky enough to capture this in slow motion - you can see these videos we post regularly on our Instagram, backed by a song by the amazing Emily Wurrumara that can often be heard coming from the HFC kitchen affectionately known as ‘Lunchbox’ - being hummed or sang by Grace as she prepares coffee for morning tea. We hope you get as much joy from seeing these bumbling beauties as we do.

With a lot to think about, we’ve been left feeling pretty positive about the year that has been and very excited for the year to come.