Brooklands Free Range Farms
The hero of our delicious ramen…
Out the back of Daylesford in Central Victoria, where ancient volcanos rise above the patchwork of pasture and crops, is Brooklands Free Range Farms. It’s a small, family-owned farming operation producing outstanding pork, beef and other produce. Here, husband and wife team Jono Hurst and Natalie Hardy practice regenerative agriculture. It is a method that reflects and works with, the systems that exist in nature. And it all starts with the soil. Soil that is alive with billions of bugs, worms, insects and fungi. They work in harmony with the pasture and other plants that capture the energy of the sun, turn it into leaves, flowers and seeds to feed the animals. When the plants die or are eaten by the animals they go back into the earth and feed the living creatures in the soil. They, in turn, excrete nutrients that feed the plants. An unbroken loop that continuously creates more living soil. This is a big part of regenerative agriculture.
Mt Franklin Organics
Florian’s certified organic produce farm on Dja Dja Wurrung country on the eastern slopes of Lalgambook, Mt Franklin, is naturally blessed with pure water and rich red, volcanic soil. They drip irrigate the gardens and fruit trees using only passive solar power and have no cool rooms or machine processing to sort and store food.
Every weekend from Spring to Autumn, Catherine enjoys a chat with Florian when she picks up the veggies and extra eggs at the Sunday market. Almost all of the vegetables grown at Shizuka Ryokan were seeds or seedlings sourced from Mt Franklin Organics and Florian is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to growing them up.
Adsum Farmhouse
Ed and Fiona Benedict are tree changers. In 2011 they moved to the rural hamlet of Glenlyon where they found rich volcanic soil, fresh air and a vibrant community. They honour the earth by only using organic farming practices; they live and grow by the seasons, and their philosophy is to “grow local, buy local, eat local “ For much of the year, our meals feature carrots, raddishes and leafy greens from Adsum Farmhouse.
Audrey’s Flowers
These days our ikebana arrangements usually feature flowers from Audrey’s Flowers, a micro flower farm focused on providing local, affordable flowers. Located in Musk Vale on the outskirts of Daylesford.
Two Fold Bakehouse
Two Fold Bakehouse is a home bakery in Daylesford that bakes for its farmers, millers, and local community.
Alison and Katy bake naturally leavened, organic loaves, using organic stoneground flours, and work with the seasons; changing their loaves to suit what’s growing around them. They support regenerative agriculture and small family farms, who together form a part of a movement towards a local grain economy.
Whilst our guests enjoy a Japanese breakfast which does not include bread, we always have it on hand for staff snacks. If you are in Daylesford on a Sunday morning, we highly recommend you buy your bread from Two Fold Bakehouse at the Sunday Market at the Railway. We simply couldn’t leave them off our list of local producers 🙂