Kalangadoo Organic Farm: Ron enjoys the fleshness of the produce at Kalangadoo on the Limestone Coast in the South East region of South Australia
Spend enough time in Chris and Michelle McColl's organic orchard at Kalangadoo on the Limestone Coast and you soon realise 'apples aint just apples'.
For apple aficionados the choices are endless. Here the old adage of 'less is more' definitely does not apply. Chris and Michelle have taken a conscious decision to embrace variety in a move away from the mass plantings of one particular variety which dominates modern farming practice today. Here, the rich soil of the limestone coast combined with plenty of sun and water work their magic.
At Kalangadoo Organic they promise that the apples they sell you are fresh and that means if an apple stays on the shelf any more than four days they will personally come along and take them off the shelves and juice them. That guarantee means that the apples taste the way they're meant too.
There are no chemicals and no refrigeration plants here. Yoshi, the dog and the parade of cackling chooks are all humble foot servants in the campaign to carve out a little patch of organic goodness.
Chris McColl, Kalangadoo Organic Farm: "We wouldn't be able to grow peaches without chooks because we need the chooks to control weevils, earwigs and grasshoppers. We need the dogs to protect the chooks from the foxes and we need the chooks to eat the insects in the peaches because we don't use insecticides being organic."
And now a couple of Wessex Saddle Back pigs have been brought into to do some of the heavy work although it takes them a little time to get motivated.
Chris McColl: "They are part of the integrated approach of having animals incorporated with the farming system. Pigs are fantastic as rotary hoes. They turn the ground over and they eat crickets and earth grubs and other things. Then they eat the vegetable wastes and manure and fertilise the soil at the same time."
Nearby some refugees from Burma, living in nearby Mount Gambier, grow vegetables which will ultimately add to the Australian palate. In a joint venture, Chris and Michelle supply the soil and water, while the refugees supply their own unique experience in growing a host of vegetables to be sold at various farmers markets.
Michelle McColl: "We're all learning as we go but there are no freeloaders here: the pigs pay their way, the chooks mop up the earwigs and grass hoppers in the fields and at the end of the day they're meant to deliver."
And they certainly do… but the number one fruit of Chris and Michelle's labors is the apple harvest. And as soon as the gala apples are ready for processing they're loaded onto the conveyor belt for juicing. Each layer of pulp is compressed and soon the juice from the organic apples is ready for bottling. In many ways this much more than just the juicy essence of an apple crop. For Chris and Michelle this is a statement about how they think farming should and will be in years to come.
Chris McColl: "We think the way of the future is what happened in the past because it was sustainable. You know small mixed farms supplying the local community with locally grown produce that may or may not be organic. But if it's not organic it's close to it with these other things."
Produce from Kalangadoo Organic is often available at the Wayville Farmers Market which is held each Sunday morning. You can also buy direct from their property on Millicent Road at Kalangadoo. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au
Kalangadoo Organic
Millicent Road
Kalangadoo
40ks ex Mount GambierPublished 21st March 2010
