I don’t really like store brought tomatoes. They can be a little bland so I avoided buying them.
This has led me to grow my own. Each year I grow a year supply of tomatoes. The catch is I only have fresh ones when it is the season. The rest are bottled in the Vacola and turned into sauce or chutney.
Each year, I look forward to the summer when we can start sharing fresh tomatoes with you. Once they start to fruit – there are about 100 plants in my kitchen garden each year, all the colours, shapes and sizes I am happy to share. Often guests go home with a bag of fresh fruit for later!
Varieties I have grown in the past include Jaune Flamme, Brown cherry, green Zebra, Green grape, Amish paste, Italian Flat Roma.
What varieties will you find this year?
PS: You can only harvest your own tomatoes at Jacican, as a guest in a Harvest Lunch, when tomatoes are in season. This is usually between February and early May.
Acknowledgment of country
Hello, I’m Jaci Hicken, from the lands of the Brataualung clan, which is where I’ve spent most of my life.
I would like to acknowledge all of us here today to cook together and share a meal.
I love sharing my dream of growing the food this country has to offer and share it with you.
The traditional place that we come together today is on the lands Gunaikurnai people
And I’d like to pay my respects to our elders past, present, emerging leaders, along with all the young people in our community.