A harvest festival of fun and flavour

THE Common Ground Project (CGP) will next month host a one-day, family-friendly Harvest Festival to celebrate the farmers, growers and makers operating across the region.

Supported by Agriculture Victoria’s Vic Grown project, the festival will take place on November 4 between 8am and 3pm at the CGP’s site in Freshwater Creek.

The day will feature market stalls filled with locally grown vegetables and house-made goods from across the Southwest region, as well as live music, workshops, farm tours, a dedicated kids activity program and hot food vendors.

CGP food hub coordinator Amy Tacey said the social enterprise had long been working towards hosting an event that brings together producers from across the region and connects the community to their local food system.

“We’re a pretty tightknit, or connected and bonded, group of small-scale producers,” she said.

“But we want to spread that out to our community and region and help them understand what this region grows and what it offers and why you need to support it so that they continue to operate,” she said.

Among those slated to appear are the team behind Moriac’s Kinsfolk Farm, James McLennan from the acclaimed Farm My School project on the Bellarine, along with Two Creeks Apiary, Lard Ass Butter and Ket Baker.

Festival attendees will be able to speak directly with these local growers, as well as sample and purchase their produce.

As part of the festivities, a panel of local growers will also discuss the challenges and opportunities facing our food systems, while Patrick Meaney from Farm to Ferment will host a one-hour session on the basics of fermenting and the Bellarine Fungi team will hold a mushroom growing session for all fledgling fungi enthusiasts.

CGP chief executive officer Felicity Jacob said the Harvest Festival fit within the enterprise’s broader mission of connecting and empowering the community by offering an inclusive space for growing, cooking, knowledge sharing and ongoing collaboration.

“Connecting is obviously by coming, but when you come, you might feel empowered whether it’s the kids doing the potting workshop or seed making workshop, or by something that’s on panel, or even just by the music [or] the vibe,” she said.

“I think at the moment we need that community solidarity and that community engagement to know, OK, there’s a lot of tough stuff going on but the strength is always going to be when we come together.

“It’s a celebration in a true sense of the word at the moment. Let’s celebrate each other.”

For more information, head to commongroundproject.com.au/harvestfestival