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Welcome to

Black Barn Farm

A biodiverse orchard, nursery & learning space.
Join us on the journey of regerenative orcharding, living simply,
following the seasons & beating to the drum of our small town.

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workshops & events

Come hang with us in our patch, paddock, packing shed, orchard and poly tunnel for one of our events or workshops.
Join us as we work towards building a community of skills rich human beings who are connected
to the natural world and the seasonal pull of the annum.

view our workshops & events

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Futuresteading

Written by Jade Miles from Black Barn Farm, Futuresteading is a practical and inspirational guide to living in a way that values tomorrow:
a slower, simpler, steadier existence that is healthier for you, your home, and the environment.

Click Here To Purchase the book

Hello and Welcome to

Black Barn Farm!

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The Turning. Crisp misty mornings, leaf laden walk

The Turning. Crisp misty mornings, leaf laden walks, open fires, slow cooked quince, sunrises, rosy cheeks, pre winter harvests

With a little daily squeeze and time, these persim

With a little daily squeeze and time, these persimmons will dehydrate into chewy, fine white fructose coated delicacies perfect when sliced and eaten with dry crumbly cheese.

The rest of them are in the dehydrator.

Something extra special about slow food.

Natural autumn beauty! An afternoon gift.

Natural autumn beauty!
An afternoon gift.

Community events might just be the pinnacle of 'hu

Community events might just be the pinnacle of 'huddling' pedestals!

More than the bunting, or the fundraising sausage sizzle, the Devonshire teas or the jam competition.... community gatherings are the fairy bread of hundreds and thousands that stick together to create a collective magic.
Today I was lucky enough to share futuresteading stories and get my jam judging skills honed with the good gardening folk in this quintessentially Australian community hall for the Osbornes Flat gardening expo. With little expectation I was blown away by the buzz and the throng of the crowd. Who would've imagined!

It has been suggested by more than one friend that being asked to judge a jam competition surely indicates a new stage of life...possibly true...but I do know that the honour (and sugar high) was all mine.

What a rip roarng little gig this vivacious community gathering was.

Do you have a local hum dinger of a gathering in your patch?

Persimmon harvest day. We netted these little tr

Persimmon harvest day.

We netted these little trees a few weeks ago to avoid bird induced disappointment and have been impatiently waiting ever since.

Today is the day. Remove the nets and with snips in hand I cut each piece away with a little piece of stem still attached so that they could be peeled and hung up in the door way with ease for the bletting process.

These are the astringent variety so you can't eat them straight from the tree. You can simply leave them on the table for a couple of weeks to go all mushy and gelatinous like one of these pics shows and its like a sugar jelly...sooooo good. But you can also dry them into little sweet date -like bombs.

If you opt for the dried, you'll need to peel and hang them whole, we used the doorway between the kitchen and dining room because it's warm and we pass through often which is perfect for giving them a little squeeze which they need each day.

When they're done they will have a delicate coating of a fine white sugar on the outside and they will be the size of and resemble a date.

Delish!!

It's muffled and quiet in the pine forest. It smel

It's muffled and quiet in the pine forest.
It smells all earthy and damp.
It's always best after rain
Don't be hasty or you'll miss the tell tale mounds.
Never take too many.
Sit, be still and revel in the ritual

A special time of year.

A little autumn colour for your Monday! On Saturd

A little autumn colour for your Monday!

On Saturday we hosted our VERY LAST workshop for the season and on Sunday we waltzed around the property in our pyjamas just because we could.

It's been a huge season of u-pickers, events, workshops, jam making, goat cheese, ducklings, flowers, puppies, apples berries apples berries, apple cider doughnuts, raspberry sorbet, goat soap, exhibitions, book talks school groups and garden tours.

5 months of beautiful people, bountiful good and soooo much learning.

We're bunkering down now and taking some r n r until we lift this year's nursery trees in June ready to pay all over the countryside.

Our term four schools program bookings are now open and its filling fast so sing out if you're keen to bring kiddos to the farm this year. We will load our spring workshops by the end of June so keep an eye out for that (including weaving, grafting, wicking beds, goat cheese and goat soap making + others) of course if you have a group of 5 or more and are eager for your own event then let us know.

Enjoy these glorious autumnal days folks. I'm off to walk the paddock in my jammies with a cuppa.

Remember this lass? It's none other than Miss Cati

Anyone else sniffling? I'm double dosing the fire

Anyone else sniffling?

I'm double dosing the fire cider vinegar at the moment.

This batch has chilli, garlic, onion, ginger, rosemary, pepper and apple cider vinegar. I keep a batch perpetually topped up so it's ready to go at any time.

It's time to whip em out and flip em over! Last n

It's time to whip em out and flip em over!

Last nights cracker frost made it clear it's time to call it a day for this seasons toms.

I've made enough chutney and relish this year so I actually want these last few to ripen fresh to round out the week.

With roots intact they'll hang upside down in the warmth of the sun protected from frost for the next week while I keep picking the very last stragglers.

What to plant in their place?

Change of flowers, stoke of the fire, washing away

Change of flowers, stoke of the fire, washing away and dishes done!...
No one will ever know I've been on strike in the packing shed for three days...
I expect the inhabitants didn't even realise I was missing... they might've once the clean clothes and clean bowls ran out.

Apple pie and apple crumble IS BREAKFAST FOOD. In

Apple pie and apple crumble IS BREAKFAST FOOD.

In this season it is anyway!

How do you make your crumble?

Mine has almond meal, coconut, oats, butter, rapadura sugar, walnuts, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg and a little water to create the chunky bits that bake like little biscuits.

Beautiful autumn day to spend rambling through the

Beautiful autumn day to spend rambling through the farm with guests who came from aaaaaaallllllll over to take a geezer at how and why we grow the way we do.

Hope we shared some kernals that allow others to leap frog on our mistakes.

Enjoy this sunshine!!

Our heritage apple trees are on sale online now.

Our heritage apple trees are on sale online now. Place your order now and pick up on 10th August or we post all over Australia (except WA NT and Tas).

All our nursery trees are grown organically with the addotion of michorizal fungi. Packs of 3 and five also available.

Tis the season. And when an aunty from the other s

Tis the season. And when an aunty from the other side of the mountains sends a box over the hills, it's like Christmas.

Some are preserved, some are popped into pies, others are dehydrated and some are slow cooked over night so they're ready to plop onto porridge in the morning filling the house with a sweet spicy pungency.

All are cooked with star anise and cardamon.

Happy quince season.

Mid-week Mexican beans from Sadie at @fat_pig_farm

Mid-week Mexican beans from Sadie at @fat_pig_farm

When writing my next book I chatted with a stack of folk about how they 'huddle'. Sadie was as the top of my list and the convo was bloomin delightful. To wrap the chat (which became a pod interview for @futuresteading )she shared this recipe as her bomb proof ‘go-to’ when feeding her closest huddle. As the days have chilled down its become a go to around here - with a few small tweaks.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked black beans or red kidney beans(or 2 cans, drained and rinsed)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped (adjust to taste)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup tomato sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander for garnish
Lime wedges for serving

How:

If using canned black beans, drain and rinse them under cold water. If using dried beans, cook them according to the package instructions until tender.

In a large skillet or pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onions and cook until they become translucent.

Stir in the minced garlic and chopped jalapeño, cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

Add cumin, chili powder, paprika, and dried oregano to the onion mixture. Stir well to coat the onions and cook for another minute.

Add the cooked black beans to the skillet, followed by the tomato sauce. Stir everything together, ensuring the beans are well-coated with the spices and sauce.

Allow the beans to simmer on low heat for about 10-15 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld. If the mixture becomes too dry, you can add a splash of water or vegetable broth.

Season the beans with salt and pepper according to your taste. Just before serving, stir in fresh chopped cilantro.

Serve the Mexican beans hot, either as a side dish or as a filling for tacos, burritos, or as part of a Mexican-inspired bowl. Squeeze fresh lime juice over the top for a burst of citrus flavor.

A gentle day of learning a few rewilding skills at

A gentle day of learning a few rewilding skills at the farm with @wildbeingsaustralia
We weed walked and talked, experimented with fire by friction, feasted on Bunya nuts for lunch, made cordage and learnt about tanning (which I think might have to be our next skills session).

The sun was warm, the air was still... what a great to be learning these skills with such eager folk.

Thanks Eva and Will for bringing your humble energy and deep knowledge to this little corner.

Quiet corners on quiet days. After a huge season

Quiet corners on quiet days.

After a huge season culminating in the crescendo at @offgridlivingfestival last weekend, a nourishing down day was calling loudly.

Three pots of tea, a loaf of fresh bread and an audit of the third drawer down later, I've made it to 1pm still in my pjs and I've actually read a book in our big chair in the corner... followed by a little shut eye.

Here's cheers to a little quiet.

Xx

Clambering out of the bush right on dark after a w

Clambering out of the bush right on dark after a waltze that was desperate for fresh air and outside time. 10 hour days on computers were not part of the design brief when we 2 leggeds were created.

It always recalibrates and invigorates, humbles and slows the psyche... that's more like it!

I never show this angle of the property but it's the view I see every day when I emerge from my bush retreat...refreshed.

Time to milk the goat, lock up the geese, light the fire (have you lit yours yet) and snuggle in for the night.

Nigh nigh

Happiest of hump days from the veggie garden on th

Happiest of hump days from the veggie garden on the first day of frost for the year.

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