Local food warrior Sarah Anderson plans for spring at Popes Produce market garden

Owner of Popes Produce market garden, local food warrior and force of nature Sarah Anderson is taking a break for winter. The rear of the 4000-square-metre property in Woonona is shaded from the winter sun and production slows. Though when I visited last week the garden was still looking abundant with basil, kale, shallots and fennel and the citrus trees loaded with fruit.

Sarah sells her produce, grown using organic principles, locally through a subscription model, meaning that subscribers sign up to a 12-week season and share the riches and weather-related and other risks of the season.

Always looking to improve her business, at the end of last season Sarah surveyed her customers, asking about issues like value for money and if they would recommend the service. She was heartened to hear the unanimous love for her produce, pricing and unique business.

“The people with families love teaching their kids [where food comes from], how to use everything up and the fact that they may not always know what will be coming in their weekly box. They love being able to visit and the accessibility of having local fresh produce,” Sarah said.

“I care about what I deliver. That’s the joys of social media, I can be really transparent about everything, and if people book in, they can come and visit and see for themselves.”

Starting in spring, there will be three 12-week seasons from the end of September 2023 until the end of May 2024. People subscribe at the beginning and pay up front, with the terms clear from the outset.

“Next season I will be growing the business with the 'eat, stay and play' approach. More shares will be offered, as well as workshops," Sarah said. The “stay” part is Cuttlefish Cottage, onsite, self-contained, eco-friendly dwelling with mud brick walls and garden roof suitable for a couple.

Resilience in the face of change is important to Sarah and her business model. She is now propagating her own seeds in a new greenhouse due to the uncertainty of supply of commercial quantities of seedlings. Her local compost supplier has retired, so she will be generating her own supply of compost to feed her garden beds.

Not content with toiling away in her own soil Sarah spends a day a week working with the children at Kemblawarra Public School in their garden. Here, she can reach those young minds and inspire the children to grow and eat their own food.

“A bunch of bananas from the school garden fed four classes last week,” Sarah says.

Sarah is set to leave her garden, the family and the kids at Kemblawarra for a well-earned short break, spending a few weeks travelling overseas – first stop the Chelsea Flower Show.

The generosity of Sarah Anderson from Popes Produce inspired this week's recipe. Try making Susan's Autumn watermelon salad