Zoe from Crooked Creek

Farmer
Zoe from Crooked Creek

Crooked Creek is loving the supply of Tahitian limes to Ooooby from their 100 acre property in Palm Grove on the central coast of New South Wales. The property was started in 2000 with a desire from owner Zoe Wall to get back to the way of life instilled in her growing up on her family farm in the English countryside. This upbringing has developed a strong appreciation for nature and a need to interact with the land that is sustainable and true to its natural history. This is why limes were chosen to be grown on the property as the area had a history of successfully supporting citrus crops. Zoe is dedicated to conserving the natural characteristics of the property, with only a small section of their land, less than half an acre, being dedicate to their small lime crop. The rest of the property is conserved and restored, through the replanting of native plants to re-establish habitat for native animals and preserving the unique rainforest the property is in. This strong ethic towards preserving nature and working with it to get the best that it can provide means Zoe won’t pick her limes until they are ready, never having to forcing her trees to produce, each of which she says has its own unique character. This is not only important so that Mother Nature can do her work but also to produce a better fruit. The limes you receive form Crooked Creek won’t be a deep green like the ones you see in supermarkets but instead will be pale and have a creamy yellow blush to them. This is the colour ripe limes should be when picked and bought as it is when the fruit is the best; with the best flavour, amount of juice, oil and armour. Although not certified organic Crooked Creek’s lime are naturally grown and need no sprays to stop infestation from bugs as there crop is small scale. For fertiliser they use alpaca manure that they receive from a neighbour as well as all waste from the property that is recycled. Natural irrigation is given to the trees from a dam and gully on the property, the position of which dictated where the trees were planted. This along with eventually wanting to have off-the grid power, which will make the property completely self-sufficient, show their dedication to being sustainable. Their commitment to producing sustainable good quality produce can also be seen by the way they pick and package their fruit. Every Sunday Ooooby’s weekly lime order is hand-picked, packed in recycled boxes that Zoe gets from a local book shop and sent off the next day so they do not need any cooling. They send about 70% of their crop to Ooooby and depend on this relationship for its simplicity and the fair price they receive, making one less thing they have to think about each week. It also means that they don’t have to deal with the commercial market. Crooked Creek produce food with a philosophy that is simple, sustainable and in tune with nature to provide the best quality foods that remains absent from supermarket shelves. This is important to give support for small businesses and allows fair food choice for people; farmers, producers and consumers. Along with growing the lime crop Zoe also produce a range of award winning biscuits and preserves some of which contain her delicious fruit, all of which she insists remain off supermarket shelves no matter how popular they become.

Ooooby is a movement I believe in with values that I respect, that connects People to an Environment of Amazing Food and Purpose.

— Patrick

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