Season for Change

SERVING AS A BEATING HEART FOR REGIONAL PRODUCERS, THE FOLK AT ‘WILD CANARY’ MEAN BUSINESS WHEN IT COMES TO CHAMPIONING FRESH, LOCAL AND SEASONAL FOOD.  

Words & Images_ Simone Gonzalez

Meandering along the Wild Canary path through its lush idyllic garden sanctuary, tucked away behind towering verdant hedges, and the hustle and bustle of adjacent Brisbane city life seems all but a world away. There’s a buzz of activity in the abundant rows of vegetable, herb and edible flower gardens in the form of winged pollinators and chefs with bowls in hand, flitting out from the botanical bistro kitchen to collect their daily bounty.

The song for Wild Canary is a celebration of the seasons, of real local produce, a genuine sense of community and a passionate support for regenerative agriculture and holistic practices. In an ardent pursuit to close the gap between ourselves, nature and the origins of our food, the team here fosters direct, meaningful and prosperous conversations and connections with producers and customers alike.

Over the past 8 years, Wild Canary has embarked on a journey to showcase the diversity and abundance of their regional offerings through the bistro’s renown producers’ lunches and dinners, highlighting the various surrounding areas - from the Scenic Rim, Lockyer Valley, Gympie, Mary Valley through to Byron Bay - all based within a 2 hour radius.  With the aim to place greater value on local food production, the Wild Canary team have successfully empowered farmers when they were also brought into the conversation.

“We used to just get the farmers up for a chat and then we turned it into more of a Q and A so we could really direct where we wanted the conversation to go,” co-owner Kate Harvey explains. “It provided such a lovely connection for the farmers back to see where their food was actually going and I also think it created a great connection to the guests to look at this person who was telling their story and their challenges. It was just the most remarkable thing - all these incredible bonds ended up happening. It was another layer of connecting community and I feel it’s been a really important platform for the farmers to have a voice.”

In the past the Wild Canary team have also taken the producers’ meals to some of the farms themselves, where elaborate long paddock lunches were set up in the welcoming shade of giant gum trees. All produce plated up was either sourced from the farm underfoot or from across one of the neighbouring fences, which was also made available for purchase at a pop-up farmers’ market on the property at the end of the day. “One of the farmers just literally turned up with the back of his ute loaded with amazing produce and after the lunch the guests were just filling their baskets,” Kate says. “There is such a difference when you are standing on the soil. It is a genuinely heartwarming experience and we found that the customers’ connection to the farmers is priceless.”

Although these events came to a halt as a result of the tumultuous year that was 2020, the Wild Canary team continue to allow their story to unfold as they focus their creativity and attention back into the kitchen and maintain their support for their farmers and their offerings through the daily Wild Canary menu.  This spirit of connectivity within the everyday life of the bistro has also ensured a reliable, resilient and supportive network within its local food system.  “Supporting local means I can even ring up and go and drive out to the farm and pick up produce if we really need to,” Executive Chef, Glen Barrett explains. “Not having to source from inter-state, particularly with what was going on during Covid-19, also means food security within the immediate area.”

With some of the big supermarket chains often failing to give farmers a fair price for their produce, or rejecting it when it doesn’t present in a certain way in terms of shape or size, the Wild Canary team are only too happy to step in and offer an alternative. “We often say - just send stuff that you’re growing at the moment and that Woolies sends back,” Glen says. “Or if you have something you need to move or it’s in peak season like beetroots for example, then just tell us. We might put something on the menu like a beetroot relish - it’s not going to save the farmer but it is going to create awareness and good relationships.”

Wild Canary share their home with Brookfield Gardens and have the benefit of a working kitchen garden, where they aim to be completely self-sufficient in terms of their herbs and edible flowers, with the ability to also supply a selection of dishes on the menu with some of their vegetables. “For some recipes the guys will come out and pick all the herbs and veggies they need at the moment. So for the buddha bowls for example - we get the leafy greens from the garden; kale, rainbow and ruby chard, silverbeet, asian greens, and bring it into the kitchen and clean it all up and put it straight into the bowl.  It’s as fresh as it gets,” Glen says.  

Glen is an ardent advocate for celebrating and embracing seasonal produce as he works closely with the rhythms of nature, allowing them to inspire a wellspring of ideas with his evolving dishes, adapting them according to their performance in the kitchen garden as well as with their suppliers. While vegetables are still brought in to support the bistro’s supply needs, the Wild Canary team also sees that some of the same varieties are still planted in the kitchen garden, so as to coincide with when their suppliers are planting in the Scenic Rim or Lockyer Valley - in order to gauge their seasonal progression. “That’s what’s good about having the garden - we see what’s growing and it changes your thought processes. You come out and think, why don’t we put that on the menu? That’s growing really well at the moment,” Glens says.

Taking an emphatic stance against the consumption of the same produce all year round, Glen is passionate about maintaining an awareness of the the food miles incurred where produce travels vast distances to arrive on our plate, carrying the heavy weight of an acutely felt carbon footprint in terms of transport, storage, refrigeration and overall energy costs. “Asparagus, for instance, shouldn’t be available 12 months of the year. If it’s not in season, don’t buy it from Peru or Thailand. Eat something else as a substitute. If it’s not in season, we shouldn’t be eating it.” 

The Wild Canary kitchen garden is a thriving ecosystem, rich with multilayers  - flourishing with mutually beneficial relationships. Rather than be seen as a threat, insects and pests are instead embraced as part of a holistic natural pest management perspective, as they are essentially viewed as an integral part of it, in an effort to maintain an overall, natural balance within the garden’s diverse array of plant types. The insects and pests play a vital ecological role as essential pollinators of crops or as beneficial predators, which in turn protect the crops by preying on the more harmful insects. Birds further add to the efficiency of this system by keeping the number of insects in check. 

“Sometimes I’ll say, ‘Don’t pick these at the moment - there’s heaps of aphids on them so it’s not worth us trying to clean them down,’” Glen says. “But then you’ll get the ladybirds come through and start to eat them and ladybirds are wicked in the garden,” he says grinning. Glen speaks of the many detrimental effects of chemical pesticides and insecticides often used in industrial farming, which are not only costly to the wallet but also kill beneficial insects and are responsible for residual damage to the soil, often leaving it sterile and affecting plant nutrient levels and overall human health. “In terms of what we do, it’s good because instead all the flowers bring in everything which is beneficial for the insects and for creating that natural ecosystem. If something’s not eating your plants then your garden is not part of the ecosystem.”

Wild Canary continues to champion the principle of gaining strength and resilience through interconnected relationships as Glen and owners, Kate and Matt Harvey seek out like- minded regional producers who are adopting a conservational and rehabilitative approach in regard to land management practices and have strong roots in regenerative agriculture. The aim is to create greater economic viability and increased environmental benefits for a sustainable future, all while optimising the overall taste, quality and nutritional value of their produce through the promotion of excellent soil health. 

This regenerative approach to farming is a beacon of light ahead as we face greater threats of climate instability and more hostile, drought stricken environments - and offers a greater sense of hope for the future of food security and resilient local food systems. There is gaining momentum within the industry around the world and within Australia, whereby land management practices are being transformed within this ecological focused paradigm. “Many of our farmers and producers are on a journey of regenerative farming and they are building quite a strong network amongst themselves, which is important because there’s a lot of trial and error that goes into this sort of farming. I also feel like there’s a real young movement coming through also which is very promising,” Kate says. 

For many folk at the Wild Canary team, their experience has been a journey imbued with meaning, purpose and a lot of heart, as it closes its own loop in the way of being able to connect with tribe and give back to community, echoing out with a resounding sentiment that we are better together. It’s a pertinent reminder of the importance of never underestimating the impact we can make as individuals when we connect into our own communities and the ripple effects of our actions have the potential to extend exponentially. 

Looking to the Exec. Chef of the kitchen itself, and it’s worthwhile to note how the influence of his mindset and values alone has carried through in a positive flow-on effect to all staff present and past. “Glen is an integral part of how all this happens,” Kate says. “He is so embedded in that and leading in the kitchen and he lives that life. He is so passionate and knowledgeable, I feel proud of any apprentice that leaves this kitchen because they have had the privilege of working with incredible produce and an amazing mentor.”  

“I think you step into a little piece of magic when you come out here,” Kate continues. “It’s nice - it’s very rewarding.”

Wild Canary also offers custom, personalised wedding packages in their lush subtropical garden setting. 

Please contact events@wildcanary.com.au for further details. 

Wild Canary, 2371 Moggill Rd, Brookfield, Queensland 07 3378 2805