Monday 26 November 2007

TONY IS THE MAN

Rarely do I meet someone as passionate about plants and vegetables as me but in Tony Scarfo there is that sparkle in the eye and eagerness to show his stuff to anyone who will look and listen. We had a wonderful time walking the fields and seeing in production all the things he grows from seed kept for many years. Now, when I buy his vegetables from Wilson's, I will picture them growing and appreciate the enormous amount of work he must do to get the best from each crop, organically. He has the man 'who knows how to use a hoe' but has bad eyesight ! And someone else - all old blokes - to help out but 4.7 acres is a lot of vegies, especially when you save the seed and grow the seedling babies too. He spent days clearing up before our visit - like me before Allison's seedsavers group came - because there are so many more jobs to be done that being tidy comes way down the list.


Under the fig tree, just past that delicious peach tree and between all the newly-grafted olives, sit the foam boxes of seedlings. Tony wanted so much for us to take some of this and some of that, wrapping them in damp paper as we went and now mine are all happily adjusting to moving to my place, nestled in the seed frame.


That day was one of my most skippity-doo ! When I come back, I am going to be Italian ! It seems so often that this means people have a love of growing food and an understanding of what good food really is and a connection with other like-minded friends and relations. Hang on, isn't that what we already have, here in our group ? Maybe I will be an otter, instead, after all !?
See more photos in the photos link.

1 comment:

Maggie said...

Thanks Tony it was such a great day and we enjoyed hearing about the way you grow your vege's. I buy them at Doof Doof (88 Duthy St) or at Wilsons. They are always great and at the moment I am enjoying your fresh garlic. What we grew is much smaller so if there is more in Doof Doof next week I shall be buying it all.