Michael Champion runs Champion’s Mountain Organics.  In this month’s interview he gives us his run-down on what it’s like to produce great food.

I produce… over 15 types of lettuce (whole and for salad mix), and other seasonal salad mix ingredients: mizuna, baby spinach, baby beetroot leaves, tatsoi leaves, coloured chard leaves, mustard leaves, baby black cabbage (kale), baby endive, rocket; also red spring onions, fennel, snake beans, snow peas, shelling peas, broad beans, tomatoes, and herbs

I became an organic farmer because…  I never really considered another profession.  I’ve always grown things - 30 years ago when I met my wife Nancy in London it was herbs in the only available light, on the windowsill.  Back then the only books on farming were about organic farming, so that’s what I learned to do.

The most satisfying thing about producing food is…  creating a great product - good quality, taste and variety

The most frustrating thing about producing food is…  lack of time - there aren’t enough hours in the day.  I’m not joking when I say I work 8 days a week - a full day at the markets on top of the 7 days on the farm.  It’s also hard to find good people who are interested in growing food.  Farming’s got a bad name, generally, and it’s hard work, so you have to love doing it - you need to have it in your psyche, to be able to look along a row you’ve just hoed or see the seeds coming up and say, “that looks good!”

The best meal I’ve eaten this year was… the salad Nancy just made!  My rocket and cherry tomatoes, a bit of tuna, the neighbour’s avocados.  Eating out, the Terra Madre fundraising dinner Slow Food Newcastle ran last year was great.  Half a dozen female chefs and the best oysters I’ve ever had.  Very convivial!

The best book for Slow Foodies to check out is… The Vegetarian Epicure, by Anna Thomas.  These recipes always work - you can’t go wrong.

Look out for my produce…  online.  We’ll be reworking the farm’s website this year so that buying groups can buy direct from us, along with 2 or 3 other nearby growers.  Otherwise, if you want to drop by on a Sunday afternoon, we’ll set you up with a box - just call ahead.

I joined Slow Food because… it has huge potential to help people become more aware about what they’re eating.  It’s a great educational resource, helping people reconnect with skills our grandparents had, and didn’t even think about - like what’s in season this month, and what do I do with it?

To make food in Sydney better, cleaner and fairer, we should all… ask the grocer where their produce comes from.  Many of them won’t know, but asking tells them it matters, and they should find out.

Photos: © 2006 a.champion