Community Involvement

The Green Connect Farm was created by passionate members of the Illawarra community and we are committed to ensuring it remains open and accessible to everyone who wants to contribute.

With Spring now well and truly with us, the farm is becoming a popular destination for groups from schools and community organisations to come and spend a day a week working on specific projects.

For these groups, working in a team and coming back weekly allows them to take some ownership of a space and to see the impact of what they are doing – from clearing weeds to planting seedlings to harvesting produce. The satisfaction of seeing results week after weeks is huge.

One of these groups is the Lifeskills team from Flagstaff.

Eight young men and their carers have been coming to the farm each week throughout this crazy year. They’ve worked in the rain, sunshine, and wind. They’ve weeded, chopped, and moved bucket loads of compost alongside other volunteers. But the biggest impact they’ve had is to create and care for a special little spot at the farm, that we’ve called ‘The Flagstaff Veggie Patch’.

These young men are non-verbal and live with a range of physical and mental challenges. They put their hearts into their work and, when working alongside them, you can feel the joy and pride they feel for what they are creating.

We love having them on the farm and invite other groups interested in getting involved to give us a call.

Annie Burbrook
Engagement and Support Manager

In your box on Tuesday 22 November:

In your box on Tuesday 15 November:

Note: We sometimes need to make changes to what we pack in your veg box based on the quantity or quality of produce that we can harvest and source. If you have any questions about what is in your box, don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

Feature Veg: Watercress, Water Celery and Kohlrabi

Watercress is an aquatic vegetable that dates to ancient times. This superfood chart-topper is packed with antioxidants and vitamins and boasts many health benefits. Raw watercress tastes fresh and peppery. It can be eaten raw in salads or on sandwiches or cooked in soups or stir fries. Try using it in place of rocket, kale, or spinach in most recipes.

Water celery (also known as water dropwort or water parsley) is an aquatic plant that grows well in the damp gullies between the swales we’ve built around the farm to passively catch water. It’s a bit like parsley but with a celery taste. Enjoy it raw in salads or as garnish in a huge range of dishes. The luscious stalks are also delicious chopped up in a stir-fry.

Kohlrabi: A member of the brassica family and a staple vegetable in Germany, kohlrabi tastes a bit like broccoli stem, mild radish, or cabbage. You can eat the leaf, stem, and bulb of this plant so nothing goes to waste! Cook the greens and stem like kale or silverbeet and peel the bulb before you roast, sauté, pickle, or shred it. For more information & for recipe suggestions, check out https://green-connect.com.au/produce/kohlrabi/.