The Edible Garden Trail Blue Mtns - a wonderful community event for all ages

Taking part in the Edible Garden Trail for a third time has created an even bigger desire within me to keep up the lifelong habits of my Italian parents. Growing their own food was no fad and wasn't led by saving the planet. It was a necessity when much was still done with basic equipment and lots of hands-on help. From a very young age, my father had to tend to the goats, and took a keen interest in helping to feed the family. It was a matter of survival. He would talk with the older men in the town to get tips on how to grow bigger potatoes. He tried to convince his father to buy chickens and a rooster so they could start an egg supply service. I remember his stories of how the family would raise two pigs each year. One to feed them, and anyone who called in to visit. And one to sell, which they would then use the cash to buy other necessities they could not provide for themselves. I've had someone on Instagram hurl abuse at me for telling this story, calling us "murderers". Explaining to this person that the animal was reared in the open, eating a variety of fresh foods and slain humanely, and the vital point being the entire animal was used, leaving no waste, did not appease.

My mother started making bread and pasta by hand at the age of seven. Her mother would supply three meals a day for the men and women who came to work on the land seasonally. The food included cheese and ricotta from their cows, which my grandmother would make. Homemade bread to accompany, as well as salami and other cuts of meat. Eggs from their chickens, and minestrone which included their homegrown vegetables. They were also given wine to drink with every meal and my grandfather paid them a wage at the end of every day. People needed the work and those with land needed the manual help. It was a win-win situation.

The demise of these practices and the rise of industrialised methods of food production and preservation have contributed to the health and climate issues we now face globally. One can't scroll for too long without seeing a myriad of posts on the destructive nature of single crop farms and the overuse of chemical sprays needed to maximise their yield.

So it is with a lightness of heart that events such as the Edible Garden Trail continue to gain popularity, inspiring more of us to grow our own food. We don't need large plots. We just need the desire for good health and a return to the simple life. These are the lifelong skills that all schools should be implementing, along with teaching students how to prepare basic meals with fresh ingredients.

Most of the children who attend our Italian cooking classes show a passion for cooking as young as seven years of age – some have been younger! Where has this desire come from? Their parents tell us they have involved the kids in the kitchen, grocery shopping and meal prep from an early age.

This is the hope of the future. We will only save the planet if we save our selves first. As more people gain the knowledge and skills to cook for themselves, they invariably also want to grow their own food. From my experience, it has then led me to being very conscious of what is going onto the plants we grow. None of us start out as experts and we will invariably make mistakes. But that's what keeps us motivated. Good mental health, anyone?

I used to roll my eyes or yawn when I'd overhear my parents telling their friends about their veggie garden. The first thing said after "how are you?" was "come have a look at the tomatoes!". Now it makes total sense to me as one of my hashtags is #knowwhatyoueat. If we know how the food was grown, we know what is going into our body.

Thank God for small scale farms and growers markets. They are the unsung heroes of our generation. The effort that must go into their work, all to feed us and keep us healthy, cannot be underestimated. The other post I see often is along the lines of supporting our small and local businesses and shops. The big guys won't notice if we don't shop with them for one week. But imagine the impact we would have if we did! With more of our dollars going towards small local suppliers, their prices would come down and we'd get chemical-free groceries to cook with. Take-away businesses might actually have convenient food that was healthy. Another win-win situation.

The take-home point is let's keep things simple. Let's know what we are eating and where it's been grown (and how). Taking charge of our own health with fresh ingredients and supplies – whether that be from our backyard or the growers market next weekend. And "expensive" is subjective. We don't have a problem paying for annual gym memberships we have no intention of using. We might grumble as petrol prices fluctuate, knowing our car needs to run. What about our body?

Come visit our yard on Saturday 25th October, from 10am til 4pm.

Young fruit trees, tomato seedlings, homemade marmalade and other items for sale.

Tickets available at https://www.facebook.com/ediblegardentrailbluemountains/

$25 adult weekend pass

$20 concession weekend pass

Children 16 & under free

Individual gardens $5 each payable at the garden gate