Farm

Soil is magical. Just as one looks up in awe at the infinite showcase of stars on a clear night, we too look into hands full with rich earth, in awe of the infinite possibilities of life that it may gift us.

 

Farming Practice

Yield is really only limited to creativity. At Papershell, we are pursuing an ever evolving 300 year legacy plan to convert a monoculture orchard into a thriving, biodiverse food forest for the ages to come.

Since our arrival onto this plot of land we have planted thousands of vegetables and trees along with native and medicinal plants together with light land chiropractics, using the introduction of passive water harvesting through swales.

Experimentation with traditional and conventional harvesting and growing methods allows us to trial techniques lost to a time before the use of pesticides and herbicides.

Our focus is on producing delicious, nutritional and chemical-free food.

 

Our almonds

For generations, almonds have been farmed in Willunga, South Australia. Since 1901 to be exact. Some of the oldest California Papershells remain in the winter creek running through the bottom of our property.

Here at Papershell we have been undergoing an organic conversion since the beginning of 2017 when our family took over stewardship. With a no spray approach and natural soil intervention, we are allowing the rare varieties of Johnston and Sommerton to yield their most delicious coconut-flesh-like flavours.

 

our honey

Bees were our first livestock and have quickly become our most beloved. Around 1 million bees feast on the almond blossom through the end of winter producing a heavenly nectar flow. Our talented apiarist Banjo Jackson tends to the bees lovingly, and with his slow drip methods, produces a natural honey we make available at our events and to our Lodge guests.

 

our fruit and vegetables

With over 30 heavy baring stone, citrus and apple trees including two stunning 50 year old fig trees, we have a large commitment to stable fruit supplies.  We have fun experimenting in the kitchen with seasonal preserves, pickles and jams, which we serve at our events and gift to our Lodge guests.

We are experimenting with a variety of different farming practices, including the use of wicking beds, Masanobu Fukuoka's natural farming techniques, permaculture systems and biodynamics. We propagate all of our own seeds in the Greenhouse and everything we grow is no- spray, with the intent to becoming organically certified in the coming years.