I'm a Foodie through and through and previous owner of a catering business for 8 years on the east coast (Tauranga) of NZ. I was always going to find my way back to food. After moving to the west coast (Raglan) and setting up home in the serene Waitetuna Valley, on 3 acres of densely rich land with fertile soil and mature fruit trees I found myself revisiting my passion for preserving. Something  I had little time to enjoy over the past few years juggling a family and a business. 

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One of the first tasks on our new property was to prepare 2 large areas of lawn to start my new vege patches and start replanting a new fruit orchard to renew my source of fresh fruit. 

A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to join a new collective of like-minded people who shared the same values on growing sustainable food sources for our community.

And so the Raglan Growers market was created under the nurturing guidance of The Whaingaroa Environmental centre by the people! For the people!  

Orchestrated through full lockdown, we met as a group, many for the first time, via Zoom meeting. This enabled us to hit the ground running once restrictions were lifted.

The support from our local community was wonderful. “Raglan Growers Market”  was the start of my new food journey as “Foraged in Raglan”.

 

My pickles and jams are predominantly made from spray-free produce sourced locally, from my own property and locals properties, using produce that would otherwise fall to the ground and go unused.

Foraged in Raglan is focused on sustainability by preserving excess seasonal produce gathered from our local community for future use. By making use of as much locally grown produce as possible we benefit our local people while keeping our food miles low, helping to reduce waste and minimising our environmental footprint. 

 

Thank you for the opportunity to share my back story.