Hospital farmers market delivers food from paddock to patient
Illness aside, most hospital food is enough to make you sick. But that is set to change with a farmers’ market at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
Parramatta
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Aaron Brocken is a 30-year-old on a mission.
He is 26 years younger than the average Aussie farmer, but that hasn’t stopped him.
Mr Brocken is behind the farmers market at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead – a fortnightly gathering giving staff, patients and their families access to healthy food direct from farms.
There are fresh fruit and vegetables, cheeses, flowers, organic nuts and health drinks, but Mr Brocken is keen to expand.
“I really want people to meet the farmer and ask questions,” he said.
When Mr Brocken was born, there were 36 apple orchards in the Bilpin area. Today there are six.
He said the decline wasn’t due to lack of trying, but he saw an opportunity to salvage a unique part of Sydney’s food landscape.
“Farms aren’t just a food producing factory,” he said. “I want people to be part of the journey.”
He salvaged an orchard a decade ago, saving 400 of the 700 trees and complementing them with 8000sq m of vegetable patches. Mr Brocken’s love of food came after almost a decade of travel.
“I saw each village in Italy have their own tomatoes, wine, cheese and pasta. In Australia, it’s not quite the same,” Mr Brocken said.
“Even in Third World countries, they fight hard to keep their farms, to have the food system in their own hands.
“That’s why I have the farm and we now have the markets.
“I wanted to do something unique and highlight the uniqueness of this area. This is definitely bigger than myself, but it’s a great start.”
Children’s Hospital at Westmead communications manager Julie Wright said the markets allowed fresh and local produce to be more accessible, “delivering this in a way that is easy, convenient and also supports our local farmers in the ultimate trifecta”.
“We have been overwhelmed by the response ... and after seeing how many people visited the first market, we have high hopes that it will continue to grow and prosper in the months to come,” she said.
The next farmers market in the hospital’s forecourt is on Wednesday, October 25, from 7.30am until lunchtime.
Interested in running a stall? Email harvesthampers@gmail.com