Set among lush, green pastures with the Illawarra escarpment rising behind, Mahbrook Organics farm 22 acres of picturesque land at Albion Park, 90 minutes south of Sydney. Brothers Chris and Adam Bridger run the business along with their families, having turned their passion for permaculture into an AUS-QUAL certified organic farm.
We visited Mahbrook on a brilliantly sunny winter’s day and were greeted by Mary from Mahbrook, their longtime employee Ghani and our old friend farmer Dennis, who has a long association with the property and showed us around.
Mahbrook grow leafy greens (silverbeet and kale), lettuce (cos), shallots, leeks, red and green cabbage, broccoli, beetroot, a variety of herbs and purple garlic in the fertile, alluvial earth.
Six hothouses, lovingly tended by Ghani, shelter warm-weather loving crops of Lebanese cucumbers, eggplants, round tomatoes, Roma tomatoes and cherry tomatoes: on chilly 6°C mornings, they boast a natural interior temperature of 22°C!
Mahbrook manages to keep most of its sales local by attending farmer’s markets and supplying local businesses and co-ops, with the rest going to the organic fruit and vegetable markets at Flemington. You’ll find their vibrant produce on our shelves all year round – look out for their silverbeet, it’s our favourite!
PS: Check out the farm fresh eggs Mary very kindly gifted us as we left. The biggest weighed in at a whopping 101 grams, which must owe to all those nutritious cabbage leaves and tomatoes the hens are fuelled on!
Fabulous article!!!