Q and A with Peter Poschl from Ohaene Organics

Q and A with Peter Poschl

“We want everything to thrive – the soil, biodiversity, people working on the land and those who consume our produce.”

Situated in the gorgeous Kauaeranga Valley in Thames, you will find the Ohaene Organics farm. Peter Poschl and his family have been growing beautiful produce on this land since the late 1990’s. We had a chat with Peter to learn more about farming organically in New Zealand.

Why have you chosen to be a farmer and for how long have you been farming?

We bought our land in summer 1996 because we always wanted to grow food. We started planting fruit trees in the following winter. In 2000 we moved onto the land and did some small scale growing of globe artichokes. We seriously started market gardening about 8 years ago specialising in potatoes and Maori potatoes.

Why organic / regenerative / biodynamic farming over conventional farming?

Angelika’s parents back in Germany saw no alternative to gardening the organic way. They saw what damage chemical based agriculture did to land, people and the quality of food. There was never a question for us to do it differently. And we believe it is now more important than ever.

“we have a holistic approach”

Why do you grow the products you do and what is your favourite produce to grow? 

We grow what we like to eat ourselves. We know how fruit and veggies should taste. “Favourite produce” – I don’t know. Potatoes perhaps – the act of digging out beautiful tubers is something very satisfying. Fruit probably Belle de Boskoop apples, an old variety from Central Europe and THE apple to make apple strudel

What are the biggest challenges you face?

There are some. The last years had prolonged periods without rainfall (as we all know). We are very lucky to have a reliable water source but still – nothing beats a good summer rainfall … The other is probably increased bureaucracy. Compliance with the Food Act 2014 is paperwork-intensive and costly (at times throwing up the question of viability)

“There was never a question for us to do it differently.”

What do you wish consumers knew and appreciated about the food you grow?

That we have a holistic approach. We want everything to thrive – the soil, biodiversity, people working on the land and those who consume our produce.

What effect has working with Ooooby had on you?

We love the idea behind Out Of Our Own Backyards. We are glad we can contribute to it and are happy to accommodate our harvesting schedule to Ooooby’s needs as far as possible.

What is the strangest / toughest thing you have tried to grow?

Carrots – we never had any luck with them but we won’t give up.

What is your favourite fruit / veg to eat?

Beans, chillies, tomatoes, cucumbers – there is nothing better than the vegetable or the fruit picked when it is just right. 

Do you have a funny story / anecdote from your time in the field?

Well, it might be funny for other people – you plant several 100s of leeks only to come back in the morning to discover that half of them have been pulled out again with the culprits not far away: pukekos. So you plant them again and shoo the birds away. You go back in for your morning tea and when you come back to see some pukekos running away and lots of leeks pulled out again. Fish and Game, help me!

Do you have any particular recipes or ideas for the best use of some of your products?

Yes, too many to list or prioritise. You can get excited about a simple bean dish, a fresh cucumber salad, patate alla borghese (boiled potatoes, reheated in butter, lemon juice and parsley) and of course apple strudel (real paper thin strudel dough, filling of Boskoop apples with raisins, walnuts, cinnamon and a little sugar, rolled up and once done served with whipped cream).

“there is nothing better than the vegetable or the fruit picked when it is just right.”

To find out more:

If you would like to see which of the delicious Ohaene Organics produce from Peter Poschl are currently available through Ooooby, click here – Ohaene Organics

You can pop on over to Peter Poschl’s Facebook or Instagram pages – https://www.facebook.com/ohaeneorganics/ https://www.instagram.com/ohaeneorganics/

Visit https://www.ooooby.co.nz to get all your organic food needs delivered to your home and don’t forget that all this great produce can be made into delicious meals. Read here to learn more about falling in love with soup.

Q and A with Southern Belle Organic Orchard

Q and A with Southern Belle Orchard

“Why use chemicals when you can harness nature?”

At Ooooby we are so fortunate that we get to partner and work with amazing farmers, local growers, and artisans. People that grow and crete the most incredible produce and products, such as the team from Southern Belle Orchard.

Merely a stone’s throw from the quaint town of Matamata, nestled in the shadow of the Kaimai Mountain range and only a short distance from the Waikato Plains. This is where you will find the Southern Belle Orchard. A beautiful oasis cared for and nurtured by the De Jong family and so now let’s get to know them a little better.

“It’s great to grow such a kiwi favourite!”

Why have you chosen to be a farmer and for how long have you been farming?

I used to work in a not-for-profit in Auckland in an office (which was fulfilling apart from being in an office chair all day), and my partner was working for the council in the CBD. 

Then an opportunity came up to join my partner’s parents’ business in Matamata.  We jumped at the opportunity to get out of the city and switch to a totally different lifestyle – that was 7 years ago, but the family has owned the orchard since 2003.

Why organic / regenerative / biodynamic farming over conventional farming?

It was already very important to my in-laws to grow produce in a natural, healthy way and this was in line with our beliefs as well.  We just see it as the best and most logical grower method and it’s as simple as that for us.  Why use chemicals when you can harness nature?

“We truly care deeply about the quality of what we grow.”

Why do you grow the products you do and what is your favourite produce to grow? 

We grow feijoas outside in our orchard.  Apart from being a massive feijoa lover myself, we find feijoas a very easy crop to manage in terms of low pest and disease pressure.  It’s great to grow such a kiwi favourite!  Do I need to say what my favourite produce to grow is?  How could it not be feijoas!

We also grow capsicums and chillies in our greenhouses.  This is a highly specialised crop and it’s certainly not easy to grow them.  But we really enjoy growing such a high quality and tasty product and we have a lot of high-tech experience we can apply to keep improving all the time.

Red and Yellow capsicum. Available online through Ooooby from Southern Belle Orchards.

“Growing food is a really challenging, difficult and expensive business.”

What are the biggest challenges you face?

Feijoas: Trying to get the best out of our trees when the industry is too small to be able to fund research.  Anything new we try (and we’re always doing that) can take 1-2 years to see the effect, and we still can’t be sure if it was another factor such as the weather at play.

Capsicums/Chillies: Managing pests! Growing naturally means you have to be preventative so constant monitoring is necessary – you need to apply the beneficial insects (to predate the bad ones) early before the problem gets out of control.

Overall: Increasing costs, such as wages, compliance, transport; but no such increasing grower returns!  Trying to receive the premium we deserve for our high quality, naturally grown produce.

What do you wish consumers knew and appreciated about the food you grow?

Growing food is a really challenging, difficult and expensive business.  We truly care deeply about the quality of what we grow.

What effect has working with Ooooby had on you?

It’s wonderful working with people who care just as much as us about good, natural fresh food.

“The awesome thing about capsicums is their versatility!”

What is the strangest / toughest thing you have tried to grow?

We tried beans once in our greenhouse over winter and it was an absolute disaster, every single baby bean had the little flower piece stick to it and rot 🙁

What is your favourite fruit / veg to eat?

Why feijoas of course!

Feijoa tree blossom. Feijoas available online through Ooooby from Southern Belle Orchard.

Do you have a funny story / anecdote from your time in the field?

Often after pruning feijoa trees, when I undress I have all sorts of sticks and leaves fall out from my clothes.  The other day I found a tiny spider had made a home under my shirt! (How did I not notice it earlier in the day??)

Do you have any particular recipes or ideas for the best use of some of your products?

The awesome thing about capsicums is their versatility!  You can basically add them into any dish you’re making. We love roasting them in winter and putting them on the BBQ in summer.

To find out more:

If you would like to see which of the gorgeous Southern Belle Orchard organic produce is currently available through Ooooby, click here – Southern Belle Produce

You can pop on over to their website: https://www.southernbelleorchard.com/, or find them on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/southernbelleorchard

Have a moment? Why not pour a cup of tea and watch them on this episode of Country Calendar?

Visit ooooby.co.nz to get all your organic food needs delivered to your home and don’t forget that all this great produce can help keep you healthy. Read here to learn more about boosting your immunity.

Referral Competition – How It Works

How to enter:

  1. If you haven’t already, sign up with Ooooby (ooooby.co.nz) and start ordering delicious local, organic products for delivery to your home.
  2. You need to have made at least 1 order yourself to qualify.
  3. Get your personal referral URL by logging to your account, navigate to the “MY ACCOUNT” menu on the top right of the screen, select the “REFERRALS”.
  4. Give your URL to your friends and family or post it to your social media.
  5. Every time someone uses your link to sign up with Ooooby both you AND your friend will receive $10 in Ooooby credit. Easy as!
  6. For every 5 referrals, you will ALSO get a FREE Big Organic Mix Box (Auckland) / Big Mix Box (Christchurch)! Yup, for every 5!
  7. Every successful referral you send our way will get you an entry into the grand draw, where you stand the chance to win 1 YEAR FREE (1 x Big Org Mix Box / Big Mix Box each week for a period of 12 months) or some other treats that will also be up for grabs. Total value of all prizes more than $4000!!
  8. The more referrals, the more entries, the greater the chance of winning.

T’s and C’s apply

Ooooby Referral Competition T&Cs

Terms and Conditions for the 2020 referral competition:

  • A referral is only considered as a “successful referral” when the referee (your friend) has placed and received at least 1 order with Ooooby NZ LTD. 
  • Both referrer and referee will receive $10 referral credit on their Ooooby account once referee has signed up and received at least one order from Ooooby NZ LTD. The value of this credit may be changed at any time at Ooooby NZ LTD’s discretion.
  • Each new customer is recorded as a single referral (one person may NOT sign up with multiple accounts as a referee and / or to gain additional $10 credit).
  • Only referrals using a customers personal referral URL, will be counted / used as entry into the competition as well as to gain the benefit of the $10 Ooooby account credit.
  • For every 5 “successful unique referrals”, the referrer will receive 1 x Big Org Mix Box (Auckland) / Big Mix Box (Christchurch) for FREE. There is no limit to the “multiple of 5” that a referrer can refer to gain more free Big Org Mix Boxes / Big Mix Boxes.
  • Only active customers, will be considered for the competition as referrers.
  • “Active customer” means a family / household at a single address, regularly placing orders with Ooooby NZ LTD. 
  • “Regular orders” means at least 1 order per month and with a minimum of at least 3 orders within the last 3 months.
  • There is no limit to the number of unique successful referrals, and therefore entries into the competition, for the grand prize draw.
  • The winner/s will be drawn randomly. 
  • The prize and date of draw may be changed at the discretion of Ooooby NZ LTD.
  • “1 year free” means during the period of a year (between set dates), in any week you place an order you will receive a free box (does NOT mean 52 x boxes over an indefinite period).
  • There is a minimum threshold / number of total entries by all referrers required for the competition to remain active and for the grand prize to be valid and drawn on the chosen date. This minimum threshold may be changed at any time and at the discretion of Ooooby NZ LTD for whatever reason whatsoever.
  • Grand prize draw competition ends on the 30 September 2020
  • Currently scheduled date for grand prize draw is 5 October 2020
  • Delivery fee not included as part of any prizes.
  • The time / term of availability of credit on a customer account may be changed or terminated at the discretion of Ooooby NZ LTD.
  • Ooooby NZ LTD may suspend or terminate the Referral Program or a user’s ability to participate in the Referral Program at any time for any reason.
  • Ooooby NZ LTD reserves the right to review and investigate all referral activities and to suspend accounts or modify referrals or other offers as deemed fair and appropriate.
  • We reserve the right to suspend accounts, cancel orders that have been placed, remove Ooooby Credit if we notice any activity that we believe is abusive or fraudulent.
  • Ooooby NZ LTD reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to change the Terms under which ooooby.co.nz  is offered. The most current version of the Terms will supersede all previous versions. Ooooby NZ LTD encourages you to periodically review the Terms to stay informed of our updates.

How do I enter? Click HERE

WIN 1 YEAR OF OOOOBY GOODNESS FREE!!!!

Thank you!

We would like to say a MASSIVE thank you for the support and patience you showed us during the craziness of lockdown. We REALLY APPRECIATE IT and we’re honoured to have been able to play our part in bringing you healthy local food. Hopefully contributing to keeping you healthy and happy at home with your bubbles.

Refer your friends and WIN!!

For every person that you successfully refer to Ooooby will give you $10 in Ooooby credit (using your own unique referral URL available from within your Ooooby account).

Your friend will also get $10 in credit. They too can enjoy a little “gift” from you. Who doesn’t love giving gifts…or receiving them?

On top of this, for every 5 friends you bring on board we will send YOU a FREE Box of Ooooby Goodness!

Still not fired up?

We want to take it one step further. For the next 3 months, every successful referral* you send our way will gain you entry into a lucky draw to win 1 YEAR FREE* of Ooooby produce!!!

Not bad right!?

Guaranteed referral credit… a chance to win big… get more people eating healthy organic food… support more local growers… reduce plastic… protect landscapes… and give your friends gifts!

A little help?

To get through the past few months we really had to ramp things up. It wasn’t easy operating under lockdown restrictions. Things are now “returning to normal” and we don’t want to have downsize or lose anyone from our awesome hard working team. 

We need nothing more from you than your kind words. Please tell people about us. If you like what we do and find value in our products, service, ethos and vision of helping to grow a resilient local food model, that supports organic small scale farmers and artisans, then please tell people. Point them in our direction, give them a nudge and get them to become part of the Ooooby family.

Go on then…. SHARE THE LOVE!!!

Want to know how to enter? Read HERE

*T’s and C’s apply

3 reasons to enjoy a bowl of soup this winter

3 reasons to enjoy a bowl of soup this winter

Boy, it’s started getting a little chilly on some days here in Auckland lately! And as much as we may all be longing for warmer nights and sunnier days, unfortunately we don’t control the weather. So we must find other things to comfort and warm us up. A good bowl of soup is one of those things. From a classic tomato soup, to more creative soups like apple & turnip, or cauliflower & brazil nut, there’s so many flavours and combinations to choose from. Here’s 3 pretty good reasons to enjoy a hearty bowl of soup this winter.

Soup is good for the soul

A good bowl of soup not only warms you up, but it’s also good for the soul! Comfort food does not have to be unhealthy food, and when you’re craving something comforting, a tasty bowl of soup will usually do the trick. Research suggests that what makes a food comforting, is that we associate it with feelings of belonging and relationships. For us, soup makes us think of family, making it the ideal comfort food.

Why not up the ante, with some exciting sides and toppings. From grilled cheese toasties, to crispy bacon, fried halloumi and fresh feta. There are so many ways to make your bowl of soup seem more of an occasion. It is also a great way to involve the family. Get them to help with making their favourite soup toppings. We told you we’d warm you up!

A bowl of soup is soup-er nutritious!

Vegetable based soups really help you pack in the extra nutrients, and get a few servings of veg at one meal. It’s also a great way to get your family to eat more veggies, and can help with those fussy eaters, by disguising some of the veg culprits. By being creative with seasonal veggies, you can also help your family get a wide variety of nutrients. We all love a good tomato soup, but be a little more adventurous! Leek, sweet potato and fennel go really well together. How about pumpkin, carrot & ginger? The more veggies, the merrier!

Also, some veggies can actually benefit from a little cooking, which makes important nutrients, like lycopene in tomatoes, more readily available to our bodies. And cooking a soup low and slow, can help to preserve nutrients in the veggies, when compared to pan-frying, which can be more destructive in some cases.

Soup saves you time & money

Soups are not only quick and easy to make (one pot, hello!), but they also tend to be easier on your wallet. Buying veg in bulk can save you money. Making bigger batches of soup means you’ll have leftovers to freeze or take for lunch the next day.

Good for your health, and your soul, we think it’s time to get a pot of soup cooking. Why not try something new and let us know how it goes!?

Resourceful Reuse!

One of Ooooby’s philosophies is to be conscious of the world around us and the impacts that our choices have. As far as possible we want to make positive, joyful ripples and minimise the negative effects of our actions.

It is always awesome to hear from you and to see what you are doing in your lives to follow the same principals. We certainly love to see how resourceful you are – Whether it is the reuse / repurposing of an Ooooby box for something new or the actions you are taking to bring joy to others around you!

Above is a picture from one of our Oooobies – During lockdown their 8 year old daughter created a musical instrument out of an old Ooooby box! Incredible.

Apparently working from home doesn’t mean that you have to forego the comforts and equipment that you may have at a fancy office as is highlighted by another industrious Oooobster…

And who knew that the Easter Bunny and Ooooby were in cahoots…?

Mindfulness

Mindfulness

We are in a time of unprecedented change and uncertainty and for most of us, that means increased stress and anxiety. Now more than ever the world needs mindfulness. Mindfulness is a practicalreadily available tool to reduce stress and anxiety and supports your mental health. Mindfulness is research-based and easy to practice at home by yourself or with the family (it is suitable to do with your kids). With this 4-week online mindfulness course, developed by Clinical Psychologist Chantal Hofstee, you can equip yourself with effective techniques and strategies to:

– Reduce stress and anxiety
– Protect your mental health
– Process emotions
– Help yourself cope with the changes in the best possible way

– Do something for you in this difficult time

Mindfulness won’t change the facts of what is happening in the world but it can change how you cope with the uncertainty and change and that can make all the difference. The online Mindfulness course teaches you the most useful mindfulness techniques for times of change, uncertainty and stress in a step by step guide made up out of:

  • Videos and text
  • Questions for personal insights
  • Step by step guide to the mindfulness techniques
  • Practical tips
  • Guided mindfulness exercises soundtracks for your phone
  • Optional weekly webinar that covers lockdown related topics and Q&A

After taking the course you will have a toolkit of stress management techniques that will help you navigate these uncertain times in the best way possible.

The course can be found here: https://renewyourmind.thinkific.com ( https://renewyourmind.thinkific.com/courses/mindfulnesscourse ) and through Ooooby you get 40% discount off the normal price by using promo code ooooby40.

Update on Delivery Fees

We are honoured to be able to deliver healthy organic food to you in these crazy uncertain times.

But to continue to do so while keeping everyone safe, managing increasing costs and maintaining a high level of service, we have had to make some essential adjustments to our delivery fees.

As of today, and as long as we are at Alert Level 3 or 4:

  • Orders over $200 get free delivery
  • Orders over $100 get discounted delivery ($7.99).
  • Orders under $100 incur the full delivery fee ($14.99).

These changes are urgently needed so that we can continue to operate safely with a high level of service as delivery costs increase. Once we are off High Alert, we will re-evaluate.

We hope that you understand and please know that this decision was not taken lightly (and only just covers our costs).

If you live alone and often spend less than $100, you may wish to do a fortnightly order to reduce the cost of delivery.

Remember, the reason Ooooby doesn’t use cheap couriers is because they require MOUNTAINS OF PLASTIC to keep food fresh, cold and safe to eat!!