CENTRAL WEST LACHLAN LANDCARE

By MARG APPLEBEE

Now is time to start planning for our October 2025 Homegrown Parkes event!

We are thrilled to be welcoming back many of our regular entertainers and a few new inclusions.

We also look forward to welcoming some special guests to this event.

Have you thought about joining Crop Swap at Homegrown Parkes?

For many people swapping or giving away their produce without reimbursement takes a bit of getting used to, but we have found that it reinforces feelings of community building, sharing and learning.

Crop swapping is a great way for those who grow their own food to make sure nothing is going to waste.

If you have an over-abundance of particular fruits or vegetables in the garden, preserves or homemade goods - they are all welcome!

Hannah Farrant-Jayet and Michael Chambers will be overseeing the Crop Swap Stall in front of the Cooke Park Pavilion and they will be busy sharing the Crop Swap message.

You are welcome to show up on the day with produce, we will just require your name and contact details etc.

Do you grow too much basil, have too many seeds, or is your pantry not big enough for your end of season preserves?

Simply, Crop Swap it! Crop Swap builds the community, reduces food waste and helps people eat better, at a lesser cost.

Our Spring event will be held on Saturday, 11 October, so start planning your plantings ready for sharing.

Some suggestions for propagation are: spring onions, beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, kale, lettuce, onion, parsnip, peas, potato, pumpkin, radish, rhubarb, carrots, silverbeet, turnips and spinach.

Homegrown Parkes is also an opportunity for local and regional small businesses who are processing, repurposing, sewing, propagating or producing fabulous local products to share their skill and products with the community.

Previous stallholders will be receiving a link to the Expression of Interest form on Friday, 20 June.

We will then open EOI if spaces aren’t filled. All EOI are reviewed by our Homegrown Parkes Committee to ensure that they fit with the ethos of the Homegrown Parkes event.

We look forward to hosting another fantastic Homegrown Parkes event, promoting our wonderful communities and region.

We will be encouraging people from across the State to be involved in this event as they join us for the NSW Keep Australia Beautiful Tidy Towns Sustainability Awards.

For further information on this article, please go to www.centralwestlachlanlandcare.org, twitter, facebook or Instagram @cwllandcare