Grab your garden hoses and hold onto your hats – the Illawarra Edible Garden Trail is coming back for its third year!
After two years being coordinated by the incredible AJ Linke, heading up the trail has now been passed into the very capable hands of Emily Fowler, a previous FFI volunteer who is extremely passionate about a fairer food system. Get to know our brand new IEGT Coordinator!
1) Tell us a bit about yourself – what’s your background and how are you involved in the local food system?
Hello! My name’s Emily – I’m an avid gardener, cook, baker and all-round food enthusiast. I’ve been living in the Illawarra for about 10 years now, originally moving down from Sydney to study a Bachelor of Nutrition Science. I’ve always enjoyed cooking and learning about food, however my journey of delving into food sustainability, growing food and involvement in our local food system began with volunteering with Hidden Harvest for their Wasted Wednesday dinners. Around the same time I took a Geography elective through my studies, called “The Future of Food: Resilience, Communities and Policy”. This subject opened my mind to a whole other side of the food system that I’d never been aware of before, learning about ways of strengthening local food production, distribution, and consumption, as well as looking at food security and sustainable practices across all areas of the food system.
From there I began to connect with Food Fairness Illawarra and its adjacent community, volunteering for FFI’s Marketing and Communications Internship and helping out with their pilot initiative Wollongong Online Farmers Market. I began learning how to grow my first bits of food at home (still learning), started forming my awareness of local growers and producers when creating seasonal menus for Moore Street General Cafe, and working or volunteering at local small scale farms and market gardens like Musset Holdings in the highlands, and Popes Produce in Woonona. More recently I’ve moved to Otford, and am working at Gilly’s Kitchen Garden (a Permaculture garden in Otford), coordinating this year’s Illawarra Edible Garden Trail, and baking cakes for local cafes. Outside of work I try to pop down to my local crop swap each month and support the local food system by buying my food as locally sourced as I can!
2) You’ve previously volunteered with Healthy Cities at a very pertinent time – can you tell us a bit about that experience and what you learnt about our local food system during that time?
Yes for sure – I volunteered with Healthy Cities for their Marketing and Communications Internship. It definitely felt like a time of excitement and momentum building in the Illawarra’s local food system, with community groups like Food Talks Illawarra popping up, Wollongong Online Farmers Market going live and the first Illawarra Edible Garden Trail happening! It was an interesting time though (and still is), I could clearly feel the community wanting the local food system to strengthen and expand, but at the same time seeing the challenges and barriers against it. The community is curious about how we can keep building on this momentum, and want to connect and support each other, and they’re doing exactly that. Healthy Cities and Food Fairness Illawarra are doing great things in supporting and facilitating community around our local food system and the food security of those within it.
3) Why are you passionate about bringing the Illawarra Edible Garden Trail to the community?
Oh! Well it’s the trail’s third year running in the Illawarra, so I’m really excited to see it expand and make its place in the community. It’s such a fun and inspiring weekend, and whilst it’s focused on connecting home growers, it means so much more than that. It’s initially giving people the opportunity to connect over this shared interest, and in the bigger picture it’s strengthening our local food system by encouraging the community to share knowledge, resources and information, and get more people growing food. It’s such a generous event on behalf of all of the hosts, volunteers and everyone involved and supporting, and it’s really cool to see so much passion and care amongst and toward this place we get to call home.
4) What does the term ‘a fair food system’ mean to you?
To me, a fair food system ensures that no matter where someone lives—whether in a remote rural area or a dense urban neighborhood—they can reliably access fresh, nourishing food. It means dismantling barriers rooted in income, geography and background, and investing in community-based farming that respects and cares for the land and future generations. A fair system gives people the tools and knowledge to understand what’s in their food, where it comes from, and how it affects their health—so they can make choices that feel right for themselves, their families, and their communities.
5) Lastly, what are your Illawarra local food go-to’s? Fresh produce, pantry staples, treats…?
Oh great question! I really enjoy intentionally sourcing my food and knowing where it comes from, who produced it, and how it was grown or made. I get a veggie box each week from Green Connect and about once a month I go down to Cleaver and Co butcher in Gwynneville and stock up on staples like bones for broth, some generic cuts of meat and a lucky dip of sorts to try something new. They’re amazing with what they’re doing, their ethos of ethically and responsibly sourced meat, and it’s really affordable! Both of these dictate what I cook throughout the week. I’m not too much of a planner and like to create something out of what I’ve got rather than go to the shops with a list, so this setup works well for me. There’s generally a new mix of produce each week in the box each week, so it’s always exciting seeing the picks of the week and it also means I’m never ending up with too much of anything and getting to have a bit of everything that’s in season.
Pantry wise I always try to have staples at home like rice, grains, dairy, teas and spices and I get these either from work when we do a bulk order, bulk rice etc from an Indian grocer in Fairy Meadow or from Flametree Co-op. My only other essentials are honey, I get this from an honesty box out the front of someone’s property on my drive back home, and growing herbs and greens at home to add to meals. I’m obviously not a saint, so sometimes when I’ve had a busy week and can’t make it into Wollongong or to the co-op on time I’ll get the odd thing from the IGA, but I do try to make do with what I’ve got and always have backup to make an easy meal. I also love trading food with friends and going to my local crop swap! Most importantly.. treats wise… Spice Corner in Fairy Meadow has the best Samosas and other fresh savoury-filled pastries, the temple in Helensburgh for a leisurely weekend lunch, Millers Bakehouse for a croissant or gelato, and Amos and Adams if I’m down in PK and needing some lunch or a fancy condiment!
