Dear Members and Friends of Slow Food South Australia

I am delighted to share news and photos from our recent Spring Mushroom Farm Walk on 10th October 2020. This recent Slow Food South Australia event saw our esteemed Patron Cheong Liew and guests treated to a fascinating behind the scenes tour of SA Mushrooms Farm, followed by a light lunch prepared by iconic chef Salvatore Pepe. 

An excellent example of a family owned, sustainable farm, SA Mushrooms is owned by Nick and Connie Femia and is the largest, privately owned mushroom farm in South Australia. Nick and Connie were generous with their time as they took guests on a tour of their farm, where 100 staff hand-pick and pack 60 tonnes of Swiss brown, white button and field mushrooms each week. A state of the art, climate-controlled facility ensures they are able to supply their nationwide customers with a premium, consistent quality product all year-round.
Nick explained they have control over the entire mushroom lifecycle process. They make their own compost from scratch and all of the mushroom stalks are recycled. An energy efficient farm, large water tanks capture and reuse any run-off water and solar panels provide electricity.

After the tour, guests enjoyed chatting about the ‘world of mushrooms’ over lunch – a selection of delicious dishes prepared by renowned chef Salvatore Pepe and his lovely wife Amanda. We were pleased to have the Consul of Italy in South Australia, Adriano Stendardo, and his wife Clizia also in attendance.  Photos of our mushroom farm walk event can be viewed by clicking on this link.

Lidia

“An extremely interesting few hours with Slow Food South Australia touring SA Mushrooms Farm, where we got to pick and taste mushrooms fresh from the racks, prior to a divinely epic lunch.” — Loretta Smyth (tour guest)