For a great day trip take the Stirling exit from the SE freeway to expertise Autumn at her finest within the quaint village of Stirling. The particular autumn gentle shining by way of the richly colored leaves and the aroma of roasting chestnuts.A scene paying homage to the previous that will transport you to a different time and place.
Autumn is scorching roasted chestnut time and would be the twenty-fifth 12 months that Quentin Jones will likely be organising his vibrant stall in Stirling village. It began in 1986 on the Aldgate Autumn Leaves Competition. That first 12 months was an enormous studying curve and the chestnuts had been cooked very, very slowly in a kettle bbq. After a little bit of observe the nuts had been cooked and a legend was born. The present rotating cooking basket was developed in 1987 over just a few beers in a neighbour’s again yard. The basket is right as a result of it might cook dinner numerous nuts in a short while. Over time Quentin has obtained a lot recommendation from the various nationalities making up our various tradition. “You need to burn them a bit so they’re simpler to peel”. This recommendation was accepted and provides to the color and scent as smoke from the nuts wafts up and down the road. Automobiles glide to a halt and entire households burst from the doorways to buy their weekend deal with. Walkers and window buyers are additionally enticed by the scent and motion. There are some individuals who have by no means tasted chestnuts they usually can have a free pattern in the event that they ask. They too could also be seduced by the refined sweetness and mushy, heat texture of the common-or-garden chestnut.
Quentin says that he loves assembly individuals and the common clients have develop into agency pals, sharing their final 12 months’s experiences as they scoff their cone of scorching nuts. Quentin is now serving the following technology. Younger households who had been introduced by their dad and mom at the moment are introducing chestnuts to their kids. The rhythm of life within the hills continues.
The cooking of the chestnuts additionally offers Quentin a dependable information to how the remainder of the crop is fairing within the chilly room, a type of high quality management for his contemporary nut gross sales on the farm gate. Quentin cooks chestnuts in Stirling Village on Saturdays from 11am and Sundays and public holidays from midday. The season often goes from Anzac day to early July.
After a wander round Stirling you may go to our farm store simply 3km from Stirling. On arrival you’ll be met by Deb and canine Myka and Frank and have a choice of some high high quality contemporary chestnuts , quinces feijoas and limes to select from in addition to our unique vary of jams and preserves, all of which have travelled not more than 300 metres from the place they had been grown.
