Getting fresh in the field: a day with The Fresh Grower
Alan Fong
It’s a miraculously sunny Monday morning and I’m standing in a field in Pukekohe. No, it wasn’t a crazy weekend gone awry, I have purposely turned off the motorway to be here. In fact, I love the chance to don my gumboots and quite literally get out in the field. So, when Wendy Voegelin invited me to her first Producers Showcase, I jumped at the chance.
Wendy is an Economic Growth Advisor specializing in food and tourism who after many years at Ateed (now Tātaki Auckland Unlimited) has set up her own business, Kismet Culinary. With a real passion and knowledge of Pukekohe, Wendy has been working closely with growers like Allan Fong, The Fresh Grower. Wendy says Allan is “one of the most innovative and forward-thinking growers I have ever met.”
Today’s fieldtrip was alongside the Restaurant Association with the goal of connecting chefs with the growers. Allan Fong is the perfect grower for such a challenge!
Allan and his family have been farming the rich volcanic soils of Pukekohe for over three generations. But the secret sauce for The Fresh Grower and what sets Alan apart from other growers is his love of eating the food he grows.
This becomes evident when Allans team serves up one of his newest crops: white turnips seared with miso and topped with wasabi peas and Crunchetta lettuce cups filled with pork larb. When we talk about “team” we really mean family as Allan’s son, daughter, nephews and nieces are all heralding a new generation of Fresh Growers, including the pair cooking us lunch who normally don their whites in a swanky restaurant in Auckland.
Allan says food service is a key market for the Fresh Grower who has led the way introducing new vegetables to Kiwis, from the likes of baby pak choy to Bellaverde – the sweet long-stemmed broccoli loved by chefs and now home cooks. Extensive in-field crop trials allow Allan to break new ground and create new taste sensations for chefs to plate up. A favourite of mine is his caulilini – the cauliflower version of Ballaverde, delicious steamed, stir fried and roasted!