The air in Bilpin usually smells of ripening apples this time of year, but lately the orchards have been uncharacteristically quiet. Nature has been a stern teacher this season. Some of our neighbours have looked out over rows of trees only to see a 90% drop in production. It is the kind of silence that weighs heavy on a farming community in the Blue Mountains.
But where the branches are light, the vines are heavy. And in that shift, we find a different kind of strength.
Beyond the Prize: A Four-Year Rivalry
For the past four years, the Bilpin Garden Club has held a quiet, albeit fierce, ritual. We have gathered at different farms, sun-beaten and hopeful, to crown the “Tastiest Tomato”.
What began as a local hobby has evolved into something more serious and more joyful at the same time. The pursuit is not about commercial perfection, but about the soul of the fruit.
This year, on the 21st of March, we are moving from the farm gate to the Community Bowling Club for our inaugural Bilpin Tomato Festival. We are opening the borders and inviting growers from across New South Wales to bring their best and brightest to stand alongside Bilpin’s own.
The Geometry of Resilience and Seed
There is a deeper logic to a harvest festival that goes beyond a weekend outing. In the face of a changing climate, seed saving is one of the most powerful acts a farming community can make.
By saving the seeds of the tomatoes that thrived in our particular soil this year, we ensure our food genetics adapt to our local tastes and mountain weather. Slowly, season by season, we build resilience into our food system.
Harvest festivals have always served this role. They take the glut of a season and turn it into security for the months ahead.
On the day we will host a passata-making demonstration, served with fresh gnocchi made from our own Bilpin potatoes. It is a meal that tastes equally of survival and celebration.
Poetry in the Garden
Agriculture is a culture, not just an industry.
That is why we are calling for tomato-themed poems. To have writer Kerryn Valeontis lead a poetry slam amidst the smell of basil and crushing tomatoes is our way of finding beauty in the bruised, the fermented and the hand-grown.
While the kids play and we tour the community garden, we are doing more than passing a Saturday in Bilpin. We are reminding ourselves that resilience takes many forms.
When the apples fail, we gather around the tomato. We find food alternatives that celebrate what our Blue Mountains soil can still produce when we work together.
Join the Bilpin Tomato Festival
The inaugural Bilpin Tomato Festival takes place on March 21 at the Community Bowling Club.
Bring your best fruit, your best verse and your appetite for community.
If you are visiting the Blue Mountains or planning a day trip from Sydney, this is a chance to experience the spirit of Bilpin’s growing community and the creativity that comes from the land.
To learn more about the work we do in regenerative farming in Bilpin, you can also explore our farm or join one of our farm tours when visiting the Blue Mountains.
