Australia's Food Bowl With Stefano De Pieri

The land of Australia’s Food Bowl is dry and desert-like, yet it is plentiful with produce and home to some of Australia's biggest fruit and veggie growers - thanks to the water from the Murray. Many factors affect the limited water supply to local farmers and recently, times have been tough. Stefano visits a couple of local producers who are developing ways to overcome these challenges and coming up with innovative ways to combat the obstacles they face.

Bees play an important role in horticulture, over fifty percent of what we eat relies on bees for pollination. In Australia, the almond industry relies heavily on bees for pollination and Stefano takes a closer look at their relationship as well as the water consumed to produce this popular superfood.

The Mediterranean-like climate of Australia’s Food Bowl makes it the perfect place to grow olives and to produce olive oil. Stefano visits Australia’s most successful olive oil producer to share why this golden liquid is the best and purest of all.

In March at the beginning of Autumn, growers, farmers and the local food community gather in Mildura to celebrate the annual grape harvest with a Slow Food feast under the vines. The Festa della Vendemmia has been running for twenty years, and this year, Stefano returns to the role of executive chef for this special event. Stefano wants to create a delicious degustation with ingredients that he sources from the region’s finest food producers. He devises a delicious Italian menu that really makes the local ingredients shine on the plate. He starts with bread, hand-made by his friend and host of the event Elina Garreffa. This bread is for his pappa al pomodoro - a simple soup made with bread and tomatoes.

Australia’s Food Bowl is home to some of the biggest food producers in Australia. It is the second-largest citrus growing district in the country, and produces more than 70% of Australia’s vine fruits. The region is best known for traditional crops such as citrus and grapes, however they are thirsty plants and rely heavily on the river system for irrigation. In recent years, many farmers have started to diversify and are finding success growing unique and lesser-known, exotic fruits.

The Murray Cod is Australia’s largest freshwater fish and native to the rivers of Australia’s Food Bowl. It is also steeped in the rich Indigenous history of the region. Ancient stories tell of a giant ponde (cod) that created the Murray River. Barkindji elder, Peter Peterson shares this creation story with Stefano and tells of growing up on the river in the days when the Murray cod population was plentiful.

The rich red soil of Mildura, coupled with precious water from the mighty Murray River, provide the perfect conditions to grow vegetables, and lots of them! A healthy river results in healthy vegetables and Stefano loves to cook with the freshest local vegetables around.

Garlic is an essential kitchen ingredient across cuisines in every culture around the world, and Stefano explains why Australian-grown garlic is far superior in taste and much healthier than imported garlic.

The river system is the lifeblood of Australia’s Food Bowl. Its water supply is crucial to the lives and communities of this region. The Darling River - known as the Barka in Barkindji language - is part of one of the largest river systems in the world.

Many farming families have a long history of growing produce and we meet some of the inspiring people who have been working the land for generations. Fathers and sons, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters. It is their connection to the land, river, and to each other that makes Mildura such a special place. Stefano looks at the community and meets some of the characters of Australia’s Food Bowl.