F is for Foodie: Farm fresh cherries and Gum Honeys

When the birding mojo deserts me, it is time to revert to a foodie day. I dragged the gang out late afternoon yesterday with the promise of wetland birding. I had done the research, the website looked good, the local tourist magazine carried an article too, so Winton Wetlands was the destination, over 50km north of Mansfield.

We arrived to a vast dust bowl, with an enormous kangaroo just managing to cool off on the little ground water over the boat ramp. The temperatures were mid 30's, birds scarce so we turned around and headed back.

High Country foodie highlights.

Fortunately Bev, a friend of Lee's who joined us, pointed us to a local farmer who has a good cherry crop and we stopped at his 'honesty fridge' and bought a couple of kg's. Plump and delicious.

'If Mansfield is the heart of the High Country. The Regional Produce Store is the heart of Mansfield.' 

This quote from a local cookbook is spot on, Fred and I found this little gem on day one in Mansfield and we have made it our local for the week, yummy baguette sandwiches with roast vegies, tandoori chicken and pulled pork, and of course loads of good flat whites.

Today we pottered along the King Valley road, via iNeeta's for breakfast of pies and pancakes and then onto Beechworth to partake in their Honey Experience. Beechworth Honey is an impressive business and we had the option to taste 30 different honeys, all influenced by which gums trees the bees frequented, like red gum, yellow stringy bark, coolibah, green mallee, grey ironbark and more.

I managed about 7 and was then honeyed out! But not enough to turn down ironbark honey ice-cream with macadamia nuts.

This recipe caught my eye and Fred is keen to make them once we get to New Zealand.