Harvesting, foraging and cooking
Harvesting
At low tide you can dig in the estuary for cockles and pippi’s, these are simply divine popped freshly open on the fire pit or BBQ with a nice glass of wine or beer at sunset. Kingfish are often seen coming right up to the jetty chasing mullet in season and when the snapper are running on the beach make room for breakfast lunch and dinner.
The space with its unique location lends itself to the polite harvesting of our kia moana (Seafood) from the beach and the estuary. Here at Oceanique Farm we live by our indigenous (Maori) ethos” take only what you need for a feed and leave the rest”. Drop a handline off the jetty at high tide, throw a net out at low tide, spear for flounder at night in the mud flats or just cast a line on the beachfront either way you are more than likely to catch yourself something delicious for dinner.
FORAGING
For a more interactive guest experience we have endeavored to provide our guests with a herb and vegetable garden to use when cooking their meals during their stay. The absolute pleasure derived from harvesting a garden and incorporating it in an uncontrived way into fresh food is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Vegetables are seasonal. Many wild foods can be found on the farm and we encourage guests to incorporate these in their meals. Wild blackberry are profuse in summer, and many different fruits can be found growing around the farm or in the newly established orchard. Watercress is simply divine in winter.
COOKING
Putiputi iti is modeled on the European style rural lodgings, where guests enjoy cooking and incorporating food from the grounds. With both indoor and outdoor cooking facilities guests have a choice of different cooking styles. In winter dishes may be cooked on the woodfire stove top whilst you have the aroma of bread baking in the woodfired oven wafting through the home snuggled on the couch watching a storm. An Italian stove top espresso boiler is provided with a vintage Dutch coffee grinder is used with quality coffee beans provided. There is absolutely no reason to rush a good coffee.
