Rebecca Sullivan on eating (truly) local and the power of simple observation
"Being observant to nature and what it has to offer you teaches you so many lessons."
Rebecca Sullivan
Do you want to know something random? I think about today's guest - the delightful and delicious Rebecca Sullivan - every time I wear blush. In our first conversation on the poggie a couple of years ago she shared her very excellent, two-ingredient, homemade blush recipe with me and I've been using it ever since.
In that conversation, Rebecca did more for making homemade solutions accessible than the previous five years of internet research and messy experiments combined, and me (and my naturally blushed cheeks) are grateful.
Since then Rebecca has published four (!!) new books, with another on the way, and moved from an apartment in Adelaide to a closed loop eco-farm in the Clare Valley. There’s just a bit for us to catch up on, so we thought it was about time.
In today's episode we chat about the challenges and joys that living on the land have brought so far and why Rebecca essentially considers herself a 'dirt farmer'. We also dive deep in to the importance of slowing down and paying attention to nature, living with fear, embracing failure, taking risks and the aim of her new work: reconciliation on a plate.
Rebecca and her partner Damien Coulthard founded Warndu - a social enterprise committed to regenerating culture, community, tradition, health and soil using native Australian food - and are about to release their first cookbook, Warndu Mai. We talk about why all Australians should be embracing native food, and how conversations about what we eat will hopefully open up much-needed conversations about indigenous culture and heritage.
Questions featured in this episode:
- What’s the transition been like as you moved to the farm, from theory to reality?
- How do you think about your own environmental impact?
- What does it practically look like to live in a circular (closed-loop) house?
- What was the seed for the idea of Warndu - both the company and the book?
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Or you can listen to the show directly, simply by hitting the Play button above. Enjoy!
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Things to Check Out After Today’s Episode:
- Listen to our first interview with Rebecca from 2017 to find out more about her and her story
- Rebecca’s website
- Wardnu website
- Rebecca’s books:
- Warndu Mai by Rebecca and her partner Damien Coulthard - Out April 23
- Connect with Rebecca via Instagram @grannyskills
- Article: Former fire chief unloads on politicians over climate change inaction
As always, thank you for listening!