PODCAST EPISODE 36: Pam Vroland from Silvan Estate Raspberry Farm, Victoria

What is bulbous like a bee, but any number of pinks or reds or blues? What tastes like heaven, or maybe makes your face squish up with exhilarating tartness? What stains your fingertips, your tongue, and sometimes your t-shirt? What makes the best edible summer treasure hunt? What turns your smoothies fluorescent, is packed with antioxidants, and makes your cakes/breakfasts/desserts the most delightful little bundles of joy? Berries of course! As a lover of B-related gifts of nature, I am very happy to introduce you to the one and only “berry queen” for episode 36 of the BEES WITH BEN beekeeping podcast: Pam Vroland from Silvan Estate raspberry farm. For the past five years, some of my darling bees have called Pam’s glorious berry farm home; she loves them, and they love her and her brightly coloured morsels of deliciousness.

And my bees and I are not Pam’s only fans. In fact, Pam and her farm have garnered huge and deserved attention from celebrity chefs, locals and media alike. In an article in The Age, Master Chef’s Matt Preston declared that Silvan Estate produced “possibly the world's reigning raspberries”! And that’s a big call (but one I am willing to stand by). Preston goes on to describe the many (food) sites where Pam’s raspberries could be found, including a generous handful of sophisticated and delicious dishes from a number of highly acclaimed restaurants. It was he who brought attention to her reign as well-known and well-loved berry royalty.

Pam has earnt this reputation through her intimate knowledge of the environment at Silvan and of the methods needed to grow such perfect and glorious fruits. She understands the climate, the soil, the impact of local wildlife, the compost needed, the CARE needed. She knows which berries get eaten strait from the bush, and which ones are made into jam. Pam loves of raspberries, and she knows each type like a dear friend – the Bogong, the Chilliwack, the Tulameen, and Serpell’s Willamette (to name just a few).

Tune in to hear Pam and I talk about the intricacies of growing berries in the gorgeous Yarra Valley.