Farming family prepare for fruity festive season

Fifth generation farming family, the Gambles, have opened their farm gates in time for Christmas as the lychees ripen over the coming weeks.

“We currently have Tong Sui and Tai So varieties for sale,” said family matriarch Heather Gamble.

“The Tai So variety is ready earlier than usual for us this season. Our most popular lychee variety, Sah Keng, will be ready for sale just before Christmas. It is going to be all hands on deck to harvest the fruit ready for Christmas.”

Mark and Heather Gamble have around 2,500 trees on their Valdora property, the care of which is a whole family affair.

“Our children Ally, William, Edward, James and Charlotte, and our daughters in law, Kaylene and Sally, all dip in and help as needed,” Heather said. 

“As the fruit ripens, we generally have between 20 to 30 in our picking gang, and as you can imagine, it is certainly a busy time for us.”

As well as delicious seasonal lychees, the family also sell locally sourced mangoes, tomatoes and have free range eggs available for sale from their farm shop.

“I think people really love the idea of buying locally grown and seasonal produce, especially from a family business,” Heather said. “Our farm has been supplying fruit to our community straight from the orchard, for 40 years.

“It is great to be able to visit where your food is grown, and we are learning all the time that consuming fresh produce from your local area is better for you as well.

“Christmas is always such a busy time, but as much work as it is, we love welcoming customers to our Farm Shop to enjoy our beautiful fruit.”

The Farm Shop is open 7 days a week, from 6am to 6pm and is located at 221 Valdora Rd, Valdora.