On the old Yeelanna oval, where footballers once ran out and cricket balls echoed across summer afternoons, Lindy Brook now spends her day stirring pots of mulberries and handmaking gifts.
It is a different kind of harvest – one measured in kilograms of fruit, jars lined neatly on shelves, and markets circled on the calendar.
Lindy, who runs The Mulberry Tree, was born in Ceduna and grew up as one of eight children on the family farm.
Gardening, preserving and sewing were simply part of life.
“When I was a kid, we had a big garden which was a fenced off area 150 metres down the road in a bit of a flat, and there were lots of fruit trees in there – grapes and apricots, you name it,” she said.
Her mother, Doreen Bergman, was the driving force.
“Mum loved gardening. I think I got it all from Mum. She loved her garden, her fruit trees and sewing,” Lindy said.
“We would have homemade apricot jam and homemade cream, as mum used to milk cows. She also sewed most of our clothes and knitted our jumpers.”
From the early days of making doll clothes in the farmhouse passage, Lindy learned to sew.
“I used to sit in the passage in the farmhouse and draw around my dolls, on newspaper, to make a pattern, and make shirts and pants and whatever else for them,” she said.
“It then progressed to Mum teaching me how to use commercial patterns to make clothes for myself, and that was how I learned to sew.”
Years later, after marrying and working alongside her husband, Ashley – who is known around the region as Dilba – in farming and agricultural contracting, the couple set their sights on a permanent base.
The Yeelanna oval had not been used for sport for years.
“I approached the council and said, ‘What are our chances of buying the land?’,” Lindy said.
“It did take us five years to actually purchase the land, because of red tape and public consultations.
“When I look back, I think, ‘Five years! Why did I keep hassling them?’, but anyway, it was worth it.”
The Brooks moved into their new home in 2010, and in 2018, The Mulberry Tree began to take shape as she started cooking using her homegrown produce.
“Because I grow too much produce, I thought, well, I’ll give it a go doing the jams, relish and sauces,” she said.
Over the past eight years, The Mulberry Tree has flourished, supported by loyal customers who return season after season for Lindy’s homemade jams, relishes, sauces and handcrafted goods.
“I started doing some markets in Cummins, and it just grew from there, especially the last couple of years,” she said.
“I struggle to keep up at times, which is a good thing, I suppose.”
Her busiest months are December through to February, when the fruit ripens and the preserving begins.
“The fruit is usually ready for picking from late December through to February,” she noted.
Mulberries are the heart of the brand – and the most labour-intensive.
“The mulberries are terrible to pick. The mulberries are so small, and you have to pick so many, and you get in a complete mess,” Lindy said.
“Last year, I picked about 35 kilograms. I don’t enjoy the picking part because it just takes so long.”
Lindy said the amount of fruit she picks each year depended on the weather.
“You’ve got to rely on the weather. Some years you will have a nice lot and other years it is a bit light on.”
Fortunately, the generosity of her friends helps her through when ingredients run short.
“Some people say, ‘I’ve got an excess of this. Do you need it?’ So that is really good, because often I do,” Lindy added
“I don’t quite produce enough for the business now. I used to, but now I have to source from other places at times.”
She freezes much of her produce to use throughout the year and cooks in six-kilogram batches.
“For me to cook something, it would take me a couple of hours by the time I prep it, get it cooked, get it to the right consistency, and jar each product up,” she said.
Markets are where the hard work pays off.
Lindy can often be found at many markets around the region.
“I go to markets in Cummins, Coffin Bay, and the Christmas markets are always good,” she said.
She also attends markets at Elliston, Streaky Bay and Tumby Bay, plus has stock at local businesses, including Workshop 26 in Kimba, Greenleaf Collective, Cummins Meat Store and 5 Loaves Bakery in Cummins and the Coffin Bay Caravan Park.
The most rewarding moments come from face-to-face interaction with customers.
“I love it when I go to a market, and someone comes up and says, ‘Oh, I need some more of this. I just love it!’,” she said.
The handmade gifts and sewing side of the business – eco-conscious baby essentials, decor and homeware – grew naturally from leftover fabric.
“I started doing the muslin wraps, and then I always had leftover material and thought, ‘Well, what am I going to use this for?’ So it was just the natural progression to use up my leftovers to do the baby bibs.”
Lindy admitted the kitchen and sewing room are where she feels most at home.
“My husband says, ‘Don’t you get sick of cooking?’ But no, I don’t. It’s not a chore,” she said.
“I just get in and do it. I think it’s just something extra for me to do outside of my husband’s bookkeeping. It’s my way of contributing a little bit.”
At its core, The Mulberry Tree is about authenticity – fruit grown in clay soil that cracks in summer, onions and garlic pulled from winter beds, recipes stirred slowly at the stove.
“I think people love homemade jams, relishes and sauces because they’re tastier.
“They know it’s homemade and it’s authentic.”
