SLOW FOOD FOREST

Jetto’s Patch is Michele and Dario Franzinelli’s garden in Maida Vale, a suburb at the base of the foothills east of Perth. Home to every fruit, herb and vegetable you can imagine, it’s plainly the result of years of work.

Both were introduced to gardening as children. Many of Michele’s extended family were gardeners, growing either ornamentals or edibles.

Dario had grandparents who were farmers and it’s Michele’s belief that, if you ask them, most people can trace part of their family back to a farm. “Our collective history is rural,” she says.

Michele recalls an aunt and uncle who had a self-sufficient property in Canada where, despite the harsh winters, they used only natural inputs. It’s probably not so far-fetched to imagine that’s where