Spring has sprung on the Mornington Peninsula. The soil is warming, fruit trees are blossoming, bees are starting to forage in the native bush, and local producers are planting out their summer crops. There’s a vibrant sense of renewal in the air – and the season’s first offerings are already making their way into kitchens across the region.

At Morning Penni Farm in Cape Schanck, Karl Breese is the gardener in residence for one of the Peninsula’s most celebrated chefs. The young farmer grows a wide range of fresh vegetables, supplying Simone Watts, Executive Chef at Barragunda Dining. Freshness is guaranteed – his one-acre plot is just metres from the kitchen’s back door.

Karl knows how to grow to a chef’s specifications, having spent his early years cooking in some of the best kitchens in South East England before emigrating to Australia. On the Peninsula, he worked at Polperro and later headed the kitchen at Many Little in Red Hill. The demands of a young family led him to pursue a daytime career, first wrangling cattle at Barragunda, then founding his own venture, Morning Penni Farm.

Today, Karl grows bite-sized radishes, plump fennel bulbs, earthy rainbow chard, sharp puntarella, and over 25 varieties of herbs and vegetables in a constantly rotating seasonal harvest. He does all this without chemicals or pesticides, relying instead on natural Korean farming methods – including plant fermentations used to create organic sprays that promote plant health. His 10 beehives help pollinate the crops and produce small batches of aromatic honey.

Over in Merricks North, Lisa Creswell makes cider – not just good cider, but truly exceptional cider – crafted from rare, traditional apple varieties with names like Slack-Ma-Girdle, Hoary Morning, Tremlett’s Bitter and Yarlington Mill. Her family orchard now grows more than 54 heritage cider apples, originally from south-west England and the west coast of France.

Lisa has spent years tracking down these apples, grafting cuttings onto trees at the family’s property. “We graft onto old varieties of table apples that have fallen out of fashion,” she explains, “like Golden Delicious and Jonathan.” Seven Oaks Farmhouse Cider is made entirely on the farm. Lisa washes the apples, runs them through a giant grater, and presses the pulp to extract juice.

“Cider apples have a lot more tannin than table apples,” she says, “which gives the cider structure – making it ideal to enjoy with food, much like wine.”

The cider undergoes secondary fermentation in the bottle, like Champagne, for a fine, natural sparkle. Her range includes traditional styles like Bramley’s Seedling and Kingston Black, as well as lighter, sweeter ciders made from Pink Lady and Lady William apples.

Down in Moorooduc, John Winkels – affectionately known as the “bee whisperer” – has been producing raw honey for over 40 years. Each spring, he moves his hives to follow native blossoms across the Peninsula.

In Bittern, the bees feed on kunzea, creating a dark, sticky honey. From Green’s Bush, a messmate forest yields a treacle-thick honey with a malty finish. Along the coast, ancient banksia blooms are transformed into honey that tastes like bananas cooked in butter and brown sugar. In early summer, Moonah trees in Portsea offer a heady, fragrant nectar.

At Pure Peninsula Honey, John extracts the honey without heating, preserving natural enzymes, minerals and pollen. The result is raw honey that’s rich, complex, and deeply local.

This spring, connect with the people who grow, make, and care deeply about what they produce. Buy direct from Morning Penni Farm for vibrant, chemical-free vegetables and raw honey. Pick up a bottle of heritage apple cider from Seven Oaks Farmhouse Cider, and savour a jar of raw, native honey from Pure Peninsula Honey. Support local, eat seasonally, and bring the true flavour of spring into your kitchen.