If the supermarket shelves suddenly emptied, the greengrocers' and butchers' stocks dried up, there would still be at least two people eating well out in the countryside to Canberra's north.
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But rather than keep the secrets of the land to themselves, Gundaroo farmers Michael Plane and Joyce Wilkie are sharing their knowledge and encourage average citizens to learn to grow their own food.
The couple have run Allsun Farm, a small-scale organic market garden, for 25 years, and Mr Plane said small, diversified operations are an excellent starting point for anyone looking to get back in touch with the land.
At the weekend they hosted a small permaculture workshop to help people begin their own gardens, from backyard vegie patches to small farms.
''They really yearn for that connection with the land, and that connection with where their own food comes from … a lot of people are looking for a life change,'' Mr Plane said. ''We do our best to give them a kick-start. We teach them how to grow stuff, and basically how to plan an operation, all the nuts and bolts that they need to think about before venturing out.''
All the food produced by Allsun is pre-sold to local restaurants including Silo Bakery in Kingston, and the Conservatory Restaurant at the National Arboretum, making it a commercially viable operation despite being only 40 hectares.
The teaching program has also been a success, with Mr Plane and Ms Wilkie counting renowned chef and former Longrain owner Martin Boetz as a friend as well as a former student. Mr Boetz has moved to a small-scale farm in NSW, and regularly calls for tips.
Mr Plane said the growth of Canberra's weekend farmers' markets at Mitchell and Woden also showed a shift in psyche in the city's urban population, with people caring more about where their food comes from.
''I think it's increasingly important. People are becoming very conscious that well-grown, nutritionally dense food is important,'' he said.
''People like to go and buy fresh and interact with the farmers instead of going to, shall we say, the major supermarkets where they have no contact with the farmer whatsoever.''
In addition to workshops and summer internships, Allsun has its annual open weekend on October 26 and 27, when the public is invited to check out the operation, chat with the farmers, and try the produce.
