Words by Jane Smith and Han McGufficke
We have a really amazing community member among us – Jane, The Shady Baker, who is not only a total bush QUEEN but an absolute superstar when it comes to time on the land and in the kitchen.
Jane is a recipe contributor for Graziher magazine. So if you are a lover of that, I’m sure you would’ve seen her name and amazing recipes before. Jane has put together and amazing blog post for us this week, enjoy the read xx
Jane’s Story..
My name is Jane Smith, I am 47 years old and I live on our family owned sheep station between Menindee and Broken Hill in the Far West of New South Wales. I grew up on a property between Ivanhoe and Wilcannia also in the Far West of New South Wales.
My husband, Terry and I have lived on our property for almost twenty five years. We have two children, Annabelle, 18 and George 15. Apart from six years in Adelaide at boarding school and a few years working in Victoria after leaving school I have lived in the bush my whole life.
I truly do love the freedom that living in the bush provides us. I love that we have endless amounts of space and silence and the freedom to mainly set our own schedules. Both Terry and I
come from previous generations of wool producers and I am proud that we are carrying on that legacy. I constantly admire the beautiful landscapes that surround us and the changing light and seasons.
We live 80kms from Broken Hill so I can enjoy great coffee, an artisan bakery, health services, hairdressers, art galleries, plant nurseries, vintage shops and book stores when I need to
get away for the day. It really is the best of both worlds.
Summer is always the most challenging time for me. I find the endless heat exhausting, I get frustrated when my garden starts to struggle and I have constant anxiety about snakes. Our distance from secondary schools has been challenging although our daughter has recently finished school and our son is getting close to finishing so this part of our lives is almost behind us.
The Shady Baker Journey..
The Shady Baker started as a blog many years ago in the days before Instagram. I found a genuine community through blogging where I shared photos and stories about bush life, cooking, growing vegetables and olive trees and raising young children. This was a fun creative outlet for me and I loved the connections with like-minded women, some who I still keep in touch with.
From there my interest in photography grew as did my interest in experimenting with sourdough
bread. Terry and I went on to host some informal bread making days on our property and my love
for photography, bread baking and anything related to food continues today.
Jane and Her Life with GRAZIHER
In 2016 I was approached by Graziher magazine to submit some recipes and a story and I have been lucky to continue as a regular contributor to this magazine ever since. Both my stories and the magazine have evolved since the early days and this has provided me with the perfect part time job that I can do from home. I have the flexibility to fit my Graziher work around farm and family commitments and I have met some amazing women who have shared their stories and their lives with me.
There is more where that came from, Jane has created a Saltbush Stretch inspired recipe for us all, which I am just SO excited for and grateful that we have these amazing people in our community. So watch this space for another blog post and recipe, then we can all cook up a Saltbush Tart together!
In the meantime, you can check out Jane and follow her journey @theshadybaker
I can’t wait to share what else is to come with Jane and Saltbush, and look forward to you all cooking up a storm with help from Jane.
Big love. Em xx
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