Yvonne and Jamie Adams and their two children, Max and Miley, are the faces behind Adams Avocados, in Bobs Farm.
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For the past eight years, they have owned, farmed and lived on the land.
Yvonne was actually born on an avocado farm two doors down, so she jokes that avocados are in her blood.
"We lived next door to the avocado farm, and we worked with the elderly couple that owned it, just helping them out. They were looking to retire, so they put it on the market, and we were like 'we could buy it'," Yvonne says on how they bought the 25-acre farm.
They got a taste of the lifestyle and the work. Jamie kept his job as a diesel mechanic, and she raised the children, who, as they've grown, have helped harvest the fruit from the farm's 782 trees.
In 2021, the farm produced 53 tonnes of avocados, a good year.
This year, the Adams think their bounty will be around 30 tonnes.
At the last farmers market of 2022 at Broadmeadow, they sold out of all 500 kilograms.
When they're not at the markets they're busy on the property.
"It's a lot of work, but it's also amazing for raising the kids," Yvonne says.
"I've been able to go and do things with them. Miley's 11; she's been driving the tractor since she was seven."
The Adams wanted a fresh look for the property, so they did a lot of research before making changes.
The family lived in the avocado packing shed for the first seven years as they built their dream home: a weatherboard farmhouse. Getting the perfect house took planning.
They looked at a few cookie-cutter houses, but nothing stood out. With some rough sketches in hand, they went to Valley Homes and sat down with a draftsman.
After living for years in tight quarters, they wanted something open.
"We were used to being with each other because we were in such a tiny space," Yvonne says.
"We didn't understand the house with a media room and a kids' rumpus room, where kids sit on their own. We wanted a house where we would all be together.
"We kind of designed the house around that. We had this central living space, the loungeroom, kitchen, dining, all one big space."
Yvonne and Miley have the equivalent of a "man's shed", a "woman's room" where the two do craft. Max and Miley both have their own bedrooms, and the master bedroom has an ensuite.
They moved into the new house in March 2022.
"We moved everything into the house (from the shed)," she says.
"We only had three months to move in before avocado season started, so much of the time was spent demolishing the 'house' and making it the avocado shed (again)."
So many years living rougher than usual, made the family appreciate their new home so much more, Yvonne said. They had learned much from farm life, and always kept a sense of humour.
Avocado season goes from July to about December.
Avocados don't ripen on the tree, but after they are picked. During the season, the farm takes a weekly order and the amount needed is picked.
The avocados are then put through a grading machine that sorts them into sizes. The family checks each fruit for blemishes then packs them into 10 kilogram crates. When the fruit ripens, the crates are distributed.
"You only get one season of avocados a year. It's important to work hard and sell as much as we can in the six months because we don't get an income off the avocados for the other six months of the year," Jamie says.
"From January to June we are busy catching up on all the maintenance, mowing, pruning and general life.
"It's hard work and scary. It's worth it in the long run."
Jamie goes to his other job very early, then comes home at lunchtime to pick avocados. The kids help after school.
The avocados are sold at markets, wholesale, and to local restaurants and cafes.
They also do home deliveries.
"For anyone considering a farm life, I would say the list of jobs is long and you never get to the end," Yvonne says.
"You have to be able to pivot when things aren't working.
"Never give up when it's hard, because it definitely will be hard at times, but it's an amazing life full of fun times and down-to-earth friends and family around you."
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