LFC News January 28 2015

Jan 292015
 

Local food-related events

New Community Market stall, Eltham Farmers’ Market

Just a reminder that the first community stall at Eltham Farmers’ Market will be on 8th February. Come along and support your fellow home growers! And there is still time for you to sell your stuff there – contact Guy Palmer (guy.palmer1@gmail.com; 0416 203067; 9444 1400).

Event at Buna Community Garden

Saturday Feb 14, 10.00am-12.30pm. Buna Community Garden, Boyd Crescent, West Heidelberg.

Free event. Booking is essential.

All you need to know to establish and maintain a garden that needs minimal water to survive and thrive, even in a cruel Melbourne Summer.

Presentations by champion local gardeners will help you understand: your site; the Banyule climate; gardening to mimic nature; soil types and testing; and food production and indigenous plants side by side.

Exploree the Buna Community Garden, take home a free seedling or two, chat to other locals about their gardening successes and disasters, drink morning tea, and eat biscuits.

Autumn Harvest Festival at BAAG

Saturday 7th to Sunday 15th March. See www.baag.com.au/baag-autumn-harvest-festival.

Blueberries

From Cathrine King: “Hello everyone. It’s fresh berry time again. Currently I am selling fresh blueberries in 1kg lots to people living in Nillumbik. The blueberries are grown in Pheasant Creek between Kinglake West and Kinglake. From February I will also be supplying this season’s farmed blackberries.

“The berries cost $18 a kilo, which is still a significant saving compared with the supermarket prices. Better still they are grown locally, so you can be assured that they are fresh and represent low food miles. For orders of 10kg or more, I will arrange delivery to the Eltham area. For smaller quantities, you will need to pick up from Hurstbridge.

“If you wish to arrange an order, you will need to email Cathrine King on c.king67@bigpond.com or text 0488 384844.”

Cooking courses

Are you interested in cooking with tomatoes, zucchini flowers or other summer veggies? If so, you may like to enrol in an Italian Cooking Course at Panton Hill Living and Learning Centre.

pancakesHoliday breakfast

A local Eltham family made spelt pancakes this weekend with Donvale peaches and Gippsland yoghurt. Looks delicious!

LFC News January 21 2015

Jan 222015
 

Local food-related events

New Community Market stall, Eltham Farmers’ Market

We are still looking for home growers to sell their surplus produce on the new community market stall at the Eltham Farmers’ Markets on 8th February, 8th March and 12th April. If you have too much surplus produce to swap at a food swap but not enough to sell through commercial channels, the stall offers you a great opportunity for selling fruit, vegetables or herbs which might otherwise be wasted. See www.localfoodconnect.org.au/elthamfm/community-market-stall/ for further details. If you are interested, please contact Guy Palmer (guy.palmer1@gmail.com; 0416 203067; 9444 1400).

Veggie patch available

Someone in Lower Plenty no longer maintains their 15 metre by 15 metre veggie patch and is offering its use to others.  In return, they would like their other veggie patch watered when they are on holiday. If interested, please contact Guy Palmer (guy.palmer1@gmail.com; 0416 203067; 9444 1400).

Harvest Month

Over the last few years, we have encouraged community groups to add a harvest theme to their March meetings. We do so again this year and events have begun to be added to the Harvest Month Calendar. If you would like your event advertised, please contact Robyn at info@localfoodconnect.org.au.

Would anyone like to host a viewing of the film Fair Food, a documentary about producers, businesses and communities that recognise Australia’s food system needs help? A collaboration between the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance (AFSA) and food publishers and facilitators The Field Institute, Fair Food documents the people pioneering new approaches to food production and distribution.

BAAG nursery has an Autumn Harvest Festival during the week of March 7-15 with many free activities.

The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is on 27 Feb to 15 March and has many workshops, talks and eating opportunities for those of you who like to travel into the city.

fitzroyLocal film on urban gardens

See a short film on the use of planter boxes in inner city Melbourne and their interaction with food swaps. Plus the harvesting of some weeds.

Other food activities/information

Agriculture in government

Agriculture is now one of 10 portfolios in the new Victorian Government’s Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources with Minister Jaala Pulford. Are food decisions going to get lost in the maze of bureaucracy?

LFC News January 14 2015

Jan 142015
 

Local food-related events

Community market stall at Eltham Farmers’ Market

fruitLocal Food Connect is setting up a ‘community market stall’ at the Eltham Farmers’ Market on the 2nd Sunday of each month. The stall will allow people to sell their surplus produce on an occasional basis. In other words, if you have too much surplus produce to swap at a food swap but not enough to sell through commercial channels, the community market stall offers you a great opportunity for selling fruit, vegetables or herbs which might otherwise be wasted.

Initially, we are looking for growers who will sell their produce at the markets on 8th February, 8th March and 12th April. At each of these markets, there will be up to 3 growers sharing the stall. No cost is involved for you. On the contrary, it will give you the opportunity to make money from your produce and recoup some of the costs in keeping your garden going. You don’t need a permit either, but for permit and insurance reasons you will need to join Local Food Connect (cost of $10 per year).

If all goes well, the stall will then become a permanent feature of the market.

If you are interested in selling your surplus produce on any of the three market dates, please contact Guy Palmer (guy.palmer1@gmail.com; 0416 203067; 9444 1400) or come and have a chat with us at the Local Food Connect Information Stand at Eltham Farmers’ Market on 25th January.

Home Harvest Feast March 15

This is a community meal run to celebrate home grown food by growers living in Nillumbik and Banyule Council areas. Although it is a money-free entry event, each grower is required to donate some fruit or vegetables from their garden. Local volunteer chefs and cooks will then use the produce to make a tasty, seasonal and locally sourced feast.

Courses at Edendale Farm

Setting up a worm farm, improving your soil and keeping bees are some of the courses at Edendale in Eltham over the next month. Check the website here.