LFC News August 17 2022

Aug 172022
 

Thanks to the people who have contributed to this week’s newsletter: Amy Fabry-Jenkins, Betty Chetcuti, Bev Middleton, Bron Elmore, Marina Bistrin, Shani Shafrir and Simone Boyd.

If you are Gmail user and didn’t successfully receive our newsletter last week, read this short guide on how to stop Google’s blocking of our future newsletters.

The more people who contribute material, the better this newsletter. If you have any interesting news, tips, photos or questions, email them to us.

Bev’s soil fun fact of the week

[Bev Middleton lives in Macleod and is from Soil Week Australia.]

Healthy soils help protect the planet from climate change. According to Columbia University’s Earth Institute, “soils remove about 25% of the world’s fossil fuel emissions each year.” There is also the potential to remove more CO2 by changing agricultural practices to build healthy soil that stores carbon deep down in the soil.

Yes, you did know (sort of)!

Last week, Jo Buckle asked whether the alkalinity of her compost is a problem and how to handle the stickiness of her composted coffee. Marina Bistrin has responded.

Re the alkalinity of compost: “It is surprising that some compost is so alkaline; however, once spread and mixed with other soil, that may all even out (same with acidic compost).”

Re the stickiness of composted coffee: “I use a well mixed layer of coffee grounds, coffee husks, sawdust and sand throughout my compost. I have occasional batches of aged compost that are sticky and mostly worm castings. I think mixing in mulched garden material as a layer may give it some bulk and air in the finished product. Also, if it is too sticky, what about mixing with water and using it as a liquid fertiliser?”

Want to get involved at Regent Community Garden (Reservoir)?

Regent Community Garden are looking for more people to get involved in their governance, garden maintenance, event planning, promotion and community engagement. An AGM will be held soon and a new committee formed. Email them for more information.

Farm Raiser’s veggie boxes are back

Farm Raiser is an urban farm based in Bellfield. From 15th September to 22nd December, they will be selling weekly veggie boxes. $50 per week or $700 for all 15 boxes. They grow 50% of the veggies themselves and source the other 50% from local organic or biodynamic farms around Melbourne.

Frost at Oakhill Farm

Shani Shafrir has sent in this photo of the frost from last week on the farm’s veggies. As Shani says, “some of our plants really suffer from these frosts while others do well and look pretty doing so.”

Vale Dan Palmer

Dan Palmer, founder of Permablitz and director of Very Edible Gardens (VEG), recently died at the age of 48. you can find a number of obituaries on the internet – here is one from CERES Fair Food.

Another new video from Simone Boyd

What type of soil mix should I sow my seeds into?

Every newsletter needs a good photo

Dutch breakfast with cheese, bread, nuts and fruit, served on a fine white linen napkin protecting the red tablecloth. Painted by Floris van Dyck in 1610.

How do you stop a cockatoo from attacking your property?

The NSW Government has the following suggestions:

  • Don’t feed them.
  • Make a scarecrow that looks like a bird of prey.
  • String fishing line over the area – this makes it hard for them to land.
  • Paint any timber white – they do not like it.
  • Give them a quick spray with a water bottle or hose.
  • Hang netting over the affected area.
  • Use taped alarm calls or a motion-activated alarm.

Newsletter reader website of the week – Bron Elmore

Bron is a fine art painter based in Warrandyte. She works primarily in oil and acrylic media but also enjoys experimenting with limited edition relief printmaking.

See Bron’s website.

Bron is currently having an exhibition of original paintings at Now and Not Yet Gallery, Now and Not Yet Cafe, 148-150 Yarra Street, Warrandyte. The exhibition is called bird+bloom and runs right through August and September. The Now and Not Yet Cafe is a not for profit social enterprise cafe.

Do you have a website that might be of interest to some of our readership? If so, send me an email and I will include you in a future newsletter.

Vegetable minestrone soup (by Betty Chetcuti)

[Betty Chetcuti, from Hawthorn East, has recently published a book entitled My vegan cookbook – nurture, nourish, heal. This is one of the recipes from that book.]

Serves: 8. Preparation: 15 minutes. Cooking: 40 minutes.

Ingredients

1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup lentils or beans of choice
1 carrot, diced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 zucchini, diced
2 cups cauliflower, diced
1 cup cabbage, diced
1 small turnip, diced
1 cup pumpkin, diced
1 large potato, diced
2 litres water or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon cracked pepper
½ cup small pasta or rice

Method

Saute the onion and garlic in oil for 2 minutes.

Add and saute the lentils/beans, carrot, celery, zucchini, cauliflower, cabbage, turnip, pumpkin and potato for another 7 minutes.

Add the water/vegetable stock and the tomato paste and simmer on low-medium heat for 25 minutes in a covered pot until the vegetables are cooked through.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the pasta/rice and simmer for 10 minutes until cooked.

Serve with bread.

Which link was clicked most times in the last newsletter?

The most popular link in the last newsletter was Marjory Gardner’s website.

b33e661f-c100-4ebe-9ffa-847952e0da4e.jpgJoke (or pun) of the week

What does bread do after it’s done baking? Loaf around.

Read more jokes.

 

Regular activities over the coming week

Farmers’ markets
Food swaps
Community gardens

Upcoming face-to-face events – introduction

You can view various calendars on our website by type of event: All once-off events, Cooking, Everything else and Free.

You can also view various calendars on our website by Council area: Banyule, Boroondara, City of Yarra, Darebin, Manningham, Maroondah, Moreland, Nillumbik, Whitehorse, Whittlesea and Yarra Ranges.

Upcoming face-to-face events – not cooking

Grafting workshop; 3 occurrences, on Friday 19th August 9.30am-12.30pm, Friday 19th August 1-4pm and Sunday 21st August 1-4pm; free; Fairfield.

John Pinniger of the Heritage Fruits Society will run a hands-on grafting class for those who would like to improve their skills – or learn the basics. By the end, you will know when to graft and what to graft, and see examples of grafts. Take a sharp knife if you have one. There is no cost, but the third hour of the three-hour session will be assistance with the grafting of Heritage Fruits Society’s trees, including potting, labelling, etc.

Mushroom foraging; Wednesday, 31st August, 6.30-8.30pm; $85 ($43 per hour); Collingwood.

You will learn what spores are exactly and what their prints mean before moving on to tools and techniques for efficient and environmentally-conscious mushroom hunting and correct foraging etiquette. Then you will learn how to identify wild mushrooms, the common species that you’re likely to come across, which edible mushrooms you can use in cooking, and medicinal species, as well as hallucinogenic species and the downright dangerous. Finally, you will learn about ways to cook mushrooms, preservation techniques and tincture preparation, before ending with a tasting of some wild mushrooms.

Beginners workshop in composting, worm farms and Bokashi bins; Saturday, 3rd September, 10.30am-midday; free; Forest Hill.

Learn how to get all these compost systems (composting, worm farms and Bokashi bins) up and running and at the same time turn your waste into a resource for your garden. More specifically, you will look at: cold composting techniques; how to run a successful worm farm; why run multiple composting systems; and how to compost and increase soil biodiversity with your Bokashi bin.

Salami day at the Preston Market; Wednesday, 7th September, 8am-3pm; free; Preston.

Preston Market’s delicatessens are coming together to celebrate National Salami Day. There will be both tastings and special offers, and there will even be some vegan options. The tastings will include hot and mild csabai (Slavonija Deli – C234, C235) and vegan salami (Super Raw – N13).

Oakhill Farm’s 1st birthday party; Saturday, 10th September, midday-3pm; gold coin donation; Preston.

Celebrate a whole year of creating an urban farm and community space on the site of a disused vicarage. 12pm: Learn about their primary school passata patch program with Farmer Shani. 12.15pm: Garden tour with Oakhill’s head farmer Jemma. 12.30pm: Learn about growing tropical plants in a temperate garden with urban farmer Clare Harvey. 1pm: Learn about growing berries with Angelo Eliades. 1.45pm: Hear about their paid internship program for young people experiencing barriers to study and employment. 2pm: Hear about fermentation from Sharon Flynn of ‘The Fermentary’. 2.30pm: Garden tour with Oakhill’s head farmer Jemma. 2.45pm: Hear about their paid internship program for young people experiencing barriers to study and employment.

Composting at home; Wednesday, 5th October, 10-11am; free; Croydon.

Learn how to set up, maintain and use a compost bin at home. All types of compost bins will be discussed, including the popular eco tumbler.

Worm farm workshop; Wednesday, 5th October, 11.15am-12.15pm; free; Croydon.

Learn how to set up, maintain and use a worm farm at home.

Digestion composting workshop; Wednesday, 5th October, 12.30-1.30pm; free; Croydon.

Digesters like bokashi buckets, pet poo composters and green cones are another way of composting. Learn how these systems can help reduce your food waste at home.

Growing Spring veggies; Saturday, 8th October, 9.30am-3pm; $85 ($15 per hour); Eltham.

Through a combination of theory, discussion and hands-on activity, you will: learn about the importance of preparing soil before planting; learn about soil testing, adding soil conditioners, amendments and fertilisers; learn how to grow and maintain spring and summer veggies, including protecting plants from pest and disease during the growing season; and create a seed/seed raising mix, sow seeds, prick out seedlings and plant or pot them up. Tutor: Melissa Houselander.

Edible weeds; Saturday, 8th October, 10am-midday; $50 ($25 per hour); CERES.

What you will learn: how to identify edible weeds; and how do use them in your everyday life. What you will get: detailed handouts; and samples in class of prepared edible weeds. Presenter: Lauren. Learn about seasonal edible weeds that thrive in Melbourne inner north, and gain knowledge about the plants’ culinary, medicinal and ecological uses.

Basic inoculation workshop; Saturday, 8th October, 10am-midday; $87 ($44 per hour); Alphington.

You will get a hands-on go at inoculating your own mushrooms. You will also be given a tour of the mushroom farm. Take a clean 2-10L bucket with a lid and some gloves. Organised by The Mushroomery.

In-depth mushroom cultivation workshop; Sunday, 9th October, 10am-4pm; $165 ($28 per hour); Alphington.

You will learn the growing methods for oyster mushrooms, including inoculation, sterilisation and be introduced to basic mycology. You will undertake practical sessions and learn how to start master cultures. You will also be given a tour of the mushroom farm. Take a clean 5-10L bucket with a lid and some gloves. Organised by The Mushroomery.

Getting started with organic veggie gardening; Tuesday, 11th October, 6.30-8.30pm; free; Doncaster.

This is one of a series of workshops during October and November which will teach you have to grow your own food.

In August
In September
In October
Regular events

Upcoming face-to-face events – cooking

Truffle and praline workshop; Saturday, 8th October, 6-10pm; $180 ($45 per hour); Blackburn

Learn how to create handmade chocolates from start to finish using your creative influences to make unique flavours and shapes. They will cover flavour combinations, ganache based flavours, nut pralines, enrobing methods and finishes. You will take home all you make in the workshop along with the recipes and an instruction booklet.

Sourdough basics; Wednesday, 12th October, 6.30-8pm; $120 ($80 per hour); Collingwood.

The Fermented Mumma will discuss ingredient selection, starter care, and the processes of sourdough fermentation and baking. At the end, you will take your fermenting dough home to bake in the morning.

In August
In September
In October
Regular classes
Kombucha brewing workshop; last Thursday of each month, 7-11pm; $54 ($14 per hour); Brunswick.

Learn how to brew your own kombucha. Plus, receive your own kombucha SCOBY starter kit to create your own brew.

Wild fermentation class and edible forest tour; 1st Saturday of each month, 10am-1pm; $85 ($28 per hour); Dixons Creek.

Louise Ward will lead you through the techniques of wild fermentation and the importance of incorporating good gut health into your diet. You will sample and learn how to make fermented foods such as pickling, exploring the art of fermenting your own vegetables, and how to easily introduce these and other fermented foods such as miso into your diet for better gut health. After the class, enjoy a guided tour of the Edible Forest. Please take 3 washed jars to take you made items home, 1 litre jars being ideal.

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