LFC News July 6 2022

Jul 062022
 

Thanks to the people who have contributed to this week’s newsletter: Angela Harridge, Angelo Eliades, Angharad Neal-Williams, Ann Stanley, Anne Jaques, Felicity Gordon, Gavin Shaw, Julia Laidlaw, Raffaela Ceddia and Wayne Tonissen.

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.

Courtesy of Anne Jaques, this newsletter now has a new byline: “The jokes are chortlingly good!”

Spurrell Foraging – cooking with foraged food

Our intrepid interviewer, Ann Stanley, recently went to Warrandyte South to interview Liam Spurrell and others from Spurrell Foraging. Read her full interview writeup.

Spurrell Foraging supply around 1,200 takeaway containers of foraged ingredients to restaurants every week and, on the day of visiting, they were in the process of foraging for the 2,000 nasturtium leaves that at a customer wanted. Plants are picked before dawn, packaged and delivered fresh on the day. About 40% of the food Spurrell Foraging supplies is foraged and the rest is grown either from the family farm at Silvan or at the one acre in Warrandyte South that they work.

  

As the soil in Warrandyte South is poor, the land is used strategically.

On dry rocky parts at the top of the hill, they grow saltbush and Geraldton wax, which Liam describes as “like juniper and lime”.

Nearby on this high and dry section of the growing area, the delicious turnipy-flavoured Japanese shungiku is growing profusely “where it landed”.

There is also a plant that Liam calls ‘carrot herb’. (Liam says that chefs, who are often putting in orders late at night, want the simplest names). It is also called Lebanese cress.

Further along is the mountain marigold, which Liam says many people have in their gardens. Indigenous to Peru, it has a strong passionfruit smell and, as the leaves are high in oil, they are valued by chefs because they can take higher temperatures than vegetables that are water-based.

An Illawarra plum is being grown to test for viability, but it is growing very slowly in the Warrandyte soil and needs a warmer climate to be commercially useful for Liam’s business. Another plant growing slowly is the Chilean guava.

The strongly flavoured olive herb is next. Related to rosemary, it is also known as holy flax or santolina.

There are also the popular Australian myrtles, such as the lemon, aniseed and cinnamon species, and greens, such as mizuna, which Liam says taste much better when picked fresh rather than grown hydroponically (as they often are).

There is a large crop of cape gooseberries ripening on the ground and a greenhouse full of cold-hating begonias, whose edible leaves are apparently popular with chefs.

Read Ann’s full interview writeup.

A new gin maker – Hillmartin Distillery

Hillmartin Distillery is a small family owned operation, headed up by father daughter duo Gavin and Amy Shaw, and based in Plenty. They combine art and science to produce a range of gins for those with a taste for the sweet and fruity through to those who like something that is dry. And, of course, everything in between. You can buy their gin online, at Eltham Farmers’ Market, at Nillumbik Cellars in Diamond Creek or at Abruzzo Lab in Epping, Bar Ciconne in Macleod, Craft & Vine in Montmorency, Diamond Creek Hotel Bottle Shop, Panton Hill Hotel and The Black Sheep Hawthorn, Bar and Bottle Shop.

Read their page in our Local Food and Drink Directory.

Welcome Gavin and Amy!

Yes, you did know!

Last week, Jan Connor asked what was wrong with her cumquats. Angelo Eliades has responded: “That cumquat problem is clearly a sign of nutrient imbalance/deficiency. More specifically, it is excess nitrogen combined with low phosphorus, which will cause citrus fruit to be misshapen, with thick peel, a coarse and roughly textured rind, coarse pulpy flesh without much juice, and an open centre. The juice will also be more acid in these fruit. Read my article about these problems.”

Want some free mushroom mulch?

Julia Laidlaw from Sporadical City Mushrooms in Alphington has the following offer for newsletter readers: you can have mycelium mulch (minimum 10 buckets) for free in exchange for emptying and rinsing out the 20 litre buckets that were used for growing the mushrooms (so that they can be used again). She will also give you a bit of a tour of the mushroom farm if you want and/or you can buy some freshly picked oyster mushrooms.

Here is the background. Sporadical City Mushrooms is a (towards) zero waste urban mushroom farm growing oyster mushrooms for local restaurants and markets. The byproduct of their mushroom production is large amounts of certified organic wheat straw covered in living mycelium. This mycelium mulch is good for building the microbiology and organic matter in soils, as well as for controlling nematodes. It has a neutral pH and can be applied directly to your garden or compost (or as a treat for your chickens). They are keen to share this resource with other gardeners.

If this offer is of interest to you, email Julia to organise a date.

Want some citrus fruit?

Wayne Tonissen, from Weeping Grevillea Nursery in Kangaroo Ground has written in to say that they currently have lots of tangelos, blood oranges, blood limes (like finger limes) for sale as well as different forms of lemons and limes, all at an unchanged price of $4 per bag. Available 24/7 on the corner of Bartletts Lane and Kangaroo Ground – St Andrews Road on an honesty box arrangement.

They also sell a variety of citrus trees in their nursery. Plus they currently have a wide variety of weeping grevilleas available, which are groundcover or prostrate grevilleas grafted onto a Grevillea robusta rootstock, and which therefore grow downwards rather than upwards. If you visit, they can both show you what is for sale and how they will look when mature.

NERP at Eltham Farmers’ Market on 10th July

North East Region Permaculture (NERP) will be having a stall at Eltham Farmers’ Market this coming Sunday (11th July). The theme will be starting your summer crops (tomatoes, capsicums, chillies, eggplants, etc) indoors to give them a head start. They will be giving some seeds away.

NERP is a group of people from Nillumbik and surrounds working to create positive change for individuals, communities and the environment.
Join them to learn practical skills for saving money and resources, work with like minded people on local projects, and live a more resilient and self-sufficient lifestyle. Find out more on their website or their Facebook group.

You can join them for free at either their Eltham Farmers’ Market stall or bysending them an email.

Two more councils go FOGO

From 1st July, Banyule and Whitehorse councils will support a Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) waste collection service, which effectively means that households can now place all food waste in their green bin. They join Boroondara, Darebin, Moreland, Nillumbik and Whittlesea councils, all of whom already have such a service. Manningham and Maroondah have both announced that they will be introducing FOGO in 2023. As far as I can make out, neither City of Yarra nor Yarra Ranges have yet announced any timeframes.

Yet more on medlars

I went to Warrandyte Food Swap on Saturday with a view to seeing and tasting their medlars. They were much smaller than I had assumed, about the thickness of one of my fingers. Both the texture and the taste were more like a paste than a fruit, a bit like a poor person’s quince paste with less sugar.

Both food related and interesting – art exhibition for environmental sustainability

Last week, I wrote about an upcoming art exhibition for environmental sustainability under a heading of ‘not food related but interesting’. One of the artists, Felicity Gordon, has now written in to point out that the exhibition is actually food related: “I have set up a wicking bed garden in the gallery space and I’m keen to see how the food plants respond. I have included some of my ‘compost house’ and new drawings.” The exhibition will run from 1st to 24th July at The Loft 275 Gallery, Ivanhoe Library & Cultural Hub, 275 Upper Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe. The opening night is Friday, 8th July, 5-7pm, at which you will receive a food plant seedling to take home.

Podcast of the week

Foodies in the Field is a monthly podcast by Australian public health nutritionists, dietitians and others.

Newsletter reader of the week – Angharad Neal-Williams

I happened to come across Angharad’s website the other day and thought that some of you might be interested in looking at it. Then I thought to myself, there are probably lots of newsletter readers who are doing something interesting – how about we start a ‘newsletter reader of the week’ section in this newsletter? So, if you are doing something interesting or, even better, have a website, send me an email and I will include you in a future newsletter.

Our inaugural newsletter reader of the week is Angharad Neal-Williams. Angharad is an Illustrator and Graphic Recorder whose work covers a wide range of subjects. She “likes to work with environmentally friendly and ethically conscious clients.” The illustration right is a map of Kangaroo Ground. See her website. Watch her being interviewed.

Another new article from Angelo Eliades

Why are my tomatoes cracking and splitting?.

Read more food-growing articles by Angelo.

Not food related but interesting – Boroondara weed swap program

Boroondara residents can now simply email Boroondara Council with a photo of some environmental weeds that they are planning to remove and the Council will send them a voucher for 10 indigenous tubestock replacement plants.

In this context, if anyone wants any photos of oxalis then I can supply!

Which link was clicked most times in the last newsletter?

The most popular link in the last newsletter was Robin’s article about how to grow lettuce and other salad greens.

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

Roses are red,
I wish I was in bed,
I suck at poetry,
Coffee.

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

Inner North plus Gospel Whiskey; Thursday, 21st July, 7-10pm; $5; Brunswick.

Their experts will take you through some whiskey and beer pairings.

Learn Winter fruit tree pruning; Saturday, 6th August, 10am-12.30pm; $25 ($10 per hour); Forest Hill.

Learn all the ins & outs and cuts & trims that produce healthy, bountiful backyard fruit trees. Learn about the best times of the year to prune and how to use the different types of pruning tools. Presenter: Scott Hitchins.

Crop rotation and companion planting; Saturday, 6th August, 11am-midday; free; Watsonia.

Go along and find out what companion planting is and how it can help you to have a more productive and healthy garden. Kathleen Tants will explain how you can make your own crop rotation system work in your backyard. Organised by Watsonia Library.

Introduction to meadmaking (three sessions); Saturdays 6th August, 3rd September and 24th September, all 10am-midday; $50; Eltham.

The cost of $50 includes membership of the guild until July 2023. You will also need to pay for the cost of your ingredients and utensils (expected to total around $80). Mead is the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage and uses honey as the primary fermentable sugar.  This course will explore how to brew modern meads. Over the 3 sessions, you will be guided through the process and make your first mead. More specifically, the first session will cover learning about mead, the second, monitoring the ferment and potential problems, and the third, racking, tasting, finalising and bottling.

Preparing for a summer veggie crop; Saturday, 27th August, 9-10.30am and then again at 11.30am; free; Camberwell.

Teresa Day, from Sustainable Gardening Australia, will help you prepare your garden for a thriving summer produce crop. You will receive practical tips and advice on soil preparation, seasonal plant selection, seeds and seedlings, sustainable pest control, and garden maintenance.

Australian plants expo; Saturday, 27th August and Sunday, 28th August, both 10am-4pm; $5; Eltham.

Organised by the Australian Plants Society – Yarra Yarra. Sales of native & indigenous plants, books on related subjects, native flower displays, environmental displays, talks, demonstrations, workshops, giftware and refreshments. The plant sellers are likely to include APS Yarra Yarra growers, Friends of Melton Botanic Gardens nursery, Goldfields Revegetation nursery, La Trobe Wildlife Sanctuary nursery, Natural Plantscape nursery, Sunvalley Plants Nursery and Vaughan’s Australian Plants.

In July

In August

New and updated regular events

Gin making masterclass; most Saturdays, 10am-1pm; $175 ($58 per hour); Nunawading.

Organised by Puss & Mew gin distillery. First, they will take you through the history of gin. Then, they will discuss the science and process of fermentation and distillation. Then, they will show you their still. Then, you will choose your botanicals and place them into the still to create your own spirit. Whilst waiting for this to happen, you will be given a tour of the distillery, followed by a tasting session of the Puss & Mew range of gins, followed by lunch.

Carlton aperitvio food tour; various Fridays, 5-7pm; $89 ($45 per hour); Carlton.

They have added some extra dates. You will indulge in the Italian ‘Aperitivo’ tradition. What exactly is Aperitivo, what can you expect to eat and drink, how did it begin, how did it make its way to Melbourne? You will learn all this and more while sipping on Italian cocktails, prosecco and wines and tasting arancini, cicchetti, pizza, pasta, gelato, salumi and cheese. Walking along Lygon Street, you will visit some foodie venues, meeting the people behind the food. 5 food & drink stops, 11 food tastings and 2.5 standard drinks.

Flavours of Coburg food tour; various Saturdays, 10am-1pm; $49 ($16 per hour); Coburg.

They have added some extra dates. You will experience the cultural delights of 6 different countries over 8 food stops. With a mixture of sweet and savoury tastings, you will soon discover that Coburg is an ideal foodie destination for anyone who’s tired of the ‘standard’ menu items you find in most modern cafes. Each foodie stop brings its own ‘personal touch’ with business owners proud of their cultural heritage, reflected in the food they prepare, the way they serve it and the way they interact with their customers. You will also pop into a Middle-Eastern gold jewellery shop to learn the cultural significance of various pieces, learn some local history and the best local foodie tips. 8 food stops and 13 tastings.

Regular events

Upcoming face-to-face events – cooking

Cultural cooking – Indian breads; Saturday, 6th August, 11am-1pm; $50 ($25 per hour); Alphington.

Manu will show you how to make Indian breads.

Make low waste comfort food; Saturday, 27th August, 10am-12.30pm; $30 ($12 per hour); Forest Hill.

Watch Scott Hitchins demonstrate the techniques to create winter warmers using every bit of what you grow or buy. The focus of this session is using veggies from the garden and an overview for slow style cooking that you can try at home.

Gnocchi making class; Saturday, 27th August, 10am-1pm; $125 ($42 per hour); Thomastown.

What you will learn: how to make fluffy potato gnocchi with a four cheese sauce; and how to make easy ricotta gnocchi with a cavolo nero pesto. What you will get: Italian style lunch and drinks; and That’s Amore apron to take home. Organised by That’s Amore Cheese.

Veggies in desserts; Sunday, 28th August, 10am-3pm; $115 ($23 per hour); CERES.

What you will learn: foods which make your brain brighter; how to incorporate brain powering foods easily into your daily diet; and foods that can build and protect your gut microbiome and clear brain fog. Presenter: Melanie Leeson, from Mettle + Grace. The menu includes: chocolate kidney bean slice; spiced pumpkin donuts; rich chocolate beetroot truffles; lime + spinach cake; strawberry + cauliflower cheesecake; and sweet veggie mousse.

Indian cooking – Punjabi (two sessions); Wednesday, 31st August and Wednesday, 7th September, both 6.30-8.30pm; $110 ($55 per hour); Hurstbridge.

Tutor: Taariq Hassan. Learn how to cook a healthy North West Indian vegetarian meal from scratch using authentic ingredients. Organised by Living & Learning Nillumbik.

In July

In August

Regular classes

 Leave a Reply

(required)

(required)