LFC News May 4 2022

May 052022
 

Thanks to the people who have contributed to this week’s newsletter: Ben Wrigley, Lee Hirsh, Liz Cronin and Marina Bistrin.

A video about Warrandyte Food Swap

Warrandyte Food Swap is on this coming Saturday (7th May), 9-10am, at Warrandyte Community Garden in Police Street. To celebrate the occasion, they have produced this one minute video. Well done, Liz Cronin!

Your local repair cafes

Repair cafes are places where you go to get things fixed, mended or connected for free. The items usually brought in are small electrical goods, bikes, clothing, small furniture or homewares. Tables are set up with the fixer on one side and the customer (e.g. you) on the other. You are invited to watch, learn and talk with the person fixing your item. Read more.

Ben Wrigley has written is to say that he is starting a repair cafe in Montmorency. It will be on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of each month, 5-7pm, at Monty Hub, Mountain View Road. The first event will be on Friday, 6th May. Ben says “bring to mend & heal your broken tools, broken furniture and threadbare clothes but please no electrical items.”

Repair cafes are clearly becoming ‘a thing’ and I have discussed those in Greensborough and Hurstbridge in previous, recent newsletters. I have now gone through the discipline of searching for all the local repair cafes and details of the resulting 7 cafes can be found as a map on our website. The 7 repair cafes are Darebin (in Thornbury), Greensborough, Montmorency, Nillumbik (in Hurstbridge), North Balwyn, Ringwood and Warrandyte. Each repair cafe typically happens once a month, with some having a regular schedule and others not. For some, you just turn up, whilst you need to book a slot at others.

If you know of any other local repair cafes, please email me and I’ll add them to the map.

A history of the Dunstan Reserve Food Forest in West Brunswick

The Dunstan Reserve Food Forest in West Brunswick is around 30 years old. In recognition of this, Moreland Community Gardens have written a history of the food forest.

NERP at Eltham Farmers’ Market on 8th May

North East Region Permaculture will be having a stall at Eltham Farmers’ Market this coming Sunday (8th May). The theme will be backyard bee keeping and they will be showing some hives, suits and beekeeping equipment as well as offering some information and encouraging the planting of bee-friendly plants – both for pollen and for nectar. It being Mother’s Day, they will also have some bee-related gifts such as beeswax wraps, and lavender & hops relaxation sachets.

Photos of vegetables which look like humans

Lee Hirsh suggests that you have a look at this Facebook post, which is photos of around 20 vegetables and flowers that arguably look like humans.

Here is another Facebook post with photos on a similar theme.

The Gravel Hill Community Garden in Bendigo

Marina Bistrin recently visited the Gravel Hill Community Garden in Bendigo and has written an article about her visit for our website. Here are some of the points that she discusses.

Their beds were too wide so the coordinator of the garden, Mohammed Khalaf, created shallow trench down the middle of the beds, so the trench would collect moisture and you could walk there to harvest vegetables efficiently.

They deal with the masses of invasive runner grasses and weeds by composting them in the pathways between the beds. Mohammed lays them down, waters them in and covers them with long rolls of carpet.

A melon tunnel has been put together from wide plastic piping making the arches and wooden stakes tied with baling twine to make the sides and connect the arches to make a structure.

Some unusual vegetables are grown in the garden that the local Karen and South Sudanese community like, such as okra, purslane, snake beans, a related non-climbing type of snake bean (that produces an abundance of short pods the size of ordinary beans but skinnier), water spinach (kang kong), hot tiny chillies, and a hairy melon grown over the tunnel. They also have lots of ‘ordinary’ vegetables and a number of fruit trees.

Read the full article.

World Naked Gardening Day

World Naked Gardening Day is on this coming Saturday (7th May). As per the picture right, did you know that if you do your gardening naked then your neighbours will put up a privacy fence at no cost to you?

International Compost Awareness Week

International Compost Awareness Week is this current week (1st-7th May). To celebrate, Darebin Council is providing free compost to all of its local community gardens. If your community garden is in Darebin and wants some of the compost, simply email them.

The Global Food Security Index

I recently came across something called the Global Food Security Index, which is where a bunch of academics rate every country in the world on a variety of factors associated with food security.

Of the 113 countries in the world, where do you think they rank Australia? See their country rankings.

The answer is 32nd. The top rated country is Ireland. New Zealand is 16th.

Which link was clicked most times in the last newsletter?

The most popular link in the last newsletter was Helen’s article about how to grow garlic.

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

A vegan said to a non-vegan, “people who sell meat are gross,” to which the non-vegan replied, “people who sell fruits and vegetables are grocer.”

Read more jokes.

Regular activities over the coming week

Farmers’ markets
Food swaps
Community gardens

Upcoming face-to-face events – not cooking

Composting workshop; Saturday, 7th May, 11am-midday; $15; Macleod.

Terry will demonstrate how to build and maintain a hot compost heap in the open bays of the community garden.

Wine tasting and history tour; Saturday, 14th May, 1-4pm; $50 ($17 per hour); Coburg.

Pentridge Cellars, in partnership with Handpicked Wines, invites you to a wine tasting in the historic Pentridge Prison. Step back in time as you descend the stairs of D Division of Pentridge, ensconced by holding cells as you sample some of the finest Australian wines. Discover more about the prison from Vaughan Ruddick, a former prison warden of Pentridge.

Olive festival; Friday, 20th May, 11am-2pm; free; Coburg.

Celebrate the olive season and the cultural significance of the olive to so many people living in our community. There will be presenters, cooking demonstrations, food samples and live music. A free lunch will be served at 12.30pm.

Puss and Mew gin tasting, grazing platter and networking evening; Friday, 20th May, 7-10pm; $55 ($18 per hour); Nunawading.

For women only. Enjoy a social evening that includes the tasting of 4 core range gins, grazing platter and networking.

Beekeeping workshop; Saturday, 28th May, 1-3.30pm; $85 ($34 per hour); Brunswick East.

What you will learn: bee behaviour; the various major items that make up a bee hive and how to construct them; and the major tasks in hive management. What you will get: a wooden beehive frame that will have beeswax foundation inserted as part of the workshop. There will be live bees and honeycomb to look at in a secure exhibition cabinet and a discussion of bee behaviour and hive management.

In May
In June
Regular events

Upcoming face-to-face events – cooking

Passata making workshop and lunch; Monday, 9th May, 10am-3pm; free; Watsonia.

Learn how to process tomatoes, sterilise jars/bottles and seal them to create the finished product. Then celebrate together over a pasta lunch. Please bring along some glass jars with lids (if you have some) and wear clothes you don’t mind getting tomato sauce on.

Cheese making; Saturday, 28th May, 10am-3pm; $100 ($20 per hour); Yarra Glen.

Tina van Kooten will discuss quick and easy feta plus microwave mozzarella. A light lunch will be provided with some homemade cheeses, and you will take your cheeses home to enjoy. BYO apron, rubber gloves and container with draining mat.

Ladies in the kitchen; Thursday, 2nd June, 9.30am-midday; $32 ($13 per hour); Yarra Glen.

Jill Bowen Hess will discuss warm hearty soups with tasty savoury additions. Also, something sweet to complete the meal.

Gnocchi making masterclass; Sunday, 5th June, 11am-1.30pm; $106 ($42 per hour); Northcote.

Edoardo Nicita, from Shop 225, will show you have to make and shape gnocchi dough plus two accompanying sauces. At the end, you will eat the creations with your new found foodie friends!

Men in the kitchen; Monday, 6th June, 6.30-9pm; $32 ($13 per hour); Yarra Glen.

Jill Bowen Hess will discuss will discuss warm hearty soups with tasty savoury additions.

One pot wonders of the World – Malaysian curry laksa from scratch; Friday, 17th June, 5-10pm; $85 ($17 per hour); Panton Hill.

Presenter: Kelly Meredith from Under The Pickle Tree. This class will focus on creating a curry laksa from scratch, with a three stage process of making a stock, flavouring that stock then adding the coconut and layers of ingredients to create this aromatic and sensory soup.

Beginners cheese making class; Saturday, 18th June, 10am-3pm; $200 ($40 per hour); Thomastown.

What you will learn: how to make hand-stretched fresh mozzarella and create bocconcini; how to make primo sale; and how to make fresh ricotta. What you will get: Italian style lunch; and primo sale and freshly made mozzarella to take home.

Cannoli making cooking class; Sunday, 19th June, 11am-1.30pm; $106 ($42 per hour); Northcote.

Edoardo Nicita, from Shop 225, will show you how make cannoli pastry from scratch, including how to roll it out, shape it and fill it. Once you have created your masterpieces, you will then plate and devour your creations with your new found foodie friends!

Sri Lankan street food experience; Sunday, 26th June, 2-4.30pm; $99 ($40 per hour); Fitzroy.

MasterChef Contestant Dee Williams will take you through her personal spice range which you will be encouraged to smell, touch and taste. These include a Roasted Chilli Powder, Sri Lankan Unroasted Curry Powder, Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Powder and Sri Lankan Dark Roasted Curry Powder. She will then show you how to make roti bread from scratch, a Spicy Coconut Sambal and a Sri Lankan Dhal. Once you have created your masterpieces, you will then plate and devour your creations with your new found foodie friends!

Pickling and fermentation workshop; Thursday, 30th June, 6.30-8.30pm; free; Watsonia.

Lauren will teach you how to pickle and ferment. The session will include making sauerkraut, pickled cucumbers and a fermented drink. You will need to bring along: 2 medium jars; one 750ml glass bottle or jar; a small chopping board; and a vegetable knife.

Mozzarella making class; Saturday, 2nd July, 10am-midday; $120 ($60 per hour); Thomastown.

What you will learn: the process behind producing curd; how to make hand-stretched fresh mozzarella; and how to shape mozzarella into bocconcini and trecce. What you will get: guided cheese tasting with a glass of wine; and freshly made mozzarella to take home.

Authentic Mexican; Saturday, 2nd July, 10am-3pm; $115 ($23 per hour); CERES.

What you will learn: Mexican cuisine; improve your culinary skills; and work with seasonal ingredients. Presenter: Matt Baker from Whe-Eat. Menu: blackened chicken thighs with quinoa; Mexican corn on the cob; Mexican white bait fritters tortillas with salsa crude; cactus and tomatillos salsa; crispy pulled pork carnitas; and dark chocolate mole.

In May
In June
Regular classes

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