Join a vibrant food culture, growing and eating local
Covering all matters food across North East Melbourne
Whether you are a local food producer, want to eat local food, grow veggies in your garden or just want to meet like-minded folks, Local Food Connect is for you. Join now.
Eltham Farmers’ Market, a Local Food Connect initiative, is held every Sunday.
Many of the benefits of urban agriculture are distinct from the amount of food it produces – such as gains around human health and sustainability. Even if growing food in urban spaces were to produce a negligible contribution to gardeners diets, it would still justifiably be a beneficial pursuit and a policy driver. But for many policy makers and detractors there is that nagging question – how much food does urban agriculture really produce?
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations estimates that 800 million people worldwide are practising urban agriculture. In Australia, the Grow Your Own report asserted that around half of all Australian households grow some amount of their own food.
For all of its benefits, urban agriculture is often criticised for being inefficient in terms of energy and labour use compared with conventional agriculture. But some dedicated urban farmers have worked to interrogate this assertion by taking meticulous notes of their inputs and yields, including Angelo Eliades (from Preston) and Kat Lavers (from Northcote). Over in the UK, one man even set out to prove that his entirely concrete courtyard could provide significant yield. These are impressive statistics that, in my experience, are often surprising to policy makers.
The Victorian Eco Innovation Lab is currently trying to create an urban agriculture dataset. It would be great if you could participate in their survey.
Morgan Koegel is the General Manager at 3000acres. Read more of Morgan’s issues.
St Johns Riverside Community Garden, Heidelberg now have a composting teapot (see picture). How cool is that! Thanks to Heidelberg and East Ivanhoe Bendigo Bank for the grant.
Just a reminder that the first South Morang Farmers & Makers Market is on Saturday, 9am-1pm, Civic Centre Car Park, 25 Ferres Boulevard, South Morang.
Just a reminder that between 10.30am and 11am on Saturday at the Lygon Street Community Garden working bee at 119A Lygon Street in Brunswick, I will be giving away tickets for a tour of Ratio Cocoa Roasters chocolate factory in Brunswick. You receive the tickets and then choose whichever Wednesday or Sunday you want to do the tour.
I’ve also still got some tickets that can be picked up at Eltham Farmers’ Market. Email me to claim and arrange pick up.
A few weeks ago, I mentioned that Open Gardens Victoria had put together a nice page about 33 public gardens that you can visit in Victoria. Inspired by this, I decided that I would develop a map showing where these gardens all are. And I managed to find another 20 botanical gardens in the Government’s Directory of Australian Botanic Gardens. Plus I happen to know a few gardens that are very specky, which brings the total up to 60. View the resulting map and list of 60 gardens.
As a bonus, view a map and list of the 67 national parks in Victoria.
Sustainable Table is a Melbourne-based not-for-profit that “provides Australians with the tools and information to make ethical eating easy“. They have recently launched the Ripe for Change program which “offers community grants of up to $10,000, to improve our local food system and deliver health and sustainability outcomes for the population and environment“. This program is currently focused in Casey, Cardinia and the Mornington Peninsula.
Protecting Melbourne’s strategic agricultural land is a Victorian Government initiative, working with Agriculture Victoria and Deakin University’s Centre for Rural and Regional Futures, to better understand the suitability and capability of land across Victoria. Most of the areas for investigation are in rural Victoria, but two (Whittlesea and Kangaroo Ground) are in North East Melbourne. Initial consultations have taken place and further consultations are envisaged for later in the year.
The Vegetable Orchestra, from Vienna, play music using instruments made of fresh vegetables. Thanks for the heads up, Vicky Shukuroglou!
What: If you have been looking for ways to reduce your exposure to chemicals and toxins in your environment, this is the workshop for you. Sharda Sethi will demonstrate 10 easy-to-make, cleaning and personal care products using essential oils and a few basic ingredients. You will learn how easy and cost effective it is to make these products and how to stop using chemicals based products from shops. You will take home: all the recipes (e.g. perfumes, spray cleaners, room freshener, reed diffuser, hand sanitiser, and hand & body wash); information on where you can buy the ingredients; one roll on perfume of your choice; and vegan treats.
Cost: $19.
Bookings: EventBrite.
A three-way tie between the Organic Fix page in our Local Food Directory, the picture of edible flowers and the picture of male gardeners.
What did the bottle of water say to the spy? The name’s Bond … Hydrogen bond.
What: Go along and meet Four Pillars Gin Head Distiller, Cameron Mackenzie. There will be drink specials on the night and tasting of the 2019 vintage release. Free to attend, free to taste, and no bookings required.
Cost: free.
Bookings: just turn up.
What: Learn how to prepare and perfect the flavours of a variety of Spanish tapas, from the traditional to the modern.
Cost: $30.
Bookings: their website.
What: Learn to develop Spanish paella using traditional ingredients and equipment straight from the experts at this workshop. Get to know the history of Spain’s most iconic dish and its place in Spanish culture while you indulge your senses in its flavours and aroma.
Cost: $30.
Bookings: their website.
What: What you will learn: the process of bean to bar chocolate making; what makes fine couverture so special; and various flavour characteristics in single origin chocolates sourced from around the world. What you will get: 20 varieties of chocolate to taste and a box of your favourite chocolate to take home. You will taste chocolate made with cacao beans grown in countries such as Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Madagascar, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Vietnam and even Australia. You will look at the process of turning cocoa beans into chocolate.
Cost: $38.
Bookings: WeTeachMe.
What: They will show you food preservation, canning, and brine making. Save on food costs while adding new layers of flavour to your dishes with tips and tricks from this workshop.
Cost: $30.
Bookings: their website.
What: Learn how to make quick and easy puff pastry that you can recreate at home. Also learn how to transform your basic laminated dough into buttery and delicious twists, turnovers, tarts, and more.
Cost: $30.
Bookings: their website.
What: From lining the right pie dish to blind baking to making a lattice top, learn the skills you need to bake a perfectly cooked pie every time.
Cost: $30.
Bookings: their website.
What: Learn the fundamental canning techniques you need to master to make homemade jams, pastes, and jellies you can enjoy year-round.
Cost: $30.
Bookings: their website.
What: Enjoy 3 tasting size courses cooked by chef Bek McMillan, from Gourmet Living, who will demonstrate step by step. All recipes are included. Menu: tomato bruschetta; simple chicken cacciatore; and pear & raspberry tart.
Cost: $42.
Bookings: EventBrite.
What: Learn how to make quick and easy puff pastry that you can recreate at home. Also learn how to transform your basic laminated dough into buttery and delicious twists, turnovers, tarts, and more.
Cost: $30.
Bookings: their website.
What: Time to broaden your culinary expertise and meet pasta’s famous pillowy brother: gnocchi! They will show you how to make gnocchi at home through simple ingredients. From traditional potato to creamy ricotta and spinach, learn every nook and cranny that makes this classic Italian dish a favourite.
Cost: $30.
Bookings: their website.
What: They will show you how to make pasta dough by hand and turn it into a variety of pasta types. They may even throw in sauce-making secrets for good measure.
Cost: $30.
Bookings: their website.
What: From lining the right pie dish to blind baking to making a lattice top, learn the skills you need to bake a perfectly cooked pie every time.
Cost: $30.
Bookings: their website.
What: Sasha, from Mad Millie, will show you how to make halloumi and ricotta while teaching you how you can incorporate homemade cheeses into everyday cooking. Take home your own Mad Millie fresh cheese making kit valued at $65.
Cost: $90 (includes $65 cheese making kit).
Bookings: their website.
What: Learn to use homemade cheese to create a combination of mozzarella stuffed with creamy mascarpone as well as other delectable cheesy delights. Take home your own Mad Millie Italian cheese making kit valued at $40.
Cost: $60 (includes $40 cheese making kit).
Bookings: their website.
What: Learn how to prepare and perfect the flavours of a variety of Spanish tapas, from the traditional to the modern.
Cost: $30.
Bookings: their website.
What: They will show you food preservation, canning, and brine making. Save on food costs while adding new layers of flavour to your dishes with tips and tricks from this workshop.
Cost: $30.
Bookings: their website.
What: Learn to develop Spanish paella using traditional ingredients and equipment straight from the experts at this workshop. Get to know the history of Spain’s most iconic dish and its place in Spanish culture while you indulge your senses in its flavours and aroma.
Cost: $30.
Bookings: their website.
What: Learn the fundamental canning techniques you need to master to make homemade jams, pastes, and jellies you can enjoy year-round.
Cost: $30.
Bookings: their website.
What: Sasha, from Mad Millie, will show you how to make halloumi and ricotta while teaching you how you can incorporate homemade cheeses into everyday cooking. Take home your own Mad Millie fresh cheese making kit valued at $65.
Cost: $90 (includes $65 cheese making kit).
Bookings: their website.
What: Learn to use homemade cheese to create a combination of mozzarella stuffed with creamy mascarpone as well as other delectable cheesy delights. Take home your own Mad Millie Italian cheese making kit valued at $40.
Cost: $60 (includes $40 cheese making kit).
Bookings: their website.