Mar 282013
 

Local food-related events

Harvest Month has officially ended. Thank you to everyone who has contributed or taken part in the activities. The LFC activities – food film nights, Local Economy Forum and Rotary local food dinner all went very well. There were many conversations about “local food” and we met many people willing to buy, sell and produce more food locally. What we need to do now is start to work on breaking down the barriers to enable this to happen. We on the LFC committee have ideas, but need help to make them happen. By becoming a paid member of LFC, it gives the group some funding and committed person power to take more action. In the future, we will need to continue to broaden the community’s knowledge about “local food”, and need the help of a publicity person/s, people willing to teach cooking, growing of food, and people able to seek grant support!

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Mar 222013
 

Local food-related events

Vegetable seed saving workshop , Edendale, Saturday March 23, 1 -4:30pm. Seedsaving is basic to local food production. This workshop led by Wendy Mather, a very experienced teacher and seedsaver, will cover seed selection, harvesting, processing and storing to ensure the conservation of genetic heritage in our heirloom vegetable varieties. Examples of different vegetable seeds can be examined on the day. Afternoon tea will be provided. Workshop cost $25.

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Mar 082013
 

Local food-related events

The little organic shop will be celebrating the opening of their new store on Saturday, March 9, 2-5pm. Phone on 9718 1623 or Email info@villagefoodconnections.com.au.

Free Produce gardening walk at BAAG, Saturday March 9, 10 – 11am. The talk is FREE but bookings are required. Please phone 8850 3030 or email info@baag.com.au

Food Film Festival. The first film shown, Design for living, was a very inspirational story of a couple growing food in South Australia. Come along to next Wednesday’s films on “community gardening”. Kick off your shoes and be inspired and/or informed about  local food. March 13, 7:30-9:30pm, Edendale. Free event, but RSVP appreciated as homemade supper provided.

Our Home Harvest Festival is very near, Sunday March 17. Produce drop-offs are happening next week at various times. Growers should have been notified where and when. Growers, contact Kirsty if you missed it.

Preserving Workshop at Diamond Valley Library. Tuesday March 19 – 11.00am-12.30pm. Led by CWA vice-president Marie Vassallo. Bring your own jars, learn how to preserve & take home a little sample too. Bookings required see staff at the desk or phone 9434 3809.

Indian Cultural experience, Diamond Valley Library, Tuesday March 19, 6 – 8pm. Enjoy the tastes of India with a cooking demonstration & a performance by a Bollywood dancer! Bookings required. Ph. 9434 3809.

CERES Harvest Festival is on Saturday, March 23, 10am – 4pm.

Some books borrowed from Yarra Plenty Library this week include: How to store your garden produce; the key to self sufficiency, by Piers Warren, and Joel Salatin’s latest title Folks, this ain’t normal.

Other food activities/information

Gusto! A culinary history of Victoria is a current exhibition at the Victorian State Library, open till Sunday 28 April 2013, 10am – 5pm,and until 9pm Thursdays. Savour the rich culinary history of Victoria in this free exhibition, featuring gastronomic treasures from our collections – from the first Australian cookbook, published in 1864, to an actual World War I army biscuit. Gusto! explores Victoria’s historic and contemporary culinary landscape, covering subjects such as the history of viticulture, Indigenous foods, sustainable food practices, fine dining and food rationing, and also features the fascinating stories of significant Victorian culinary figures including Jacques Reymond, Rita Erlich, Guy Grossi and Stephanie Alexander.

EcoCity Food Forum Melbourne, Friday, March 22, 2013 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Healthy food systems are the foundation for healthy lives, communities, economies and ecosystems. In order to build a future for Melbourne in which we can all thrive, we need a food system that is sustainable, resilient and fair. Doing Something Good in partnership with City of Melbourne, are hosting a one day forum for those working toward a better food system.  We’re bringing together people and organisations from across the food industry, with health and environmental advocates, government representatives and community members to: discover socially innovative and sustainable initiatives transforming food systems in Melbourne, across Australia and around the world; envision what a sustainable, resilient and fair food system for Melbourne might look like; discuss what we can all do to create opportunities, enable success and accelerate change; learn how we can better cooperate, collaborate and coordinate our efforts; make plans for individual and collective action.

Bhutan is the first country to go 100% organic. It “reminds us about the true lunacy of designating foods as ‘organic’ and ‘traditional’ in modern society. These Bhutan farmers are not growing magic beans or enchanted corn, they are growing real food. Actual food as it was grown for thousands of years.”

That is it for another week. Hope you are all enjoying Harvest month and can take part in at least one activity.

Mar 012013
 

Celebrate Harvest Month

Take part in one or more harvest activities happening around the north east of Melbourne. This weekend includes various markets, rabbit control workshop (including rabbit on the menu) and foodswaps.

Local food-related events

Food film festival starts next Wednesday March 6 at Edendale Farm, 7:30pm. We are kicking off with “Design for living”, story of the Brookman family farm in South Australia. Everyone welcome. The week after we will be celebrating community gardens around the world. Come and learn about the variety of styles of community gardens. We hope to dispel the myths of community gardens being only a space of individual plots!

LFC Committee meeting, Monday March 4. All members welcome.

Learn how to create a wicking bed at Edendale on Wednesday March 6, 10am-12pm, $20.

Montmorency  and Montmorency South Primary Schools’ kitchen garden programs are running a tomato fundraiser. Roma tomatoes are being sauced(!!) from Echuca, 10 kg box for $17. Orders and payment  in by Thursday March 7. Any enquiries call: Michelle Hegarty 0488383889 or email hegartymk@gmail.com

Local Wine tasting, The Lightfoot Gallery, 21 Brougham St Eltham, March 3, 11 – 4:40pm. Contact margot@thelightfactorygallery.com.au

Petty’s Orchard – Tours and tastings. Dates and times on the calendar.

Bell Street, Eltham  Management plan. Final consultation before the draft plan (due about May) is written by Council, was held at Eltham High on Wednesday evening. There was a wide range of interested parties, including many students from the High School. It looks like multi use of the site is favoured and this hopefully will include some form of food growing.

Other food activities/information

City of Vancouver seeks to make food systems central to every aspect of the city’s business. The City’s new food strategy depicts a high-density urban environment lush with edible landscaping, community vegetable gardens, green walls, rooftop greenhouses, farmers markets and thousands of green jobs based in a burgeoning local food economy. Part of the vision includes –  13 new farmers markets, for a total of 22;  1,300 new community garden plots, for a total of 5,000; Encourage commercial growing in urban spaces and create a business license category for farms;  Encourage edible landscaping and food-bearing trees on boulevards and traffic circles.

The Victorian Government is inviting community groups from across Melbourne to have a conversation about the future planning and development of the city. The outcomes of these conversations will be used to inform the Metropolitan Planning Strategy (MPS), the plan which will guide growth and change across Melbourne over the next 30-40 years. See (www.planmelbourne.vic.gov.au) for more information. Does anyone have the energy to run a conversation with LFC?