Oct 312013
 

Local food-related events

Nillumbik Health Edible Community Garden

The plants are growing thanks to various people checking them. The food is for sharing so help yourselves or share with those who don’t grow their own food. Succession planting of edible plants that like a lot of shade is encouraged! Talking of shade, here is an evening shot of the garden.

The Monty Food Swap

The November swap will be held in Were Street, next to the Were Street Food Store (weather willing) next Sunday, 3 November from 10.30 to 11.30. This spot will be used through the warmer months, returning to Monty Primary School in March or April 2014. Great news: they have been successful in winning a grant from Banyule Council to put together the information collected from veggie swappers, both at Monty and at the Sustainable Macleod swap, as part of the Garden Almanac project. The grant will go towards the printing costs of a Banyule Garden Almanac, a resource that all veggie gardeners, and aspiring veggie gardeners, to use in the future.

The Great Tomato Taste Off is not until February next year, but November is the time to plant tomatoes in Melbourne so if you’d like your favourite tomatoes in the Taste Off, start planting soon. There’ll be a few heirloom variety tomato seedlings available at the swap to pick up if you’d like to try something different.

Tomato plants

Two local growers have tomato seedlings for sale.

Stephen from Minalinka has Megatom (red, very large rounded fruit), Tigerella  (red with orange stripes, medium size, very productive), Galapagos (species tomato from Galapagos. Small cherry type, low growing, drought and salt resistant.), Yellow pear (small yellow pear shaped fruit) and Pixie (medium red fruit on compact plant, no staking required). Plants are 15-20cm, $2 each, available from the carpark area of 220 Ironbark Rd Yarrambat  Mel 184 J11. Phone Stephen 0433 647920.

Andre from Eltham has 240 diggers tomatoes – black russian, christmas grapes, green zebra, principle borgesee, tigerella periforma ambruzzea, $1.50 each. Phone Andre 0428 868916.

Grant success

Local Food Connect has recently received a grant from Banyule City Council which will enable us to have postcards printed to promote the food swaps. Thank you Banyule!

Banyule Edible Garden mini-tours in November

 

  • Tour #1 East Ivanhoe Sat 2 Nov 10am – 12noon;
  • Tour #2 Yallambie/Macleod Sat 9 Nov 10am – 12noon;
  • Tour #3 Heidelberg Sat 9 Nov 2pm – 4pm;
  • Tour #4 Eaglemont Sun 10 Nov 2pm – 4pm;
  • Tour #5 Ivanhoe Sat 16 Nov 10am – 12noon;
  • Tour #6 Rosanna/Watsonia Sat 16 Nov 2pm – 4pm;
  • Tour #7 Montmorency Sun 17 Nov 10.30am – 12.30pm;
  • Tour #8 Heidelberg Heights/ Ivanhoe Sun 24 Nov 2pm – 4pm;
  • Tour #9 Heidelberg Sat 30 Nov 10am – 12noon.

Bookings are essential. Groups will be limited to ten people per tour, so don’t delay in booking your place. Cost per tour $5/$2, children free. Phone Mary on 9455 2581

Permaculture talk at Eltham Library

Gardening expert Julie French will offer tips and advice on permaculture – an ecological, sustainable approach to managing your garden. Nov 7, 7-8pm.

Oct 242013
 

It was great to meet and talk with many of you at the Practically Green Festival last Sunday. Welcome to many new subscribers!

Local food-related events

Summer veggie growing workshop Nillumbik

Edendale, Saturday Oct 26, 10am-12pm. $25. Contact 9433 3711 or Edendale.

Edendale Food Swap this Saturday

This swap is without a facilitator to set up tables etc on Saturday. If you are able to look after this could you please contact Robyn.

Spring gardening workshop, Banyule

Ivanhoe Community Garden, 10 Tate Street Ivanhoe, Sunday November 10, 2:30 – 4:30pm. Come along and learn how to grow your own delicious vegetables and herbs from seeds and seedlings.

Minalinka Farm, Diamond Creek, Spring Open Days.

Sat Oct 26 and Sunday Oct 27, 9am – 4pm. Talk/tour at 11:30 each day – Aquaponics, Saturday and Grafting evergreen plants Sunday. Please email bookings for these.

View: aquaponics greenhouses & wicking beds in vegetable-production for a family & more – see how to use tubs, baths and water tanks. Fruit trees & food forests (organic gardening along permaculture lines)

$10 entry, donated to Thrive Community Garden in Diamond Creek. Email minalinka@optusnet.com.au for more details and address.

Briar Hill Primary School Spring Fair

Saturday Oct 26, 10 am – 4pm. Check out the homemade lemonade!

Composting and recycling from the home.

Come, prepare and cook a meal and we’ll show you all the easy composting and recycling methods for a healthy compost. 21 Alamein Road, Heidelberg West 3081, $10 per person, Wed 13 November, 10:00AM- 12:00PM
Contact – Caroline Sanderson at nhouse@oae.vic.edu.au or telephone 9450 2665.

Organic dry food co-op

A new co-op is starting in the Montmorency area. If you are interested in attending a meeting on Monday 28 Oct, please contact Jenna on 0406738220.

Other food activities/information

The Victorian Food Movement

The Food Alliance wants to tell the story of Melbourne’s local farms and foodbowl regions.They believe it’s vital to understand what we’re losing, and what’s really at stake. They will profile up to six of Melbourne’s most important local growing areas, identifying why each area is important to Melbourne’s food supply and why it’s under threat. They will also develop a list of places that you can visit to buy delicious local produce at the farmgate. Help them get to Know Your Foodbowl by joining the #kyfoodbowl conversation, or by helping reach the Pozible target.

Oct 182013
 

Local food-related events

Practically Green

This Sunday, Edendale, Eltham, 10am – 4:30pm. See Nillumbik Shire’s website for more detail. LFC will be there, hoping to meet many of you.

Food swap and food garden

The combination of these two activities at the Diamond Valley Library is very exciting now. Last week we planted sultana grape cuttings near the 2 fruit trees – apple and pear. Some weeds were pulled from the main garden bed and silverbeet and coriander planted. Some lettuce and herbs were harvested to share with library users! The children love to water with the little cans, and see how many snails they can find! And of course, much home grown produce was swapped.
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Oct 112013
 

Local food-related events

Practically Green Festival

Edendale, Sunday, October 20, 10am-4:30pm. Many sustainability exhibits and information. Local Food Connect will have a tent. Would you like to come along and talk to people about your passion for local food, recruit interest for a project – food co-op, community food planter box, farmers’ market, cooking classes,and more? If so, contact Drew at drew@barrs.com.au or just turn up!

Edendale workshops

Summer veggie growing. Saturday Oct 26, 10-12, $25. Bookings required on 9433 3711 or email (edendale@nillumbik.vic.gov.au).

Spare strawberry plants?

For some reason, most of the strawberry plants we planted in the Nillumbik Health planter box didn’t settle in well. If you have a spare strawberry plant and a few minutes, maybe you would like to go down to Main Road and replace a dead plant for a healthy one. Thanks in anticipation!

Nillumbik Local Produce Guide

Nillumbik Shire Council is developing a comprehensive database of local primary producers with the aim of developing and publishing a Nillumbik Local Produce Guide to promote local food producers, suppliers and retailers.

The target groups for this project include:

  • PRODUCERS – local farmers, growers and makers of food and drinks, including wineries
  • RETAILERS – the retail outlets and businesses who sell local produce, including local food shops, farmers’ markets and box schemes
  • CATERERS – pubs, restaurants and cafés, hotels and other providers.

If you would like to suggest a business, email Heidi.Crundwell@nillumbik.vic.gov.au.

Diamond Valley Library Gardening Group

Tuesday October 15 11am. The Stephanie Alexander School Kitchen program will be explained. Bookings to Dione Flegg, 9434 3809, dflegg@yprl.vic.gov.au. After the talk, check out the developing community garden.

Passionate about Diamond Creek?

Join other like-minded folks at a BBQ, Monday October 21, 6-8pm to share stories, build connections and pitch your ideas to see what is possible. RSVP to admin.dc@nillumbik.vic.gov.au by Oct 16. For more information, contact melanie.holt@nillumbik.vic.gov.au

Minalinka Farm Spring Open Days

Sat 26 and Sun 27 Oct, 9am-4pm.

Edible and exotic plants for sale. 11:30 talks. Sat Aquaponics; Sun Grafting evergreen plants. Entry $10, donated to Thrive Community Garden.

Contact Stephen at minalinka@optusnet.com.au by 9pm Thur 24 October to register your interest, to obtain the address and for further details.

Briar Hill Primary School Spring Fair Market

Saturday 26 October, 10.00am-4.00pm, 25 Gladstone Rd, Briar Hill. Details 9435 1633.

Stalls selling a range of goodies including lemonade,(lemons still wanted please), Koala Honey, pizza, dhal, BBQ, chai tent, cakes and vegan coconut ice cream.

Other food activities/information

Seed bank website plugin

New software for the Cleveland Seed Bank, a seed saving initiative, has been released to the public as an open source website plugin that can turn any WordPress site into a community seed bank. The software, called WP-Seedbank, was conceived by Marilyn McHugh, Executive Director and Co-Founder of The Hummingbird Project (THP) and developed in collaboration with Cleveland GiveCamp. This may be worth looking into.

Oct 042013
 

Local food-related events

Edible weeds

Following the Monty foodswap this Sunday, join Doris Pozzi at 11.30am for an exploration of common weeds that can provide added nutrition and interest to your diet. Learn which parts of the plants are edible and how to prepare them. Some of us are discovering this free, tasty and nutritious resource, so this talk will be a real treat. To book call 9457 9816.

Food co-operatives

Are you interested in joining with some Eltham – Research-ish people to buy good food cooperatively? If so, let us know and we shall put you in touch.

Compost workshop

11.15am – 2.15pm FREE Recycled pallet Compost bay workshop @ Murundaka.

A unique opportunity to learn from experts how to pallet compost. Places are limited to 20.  Register with Mikoto.

Rosanna Food Swap

I haven’t heard of this one before, but some readers may be interested.

Wednesday 9th October 6-7pm, The Rivergum Twilight Food Swap @ Rivergum walk playground, behind 164 Beverley Rd, Rosanna (enter via walkway or bike path).

Resumes next week. If you don’t have anything edible/medicinal growing in your garden, you could share your favourite easy recipe, some spare jars, or some cuttings from a friend’s garden.

Home Harvest Feast 2014

Volunteers are wanted to grow and supply the produce for the Home Harvest Feast 2014 on Sunday 16 March 2014 to be held at Eltham High School. In its third year the Home Harvest Feast is a celebration of home grown produce and local food. All growers are invited to celebrate in the harvest and the joys of local food by sharing a delicious community meal created by trained cooks using your home or community-grown produce. Tickets to the Feast are free for Growers and their guests.

Other food activities/information

Elisabet Sahtouris, fascinating interview

Elisabet Sahtouris is an evolution biologist, futurist, author and consultant. In her unique approach, called ‘Living Systems Design’, she applies the principles of biology and evolution to organizational development so that organizations may become more functional, healthy living systems, with increased resilience, stability, and cooperation. Heard on youtube.

Sustainability Awards

For the first time members of the public will be able to participate in the Premier’s Sustainability Awards, Victoria’s most prestigious sustainability awards program, by casting a vote for the People’s Choice.