May 272020
 

Thanks to all the people who have contributed to this week’s newsletter: Alfred Zahra, Alison Raven, Angela Hewitt, Angelo Eliades, Ann Stanley, Aziza De Fazio, Bruno Tigani, Chantelle Ladouceur, Choon Yeok, Claire Smith, Dan Milne, Dorids Glier, Fay Loveland, Gilles Lardy, Jo Buckle, Karen Ye, Karin Motyer, Leah Lux Tame, Lynn-eva Bottomley, Mala Plymin, Marianthi Kougi, Megan Goodman, Moira Tucker, Niloo Barmanray, Pauline Webb, Robin Gale-Baker, Soo Mei Leong, Toni Myers, Vanessa Reynolds and Velyne Moretti.

Which farmer’s markets will be happening this weekend?

Coburg on Saturday; Alphington and Eltham on Sunday.

Ann interviews Dan Milne, from Montmorency

For obvious reasons, our visits to local food-oriented gardens have ceased during the COVID-19 crisis. But, as an experiment, Ann Stanley decided to interview Dan Milne over Zoom. Read Ann’s interview write up.

Dan is well known in local permaculture circles as one of the leading lights in North East Ranges Permaculture (NERP). As Ann says, “Dan’s house is on 1400m2 of partially shaded sloping land that produces a large number of fruits and vegetables according to permaculture principles.“.

Much of the interview is Dan reflecting on home food growing and the current crisis. As Dan says in the interview, “Growing food in good times can feel like a hobby with mental health benefits but, in times of disruption and crisis, it can provide a source of nutrient-dense food and a sense that you have some control over your basic needs — an opportunity to catch and store energy.

Read Ann’s full interview write up.

Robin discusses local food groups stepping up to provide food security

[Editor’s note: I asked Robin Gale-Baker to write this article because I think that what it discusses is important and a potential exemplar for other community gardens and groups.]

COVID-19 has placed unprecedented pressure on many families’ access to food in Banyule, as elsewhere. While some have the continued finances to purchase food, and others have increased the size of their veggie gardens to become more independent, many who have lost their jobs or had to move from unsafe situations have become reliant on BANSIC for food.

BANSIC (Banyule Support and Information Centre) has been serving the Banyule community for around 40 years. It is a not-for-profit incorporated association established to provide services for the relief of poverty, suffering, distress, misfortune or helplessness within the southern area of Banyule. Services include emergency relief (which until COVID-19 was in the form of vouchers), help with family and personal problems and information on rights (e.g. legal, health, education, support services and accommodation). BANSIC has two paid staff and much of its work is delivered by volunteers.

Since March, BANSIC has started to provide good quality food to families who are in dire straits. Initially, it focused on packaged food but it willingly accepted Sustainable Macleod’s offer to donate fresh food from the Macleod Organic Community Garden. This initiative was overwhelmingly supported by Sustainable Macleod members.

BANSIC is now supplying 30-40 families weekly (not necessarily the same families each week) with both packaged and fresh food. According to president Sharon Henderson, fresh food has been the most sought-after. Nothing could be fresher than food harvested from the community garden and delivered the same day! Sharon also observed that, once Sustainable Macleod began to donate food, some others followed suit, including Aldi and St Laurent.

Sustainable Macleod has now delivered around 200Kg of fresh food to BANSIC. Fortunately summer crops were still available – tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, chillies, silverbeet and potatoes – plus rhubarb, figs, pomegranates and cumquats. The emergency veggie patch planted on 22nd March (some seed, some seedlings) has provided Asian Greens, lettuces, kale, spring onions and radishes and will soon provide carrots, beetroot, kohlrabi, broccoli and peas.

Not all the food, however, has come from the community garden. Sustainable Macleod members have been generous in providing their homegrown silverbeet, parsley, mint, zucchini, pumpkin, Asian Greens, Jerusalem artichokes, limes, pomegrantes, persimmons and rhubarb. In addition, 75Kg of apples from a Yarra Valley research station have been donated by a member who works there. Some of the more exotic fruits have been welcomed by people from other countries for whom these fruits were more commonplace in their home countries.

So, out of a bad situation created by COVID-19, some good has come. The provision of food for those in need has been a unifying element that has brought our community together, created new partnerships and alliances (which will hopefully continue), and brought out the generous spirit of both businesses and individuals among us.

Anyone who is willing to donate produce is welcome to contact Sustainable Macleod by email.

Our photo competition

Last week’s competition

The theme of last week's competition was bees and other pollinators. It attracted 23 photos and 5 tips. The quality was extraordinary, even higher than that of previous weeks. After consulting with the providers of the prizes (Jane and Peter Dyer from Backyard Honey), 11 photos were shortlisted, any of which would have been a worthy winner. After much discussion, we decided that we could not separate them and took the unprecedented decision of having 11(!) joint winners. Each photographer will receive a jar of Backyard Honey’s raw, unheated honey and each will be invited to their 1 hour Zoom presentation and discussion. Well done Alfred, Alison, Aziza, Gilles, Jo, Karen, Karin and Marianthi! Thanks to everyone else who participated.

In passing, this is what Alison Raven said about her two extraordinary photos of solitary, native blue banded bees (Amegilla cingulata). "The first photo is a single female (4 bands on the abdomen) and the second is of 4 roosting male (5 bands). The females sleep alone in their nests, while the boys all hang out together on twigs at night. If you are lucky and see some just before dusk, you can follow them and find where they are going to roost. Lucky for me, they spent many nights last summer right outside my front door!"

Here are all 23 entries (3 to a row for presentational reasons on mobile phones). If there is ever a week when you click of some of the photos to look at larger versions, this should be that week. I’ve tried to make the experience better than usual in two ways. First, the larger versions are at higher resolution, and sometimes much higher resolution, than normal. Second, whilst the thumbnails are typically cropped versions to make the bees etc more visible, the larger versions show the complete pictures.

Alfred Zahra
sucking the honey
JOINT WINNER
Alison Raven
blue-banded bee – female resting
JOINT WINNER
Alison Raven
blue-banded bee – males hanging out
JOINT WINNER
Aziza De Fazio
hard at work
JOINT WINNER
Gilles Lardy
bee landing on a dainty bess rose
JOINT WINNER
Jo Buckle
bee in a pumpkin flower
JOINT WINNER
Karen Ye
JOINT WINNER
Karen Ye
JOINT WINNER
Karen Ye
JOINT WINNER
Karin Motyer
chequered cuckoo bee
JOINT WINNER
Marianthi Kougi
pollen-covered bee
JOINT WINNER
Angela Hewitt
hoverfly helping with pollination
Chantelle Ladouceur
look at those legs covered in pollen
Choon Yeok
bees love salvia
Doris Glier
Fiona Finch Laura Finch Leah Lux Tame
bee on my weeping ornamental cherry tree
Mala Plymin
bees loving poppy flowers
Niloo Barmanray
bee on my orange tree
Toni Myers
hoverfly at work in apple tree
Vanessa Reynolds Velyne Moretti

 

We also received a series of tips from Soo Mei Leong for attracting bees and pollinators to your garden:

  • Avoid pesticides; instead, aim for organic, chemical free, sustainable garden.
  • Grow a variety of flowers in hues of yellow, purple, blue etc, including borage, salvias, lavender, forget me not, echium and nasturtium, as well as native plants, to provide nectar.
  • Consider growing bromeliads (besides having standard bird baths ) as some of their crowns hold water and bees drink often and regularly.
  • Buy, or make from recycled materials, insect hotels.
  • Host a beehive.

Finally, Chantelle brought my attention to the following poem by Brian Bilston (self-declared “Poet Laureate of Twitter“) entitled The last bee:

After the last  ee
had  uzzed its last  uzz,

the  irds and the  utterflies
did what they could.

 ut soon the fields lay  are,
few flowers were left,

nature was  roken,
and the planet  ereft.

The week’s competition

This week’s competition is going to have the theme of pets. The prize will be a meal for two at a restaurant of your choice (within reason!). Email your entries by end of play Sunday, 31st May. To get things going, here is a picture of my erstwhile cat, Casper, plus wine stain.

The week from two weeks ago

If you remember, the theme was autumn colours and the winner was Marjory Gardner. Here is a photo of Marjory receiving her prize of a mushroom growing kit. As Marjory said, she is “looking forward to her first homegrown mushrooms on toast“.

Yes, you did know!

Black stripes on capsicums

Gerard O’Donnell wanted to know what the black stripes on his capsicums could be.

Bruno Tigani responded: ?”The black or purple stripes are very likely to be anthocyanin development in the fruit. This is probably due to colder temperatures, such as the very cold nights recently, with the anthocyanins being a protective mechanism in the plant against the temperature. Many vegetables exhibit this discolouration if it gets very cold, such as purpling in broccoli. The capsicum fruits are ripening very slowly now and may not turn red at all, as it is too late in the season here in Melbourne. If the fruit did mature to full colour, then the streaks would fade and you would be left with a red capsicum.

Pauline Webb also responded: ?”My observations of my own capsicums when they have dark marks or lines is that it is always late in the season when there is a lack of both sun and heat. At this time of year, no capsicum can turn red. It pays to pick them before they have little visitors inside as caterpillar frass is near impossible to wash out.

As did Moira Tucker: ?”I think it is just a natural mutation and/or a cross of colour types. Keep the seed and see if the colour variation is stable as it has potential as a variation!

Trailer loads of manure

Shiva Vasi wanted to know where to buy a trailer load of manure.

Angelo Eliades responded: ?”Bulleen Art & Garden nursery sells bulk cow manure. You can either get it delivered, fill a trailer, or borrow the courtesy trailers that they have.

Claire Smith also responded: ?”Whilst it is bagged, it is possible to get free manure from the RSPCA in Burwood East. If you ring them (9224 2222) and ask for The Barn then they can tell you how to access it.

As did Moira Tucker: ?”Try a wool grower as they often accumulate manure beneath their shearing shed. It is a pity that the Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show was cancelled this year as there would be have been a lot of shepherds there. There are many small specialist flocks where the fibre is grown for hand spinners. The Handweavers and Spinners Guild of Victoria (based in Carlton North) may have some useful contacts.

Do you know?

Jan Akeroyd asks: “Does anyone know what is going on with this grapefruit tree (see picture)? It is an older tree which is healthy and productive but which has multiple areas where, like in the photo, the bark is missing on its branches.

Guy’s veggie growing tip – saved seeds – part 1: the genetics

First, some genetics 101. Most living organisms are diploid, which means that they have two copies of most of their genes. These two copies can be the same or different. During sexual reproduction, one of these copies will be chosen at random from each of the mother and the father. The child will therefore inherit half of its genes from each of its mother and its father but which genes it inherits is a random process and will differ from child to child. If you think about it, this means that you will have lots of genes in common with your siblings but you will also have some genes which are different. This is why you bear some resemblance to your siblings but are not identical to them.

Most people who grow from saved seed want their vegetable plants to be the same variety as the mother plant from which they saved the seeds. This is called growing true to type. It is equivalent to wanting the seeds to be genetic clones of the mother plant. But fertile seeds are the product of male pollen fertilising female seeds and, as such, the genes of a fertile seed are a random half from the genes of each of the male and the female. For this random combination to have the same genetic composition as the mother plant, two things have to be true. First, the male and female parents have to have identical genes (at least for all the genes that make a material difference). Let's call this condition 1. Second, and perhaps less obviously, for every single gene that matters in both the male parent and the female parent, the two copies have to be identical (this is called homozygosity). Let's call this condition 2. Named varieties of vegetables are effectively those for which condition 2 is true.

Plants can be either self-pollinators (flowers usually pollinate themselves) or cross-pollinators (one flower has to be pollinated by another flower). For self-pollinators, condition 2 being true implies that condition 1 is also true and thus named varieties will grow true to type and their seeds can be saved. Examples are beans, peas and tomatoes. For cross-pollinators, however, condition 1 will only guaranteed to be true if there is only one variety of the plant being grown in the geographic area. Broad beans, capsicums, chillies, eggplants and pumpkins are all cross-pollinators and thus their seed saving is somewhat problematic.

Perhaps most dramatically, cabbage is a cross-pollinator and cauliflower and broccoli are just types of cabbage. So, if you save seeds from your cauliflower, they might well grow into something akin to broccoli (or vice versa). And I know that this can happen because it has happened to me in the past!

Heavy stuff! Here's a web page that covers similar ground using different words.

Read more of Guy’s veggie growing tips.

Angelo has been writing some more articles

What materials can you put into your compost bin and what not to compost.

Which variety of grapevine has edible leaves for making dolmades?. [Editor: the answer is sultana aka thompson seedless.]

Live near Eltham and want some cardboard?

One of the effects of COVID-19 has apparently been an increased interest in cycling and increased sales of bikes. As a result, the Bicycle Centre Eltham (at 929 Main Road, Eltham) currently, and possibly only for a short time, has a good supply of waste cardboard packaging. If you can use some for a gardening project you would be welcome to it. Phone the Bicycle Centre beforehand on 8418 0091 to check availability and arrange pick-up. Thanks for the heads up, Lynn-eva Bottomley!

What veggie seeds to plant in June

Here is a list (see the June planting guide for more detail):
Broad beans
Coriander
Garlic
Lettuce
Mustard greens
Onion
Peas
Radish

The list is pretty short. It’s your last chance to plant broad beans and garlic, and arguably too late for them.

Meg’s social isolation week

The paddocks are very green as we drive north of Melbourne to visit the grandparents (with social distancing). Catching up online is not the same. We have missed the end of season at the farm, but grandma has stored boxes of apples, figs and feijoas. These are all waiting at the back door for our arrival, next to the rows of dusty gumboots.

We bring offerings of limes and seeds for planting, including peas and broad beans: Aquadulce, Gippsland Giant and Crimson Flower. We catch up in the farm’s vegetable garden. Grandpa shows us the newly prepared beds that consist mostly of sheep manure from under the shearing shed. He keenly shows us the cape gooseberries that he has never grown before. The berries are yellow in their little paper parcels and taste unusually like a fragrant cherry tomato. We take a handful home to save for seed.

I’ve had a request for possible barley recipes so I thought I would ask grandma for her barley and grain salad. I also asked about her simple winter pasties.

Barley and grain salad

1 cup pearl barley cooked in accordance with packet instructions until just tender
1 cup puy lentils cooked in accordance with packet instructions until just tender
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup dried currants
1/3 cup dried cranberries
½ bunch parsley, finely chopped

Mix all above.

Toss the mixture in a light dressing of two-thirds olive oil and one-third lemon juice.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Note: can be served warm or cold.

Grandma’s pasties

500g good quality beef mince
3 large potatoes grated
4 medium carrots grated
2 brown onions finely diced
salt and white pepper to taste
3-4 sheets puff pastry
milk to glaze

Mix the mince, vegetables, salt and pepper (white pepper is preferred).

Cut each sheet of pastry into four squares, place a good amount of the mix inside each square, fold the pastry like a triangle and place on tray. Glaze the pasties with milk.

Cook in a 200degC oven for around 20 minutes and then reduce temperature to 180degC for a further 20-25 minutes.

Read Meg’s other recipes on our website.

Fay’s recipe for sweet potato dampers

Fay Loveland has written in to suggest that the following recipe might be of interest to those of you with gluten-free diets. It is from The Australian Women’s Weekly Allergy Free Cooking for Kids.

Ingredients
1 & 2/3 cups (225g) gluten-free, self-raising flour (Fay uses the Orgran brand)
1 teaspoon caster sugar (optional)
¼ teaspoon salt
20g butter or margarine
½ cup mashed cooked sweet potato
½ cup milk

Topping:
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons gluten-free self-raising flour

Method
Pre-heat oven to 200degC. Oil the oven tray.

Mix the dry ingredients together.

Melt the butter/margarine in the hot sweet potato or in the microwave (the instructions say to rub the butter in but Fay finds melting is easier). Add the butter and sweet potato to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly with a knife.

Add the milk quickly until a soft sticky dough. Fay finds mixing with a knife is easiest.

Divide dough into 4 or 5 equal portions. Shape into rounds. Place on a tray. Cut a cross through the top of the dough and brush the tops with milk, then with extra flour.

Bake the dampers for 25–35 minutes, depending on your oven and the size of dampers. Fay finds 5 dampers take around 27 minutes in my oven.

Eat immediately or freeze when cool. They don’t keep very well out of the freezer.

Which link was clicked most times in the last newsletter?

The Warrandyte Diary.

I was surprised that The Warrandyte Diary was the most popular link so I thought I would say a few words about it. First, it is a properly local paper. For example, the latest edition has around 25 pages of local (as opposed to Melbourne-wide) news compared to around 3 pages in the latest Leader. Second, newsletter reader Kathy Gardiner has a regular gardening column. Third, there are often food-related articles (for example, by Carolyn Noel, Laura Russo and Sandi Miller in the latest edition)

Food-related proverb of the month

Two related phrases this month.

As keen as mustard. Meaning: very enthusiastic. The phrase dates back to the mid 17th Century, when it had already taken on its current meaning. Mustard had long been considered to be an essential accompaniment to beef in England because it added zest. Keenness + zest = very enthusiastic.

Cut the mustard. Meaning: to succeed; to come up to expectations. Whilst this phrase is relatively recent, first having appeared in print in 1889, its origins are not definitively known. It is not thought to relate to mustard as a plant, even though mustard plants are apparently difficult to cut, being tough and stringy. Rather, a more likely explanation is thought to be as a development of the phrase as keen as mustard, with ‘mustard’ meaning ‘a high standard’ (as in up to mustard) and ‘cutting’ meaning ‘exhibiting’ (as in cutting a fine figure).

In passing, the word ‘mustard’ derives from combining two Latin words: ‘must’ (meaning young wine) and ‘ardens’ (meaning hot). In other words, mustard = hot, young wine. This is because mustard was originally made by combining seeds of certain brassica plants and grape juice into a paste. It is interesting that the plants are named after the condiment rather than the other way round.

Read more food-related proverbs.

Gardening quote of the month

When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so they have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not.” by Georgia O’Keefe.

Read more quotes.

Joke of the week

Did you hear the joke about the peanut butter? I’m not telling you. You might spread it!

Read more jokes.

Upcoming online events

If you know of any events other than those listed below, email me.

Newly announced events

Open Table are now offering free no waste cooking workshops on Thursday, 9th June, 5.30-6.15pm and Wednesday, 17th June, 6.30-7.15pm. Read more and register on EventBrite.

Dr Rachel Carey, lead of the Foodprint Melbourne research project, will be giving an online lecture entitled sustaining our food supply on Tuesday, 2nd June, 1.30-2pm. Read more details and book.

Previously announced events

Bullen Art and Garden Nursery (BAAG) are now holding weekly classes online on a variety of subjects. The next classes are on pest control with companion planting (Saturday, 30th May, 10.30-11.30am), growing fruit & veggies in small spaces (Saturday, 30th May, 1.30-2.30pm) and compost & worms (Saturday, 30th May, 3.30-4.30pm). $20 per class. Book online at WeTeachMe.

Darebin Council and 3000acres are holding free, online gardening videos every Tuesday at 3pm on the 3000acres Facebook page.

Open Table are now offering their weekly no waste cook club workshops free and online on Saturdays. As well as cooking (which is actually optional), you will learn about food waste and composting. Register on EventBrite.

Sustainable Macleod are producing a series of videos entitled growing tips starring our very own Robin Gale-Baker.

Whitehorse Council are publishing on their Youtube channel a video each Monday at 9am on various aspects of sustainability, including bee hotels (on 15th June) and beeswax wraps (on 22nd June).

CERES have moved some of their classes online.

Newsletter reader Chloe Thomson is doing free, weekly podcasts on gardening for Bunnings.

Pip Magazine (some of whose journalists live in North East Melbourne) are producing a series of videos entitled simple skills for self sufficiency.

Formidable Vegetable are producing a series of videos entitled ‘grow-vid-19’ permaculture pandemic.

Good Life Permaculture are producing a series of videos entitled crisis gardening.

All The Dirt is a weekly podcast about gardening.

Birdlife Australia are giving weekly talks on their Facebook page. The talks can be watched live starting at midday on Thursdays, or as videos afterwards.

May 202020
 

Thanks to all the people who have contributed to this week’s newsletter: Agnes Wilson, Aldona Kmiec, Alison Raven, Angie Kristens, Anna Sanders, Aziza de Fazio, Berry McSherry, Choon Yeok, Dianne Parslow, Doris Glier, Farah Dawwas, Fiona Finch, Jon Buttery, Judy Vizzari, Kathleen Bennett, Karen Ye, Kaye Flanagan, Kim Lam, Laura Finch, Louise Nolan, Lyn Richards, Mala Plymin, Maria Ciavarella, Marjory Gardner, Megan Cassidy, Megan Goodman, Niloo Barmanray, Nancy Mills, Raymond Leong, Shiva Vasi, Soo Mei Leong, Sue Thomas, Vanessa Reynolds, Vasundhara Kandpal and Velyne Moretti.

Which farmer’s markets will be happening this weekend?

Abbotsford Convent Farmers’ Market (re-located to Melbourne Innovation Centre, Alphington) and Coburg on Saturday; Alphington and Eltham on Sunday. Not Wonga Park.

Vasundhara’s recipes of the month – rice

The theme for Vasundhara’s three recipes this month is rice. The three recipes are:

Beetroot rice Indo-Chinese fried rice Lemon and turmeric rice

Like all of Vasundhara’s recipes, the recipes are plant-based.

As I’ve got space, I’m going to put my favourite of the three recipes (Beetroot rice) in full below but you will have to go to the website to read the other two (Indo-Chinese fried rice and Lemon and turmeric rice).

Beetroot rice

Ingredients
1 cup beetroot, grated
2 cups rice, cooked
1 onion, small
2 green chillies (optional)
18-20 curry leaves
1 tablespoon mustard seed
4-5 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
2-3 teaspoons salt, to taste
2 teaspoons oil
4 cashews (optional)
a handful of peanuts (optional)
1 lemon

Method Heat oil in a pan.
Add the mustard seeds, peanuts, cashews and green chillies. Cook for a minute.
Add the garlic and saute well.
Add the onions and saute well.
Add the grated beetroot. Mix well.
Add the spices and little water. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Cook the rice separately. Mix the rice and the beetroot mixture. You can also mix plain white and red rice together for an uneven colouring. Squeeze lemon and serve.

Read more of Vasundhara’s recipes on our website.

Vasundhara Kandpal is a professional cook who operates a meals delivery service called Green Karma in Briar Hill, Eltham, Eltham North and Montmorency. Read her menu and order.

Our photo competition

Last week’s competition

The theme of last week’s competition was autumn colours and it proved popular, attracting 32 entries, many of high quality. After consulting with higher authority (i.e. my wife), the chosen winner is Marjory Gardner for her photo of liquidamber (aka sweetgum) leaves. Congratulations Marjory, a mushroom kit will be wending its way to you shortly.

An honorary mention goes to Kaye Flanagan for her closeup picture of a bright red leaf. Congratulations Kaye, you will also receive a mushroom kit.

Thanks to everyone who submitted photos. Here are all 32 entries. Click any of them for a larger version.

Agnes Wilson
agaric mushrooms
Aldona Kmiec
autumn leaf
Alison Raven
Burnham Beeches
Angie Kristens
autumn sunset
Anna Sanders
agaric mushrooms
Aziza de Fazio
autumn leaves
Berry Mcsherry
Kilmore
Choon Yeok
autumn leaves
Dianne Parslow
autumn leaves
Doris Glier
autumn colours
Fiona Finch
autumn leaves
Jon Buttery
Porepunkah
Judy Vizzari
liquidamber
Karen Ye
autumn leaves
Karin Motyer
crepe myrtle
Kathleen Bennett
autumn leaves
Kaye Flanagan RUNNER UP
autumn
Kim Lam
blueberries
Laura Finch
autumn leaves
Louise Nolan
japanese maple
Lyn Richards
autumn colour Australian style
Mala Plymin
injured tree
Maria Ciavarella
spot the persimmons
Marjory Gardner WINNER
liquidamber
Megan Cassidy
autumn leaves over brick wall
Nancy Mills
nandina
Niloo Barmanray
autumn leaves
Raymond Leong
mushroom
Soo Mei Leong
agaric mushrooms
Sue Thomas
autumn
 
 
Vanessa Reynolds
my street
Velyne Moretti
soaked amaranth
 
The week’s competition

Wednesday, 20th May (i.e. today) is World Bee Day. In recognition of this, the theme of this week’s competition will be bees and other pollinators. As well as photos, tips for making a garden bee friendly and pollinator puns will also be accepted as entries. The judges will be Jane and Peter Dyer from local honey producer Backyard Honey. Jane and Peter will also be donating the prizes which will comprise 1Kg of their raw, unheated honey plus a 1 hour Zoom presentation and discussion by them to the group/school of your choice. Email your entries by end of play Sunday, 24th May.

To get things going, the photo is of a honey bee that I revived by giving it some diluted honey.

PowerHouse Cheese

As the Local Food Directory page on PowerHouse Cheese was the most clicked link in last week’s newsletter, I thought that I would say a few words about their cheese.

Here are three pertinent words: stinky, yum and unique. The owner, Barbara Power, was previously a microbiologist, and this has clearly given her the confidence to experiment with different moulds and bacteria. Back in the good old days (i.e. before COVID-19), you could wander down to Whitehorse Farmers’ Market, taste all their cheeses, and buy the ripest. Nowadays, you have to buy it untasted at selected Eltham Farmers’ Markets (usually the first Sunday of each month).

Do you know?

Gerard O’Donnell writes in: “I planted capsicum seedlings a while back. They’ve grown and fruited rather well. I expected that the fruit would change from green to red but, instead, they have stayed green and developed black stripes (see photo). Is this black colouring natural or is something wrong?Email me with your answer.

Shiva Vasi wants to get a trailer load of manure (ideally sheep or cow) for her garden, thereby avoiding plastic bags. Can anyone suggest where she can buy manure in bulk? Email me with yiour answer.

Community gardening news

Like all other community gardens, Macleod Organic Community Garden has been closed during this current crisis. During this time, Sustainable Macleod (who manage the garden) have formed a partnership with BANSIC (Banyule Support and Information Centre), whereby they provide BANSIC with fresh fruit and vegetables for them to give away to people who need them. Thus far, they have provided around 200Kg(!) of fresh food.

Want to read about citrus fruit trees?

Newsletter reader Kathy Gardiner has written an article about citrus fruit trees (see image right) for the May edition of the Warrandyte Diary.

Newsletter reader Angelo Eliades has written an article on why your homegrown citrus fruit sometimes has an overly thick peel. Hint: it’s all about phosphorus.

Guy’s veggie growing tip – capsicums, chillies and eggplants

Different veggies have different lifecycles. Many are annuals, which means that their entire lifecycle, from birth to death, takes less than a year. Examples are beans, pumpkins and tomatoes. Others are biennials, which means that their lifecycle, whilst predictable, takes two years. Examples are beetroot, onions and parsley. For some biennials, we effectively grow them as annuals because we eat the things that they produce in the first year (e.g. onions). Yet others are perennials, which means that their lifespan is more than a year but unpredictable. Some perennials typically live for many years (e.g. asparagus and rhubarb), whilst others we effectively grown as annuals (e.g. potatoes).

That brings me, at last, to capsicums, chillies and eggplants. These are perennial but short-lived, typically living for around three years. But, and here’s the main point of this little article, they are frost tender and are typically killed off by the Melbourne Winter. So, if you want to get full value from your capsicum, chilli and eggplant plants, you need to grow them in pots and put those pots in a warm place (e.g. a greenhouse) during Winter. If you have some and they are outside, now is the time to move them to a warmer place (it would have been even better if you had done this before the latest cold spell!).

Read more of Guy’s veggie growing tips.

Meg’s social isolation week

The leaves are turning on the snow pears along the driveway and they are bright yellow in the sunshine. They match the golden shades of the yellow button chrysanthemums and tall Peruvian lilies in flower underneath. With this leaf change comes the relief of being able to visit friends and family. I am looking forward to being able to take bunches of mixed herbs to share along with the limes (Tahitian) and lemons (Eureka) that are ripening now.

This week, I planted swedes (‘invitation‘), turnips (‘purple top‘) and carrots (‘nante‘) in the veggie patch. The turnips at least grow reasonably fast and I am looking forward to warm barley soups.

This week’s recipe is sweet potato scones. I harvested the sweet potatoes that have been in the ground since January (late to go in). They were grown from a store-bought one, allowed to develop roots in a glass of water then cut into smaller pieces and planted. From the one sweet potato, I obtained six good-sized tubers and several smaller tubers. The vine was also very pretty hanging over the sides of the patch. I’m not sure that the harvest was worth the work – but I’ll think about it as I hunt for the jam to go with the scones.

Sweet potato scones

1 cup cooked sweet potato puree (warm)
1½ cups self-raising flour
1 teaspoon nutmeg
100g butter at room temperature
75g sugar
¼ cup milk (for brushing)

Pre-heat your oven to 220degC.

Cream the butter and sugar until just turning then add the sweet potato puree. Add the flour and nutmeg and fold through (but do not over work).

Tip the dough onto a floured board, gently shape and pat to about 4 cm thick.

Cut out scones and place on tray lined with baking paper. Brush top with milk. Bake the scones for about 15-20 mins.

Tip: place a small dish with water in the bottom of the oven to help with forming a light ‘crust’.

Read Meg’s other recipes on our website.

Joke of the week

What’s the difference between an Mel Gibson movie and a pizza? Pizzas are good.

Read more jokes.

Regular, current, online events

If you know of any others, email me.

Newly announced events

Open Table are now offering their weekly no waste cook club workshops free and online on Saturdays. As well as cooking (which is actually optional), you will learn about food waste and composting. Register on EventBrite.

Nillumbik Council are organising a free, online workshop entitled mushroom discovery on Monday, 25th May, 10am-midday and again on Saturday, 6th June, 2-4pm. Register on EventBrite.

Alphington-based Pollinator Alliance is bringing you Bee School Online, which will be centred on a series of videos together with activities that you can do at home.

From 1st June, Whitehorse Council will be publishing on their Youtube channel a video each Monday at 9am on various aspects of sustainability, including bee hotels (on 15th June) and beeswax wraps (on 22nd June).

I was sent the details of two other new events but both of them are happening on the very day that this newsletter is going out (20th May), which makes it pointless for me to advertise them. Give your event a chance by giving people adequate notice about its existence! Email me the details of, or a link to, your upcoming events.

Previously announced events

Bulleen Art and Garden Nursery (BAAG) are now holding weekly classes online on a variety of subjects. The next classes are on compost & worms (Saturday, 23rd May, starting 3.30pm), pest control with companion planting (Saturday, 30th May, starting 10.30am) and growing fruit & veggies in small spaces (Saturday, 30th May, starting 1.30pm). $20 per class. Book online at WeTeachMe.

Darebin Council and 3000acres are holding free, online gardening videos every Tuesday at 3pm on the 3000acres Facebook page. The next video topic is: 26th May – cool season garden projects.

Sustainable Macleod are producing a series of videos entitled growing tips starring our very own Robin Gale-Baker.

Nillumbik Council are organising a free, online presentation entitled nestbox neighbours on Tuesday, 26th May, 7-8pm. Register on EventBrite.

CERES have moved some of their classes online.

Newsletter reader Chloe Thomson is doing free, weekly podcasts on gardening for Bunnings.

Pip Magazine (some of whose journalists live in North East Melbourne) are producing a series of videos entitled simple skills for self sufficiency.

Formidable Vegetable are producing a series of videos entitled ‘grow-vid-19’ permaculture pandemic.

Good Life Permaculture are producing a series of videos entitled crisis gardening.

All The Dirt is a fortnightly podcast about gardening.

Birdlife Australia are giving weekly talks on their Facebook page. The talks can be watched live starting at midday on Thursdays, or as videos afterwards.

May 132020
 

Thanks to the people who have contributed to this week’s newsletter: Angelo Eliades, Aziza de Fazio, Heather, Jane Dyer, Jon Buttery, Judith Chivers, Karin Motyer, Louise Nolan, Mala Plymin, Megan Goodman, Natalie Nigol, Peter Dyer and Vicki Jordan.

Which farmer’s markets will be happening this weekend?

Coburg on Saturday; Alphington and Eltham on Sunday. Not Carlton or Yarra Valley.

3000acres say that through food we come together

This month’s contribution is from Merrin Layden.

Here at 3000acres we’re grateful to Guy for continuing to deliver his great newsletter every week and finding new ways to connect and inspire us.

At the peak of the olive season, we’re feeling pretty gutted that Olives to Oil, our annual communal harvest event, had to be cancelled and we’ve received lots of messages from people feeling the same. But, even at a distance, food still has the ability to bring us together.

Celebrating the harvest is a powerful ritual in many cultures and we’ve been reflecting on some of the beautiful festivals we’ve seen here and around the world. I (Merrin) previously worked in London where our orchard team exchanged apple traditions with a group based at Tolstoy’s orchard in Russia. Returning to Melbourne, I saw that my idea of re-creating this tradition through the bountiful urban ‘olive grove’ of our suburbs already had a proud history in the Darebin Parklands Association Olive Days.

Of course, Indigenous Australians have observed their own food celebrations for millennia and it is such a privilege to be able to learn and share in this through the annual Merri Murnong Gathering – now a fixture in my year.

Our photo competition

Last week, I asked for suggestions about themes for future photo competitions. Here are some of the suggestions that you made:

  • Autumn colours/leaves.
  • Bees and other pollinators.
  • Indoor plants.
  • Insects.
  • Pets.

This week’s competition will be on the theme of Autumn colours/leaves. To get things going, pictured is a Japanese maple from my garden. The prize for the best photo will be a mushroom growing kit from The Mushroom Shed. Email your photo by end of play Sunday, 17th May.

Yes, you did know!

Jo Buckle asked what was on her apple tree (see photo right). The answer is woolly aphids.

Heather: “Woolly aphid. Cute, but naughty.

Angelo Eliades: “Woolly apple aphid (Eriosoma lanigerum). They cover themselves with white, cotton-line secretions to form a protective cottony mass. They are a common pest of apples. You can spray them with eco-oil to get rid of them.

Judith Chivers: the latest newsletter from Leaf, Root & Fruit has an article about woolly aphids, which includes the following sentence: “Although not majorly detrimental to the tree in small numbers, in large numbers they can cause significant stress and damage the tree.

Want some free olives?

Vicki Jordan has written in: “I have hundreds of olives for the taking. There are three different types and currently range from green to black. I am in Lower Plenty and can be contacted on 0418 539714“.

Mac’s blast from the past

It’s probably time to harvest your olives. Here’s how to tell: when your olives start to change colour from green to black, it’s time to harvest. Yes, you can wait until they go completely black but they are ripe when they start to go black. Here’s another way to tell: 20 corellas or parrots visit your tree, scoff all the olives and make a complete mess of your garden.

[Editor’s note: there are several different ways of curing olives. For example, see our pages on curing green olives and curing black olives.]

Read more of Mac’s tips.

Every newsletter needs a good picture

Karin Motyer has sent in a picture of the fruit from her Irish strawberry tree. “I decided to cut a couple open as I was curious as to what is inside. No, I don’t eat them. I leave them for the birds, who seem to love them.

[Editor’s note: they can be used to make both marmalade and brandy.]

Local food producer news

Organic Fix, in Eltham, are now making their own flour using a stone mill. The flour is stoneground (ground between two stones), wholegrain (uses all of the grain) and wholemeal (still contains bran).

Did you watch Masterchef on 6th May?

The theme was cooking with local ingredients and it included produce from three of our local food producers, namely Cooking With Koji (who make miso), Melbourne Gourmet Mushrooms and PowerHouse Cheese. Pictured are the three people from these producers who represented their organisations on the show, namely Yoko Nakazawa, Matthew Robison and Barbara Power.

Yoko Nakazawa
Cooking With Koji
Matthew Robison
Melbourne Gourmet Mushrooms
Barbara Power
PowerHouse Cheese

What alerted me to this was that the PowerHouse Cheese page was the most popular page on our website for the 24 hours after the show aired. Plus some of our new subscribers wrote rather unusual things on their subscription form, such as “I’m a blue cheese lover much to the disdain of my doctor“.

Darebin backyard harvest stories

Darebin Council is partnering with 3000acres to invite you to share your garden stories via photos and videos on Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag #darebinbackyardharvest and tags @3000acres and @darebincitycouncil. For example, post about your gardening progress, tips and tricks, garden tours or favourite recipes. One lucky gardener will win a copy of David Holmgren’s Retrosuburbia. To be eligible to win you must live, work or grow food in Darebin.

Guy’s veggie growing tip – growing in pots

Karyn asks: “I’d love to know any hints tips and tricks for growing in pots. I have no open space but room for pots. Any help would be much appreciated thank you. Great site!

Here is a list of veggies that grow well in pots: garlic, leeks, lettuce, pak choy, radish, rocket, silverbeet, spinach and strawberry.

To ease your watering tasks, use pots with water wells.

Use high quality potting mix but also add some fertiliser (or buy a mix which includes fertiliser) as most veggies are heavy feeders. Then add a liquid fertiliser periodically.

Read more of Guy’s veggie growing tips.

Meg’s social isolation week

The rain is caught in the buckets of the nasturtium leaves and look like little round sparkling balls. The air is damp and the autumn leaves are sodden underfoot. I am grateful for the quiet time in the garden.

While the soil is wet and soft, it’s a good time to dig up plants for division. I divided my horseradish (see photo right) and harvested a few pieces of root for use in the kitchen. The garden fork works hard in the soil and each year the horseradish seems deeper and harder to dig up – the roots often grow sideways in my clay soil. Horseradish grows very easily from pieces of the root. My plants originally came from a food swap and I’ve found that it is very hardy and can be a bit invasive. The cooler weather brings out its pungency and we keep it wrapped in the fridge ready to grate when needed. It is great as a dressing.

I have had a few enquiries about the Novella pea seeds which some of you received. It is described as a ‘unique leafless shelling pea’ and it does look a bit strange, but the pea pods were plentiful. I find that some support is needed. I like trialling some more unusual varieties from time to time as a bit of a challenge.

Horseradish dressing

3-4 tablespoons natural or greek yoghurt
1-2 tablespoons freshly grated horseradish (to taste)
juice of one small lemon
about a dessert spoon of olive oil
salt and pepper

Mix the yogurt and horseradish. Add the lemon juice a little at a time and then the olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust as required.

Read Meg’s other recipes on our website.

Which link was clicked most times in the last newsletter?

Jacinda Brown’s photo of herself with a pear.

Joke of the week

What did the ice-cream say to the unhappy birthday cake? “What’s eating you?”

Read more jokes.

Regular, current, online events

If you know of any others, email me.

Newly announced events

Nillumbik Council are organising a free, online presentation entitled nestbox neighbours on Tuesday, 26th May, 7-8pm. Register on EventBrite.

As discussed last week, Darebin Council and 3000acres are holding free, online gardening videos every Tuesday at 3pm on the 3000acres Facebook page. The next 3 video topics are: 12th May – backyard poultry 101; 19th May – beekeeping 101; and 26th May – cool season garden projects.

Previously announced events

Bullen Art and Garden Nursery (BAAG) are now holding weekly classes online on a variety of subjects. The next two classes are on growing fruit & veggies in small spaces (Saturday, 16th May) and compost & worms (Saturday, 23rd May), each 10.30-11.30am. $20 per class. Book online at WeTeachMe.

Sustainable Macleod are producing a series of videos entitled growing tips starring our very own Robin Gale-Baker.

3000acres are holding a free online workshop to discuss how to preserve olives, using fresh olives harvested from our local area. Then, all together, you will preserve a small batch to put away in the cupboard. The workshop is on Thursday, 14th May, 10-11am. Register on EventBrite

Central Ringwood Community Centre is organising a free online Q&A on plant-based eating on Friday, 15th May, 8-9pm. Register on Facebook.

Jesuit Community College are organising a free, online course for concession card holders covering zero waste cooking and sustainability. The course will start on 15th May and run for 7 weeks. Read more and register on WeTeachMe

CERES have moved some of their classes online.

Kat Lavers is publishing a series of videos entitled gardening in hard times on her Facebook page.

Newsletter reader Chloe Thomson is doing free, weekly podcasts on gardening for Bunnings.

Pip Magazine (some of whose journalists live in North East Melbourne) are producing a series of videos entitled simple skills for self sufficiency.

Formidable Vegetable are producing a series of videos entitled ‘grow-vid-19’ permaculture pandemic.

Good Life Permaculture are producing a series of videos entitled crisis gardening.

All The Dirt is a weekly podcast about gardening.

Birdlife Australia are giving weekly talks on their Facebook page. The talks can be watched live starting at midday on Thursdays, or as videos afterwards.

May 062020
 

Thanks to the people who have contributed to this week’s newsletter: Angelo Eliades, Anna Sanders, Aziza De Fazio, Bruno Tigani, Duang Tengtrirat, Fay Loveland, Jo Buckle, Joanne Driver, Jon Buttery, Kobie Swart, Lachlan Shackleton-Fergus, Lee Hirsh, Marsha Merory, Morgan Koegel, Pam Jenkins, Peter Bevz, Raymond Leong, Robin Gale-Baker, Stuart Rodda and Vanessa Reynolds.

Which farmer’s markets will be happening this weekend?

Answer 4 : Collingwood Childrens Farm Farmers’ Market (re-located to Alphington) and Coburg on Saturday; Alphington and Eltham on Sunday. Not Croydon or Whitehorse.

Our photo competition

And last week’s winner is …

There were 4 publishable entries for our World Naked Gardening Day special.

The winner is Jacinda Brown for her picture of herself with a pear. Congratulations Jacinda! You now have $50 credit with The Mushroom Shed for buying seedlings.

An honorary mention goes to Aziza De Fazio for her photo, which was entitled pomegranate picking. You now have $30 credit with The Mushroom Shed for buying seedlings.

Here are all 4 entries (click them to see larger versions).

Pomegranate picking
Aziza De Fazio
Honorary mention!
Pear
Jacinda Brown
The winner!
Fingers
Jon Buttery
Hand
Raymond Leong
This week’s competition

There is no competition this week (although I will publish any photos that are sent in). Can someone suggest a theme for the following week? Email me.

Yes, you did know!

What’s been eating Vicki’s pumpkins?

Rats, mice, brushtail possums, deer, kangaroos, wallabies or wombats?

Robin Gale-Baker: “Rats. I once saw a half acre full of beautiful pumpkins devastated by rats overnight. Hundreds of them devoured! I picked 3 pumpkins high up in our feijoa tree before the stem withered as, the moment they ripen, the rats go for them.

Pam Jenkins: “Rats. They don’t mind climbing a trellis. Unlikely to be possums as they don’t like being on the ground. I’ve never heard of rabbits eating undamaged pumpkin – I hope they don’t!

Joanne Driver: “Rats. I have had the same trouble this year with tomatoes and some apples. Our cat has a daily home on the compost pile near the bins and we have seen a few results.

Kris Filmer: “Rats. We have had the same problem, as well as our potatoes being eaten underground.

Peter Bevz: “Rats or mice, almost certainly. I’ve had identical issues in the past. Nowadays, when my pumpkins are ripening, I check them every day and, at the first sign of any nibbling, I harvest them all.

Marsha Merory: “Brushtail possum. I lost 5 pumpkins (2 golden nuggets and 3 jap pumpkins) to a large brushtail possum. I then put metal waste paper bins on my last 3 pumpkins, with 2 bricks on top of each – so far, so good.

Angelo Eliades (before seeing Duang’s response below): “Rats or possums, as rabbits aren’t capable of eating vegies hanging 1 metre off the ground, and birds wouldn’t eat that much and would leave tell-tale pointed pecking marks. The simple way to tell if it’s rats or possums is to net the pumpkins: if possums are the culprit then the pumpkins will be protected by the netting, but if rats are the problem then they will chew through the netting and eat the pumpkins!

Duang Tengtrirat: “Deer. When we lived in Research, our pumpkins were eaten and the carcass looked just like the one in the photo. We first blamed the kangaroos then the rabbits, both of which there were plenty. After installing a camera, however, it became clear that the culprit was actually deer (a big deer with antlers).

Angelo (after seeing Duang’s response): “Kangaroos and wallabies, maybe. If you live somewhere rural, then kangaroos and wallabies, as well as deer, would also be possibles. But, unlike rodents, none of these animals would chew through netting.

And Angelo again: “Wombats, maybe. At Bulleen Art & Garden nursery (BAAG), we once caught a wombat on our security cameras eating the blueberries in the driveway!

What should Sandie do with her small, green olives?

Morgan Koegel: “You can either preserve them (e.g. through brining) or press them into oil. For pressing, you only receive back about 10% as oil (the pip and pulp are discarded) so you need quite a lot of olives to justify undertaking this adventure.

What variety is Carol’s tomato?

Vanessa Reynolds: “It looks to me very much like one of the egg-shaped Italian types, such as Roma or San Marzano, both of which are good for passata or canning.

Stuart Rodda: “It looks very similar to one I have been growing for a decade or more from saved seed (see photo). It is a Roma-like tomato called ‘reggae’, which is a smooth-skinned, smallish, indeterminate tomato (4-6cm long, 2-3cm wide). It is resistant to disease and pest attack, keeps well after ripening, develops fruit in large clusters, is not fussy about soil quality and does not need regular watering (i.e. does not split if a dry period is followed by rain). The flavour is good and it is easily sliced. All in all, an excellent tomato for most uses, albeit a bit small.

Stuart’s tomatoes Carol’s tomatoes
How to protect your brassicas from cabbage moth?

Bruno Tigani: “This year, for the first time, I have used netting over my brassica patch and they are totally spotless. No aphids, caterpillars or any other pest. The netting has 2mm gaps and it has not caused the plants to elongate at all, so sufficient light intensity is still getting through.

Do you know?

Jo Buckle asks: “What is this on my apple tree?” (see photo right) [Editor: I’ve asked Jo whether it wriggles when the branches are knocked but she hasn’t yet replied.]

Local food producer news

Lee Hirsh has written in to say that Imbue Distillery have a special offer for Mother’s Day: 2 x 100ml bottles of gin with matching mixers and a 15/30ml jigger.

Guy’s veggie growing tip – leeks and celery

The word ‘blanch’ has two completely different meanings when it comes to food, namely what Wikipedia refers to as blanching (cooking) and blanching (horticulture). In horticulture, blanching is a technique used in vegetable growing whereby light is purposively excluded from part of the plant, usually to make it paler in colour and/or less bitter in flavour. If you look at a mature leek, the bottom bit will be white and the top bit will be green. The white bit is that which was grown underground. If, like me, you prefer white leek to green leek, then you want as much of the leek as possible to have been grown underground. This can be achieved through a combination of two techniques: planting the seedlings deeply (say, up to 5-10cm) and hilling up the soil around the plant as it grows (say, up to another 5-10cm). Watch this video by newsletter reader and leek growing expert Bruno Tigani (Bruno was the person who gave away hundreds of leek seedlings to newsletter readers earlier this year). He plants his leek seedlings in deep holes and then, with rain and wind, the soil collapses in gradually.

Similar opportunities apply to celery where, for example, white, non-bitter celery can be obtained by wrapping the bottom half of the plant in paper.

If you have any doubt about the impact that an absence of light can have on a plant, compare witloof with other forms of chicory.

Read more of Guy’s veggie growing tips.

Meg’s social isolation week

With the cool weather this week, it is clear that autumn is definitely here. The last of the basil turned black overnight from the frost (no more pesto this year) and it’s time to harvest the last pumpkins as the tendrils brown and the vine dies back. I’ve had a wonderful crop of passionfruit over the last two months, but I now see green passionfruit on the ground (which can happen when it turns really cold) so it is unlikely that the last few passionfruit left will ripen. What to do with the last of the ripe passionfruit? We love them fresh, but the pulp can also be frozen for use in baking. Maybe a banana bread with passionfruit pulp?

All the rain has helped the peas that are just starting to show through the dirt. The garlic is also up, just appearing after several weeks in the ground. The mint is lush and smells wonderful in the wet weather when brushed against. It deserves to be used and it goes really well with lentils in a warm lunch with toasted sourdough.

Puy lentils and mint

1 cup of cooked Puy lentils
1 brown onion diced
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tomatoes diced
3 tablespoons mint leaves finely chopped
1 tablespoon parsley leaves finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Fry the onion in the olive oil until softened.

Add the tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add the vinegar and then add the pre-cooked lentils to warm through.

Remove from heat and toss through fresh herbs and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with toasted sourdough.

Banana bread with passionfruit pulp

2-3 ripe bananas (mashed)
juice/pulp of 3-4 passionfruit (seeds are optional)
125g butter, softened
½ cup caster sugar
2 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla
50g chopped walnuts (optional)
1½ cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt

Cream the butter and sugar.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well.

Fold in the mashed bananas, passionfruit pulp, vanilla and nuts (if using).

Lightly fold in the flour, baking powder and salt.

Bake for around 1 hour in a loaf tin at 180degC.

Cool in the tin before turning it out onto a cake rack.

Read Meg’s other recipes on our website.

Following last week’s newsletter, Meg sent pea seeds to the first 15 newsletter readers who requested them. As Kobie Swart said, “Can you please forward my thanks to Megan for the sweet pea seeds. What a delightful little parcel to receive in the mail. Gardeners really are the nicest people.” And Anna Sanders: “I received an envelope of Novella Pea seeds which I’ve never come across before – I didn’t know there were leafless varieties! I planted them out today and am very excited to see how they turn out. It’s lovely to be part of such a generous, sharing community of people and I appreciate you helping to keep it active!

Marmalade toffee

Even though he makes marmalade all the time, Lachlan Shackleton-Fergus still has the occasional disaster. He recently had one such, where the end product was just a runny mess. To use up some of this runny marmalade, he decided to try and make marmalade toffee. Read the story of Lachlan and his lockdown marmalade toffee.

Here is the recipe that Lachlan came up with.

Ingredients
450 grams runny marmalade (any type is fine)
900 grams white sugar
a little unsalted butter or treacle (optional)
chopped nuts (optional)

Utensils
A medium-sized heavy bottom pan.
A wooden stirring spoon.
An accurate candy thermometer (desirable as sugar is a bit unforgiving).
A pan or tray to pour the mix into.

Method
Dump the runny marmalade into the pan and gently heat to a slow bubble – about 10 minutes.

Add the sugar and mix gently and then let it slowly heat to 154degC. Watch the temperature rise. It will take about half an hour but as soon as it reaches 154degC, take it off the stove or you will have dark set glue! Don’t stir too much or it will crystallise. It will foam up as it gets near the required temperature.

Using heavy gloves or an oven cloth, pour the mix gently into the setting pan and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes.

After about 10-15 minutes, using a heavy knife, make indentations into the mix about the size of a single tablet of chocolate. If the indentations fill up, wait a few more minutes and then do it again.

Sugar cools very slowly so give it a good couple of hours and then remove the mix from the pan using a spatula or similar. Put it on a wooden or strong table surface and break the mix up into units. If you can’t break it up, put the whole thing in the fridge for an hour and then try again.

After the toffee has been cut up, lay the pieces into a plastic shallow container, dust with icing sugar (to keep the pieces from sticking together) and store in the fridge to keep it hard.

Note that you can sprinkle some chopped nuts over the hot mix on the slab or even dust it with cocoa. It helps to push the nuts down into the toffee with the back of a wet spoon but you will need to wait until the mix is a little set or they just pop out again!

Also note that sugar absorbs water so it can start to get a bit sticky if you leave it in a warm room. If that happens, just put it back into the fridge.

April was a month of records for this newsletter

More people (30) wrote to me to express their appreciation for the newsletter than in any previous month.

More people (110) signed up to receive the newsletter than in any previous month.

More people (700) clicked links than in any previous month.

More people (2,600) than ever received the newsletter.

Which link was clicked most times in the last newsletter?

The picture of me watering my garden on World Naked Gardening Day.

As someone wrote in: “How much time do you dedicate to achieving such muscularity?

Joke of the week

What can a whole pear do that half an pear can’t do? It can look round.

Read more jokes.

Regular, current, online events

If you know of any others, email me.

Newly announced events

Bullen Art and Garden Nursery (BAAG) are now holding weekly classes online on a variety of subjects. The next three classes are on pest control (Saturday, 9th May), growing fruit & veggies in small spaces (Saturday, 16th May) and compost & worms (Saturday, 23rd May), each 10.30-11.30am. $20 per class. Book online at WeTeachMe.

CERES have moved some of their classes online.

Darebin Council and 3000acres are jointly organising a free, online workshop on worm farming on Saturday, 9th May, 10.30-11.30am. Reserve spaces on Facebook. There will also be free Q&A sessions every Tuesday at 3pm on the 3000acres Facebook page.

Whittlesea Council are organising some free, online workshops on composting and worm farming. The workshops will be on Wednesday, 6th May, 7-8.30pm and Thursday, 7th May, 10.30am-midday. Register by contacting Sylvia Jones by email.

Central Ringwood Community Centre is organising a free online Q&A on plant-based eating on Friday, 15th May, 8-9pm. Register on Facebook.

Jesuit Community College are organising a free, online course for concession card holders covering zero waste cooking and sustainability. The course will start on 15th May and run for 7 weeks. Read more and register on WeTeachMe

Newsletter reader Chloe Thomson is doing free, weekly podcasts on gardening for Bunnings.

All The Dirt is a weekly podcast about gardening.

Previously announced events

Sustainable Macleod are producing a series of videos entitled growing tips starring our very own Robin Gale-Baker.

Kat Lavers is publishing a series of videos entitled gardening in hard times on her Facebook page.

3000acres are holding a free online workshop to discuss how to preserve olives, using fresh olives harvested from our local area. Then, all together, you will preserve a small batch to put away in the cupboard. The workshop is on Thursday, 14th May, 10-11am. Register on EventBrite

Pip Magazine (some of whose journalists live in North East Melbourne) are producing a series of videos entitled simple skills for self sufficiency.

Formidable Vegetable are producing a series of videos entitled ‘grow-vid-19’ permaculture pandemic.

Good Life Permaculture are producing a series of videos entitled crisis gardening.

Birdlife Australia are giving weekly talks on their Facebook page. The talks can be watched live starting at midday on Thursdays, or as videos afterwards.