LFC News August 28

Aug 272024
 

Thanks to the people who have contributed to this week’s newsletter: Angela Paraskevas, Ann Stanley, Anna Sanders, Chris Chapple, David Nickell, Jennie de Vine and Pam Jenkins.

Butter: standard vs cultured vs clarified

Butter is the result of agitating/churning cream up to the point where the solids (butter) separate from the liquid (buttermilk). This separation happens because the churning process causes the fat in the cream to pool together. Butter is thus mostly fat (80%) and water.

Cultured butter is the result of the same process except that the cream is somewhat fermented before the churning. Historically (i.e. before refrigeration), most butter was effectively cultured because the cream was usually collected from several milkings and was therefore several days old and somewhat fermented by the time it was made into butter. Also, European butter is often cultured. The fermentation process in cultured butter produces additional aromatic compounds which apparently makes the butter more ‘buttery’ tasting.

Clarified butter (aka ghee) is where almost all of butter’s water and milk solids are removed leaving almost pure butterfat. It is made by simmering butter, resulting in the water evaporating and the milk solids separating out. This heating process apparently also produces antioxidants that help protect the clarified butter from rancidity, meaning it has a much longer shelf life than standard butter. Ghee is more ‘nutty tasting’ and aromatic than standard butter.

In terms of baking, cultured butter can always be used instead of standard butter and will make the end product taste a bit more ‘buttery’. It also tends to create a finer crumb texture. But, because it is typically more expensive than standard butter, its use is often restricted to recipes where the butter is an important ingredient from a taste perspective, such as in croissants, brioche and shortbreads or spread on toast or bread.

Ghee should not be used as a substitute in baking where the recipe calls for cold butter cut in pieces (e.g. pie crusts and bread) or for icings/frostings. It can be used in other baking recipes, for example where the butter is either melted or creamed, but the substitution is non-trivial because it can affect both the taste and the texture of the end result.

Ghee is commonly used in Indian cuisine.

Finally, note that ghee and cultured butter both have a higher smoke point than standard butter. This means that they are better suited than standard butter for sauteing, frying and searing meat or vegetables without worrying about smoking up your kitchen.

Read more of my baking articles on our website.

‘Slow’ butter comes to Eltham Farmers’ Market

This Sunday (1st September), Eltham Farmers’ Market will host its first visit by Madeleine Butter. Their products include: salted and unsalted cultured butter, their signature butter (which exhibits a richer bolder style) and a limited release ‘outback’ butter (which reflects the flavours and image of the Australian outback). As discussed above, cultured butter is created by fermenting the cream before churning it to create the butter.

Made in the traditional French way, Madeleine Butter is made in Lilydale. Founder Jack Gaffney is inspired by historic and contemporary butter making techniques and the complex and diverse small-batch butters of France. Having fallen in love with butter, he moved to Brittany to study his passion. Returning to Melbourne, he set up Madeleine Butter last May. Madelaine use grass-fed, Jersey-cow cream from Gippsland. This is fermented with multiple cultures then barrel churned and malaxed to produce butter that is rich with a complex flavour. Finally, each individual portion is shaped by hand.

Each batch is worked on a malaxer table that Jack built. This is a traditional hands-on machine that is normally only seen as an antique. Read more about malaxers on Jack’s website.

From left to right, the three photos are: some of their butter, the malaxer table that Jack built and an antique malaxer that Jack bought back from France.

  

The 2024 SEEDs Fest

Some events attract more participants than others. The annual SEEDs Fest winter soup fundraiser at SEEDs Communal Garden in Brunswick is always popular and, as the photo shows, the 2024 event on 18th August was no exception.

Mooroolbark Community Garden’s monthly market is re-starting

Their next market will be on Sunday, 29th September and they are seeking stallholders, including fresh produce, local craft & artisan makers, food stalls, kids activities and community groups. If you are potentially interested in being a stallholder, contact them by email (mooroolbarkocgmarket@gmail.com).

Project Pair Up

Project Pair Up, which is based in North East Melbourne, “collects mismatching containers and lids from the community and endeavours to match them up. The matching containers are then given back to the community or donated. Our objective is to reuse and to divert waste from landfill.” Read more on the Melbourne Farmers Market website. It was started by someone called Amelia Trompf and in 2023 around 1,000 containers were matched up and given away.

You can drop off unmatched containers or lids at either Alphington Farmers’ Market (where Amelia has a stall) or Span Community House, 64 Clyde Street, Thornbury.

Mitcham Community Meal

Mitcham Community Meal provides a free community dinner every Sunday evening, where each meal is cooked by a different local community group. During August, the cooking teams were Belmore Road Church of Christ (see photo right), Team Antonio Park Primary School, The Park Orchards Netball Leadership Team and Tulsi’s Crew. Look at some photos of these teams, plus those of previous teams.

What seeds to plant in September

Here is a list (see the planting guide for more detail):

Cucurbits

Cucumber
Gourd
Pumpkin
Rockmelon
Watermelon
Zucchini
Other warm season veggies

Basil
Beans
Capsicum
Chilli
Eggplant
Sweetcorn
Tomato
Leafy greens

Lettuce
Mizuna
Mustard greens
Parsley
Rocket
Silverbeet
Roots

Beetroot
Carrot
Jerusalem artichoke
Parsnip
Potato
Radish
Other veggies

Asparagus
Celery
Chives
Coriander
Globe artichoke
Leeks
Rhubarb
Spring onions

 
It’s Spring time! Time to get planting! I try and plant all my warm season veggie seeds in September – that way, if they fail to germinate, I can try again in October.

Read Helen Simpson’s articles on our website about growing basil, chillies, cucurbits, tomatoes and Spring veggie garden preparation more generally.

Read Robin Gale-Baker’s articles on our website about growing eggplants & capsicums, mustard greens & mizuna and tomatoes.

Did you know that …

… hazelnuts are wind pollinated – no bees or insects required! Ditto pecans, pistachios and walnuts.

Newsletter reader David Nickell, from Burnarlook Llamas and Hazelnuts in Gembrook, has reported in to say that his male hazelnut flowers (catkins) are now finishing up (see left hand photo) and the tiny red female hazelnut flowers are just starting (see right hand photo). This hopefully means that he will have lots of hazelnuts for u-pickers starting from late February next year.

Another article from Angelo

Borage growing guide.

Read more of Angelo’s food-related articles.

Mid-week farmers’ markets?

Have you noticed that all the Melbourne farmers’ markets are held on the weekend? Newsletter reader Anna Sanders has and suggests that you read this article about the possible benefits of weekday farmers’ markets.

Note that there are weekday farmers’ markets in both Bendigo and Castlemaine.

A video for you to watch

I thought that this video, entitled How the U.S. ruined bread, was rather well made.

Critters of the week

In response to my request in last week’s newsletter, Pam Jenkins and Doris Glier have sent in some photos of insects from their garden. Thanks, both! If you have any good photos of any insects or other critters from your garden, email them to me and I’ll include them in a future newsletter.

From the garden of Pam Jenkins – green lacewing

The left hand photo (on a lemon tree in Pam’s garden) is of the eggs of a green lacewing (family Chrysopidae), the middle photo (from the Internet) is of a larva, and the right hand one (also from the Internet) is of an adult. Green lacewings are in the insect order Neuroptera, or net-winged insects.

  

Each egg is hung on a slender stalk about 1 cm long, usually, but not always, on the underside of a leaf. Pam thinks that the black ones in the photo possibly have sooty mould growing on them.

The larvae are typically voracious predators. Many of them have long bristles jutting out from their sides which collect debris over time thus providing camouflage. Much of this debris is typically the hard parts of aphids that they have eaten.

The adults can be recognised by their habit of holding their wings tent-like over the body when at rest and by the branching at the end of the main veins in the wings.

From the garden of Doris Glier – snail parasitic blowfly

This photo is of an adult snail parasitic blowfly (genus Amenia) and was taken in November 2023. Doris says that it was slowly moving over a rock on the side of a garden bed and seemed to enjoy posing for the mobile phone photo.

Whilst the adults feed on pollen and nectar (and assist flowers with pollination), the juvenile maggots are predatory parasites that feed on land snails (hence the common name). Like the lesser brown blowfly discussed in last week’s newsletter, but unlike most blowflies, the adults give birth to live maggots rather than eggs.

The Melbourne ‘Local Food Connections’ community radio show

On next Sunday’s show (25th August, 10-10.30am) on 3CR (855 AM), Ann and Amy will interview Chelsea McNab about Yarra Valley ECOSS. Listen by tuning into either the station (855 AM) or its livestream.

Podcasts of all previous episodes are available on their website, the latest being Touring the Common Ground project in Freshwater Creek (25th August).

Which link was clicked most times in the last newsletter?

The most popular link in the last newsletter was Angelo’s angelica growing guide.

The most popular event link in the last newsletter was the upcoming REthink your kitchen workshop on 7th September, 10am-1pm at Edendale.

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

Chalk and cheese? Chalk and any food. It’s not the cheese’s fault. (Submitted by David Elms)

Read more food-related jokes on our website.

 

Regular activities over the coming week

Farmers’ and other food markets
Food swaps
Community gardens

Not local but interesting

Brick laying workshop; Saturday, 7th September, 9am-midday; free; Warburton.

Learn all about brick laying whilst creating a new garden bed for Edible Warburton Community Garden. Presenter: Handyman Howard. The garden is at 3394 Warburton Highway, Warburton. Just turn up. Note that they have regular Thursday meetings, 9.30-11.30am.

Upcoming face-to-face events – not cooking

Kevin Heinze and The Peoples Garden; Wednesday, 11th September, 7.30-9pm; free; Montrose.

Eddie will discuss Kevin Heinze and the history of The Peoples Garden.

Edible weeds; Saturday, 19th October, 10am-midday; $70 ($35 per hour); CERES.

Learn about the seasonal edible weeds that thrive in Melbourne’s inner north and gain knowledge about the plants’ culinary, medicinal and ecological uses. This session will also include a demonstration, and sampling, of prepared edible weeds. Presenter: Lauren Mueller.

Traditional wooden spoon carving; Sunday, 20th October, 10am-4pm; $145 ($29 per hour); CERES.

Learn the traditional craft of carving your own kitchen utensils using specialised carving knives and your hands. From a piece of sustainably sourced native timber, carve spoons, butter spreaders, spatulas or spurtles from a piece of wood. You will learn: an age-old craft; the sense of meditation and slowness to be found in whittling life’s essential objects; sourcing sustainable materials; the basics of traditional tool use; and how to safely turn a log into your favourite wooden utensil. Presenter: Alma Arriaga.

Growing your own – for kids; Tuesday, 22nd October, 4-5pm; free; Edendale.

For children aged 4-6 accompanied by a parent or guardian. Your child will learn all about: what a seed needs to grow; the environmental benefits of growing some of your own food; and why worms are such amazing creatures when it comes to recycling food waste and creating quality soil. Visit the Edendale veggie gardens, worm farms and compost areas. The children will also get to plant a seed in a biodegradable pot that they can take home with them.

In August
In September
In October
Regular events

Upcoming face-to-face events – cooking

Kimchi demo; Monday, 2nd September, 11am-midday; free; Ringwood.

Hayley will guide you through every step in making kimchi, ensuring you leave with the skills to spice up your own kitchen creations.

Mooncakes with Phuong Ngo; Wednesday, 25th September, 11am-midday; free; Brunswick.

In many Asian cultures, mooncakes are shared with family and friends as a symbol of prosperity and reunion. Join artist Phuong Ngo to paint, sparkle and bling your own mooncake to take home.

Japanese fermentation; Wednesday, 16th October, 6.30-9pm; $120 ($48 per hour); Collingwood.

You will learn how to make miso, starting with the preparation of the soybeans and ending with the shaping of your miso. You will also make tsukemono pickles from fresh vegetables. You will take home some miso, which will then mature into robust flavours over time. Presenter: The Fermented Mumma.

Mozzarella making class; Saturday, 19th October, 10am-midday; $150 ($75 per hour); Thomastown.

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

Indian cooking; Sunday, 20th October, 10am-3pm; $150 ($30 per hour); CERES.

Learn how to make easy, delicious and healthy vegetarian Indian recipes. At the end of the workshop, you will sit down together for a shared feast of your own making. Presenter: Aditi Daware.

Sri Lankan cooking class; Monday, 21st October, 6-8.30pm; $90 ($36 per hour); Surrey Hills.

Experience the tastes, smells and sounds of Sri Lankan cooking. You will learn how to make a chicken curry dish, dhal with spinach, brinjal moju (eggplant) and Sri Lankan special yellow rice. Afterwards, you will sit down and enjoy a Sri Lankan feast. Organised by Balwyn Community Centre.

In August
In September
In October
Regular classes

LFC News August 21

Aug 202024
 

Thanks to the people who have contributed to this week’s newsletter: Helen Simpson, Hong Li, Pam Jenkins and Zoe Jones.

Local Food Connect visits the FareShare kitchen garden in Abbotsford (by Helen Simpson)

Have you ever looked down from the train at Victoria Park station in Abbotsford and wondered what organisation is growing all those fabulous vegetables? A few weeks ago, the Local Food Connect committee visited FareShare’s kitchen garden on that site.

For those unfamiliar with the charity FareShare, they have been (as they say on their website) “cooking free, nutritious meals for people doing it tough since 2001“. According to Haydn Allen, who was the site guide on the day, around 50,000 meals are cooked by FareShare each week, which is a significant and astounding effort. These are then provided to hundreds of frontline charities across the state, including soup vans, homeless shelters, women’s refuges and neighbourhood houses.

FareShare grows an estimated 115 tonnes of vegetables every year across three farming sites in Melbourne (Clayton South, Moorabbin and this one in Abbotsford). The vegetables produced contribute both vital nutrition and flavour to the meals.

At the Victoria Park site, the veggie beds are currently growing healthy and vigorous looking pak choy, parsley, spring onions, celery, silverbeet and kale, as well as other vegetables. The vegetables grown vary by the season, with crops rotated. Flowers are also grown to beautify the site and native grasses to stabilise some of the growing beds.

Interested to know more? Check out either FareShare’s website and/or the page about them in our Local Food Directory.

Want to have a stall at the upcoming Knox Community Gardens open day?

The Knox Community Garden Society is turning 40 and will be celebrating with a community open day on Saturday, 5th October. They are looking for local food producers and community organisations who would like to host a stall on the day. Stalls are free to community groups and $25 for businesses (with a raffle donation also requested). The last event attracted around 1,500 to the gardens, which are located in Boronia in the City of Knox. If interested, please contact Carol at president@kcgs.org.au

To all my garden helpers, I would like to say thank you (by Pam Jenkins)

First, to the sulphur-crested cockatoos. Thank you so much for picking the daffodils ready for me to pop into vases. You did well to leave them with lovely long stems. You probably didn’t need to pick all the leaves as well as the flowers but they do look lovely inside. As an added bonus, I won’t have to worry about tidying up all those leaves that die off so messily in the middle of summer.

Those polyanthus flowers look so pretty strewn over the lawn like that. They really brighten up the area. I hadn’t realised that you were so artistic!

We didn’t make it to the snow this year so thank you for picking off the almond flowers and dropping them all over the ground beneath the tree – you have given me a little patch of snowy white to enjoy in my own backyard.

Thanks also for chopping and dropping the young self-sown silverbeet. It wasn’t in neat rows so you have done a wonderful job of tidying that garden.

This leads me to the services provided by the rabbit family. Thanks for digging all those little holes through the mulch. The deeper ones have allowed me to partially bury some of the silverbeet under a mixture of soil and mulch. It has been fantastic to be able to create compost in situ like that. Digging the shallower holes is a help in aerating the soil and mixing the mulch in a little deeper. I am sure that the worms are grateful to have food buried and not to have to get close to the surface and risk getting sunburnt or eaten.

Thank you also for trimming the parsley down to ground level. Those plants would have been going up to seed by now and they do look so untidy when the wind blows them over. Your manure is always welcome in the garden. With all this chopping and dropping, plant trimming, composting, manuring and soil aeration, what a great organic gardening team we are!

To the large brown caterpillar on my carrots. My, how you have grown! Thanks for defoliating half of the carrot leaves. Now I don’t need to search through all that foliage to find the roots for harvesting. I am sure you will turn into a lovely butterfly when you metamorphose. A word of warning though, keep an eye out for the magpies that frequent that area.

Although not directly involved with garden maintenance, I mustn’t forget to thank the magpie lark. Your work in making my clear glass window opaque with bird spit is inspirational! Keep at it! By the middle of summer, the opaque glass will assist with maintaining a cooler environment inside. Whitewashing the window sill whilst you work is an added bonus by reflecting the heat off the brickwork. Well done.

Last but not least, I’d like to say hello to the currawongs. I am not sure why you are here right now. The olives don’t get to your preferred size until May. A heads up for you though, you may have to come early this year as the rainbow lorikeets and king parrots have decided that they prefer the olives ‘gourmet’ sized in February.

Thanking you all for your assistance in my garden.

Another article by Angelo Eliades

Angelica growing guide.

Read more of Angelo’s food-related articles.

Critters of the week from my garden – flesh flies and blowflies

The left hand photo is of a flesh fly (family Sarcophagidae) whilst the right hand one is of a lesser brown blowfly (Calliphora augur).

Whilst both flesh fly adults and blowfly adults are omnivores, the juvenile maggots feed on carrion or dung. These food sources are, however, transient and might not still be there when any eggs hatch. To get round this problem, both flesh flies and the lesser brown blowfly (but not most other blowflies) actually give birth to live maggots, which can immediately start eating.

Read about my previous insects (or other critters) of the week on our website.

If you have any good photos of any insects or other critters from your garden, email them to us and we’ll include them in a future newsletter.

The Melbourne ‘Local Food Connections’ community radio show

On next Sunday’s show (25th August, 10-10.30am) on 3CR (855 AM), Ann and Amy will interview Common Ground. Listen by tuning into either the station (855 AM) or its livestream.

Podcasts of all previous episodes are available on their website, the latest being Patrick Wain on Kevin Heinze GROW (18th August).

Which link was clicked most times in the last newsletter?

The most popular link in the last newsletter was Simone Boyd’s video on the importance of giving your rhubarb space.

The most popular event link in the last newsletter was the upcoming food for mood workshop on 22nd August, 11am-1pm in Coburg.

Word of the month – Balthazar

‘Balthazar’, meaning an oversize wine bottle holding about 16 times the volume of a normal bottle.

Read about previous words of the month.

Proverb (or phrase) of the month

Say ‘cheese’. Meaning: an instruction by a photographer just before taking a picture, in order to make people smile. This phrase dates back to the 1940s when an American politician said that saying cheese was his way of ensuring that he was smiling when his photograph was taken. It is not at all obvious that there is anything unique about the word cheese that makes people smile, but the long ‘ee’ parts your lips, making a facial expression that arguably resembles a grin (and ‘whiskey’ used to be an alternative saying) and some people think that the ‘ch’ causes you to bring your teeth together. What is clear is that each country has its own word or saying, with my favourite being the Estonian ‘hernesupp’ (meaning ‘pea soup’).

In the 1960s, the phrase ‘say cheese’ led to the phrases ‘cheesy smile’ and ‘cheesy grin’, meaning insincere smiles/grins, which then led to the new adjective ‘cheesy’, meaning shabby or tasteless.

Note that smiling for a photograph only became a thing in the 20th Century. In the 19th Century, according to Reader’s Digest, “only children, peasants, and drunks smiled in photographs; everyone else kept their faces neutral, which was considered attractive and dignified at the time.”

Finally, note that on Android phones you can tell the camera to take a picture by saying “cheese” (or “smile”, “capture” or “shoot”).

Read about more food-related proverbs.

Gardening quote of the month

“Life begins the day you start a garden.” (a Chinese proverb).

Read more gardening quotes.

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

Why did the man at the orange juice factory lose his job? He couldn’t concentrate!

Read more food-related jokes on our website.

 

Regular activities over the coming week

Farmers’ and other food markets
Food swaps
Community gardens

Not food-related but interesting

Open gardens – Bickleigh Vale Village; Saturday, 12th October and Sunday, 13th October, both 10am-4.30pm; $35; Mooroolbark.

The ticket is for entry to 8 of the gardens in Bickleigh Vale Village. The houses and gardens in Bickleigh Vale Village were designed by Edna Walling in the 1920s onwards, where her aim was to create a village in the English style. There are 33 plots across 30 acres, of which 8 will be open on the day. Organised by Open Gardens Victoria.

Upcoming face-to-face events – not cooking

Sustainable gardening (3 sessions); sessions on Saturdays 7th September, 19th October and 16th November, each 12.30-3pm; $30 ($4 per hour); Kilsyth.

The topics will be: propagation on 7th September; pests, diseases and weeds on 19th October; and irrigation on 16th November. Presenters: Valley Care. Organised by Japara Neighbourhood House.

Garden pot planting and decorating; Wednesday, 18th September, 11am-1pm; free; Thomastown.

Decorate and plant your very own mini garden pot. Plus, learn about their seed library and spring planting tips. Presenter: Bunnings Thomastown.

Permaculture Design Course (80 hours); starting on Thursday, 10th October at 9am; $595 ($7 per hour); Kinglake.

The subjects to be covered will include: permaculture ethics and design principles; water systems; building healthy soils; passive solar building and retrofitting existing buildings; building greater personal and community resilience; growing nutrient dense food; and emerging opportunities in the new economy. Organised by Kinglake Ranges Neighbourhood House.

Propagating and seed harvesting; Friday, 11th October, 10-11.30am; $10; Kinglake.

Learn how to propagate plants from cuttings, sowing seeds and other propagating methods and which plants can propagate the easiest, saving you money and provide a garden full of produce. Presenter: Kathleen Tants. Organised by Kinglake Ranges Neighbourhood House.

Kevin Heinze GROW Spring Fair (Doncaster); Saturday, 12th October, 9am-2.30pm; free; Doncaster.

There will be a wide variety of heirloom tomato seedlings for sale. Plus, food, fun crafts, games, horticulture activities and a scavenger hunt.

Companion plants and crop rotation; Saturday, 12th October, 10am-12.30am; $20; Edendale.

Gain knowledge about: crop rotation planning; plant friends that support and benefit each other; pollinator and beneficial insect attractors; and hands-on pot up a seedling to take home. You will also take a tour of the productive garden to observe vegetable and companion plants growing together. Presenter: Melissa Houselander from Hortopia Landscapes.

Small space gardening; Saturday, 12th October, 10am-3pm; $115 ($23 per hour); CERES.

You will learn: how to maximise your small space to create an abundant oasis of food, herbs and ornamentals; and container gardening techniques and principles. Presenter: Donna Livermore.

Setting up a worm farm; Saturday, 12th October, 2-3.30pm; free; Edendale.

Learn how to set up a worm farm and the easiest methods to manage and care for these most hard-working of creatures. This workshop will cover both the theory and practice of worm farming in a household setting. It will be useful for those wishing to recycle household food waste in order to produce worm products for use in the improvement of soil in gardens and pot plants. Discounted worm farms will be available for sale on the day.

Introduction to bees; Sunday, 13th October, 10am-midday; $20 ($10 per hour); Kinglake.

Learn about bee antics and what’s involved in looking after your own bee hive. Organised by Kinglake Ranges Neighbourhood House.

Beginners backyard beekeeping; Sunday, 13th October, 10am-3pm; $220 ($44 per hour); CERES.

Learn everything from the inner workings of a beehive to the healing properties of raw honey. You will learn how to maintain a healthy hive, discover the wonders of swarms and how to keep them in check. Weather permitting, they will also open a hive and have a hands-on demonstration. Presenter: Ashton Edgley.

Introduction to winemaking (8 sessions); on Tuesdays and Thursdays, starting Tuesday, 15th October, 6.30-9.30pm; $795 ($33 per hour); Epping.

The topics to be covered will include: wine styles and grape composition; sanitation; crushing and pressing operations; basic juice and wine analyses; fermentation and alcohol production; sulphur dioxide and other gases; basic tastes and assessing wine quality; wine faults; fining; oak use; and filtration and bottling. You will produce an individual small batch of wine from either fresh grapes or grape concentrate. Organised by Melbourne Polytechnic.

Flourish therapeutic gardening (8 sessions); on Wednesdays, starting 16th October, 10am-1pm; $371 ($12 per hour); Panton Hill.

This is a therapeutic horticulture program offered in a supportive, positive and safe community garden for people living with a disability, mental health or chronic health issues or limited mobility. NDIS participants welcome. Carers are welcome to attend. The program aims to cultivate: inclusivity, fostering strengths, abilities and interests; meaningful, purposeful and engaging activity; improved confidence and personal development; social interactions, connections and build friendships; capacity building, knowledge and skills development; gentle physical activity, balance, flexibility and fine motor skills; creativity and fun; positive mood, reduced stress and anxiety; and a deeper connection with the garden and the creatures it supports. The activities will include a combination of outdoor garden and table-top activities. Call them on 9433 3744 for more information or to discuss your needs. Tutor: Melissa Houselander. Organised by Living & learning Nillumbik.

In August
In September
In October
Regular events

Upcoming face-to-face events – cooking

Mini master cooks (9-12 years) – colourful pasta; Saturday, 7th September, 10.30am-12.30pm; $55 ($28 per hour); Forest Hill.

Calling all mini cooks aged 9-12, make rainbow pasta with herbed butter sauce. Make different coloured pasta using autumn vegetables such as beetroot and spinach. Measure, stir, taste and cook. BYO apron and container to take the pasta and sauce home in. Organised by Strathdon House.

Vegetarian cooking; Sunday, 11am-1pm; $25 ($13 per hour); Forest Hill.

Learn, share and savour the flavours of plant-based cooking. From quick and easy weekday meals to dinner party dishes, their chefs will guide you through a variety of plant-based recipes. Organised by Strathdon House.

Alice Zaslavsky – queen of veg; Wednesday, 2nd October, 6.30-7.30pm; $10; Hawthorn.

Alice Zaslavsky will discuss her new book Salad for days: breezy ways with veg, all year round, which is a guide to making every day a salad day.

Cheese making; Saturday, 12th October, midday-4pm; $150 ($38 per hour); Kinglake.

Learn how to make feta, halloumi, labneh and ricotta cheeses. You will taste test the ricotta and halloumi once it’s freshly made. A light lunch of spanakopita and baked camembert will be provided. You will take home various cheeses. Take along an apron, a glass jar and 3 or 4 containers to take your cheese home. Organised by Kinglake Ranges Neighbourhood House.

Bulleen Heights School cooking class (7 sessions); on consecutive Wednesdays from 16th October, 11.15am-12.45pm; $240 ($23 per hour); Lower Templestowe.

This course is for teenagers. Each week you will learn to make a main course. Take an apron and tea towel. Organised by Living And Learning @ Ajani. Run in partnership with Bulleen Heights School.

In August
In September
In October
Regular classes

LFC News August 14

Aug 132024
 

Thanks to the people who have contributed to this week’s newsletter: Melissa Lawson and Vanessa Veldman.

Every newsletter needs a good picture

The photo is of some candles that look like kiwifruit. They were handmade by Lithuanian company LessCandles.

A few years ago you could buy these candles on Etsy but, alas, seemingly no more.

Muffins versus cupcakes

Different people can assume slightly different meanings for the same word, so what I think of as a muffin might be slightly different than what you think of as a muffin. And the similarities of muffins and cupcakes are such that there might be things that I would call muffins that you would call cupcakes, and vice versa.

Muffins and cupcakes are both made with flour, eggs, milk and sugar. Within this, some of the common recipe differences are set out in the table below.

 
Cupcakes
Muffins
Savoury or sweet? always sweet sweet or savoury
Ingredients always plain or self-raising flour sometimes wholewheat flour
butter either butter or vegetable oil
tend to have less milk and more eggs tend to have more milk and less eggs
tend to have more sugar and more fat tend to have less sugar and less fat
never have bits in often have bits in (dried fruits, nuts, etc)
Method The creaming method: add the ingredients one by one and whisk them thoroughly, resulting in a smooth, fluffy batter.
 
(Cupcakes are miniature cakes.)		 Mix the dry ingredients together. Mix the wet ingredients together (butter is treated as a wet ingredient and therefore melted). Gently combine and, after a couple of quick stirs, you’ll get a thick, lumpy batter.
 
(Muffins are a type of quick bread.)
Result soft and spongy moist and dense
Frosting, etc? often never
Serving style? always cold can be served warm

 
Read more of my baking articles on our website.

Hope City Mission

Hope City Mission in Croydon “provides food relief, financial education & support for people in need“. Their Facebook page is both interesting and active, with their latest post being this video.

Some news from Yarra Valley ECOSS

Yarra Valley ECOSS in Wesburn is “an environmental and educational not-for-profit community hub committed to showcasing sustainable solutions.” Think CERES but smaller.

The good news is that they were recently visited by Gardening Australia and will feature on the 20th September episode. Read more.

The bad news is that they are apparently in some financial strife and are appealing for financial donations. Read more and potentially donate.

Another article by Angelo Eliades

Asparagus growing guide.

Read more of Angelo’s food-related articles.

Another video from Simone Boyd

The importance of giving your rhubarb space.

Watch more of Simone’s videos.

Critter of the week from my garden – inchman ant

There is a colony of inchman ants (Myrmecia forficata) living underground in the ‘bushland’ part of my garden.

Inchman ants are different than other ants in many ways.

  1. They are huge (for ants) – up to 2½cm long (hence the inchman name given that 2½ cm = 1 inch).
  2. They bite and are venomous.
  3. They can jump.
  4. Unlike most ants, they have good eyesight (and, for example, can spot and react to me if I get near to them).
  5. Although they live in colonies, they are usually solitary when they forage.
  6. Unlike most worker ants, who are sterile, worker inchman ants can become fertile when their colony lacks a queen.

Inchman ants are a type of bull ant (genus Myrmecia). They are larger, more venomous but less aggressive than most other bull ants.

Read about my previous insects (or critters) of the week on our website.

The Melbourne ‘Local Food Connections’ community radio show

On next Sunday’s show (18th August June, 10-10.30am) on 3CR (855 AM), Ann and Amy will interview Patrick Wain on re-connecting people through urban agriculture. Listen by tuning into either the station (855 AM) or its livestream.

Podcasts of all previous episodes are available on their website, the latest being Jo Toscano on the history of struggle in Victoria for common land (11th August).

Which link was clicked most times in the last newsletter?

The most popular link in the last newsletter was Jen Willis’ article about possums raiding her vegie patch.

The most popular event link in the last newsletter was the upcoming SEEDs Fest on Sunday, 18th August, 11am-4pm, at SEEDs Communal Garden in Brunswick..

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

Submitted by Stephen Wright: I eat swiss cheese. But I only nibble on it. I make the holes bigger.

Read more food-related jokes on our website.

 

Regular activities over the coming week

Farmers’ and other food markets

The CERES farm gate (Coburg) is every Saturday, 9am-1pm. At Joe’s Market Garden, 34 Edna Grove, Coburg. Go down to the farm gate, grab a coffee and some fresh-baked pastries, then buy organic produce direct from the farm.

Food swaps
Community gardens

Upcoming face-to-face events – not cooking

Whole farm (property) planning (6 sessions); on consecutive Saturdays, starting 17th August, 9am-4pm; free; Eden Park.

Closing date for registrations: Wednesday, 14th August. This course is for people who are looking to establish a new farm or modify an existing farming business. You will learn how to make a property application through the development of a whole farm plan. The course will cover such topics as: understanding the property, soil, its potential uses and State and Local Government planning expectations; the native vegetation and cultural heritage areas that may require fencing-out, revegetation, weed and erosion management and your relevant obligations; how you might determine what you can do with the land now and what can be done when you apply soil restoration techniques; business models and sustainable agricultural models; and how to write a planning application. Organised by Melbourne Polytechnic.

Unwrapped – food and beverage quick bites; Tuesday, 20th August, 7.30-9.30pm; free; Epping.

Discuss the contemporary challenges, synergies and opportunities within the food and beverage industry. A light-standing breakfast will be provided. The event will include a panel Q&A featuring Ed Campion from Turosi Food Solutions Group and Aida Golneshin from Edlyn Foods.

Food and mood; Thursday, 22nd August, 11am-1pm; free; Coburg.

Learn about the relationship between food and how we feel. Diet is a key factor in promoting and protecting mental health. Lunch will be provided. Presenter: Julie from Merri Health.

Tomato growing workshop; Friday, 30th August, 12.30-3pm; $25 ($10 per hour); Panton Hill.

Learn how to grow your own tomatoes at home, from choosing varieties to sowing seeds, planting, plant care and seed collection. Participate in a hands-on seed sowing demonstration and take home an heirloom variety to grow in your garden. This workshop replaces the previously planned Spring/Summer planting workshop. Organised by Living & Learning Nillumbik.

A beginner’s guide to growing your own food; Saturday, 7th September, 10.30am-midday; free; Watsonia.

Learn tips and tricks to design your food garden, build healthy soils and work with the seasons to grow vegetables, fruits and herbs with limited resources. Then take a tour of the Watsonia community garden. Presenter: Kat Lavers.

Introduction to beekeeping (8 sessions); on consecutive Thursdays, starting 3rd October, 6.30-9pm; $395 ($20 per hour); Fairfield.

The topics to be covered will include: how to open and re-assemble a beehive; re-queening a honey colony; managing pests and diseases within a honey bee colony; the proper use of a bee smoker; and how to remove a honey crop from a hive. Organised by Melbourne Polytechnic.

Growing nutrient dense food; Saturday, 5th October, 10am-3pm; $145 ($29 per hour); CERES.

This workshop will introduce you to growing better quality, nutrient rich produce at home even if you only have a tiny growing space. It will include: selecting your crops; transforming your soil by focusing on the soil food web; an introduction to soil minerals and going beyond NPK; creating nutrient rich composts; fertilising your plants for maximum nutrition; and harvesting and preparing produce to maintain nutrients. Presenter: Donna Livermore.

Brunswick oktoberfest; Saturday, 5th October, 11am-5pm; $85 ($14 per hour); Brunswick East.

As part of your ticket, you will receive a litre beer stein plus its initial fill. Also some roasted porchetta or roasted pumpkin. Traditional oktoberfest beers will be available from a number of local breweries. There will also be a traditional oompah band, the outfits and cuisine. Organised by Bridge Road Brewers.

Sustainable gardening (8 sessions); starting Monday, 7th October, 10am-2pm; $650 ($20 per hour); CERES.

This course will introduce you to the basics of horticulture, permaculture and organic gardening. The 8 sessions will cover: intro to sustainable gardening and permaculture principles; soils and their preparation; composting, worm farming and fertilisers; organic vegetable production; growing bushfoods and berries; seed saving and propagating; organic fruit production; and water management and guild planting. Presenter: Justin Calverley.

In August
In September
In October
Regular events

Upcoming face-to-face events – cooking

Kvass M.O.B.; Saturday, 24th August, 10.30am-12.30pm; $80 ($40 per hour); Fitzroy North.

Leave with your own jar of beet kvass and rye or hot cross bun kvass to finish ferment at home. M.O.B. stands for ‘mingling over bacteria’.

Nutrition class; Thursday, 5th September, 4.30-6pm; free; Hawthorn.

This is a nutrition class for women aged 16 to 25.

Focaccias; Thursday, 3rd October, 10-1pm; $60 ($20 per hour); Kinglake.

Learn about the history of this Italian classic: where did it originate and when is it served? Make a focaccia to take home. Presenter: Georgina Beausang. Organised by Kinglake Ranges Neighbourhood House.

Gluten-free kitchen skills; Saturday, 5th October, 10am-3pm; $150 ($30 per hour); CERES.

Be introduced to 20 different gluten-free flours, their texture, taste and how to use them. Then cook a collection of recipes. Presenter: Melanie Leeson from Mettle + Grace.

Cupcake decorating workshop; Saturday, 5th October, 5-7pm; $75 ($38 per hour); Ivanhoe.

You will learn: the basics of buttercream; colouring buttercream; filling and using a piping bag; and piping techniques with three different piping tips. You will decorate 4 vanilla bean cupcakes, which you then take home. Enjoy a complimentary cocktail by Imbue featuring their gin. Additional drinks and snacks can be bought on the day.

In August
In September
Regular classes

LFC News August 7

Aug 062024
 

Thanks to the people who have contributed to this week’s newsletter: Charlotte Bartlett-Wynne, Julie Merlet, Rachel Currao, Robyn Williams and Teresa Day.

Kakadu plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana) by Julie Merlet from NATIF

[The material below is a shortened version of material from the NATIF website which was written by newsletter reader Julie Merlet. It is the first of a series. Thanks, Julie! NATIF (which is an acronym for N=Native, A=Australian, T=Traditional, I=Indigenous and F=Foods) sell a wide range bush food products online (including kakadu plum powder).]

Kakadu plum (aka gubinge and many other names) has the highest vitamin C of any fruit in the world (up to 100 times that of oranges)! It is a small green fruit and the tree grows in the top end of Australia, from Kimberley to Arnhem Land.

Kakadu plum has been used traditionally by Aboriginal Australians as both bush tucker and medicine. Many remote communities are now involved in collecting the fruit and this in turn provides employment for them.

The fruit tastes somewhat sour, with an aroma similar to stewed pears or apples. You can use it by adding ½ a teaspoon to smoothies or juices (½ a teaspoon gives you more than your recommended daily intake for vitamin C). You can also sprinkle it onto breakfast cereals and salads or add it to any cold dessert. You can also use it in jams, sauces or relishes.

As well as vitamin C, the fruit is a good source of other antioxidants, including ellagic acid and lutein. It is, however, also high in oxalates.

Read about more bush foods on our website.

Yacon

At the last Surrey Hills / Balwyn food swap, someone called Jessie took some sliced yacon.

Yacon is an unusual vegetable taste-wise and is easy to grow plant-wise, so why not consider trying to grow it yourself this year?

It is a root vegetable which tastes a bit like apple. It can be eaten raw, added to salads, or baked.

As per the photo, there are two types of tubers: the big, brown ones that you eat and the small, reddish ones that you plant.

The plant is an annual which you plant in Spring and harvest in early to mid Winter. It grows to around 2 metres in height, looking similar to Jerusalem artichokes or sunflowers.

Read the short article and video by Pam Jenkins on our website. Or read this longer article.

Some articles for you to read

Newsletter reader Jen Willis has just published an article about possums raiding her vegie patch on the Sustainable Macleod website.

Melbourne Farmers Market have just published an article about their neighbours, Reground.

The 2024 Australian Spirits awards

The 2024 Australian Spirits awards have just been published. There were 11 exhibitors from North East Melbourne and they won a total of 44 awards, including 5 golds.

Exhibitor Suburb No. golds  No. silvers  No. bronzes
Brogan’s Way Distillery Richmond 1 2
Cedar Fox Distilling Co. Coburg 2 2
Hillmartin Distillery Plenty 1 2
Imbue Distillery Eltham 1 (gin liqueur) 3 3
Mary Monica Yarra Glen 2 (wedding gin and yuzu gin) 1 1
Mountain Goat Richmond 2 1
Naught Distilling Eltham 1 (sangiovese gin) 1 5
Puss and Mew Distillery   Nunawading 6 2
Schnapps Idea Distillery Heidelberg West   1 (pear brandy) 1 1
Sundays Distilling Hawthorn 1
Yarra Valley Spirits Lilydale 1

 

Critter of the week from my garden – looper moths

The two photos are both of ‘looper moths’ (moths in the family Geometridae), with the left hand one being a pine looper caterpillar (Chlenias banksiaria) and the right hand one being a red-lined looper adult (Crypsiphona ocultaria).

  

Looper moths are so-called because of the way that their caterpillars move by looping/arching their body, as shown in the left hand photo. They move in this way because they only have legs at the front and back of their body and are missing the legs (technically ‘prolegs’) in the middle of their body that most caterpillars have. An alternative common name for the caterpillars is ‘inchworms’, on the basis that they supposedly move like they are measuring distance.

Read about my previous insects (or critters) of the week on our website.

Which link was clicked most times in the last newsletter?

The most popular link in the last newsletter was the Google search on the word turophile. For those who didn’t look it up, turophile’ means lover, or connoisseur, of cheese.

The most popular event link in the last newsletter was the upcoming SEEDs Fest on Sunday, 18th August, 11am-4pm, at SEEDs Communal Garden in Brunswick..

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

Submitted by Stephen Wright: I got food poisoning today. I don’t know when I’ll use it.

Read more food-related jokes on our website.

 

Regular activities over the coming week

Farmers’ and other food markets

Note that the Farm Raiser farmgate hours for both Friday and Saturday are now 9am-2pm.

Food swaps
Community gardens

Not face-to-face but interesting – Sustainable Gardening Australia

Sustainable Gardening Australia (SGA) have organised a series of one hour, online classes during August and September with the overall theme of mastering food families. You can book individual sessions for $30 each (see the details below) or all 4 for $110.

Upcoming face-to-face events – not cooking

Introduction to permaculture and garden design (6 sessions); on Wednesdays, starting 14th August, 10am-midday; free; Pascoe Vale.

The weekly sessions actually started on Wednesday, 24th July but you can join any time. This course covers: site assessment; garden design & biodiverse establishment; prioritising food & medicinal plants; ecosystem dynamics; soil health; plant care & propagation; pest control; crop rotation; companion planting; pollination; efficient irrigation; and composting. Presenter: Leila Alexandra. Organised by Sussex Neighbourhood House.

Grafting workshops on Friday, 16th August, 1-3pm, on Saturday, 17th August, 10am-midday and on Saturday, 17th August, 1-3pm; $20; Fairfield.

Learn the reasons for, and the science of, grafting. Learn when to graft and what to graft, and see examples of grafts. Then practice on some apples. Take a sharp knife if you have one. Maximum of 6 participants. Presenter: John Pinniger. Organised by Heritage Fruits Society.

Introduction to beekeeping (2 sessions); Saturday, 31st August, 9.30am-4.30pm and Saturday, 7th September, 10.30am-12.30pm; $225 ($24 per hour); Blackburn North.

This all day program is highly interactive and includes a live hive opening on the following Saturday (7th September, 10.30am-12.30pm) as well as other hands-on skill building exercises. The background instruction includes equipment selection and bee biology in addition to details of the Apiary and Biosecurity Codes of Practice. Included in the course fee are a comprehensive handbook and a copy of the textbook The Australian Beekeeping Manual, 2nd Ed. (which retails at $60). Organised by The Beekeepers Club.

Beginner’s guide to chicken care; Saturday, 7th September, 10.30-11am; free; Bayswater North.

Discover the basics of backyard chicken keeping. Presenter: Janine. The workshop will take place at the same time and place as the Bayswater North Food Swap and is in Glen Park Oaks community-garden.

The magic of compost; Tuesday, 10th September, 10am-midday; free; Bayswater North.

Explore various composting systems to find the perfect fit for your garden. Discover the secrets of successful composting, including the importance of balancing ingredients and managing moisture levels. Test the pH of your own home compost samples.

Microgreens growing; Saturday, 21st September, 10am-midday; $80 ($40 per hour); CERES.

You will be walked through the process of producing microgreens. Presenter: Jess Holland, CERES’ microgreens manager.

Food forest gardening; Saturday, 21st September, 10am-3pm; $145 ($29 per hour); CERES.

Learn how to turn your patch into a low-work thriving, vibrant ecosystem that gives year-round harvests. You will learn: the philosophy of forest gardening; practical gardening skills and tips; ecosystem dynamics in gardens and soil; easy no-dig techniques to build healthy soil; plants for food and medicine; plants for soil health, mulch; bees and biodiversity; ways to eat; and unusual and medicinal foods. Presenter: Leila Alexandra.

Edible weeds walk; on Saturday, 21st September at 10.30am-12.30pm and again at 1.30-3.30pm; $30 ($15 per hour); Merri Creek.

What if many of the weeds in our garden were just as edible as the vegetables we tend beside them? What if some of these free, all-too-easy-to-grow uninvited guests were so nutritionally dense that they are just about the healthiest things you could possibly eat? What if many of them also had medical traditions dating back centuries? Well it’s all true! And if you know what to choose, they also taste great. Join Adam Grubb, co-author of The Weed Forager’s Handbook, for a walk foraging for edible weeds.

Backyard chickens; Sunday, 29th September, 10am-midday; $10; Kinglake.

Learn all you need to know to keep a few chickens at home in your back garden, including chicken health, feeding, habitat, safety and breed types. Presenter: Sunset Valley Chicks. Organised by Kinglake Ranges Neighbourhood House.

Mushrooms growing; Sunday, 29th September, 10am-4pm; $195 ($33 per hour); CERES.

In this hands-on introductory workshop, you will learn: the secrets to successfully growing oyster mushrooms at home; inoculation, sterilisation and basic mycology; and how to start master cultures. Presenter: Buttons Mira from The Mushroomery.

Bush tucker and bush foods in a habitat garden; Wednesday, 2nd October, 7-9pm; free; Doncaster.

Karen Sutherland, from Edible Eden Design, will talk about: the best bush food plants for gardens in Melbourne; which plants to pot vs those to plant in the ground; basic growing information; the basics of harvesting bush ‘tucker’; and some simple uses for both fresh and dried plants. The presentation will start at 7pm but there will be sandwiches and a food swap at 6.45pm.

In August
In September
Regular events

XXThe list of regular events, almost by definition, remains the same from week to week and, for space reasons, we are not going to include the list in every newsletter from henceforth. You can find the latest list in our 31st July newsletter.

Upcoming face-to-face events – cooking

Jamie Oliver – The Return Of The Naked Chef (book); Tuesday, 13th August, 6.30-9.30pm; $127 ($42 per hour); Richmond.

They will be cooking from Jamie Oliver’s book The Return Of The Naked Chef, where the recipes use simple ingredients for easy meals. They will be cooking three courses so join them for a sit down supper and conversation.

Healthy eating on a budget; Tuesday, 13th August, 7-8pm; free; Templestowe.

Learn about cooking for a healthier lifestyle on a budget, including: how to cook dishes using common pantry staples; affordable healthy options for snacks and lunches; meal planning and food storage; and how to reduce your food waste. Presenter: Jade Mannix from My Pantry Door.

Pizza masterclass with Antonio; Sunday, 25th August, 11.30am-2.30pm; $107 ($36 per hour); Brunswick.

You will learn about: how to make dough by hand; balling & stretching techniques; how to use a pizza paddle & peel; pizza turning in the oven; fermentation & the process of making dough; and pizza classico (classic style pizza in the oven), pizze fritte (fried pizza), donuts, focaccia and bread. You will make both savoury and sweet pizzas, and you will get to cook and eat the pizzas together with a complimentary drink. You will take home two dough balls.

Anna Jones – Easy Wins (book); Tuesday, 10th September, 6.30-9.30pm; $127 ($42 per hour); Abbotsford.

They will be cooking from Anna Jones’s book Easy Wins, where each chapter focuses on a particular ingredient (lemons, olive oil, mustard, tahini, etc). They will be cooking three courses so join them for a sit down supper and conversation.

Fermenting at home; Saturday, 21st September, 10am-1pm; $120 ($40 per hour); CERES.

You will learn the basics of making your own sauerkraut, fermented seasonal vegetables and kombucha plus how to use fermented products in day-to-day life. You will take home your own jars of vegetables to ferment at home plus a kombucha SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast). Presenter: Lauren Mueller.

Cooking with grandkids; Tuesday, 24th September, 11am-1pm; $5 per adult; Hurstbridge.

The grandparent(s) (or a special person/relative) will learn to cook some easy, delicious and healthy recipes with their little helpers! Then enjoy the meal as a group. Presenter: a healthAbility dietitian.

Youth bubble tea workshop; Monday, 30th September, 2.30-3.30pm; free; Fairfield.

For people aged 12 to 18. Learn how to make bubble tea.

In August
In September
Regular classes