LFC News November 13

Nov 132024
 

Thanks to the people who have contributed to this week’s newsletter: Angela Harridge, Ann Stanley, Holly Gallagher, Jen Chellew, Lee Hirsh, Pam Jenkins, Rachel Bishop, Sue Dyet and Tracy Gillard.

Another mead recipe – spiced metheglin

[My wife and I have entered our mead to the upcoming Eltham Wine Show, which will be judged on Saturday (i.e. 16th November). The results will be announced on the following day (i.e. Sunday, 17th November) at the public show at the Veneto Sports and Entertainment Centre, 191 Bulleen Road, Bulleen, which will be open to the public for tastings from 10.30am to 2.30pm. So, when you read this newsletter, the results won’t be known but it will be known that they will soon be known (to misquote erstwhile United States Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld). Whatever the result, good or bad for the Palmer household, I will announce it in next week’s newsletter! Incidentally, the Sunday show is a great event to go to because the range of wines and other drinks available for tastings is both varied and huge.]

A few months ago, I published an article on how to make mead, which is fermented honey and an alternative to white wine. Subsequently, newsletter reader Sue Dyet gave me the notebooks of her late husband, Harry Gilham. In his notebooks, Harry, who was the longtime President of Eltham and District Winemakers Guild, had written lots of recipes for various wines plus a few meads. Many of these recipes were amended versions of recipes that he had attributed to ‘G. Mann’. I spoke to Angela Harridge, current Vice President of the Guild and another newsletter reader, and she told me that ‘G. Mann’ was Gladys Mann, who wrote a book called Home Wine & Beer Making (published in 1975) which, inter alia, contained a good recipe for a spiced mead called metheglin. So, I acquired the book and made the metheglin. It’s really yum so I thought that I would share the recipe.

The table below shows Gladys Mann’s ingredients in the left hand column compared to those of the Joe’s ancient orange mead discussed in my original article. The methods that I use are the same.

Metheglin
Joe’s ancient orange
1.8Kg honey (raw)
230g demerara sugar		 1.6Kg honey (raw)
water (chlorine free)
0.2 litres cold tea		 water (chlorine free)
1 cinnamon stick
6 cloves
28g raisins
juice and rind of 1 lemon
14g bruised ginger
some grated nutmeg		 1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
15g raisins
1 orange
1 small packet sherry yeast 1 teaspoon bread yeast

 
Whilst the two meads share most ingredients, they actually taste rather different, perhaps because of the ginger and nutmeg. I don’t know whether the demerara sugar changes the taste but it certainly gives the mead a lovely amber colour. And I know from experimentation that bread yeast (which is easily obtainable) can be used in place of sherry yeast (which is somewhat specialised).

If you are a wine maker or beer maker, why not have a go at making mead? It’s pretty easy to make and also pretty easy to drink. Read my article on how to make mead.

The free, local community meals

I have spent much of the past week updating our map of community meals, deleting ones that no longer seem to happen and adding ones that I have only recently found out about. The end result is a total of 26 regular meals, comprising 15 lunches and 11 dinners. Three types of organisation stand out as being active in this space:

  • Neighbourhood houses (Brunswick, Coburg, Hawthorn, Lilydale, Reservoir, Rosanna and Thornbury).
  • Churches (Brunswick, Croydon, Greensborough, Lilydale, Fawkner, Mill Park, Mooroolbark and Preston).
  • Activist organisations (Food Not Bombs, Open Table).

A news update about The Veggie Empire

[The information below has come from Rachel Bishop.]

The Veggie Empire are farming duo Josh and Scott, who live with disabilities. Long term friends, they have been supported over many years, recently culminating in the establishment of Caring Farms Co-Op.

Caring Farms Co-Op is a non-for-profit urban farming co-operative that collectively manages both a market garden and a food plant nursery in St Helena. Its mission is to alleviate marginalisation, disadvantage and social exclusion amongst people living with disabilities by providing a place of work and agency in an urban farming enterprise.

Josh and Scott, under their original name of The Veggie Empire, are in their 15th year of working together in urban agriculture. They started out veggie gardening in a disability service then moved on to Edendale Community Environment Farm, where they engaged in ACFE courses in horticulture and became volunteers in the nursery to learn skills. You might know them as the growers of seedlings sold at Edendale or maybe from their starring performance on Gardening Australia with Costa!)

Over the past 10 years, they have been establishing an urban farm (Beales Road Farm) on leased Department of Transport land in St Helena alongside their specialist support workers (that they call supphorticulturalists).

Josh, Scott and their support workers have now collectively established the recently registered Caring Farms Co-Op. Following a period of transition, Caring Farms Co-Op will be the sole name used for their business, community and charitable activities.

Caring Farms Co-Op will be opening a farm gate shop in early 2025(!). This is being supported by grants from NELP Fund (for the shop itself) and Banyule City Council (for power and solar set up).

In the lead up to the permanent shop, they will be setting up a weekly farm gate stall on Wednesdays, 10am-1pm at Wickham Place in St Helena. They will be selling their locally grown and freshly harvested plus seedlings and herb plants. In addition, they will be selling some veggies grown by Farm Raiser in Bellfield.

The first stall will be on Wednesday, 20th November, 10am-1pm. Follow their signs and look for their yellow top marquee in the paddock next to their grow tunnel.

Do you know?

Jen Chellew wants to know whether or not the worms in her compost are a different type of worm than the earthworms found elsewhere in her garden. “Gardening Australia and others have told me that the worms in my compost are different to the worms in my garden. But I doubt this. The abundant worms in my compost have come from somewhere, presumably the soil on which I’ve placed the bin. I certainly haven’t added them. I reckon they wriggled up, enjoyed the medium and multiplied liberally. Then I return them as part of the compost to the garden. I know that worm farms require a specific worm, but my compost isn’t a worm farm.”

If you know the answer to Jen’s question, send us an email.

Want some Brussels sprouts seedlings?

Ever wondered where the Brussels sprouts that you see in your supermarkets were grown? The answer is quite likely to be the Adams Farms based in Coldstream, where they grow around 120 acres of Brussels sprouts each year.

Ever wondered when you should plant Brussels sprouts seedlings? Contrary to received wisdom, the Adams Farms will tell you that now, November, is the best time to plant them and that, even though most brassicas are grown in Melbourne over winter, Brussels sprouts should be grown over summer.

Ever wondered where you can get Brussels sprouts seedlings from? For a lucky few of you, the answer is me! I went to the Adams Farms last week and they gave me 24 seedlings to give away to newsletter readers. That’s 6 for each of the first 4 people to email me to say that you want them. Pick up from my house in Eltham.

Thanks to the Adams family, Bruce, Daniel and Jeremy for welcoming me onto their property and giving me their seedlings!

It’s the season for community garden open gardens

Last Sunday, it was the turn of Fairfield. See photos below. Thanks to Judi and Kay for showing me round!

  

Next Saturday (16th November), it will be the turn of Bellfield.

Then, next Monday (18th November), it will be FINBAR in Richmond.

The Brunswick Multicultural Festival

Brunswick Neighbourhood House are holding a Multicultural Festival on Sunday, 24th November. As well as cultural performances, music and food vendors, it will include 4, free, food-related workshops, namely:

Want to see some urban agriculture in City of Yarra?

The City of Yarra Council have put together two self-guided tours.

The Yarra North tour is a 3Km walk, starting at the Rushall Community Garden in Fitzroy North and ending at the Railway Garden in Princes Hill.

The Yarra South tour is a 1Km walk, starting at St Stephen’s Anglican Church Community Garden in Richmond and ending at Finbar Neighbourhood House in Richmond.

Some regular activities at Mooroolbark Community Garden

Mooroolbark Community Garden have just started a picnic on the 2nd Friday of each month, starting 5.30pm. Take your own food, listen to music and play board games. They will provide the tables and chairs.

This is in addition to their regular market, which happens on the last Sunday of each month, 9am-2pm, and mainly features local craft stalls. Here are some photos from their last market.

The DIVRS festival season appeal

As you will know from previous newsletters, the Darebin Information, Volunteer and Resource Service (DIVRS), based in Preston, do lots of things in the food justice space, and in the support space more generally. In 2024, they provided support to around 6,300 people. But, of course, it all needs to be funded one way or another. In this context, they have just launched their festival season appeal. As they say, “Your donation can make a real difference for families and individuals at this time of year.”

Read more and potentially donate.

Warrandyte Food Swap’s 9th birthday (by Ann Stanley)

[Warrandyte Food Swap celebrated its 9th birthday last Saturday. Ann Stanley has reported in on how it went.]

One lucky visitor, Sayf, won our birthday raffle and is shown below posing with his basket of seeds, garden tools and other goodies.

  

Our new prominent position in the carpark outside the Warrandyte Community Garden in Police Road has meant that we are growing, with regular visitors who drop off their surplus garden produce, whether it be a bag of lemons, some saved seeds or new seedlings from seeds previously swapped with someone else.

We swap our surplus on the first Saturday of every month (except January) at 9-10am. It’s the same day as the Warrandyte market and we are near the entrance to that market. If you see us, come and say hello. No money is exchanged but you won’t leave empty-handed! We’d love to give you some greens, a bag of seeds or a jar of relish to take home, all in the spirit of community sharing and home-grown food.

See you on Saturday, 7th December!

Some recent stalls by food-related organisations

Per the left hand photo below, Karen from Olympic Neighbourhood House in Heidelberg West and Lucie from Watsonia Neighbourhood House, both of whom are active in the food space, were at the Ageing Well Expo in Macleod on 26th October.

Per the right hand photo below, the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden at Eltham Primary School was at the Eltham Rotary Festival on 9th November.

  

If your organisation ever has a stall at any festival or similar, send us a photo together with a few words and we will include it in a future newsletter.

Cheese tastings at the Yarra Valley Diary

A few days ago, I went to a cheese tastings at the Yarra Valley Dairy in Yering. The options were $5 for 4 cheeses or $15 for 10 cheeses, in either case being given a guided tastings by a member of their staff. I did the 10 cheese option, which is therefore the one in the photos below. I think that you can just rock up for the tastings.

  

Baked cheesecake (by Sharee from Yarra Valley Dairy)

[When I was at Yarra Valley Dairy for the cheese tastings, I noticed that they had a number of printed recipes on the counter. I asked which was their best recipe and they nominated this baked cheesecake one.]

Ingredients

250g packet of plain sweet biscuits
125g butter, melted
750g cream cheese or curd cheese
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon
1 cup (220g) caster sugar
3 eggs
¾ cup (180g) sour cream
¼ cup (60ml) lemon juice

Method

Using a food processor, process the biscuits until fine. Add the butter and process until combined.

Press the mixture over the base and sides of a 24cm springform pan. Place on an oven tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat your oven to 160degC (140degC fan-forced).

Beat the cream cheese, lemon rind and sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the sour cream and juice.

Pour the filling into a pan. Bake for 60 minutes or until just set in the centre. Turn off the oven and cool the cheesecake in the oven with the door ajar.

Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight before serving.

Critter of the week – two-tailed spider

The left hand photo (from Pam Jenkins’ garden) is an egg sac of a two-tailed spider (genus Tamopsis in family Hersiliidae) whilst the right hand one (from the Internet) is of an adult spider from the same genus.

  

Pam found the egg sac dangling from her letterbox. It was around 5mm wide. Whilst all spiders lay egg sacs, their colour, size and position vary widely depending on the species.

Adult two-tailed spiders are small to medium-sized spiders. They live in trees (rather than on the ground) and are often well camouflaged against the bark. They do not make complex webs.

The common name of two-tailed refers to their two elongated spinnerets at the rear of their bodies (which you can see in the right hand photo).

Thanks to Pam for the photo. If you have any interesting photos of critters in your garden, email them to me.

Read about our previous insects (or other 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 SGA’s article on managing rats with IPM.

The most popular event link in the last newsletter was the upcoming Greensborough repair cafe on 16th November.

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

Why did the ice cream truck breakdown? There was a rocky road. (submitted by Lee Hirsh)

Read more food-related jokes on our website.

 

Regular activities over the coming week

Farmers’ and other food markets

The Caring Farms Coop farm gate, 10am-1pm, at Wickham Place in St Helena, is a new farm gate, selling their locally grown and freshly harvested plus seedlings and herb plants.

Food swaps
Community gardens

Upcoming face-to-face events – not cooking

Varroa Development Officer presentation; Sunday, 17th November, 11am-12.30pm; free; Brunswick East.

Victorian Varroa Development Officer will lead a practical discussion on keeping bees happy and healthy, and the realistic changes that you can make in your apiary now to prepare for varroa.

Summer planting masterclass; Sunday, 24th November, 11.30am-12.30pm; free; Brunswick.

Discover the ins and outs of summer seedlings and how to prepare your own garden. Work together to plant out one of their garden beds. Part of the Brunswick Multicultural Festival, which will include cultural performances, music and food vendors, as well as workshops.
Presenter: Laurel Coad. Organised by Brunswick Neighbourhood House.

Pot and plant your own seedling; Sunday, 24th November, 1-2pm; free; Brunswick.

Pot up your own summer seedlings to take home, learning about what to plant, how to care for your seedlings, and tips on organic pest and disease management. Part of the Brunswick Multicultural Festival, which will include cultural performances, music and food vendors, as well as workshops. Presenter: Laurel Coad. Organised by Brunswick Neighbourhood House.

In November
In December
Regular events

Upcoming face-to-face events – cooking

Julius Roberts – The Farm Table; Tuesday, 19th November, 6.30-9.30pm; $127 ($42 per hour); Richmond.

The November cook book is The Farm Table by Julius Roberts, which shows how cooking seasonally can be both fun and delicious, and also celebrates the English countryside and the slower pace of rural life. They will be cooking three courses of dishes from the book for you to enjoy over supper.

Kombucha and jun, M.O.B.; Thursday, 21st November, 6.30-8.30pm; $40 ($20 per hour); Fitzroy North.

Kombucha is traditionally made with black tea and sugar, and jun with green tea and honey. Learn how to feed your mother/SCOBY (choose between kombucha or jun) and then flavour their your own batch ready for second phase fermentation using fruits, herbs and spices that they will provide. M.O.B. stands for ‘mingling over bacteria’.

Pizza dough cooking demonstration; Sunday, 24th November, 11.05am-12.05pm; free; Brunswick.

Learn how to elevate your pizza-making skills at home, with plenty of tasting along the way. Also includes a tour of the community garden and small harvest. Part of the Brunswick Multicultural Festival, which will include cultural performances, music and food vendors, as well as workshops. Presenter: Cass Hogan. Organised by Brunswick Neighbourhood House.

Pandan crepe cooking demonstration; Sunday, 24th November, 12.30-1.30pm; free; Brunswick.

Learn how to make Indonesian pandan crape. Part of the Brunswick Multicultural Festival, which will include cultural performances, music and food vendors, as well as workshops. Presenter: Cass Hogan. Organised by Brunswick Neighbourhood House.

Shannon Martinez – plant-based chef unveils vegan Italian food; Tuesday, 26th November, 6.30-8pm; free; Fitzroy North.

Shannon Martinez will discuss her new cookbook, Vegan Italian Food. She will share some of her favourite dishes, discuss the benefits of getting more plant-based foods into our diets, and offer her top tips for creating plant-based meals at home. You can buy a signed copy of the book.

Christmas cookie swap; Saturday, 14th December, 10am-midday; $55 ($28 per hour); Richmond.

Bake 20 cookies using your favourite recipe (nothing too fancy, just bring the Christmas vibes). They will set them all out, and everyone gets to fill a box with 20 different cookies from other bakers to take home. There will be drinks, snacks and chatting along the way.

Gingerbread house workshop with sparkling wine; on Thursday, 19th December, 7-8.30pm and then again on Friday, 20th December, 7-8.30pm; $60 ($40 per hour); Wandin North.

Build your own gingerbread house. What’s included: gingerbread house kit, baseboard, lollies to decorate, icing, and cellophane & ribbon to wrap it up.

Christmas gingerbread house family workshop; Saturday, 21st December, 10.30am-midday; $50 ($33 per hour); Wandin North.

Work with your teenage child or grandchild to build and decorate your family’s very own gingerbread house. What’s included: gingerbread house kit, baseboard, lollies to decorate, icing, and cellophane & ribbon to wrap it up.

In November
In December
Regular classes

LFC News November 6

Nov 042024
 

Thanks to the people who have contributed to this week’s newsletter: Choy Lai, Fay Loveland, Katrina Philip, Lee Hirsh, Paul Morland and Vicki Jordan.

Every newsletter needs a good picture

Kathleen Ryan, from New York, makes mouldy fruit out of beads and semi-precious stones. The fruit pictured right is called Bad lemon (creep), was created in 2019, and is decorated with around 10,000 beads and stones. There is a similar lemon, entitled Bad lemon (lichen), at the Art Gallery of NSW. Read this article in the New York Times.

As art critic Sophie Kazan said about Kathleen’s mouldy lemons: “It’s a metaphor for the exorbitant consumption and superficiality of the contemporary art market but she is also exploring aspects of beauty that can be found in the repulsive, grotesque or decomposing.“

Look at some more food-related art on our website.

Flours: whole grain vs wholemeal vs white

Let’s start with some definitions.

Flour is technically any powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts or seeds. The word ‘meal’ can be used as either a synonym for ‘flour’ or as having a slightly coarser particle size than flour.

Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread.

Historically, cereal flour comprised all parts of the grain, namely the germ (the seed embryo), the endosperm (the nutrition for the embryo) and the bran (the hard layers that hold the grain together). Nowadays, the germ is usually removed as that substantially increases shelf life. ‘Whole grain’ is where the germ has not been removed. ‘White’ or unspecified flour is essentially where the bran is also removed, whilst ‘whole meal’ flour is where the bran has not been removed. Note that bleaching of flour is not legal in Australia (unlike in the USA).

 
Whole grain flour
Wholemeal flour
White or unspecified flour
Endosperm
 X X X
Bran
 X X  
Germ
 X    

 

‘Self-raising’ flour (as opposed to plain flour) is where a leavening agent, usually baking powder, has been added. What the Americans call ‘all-purpose flour’ is the same as what we call plain flour.

Wheat flour is usually made from common wheat (Triticum aestivum). Semolina is made from durum/pasta wheat (Triticum durum). Spelt flour is made from hulled wheat (Triticum spelta).

Flours labelled as ‘baker’s’, ‘bread’, ‘pizza’ or ‘strong’ are typically made from varieties of wheat (sometimes termed ‘hard’ varieties) which contain comparatively high levels of protein.

Except for corn/maize, wheat and other cereal flours contain gluten. It is the gluten which gives dough its elasticity, helping it to rise and keep its shape. Essentially, it traps the carbon dioxide bubbles created by the leavening agent during cooking, causing the dough to rise. And it coagulates when heated, giving the dough shape.

Up to 15% of the population have some level of gluten intolerance and this has created a demand for gluten-free flours. Here are some of the gluten-free flours that my local shops sell: almond, banana, buckwheat, cassava, chick pea, coconut, flax seed, hazelnut, oat, potato, rice and sweet potato. Because these flours lack the very product (gluten) that gives dough its elasticity, both their suitability for various types of baking and their ingredients will differ from flour to flour. Most flour labelled as simply gluten-free is made from rice together with various starches and other ingredients.

Finally, at least in Australia, corn flour is rather different than the other flours and is usually used for thickening.

So, what flour to use when baking?

Most recipes will specify which of plain or self-raising flour to use. If not specified, plain flour can be assumed. If self-raising flour is specified but, for one reason or another you don’t want to use it, you can in principle create your own by adding baking powder to plain flour, but this is non-trivial.

Wholemeal flour can be used whenever plain flour is specified. Because it contains more fibre, the end result is a bit closely textured and a bit darker in colour, plus it has a few more nutritional elements.

For those with some gluten intolerance, gluten-free flour can be used as a substitute for standard flour but the end result may well be a bit different in terms of both rise/shape and taste/texture. Also, gluten-free flours often contain starches (which absorb liquid) so a gluten-free recipe may well call for more liquid and produce looser batters. Finally, different gluten-free flours can be very different than others and thus personal experimentation may well be required to find one that suits you.

Read more of my baking articles on our website.

Sylvester Hive’s Halloween celebration

The Sylvester Hive community garden in Preston had a Halloween celebration on Thursday last week. Have a look at the photos that they posted on Facebook.

Hurstbridge emergency relief

Diamond Valley Community Support (DVCS) have a new outreach program at the Hurstbridge Community Hub. It is only open one day a month, with the next day being Tuesday, 26th November. To secure your spot, ring them on 9435 8282.

The BANSIC Christmas hamper appeal

The Banyule Support and Information Centre (BANSIC) is seeking your support to fill our Christmas hampers, which are distributed to individuals and families in need. Each hamper will provide a complete Christmas meal for a family of four, including tinned ham, tinned vegetables, Christmas pudding or cake, custard, festive decorations & sweets, Christmas biscuits, gravy and bonbons. Items can be dropped off at their Foodhub (Shop 48, The Harmony Centre, The Mall, Heidelberg West, Monday-Friday, 10am-3pm).
Alternatively, you can donate here.

The 2024 Australian Food Awards

Melbourne Royal’s 2024 Australian Food Awards have been announced for the categories of dairy, preserves and smallgoods. Three organisations from North East Melbourne won best in class awards, namely:

  • Alot of Good Stuff, from Bulleen, for their mandarin marmalade.
  • Floridia Cheese, from Thomastown, for their pecorino pepato.
  • Yarra Valley Dairy, from Yering, for their Persian fetta.

There is a new bar in Eltham

Bar Conexao; Shop 4, 10-18 Arthur Street. Open Wednesday to Saturday, 4pm-late. Sells cocktails, wine, beer, cider and bar snacks. Owned (I think) by the same people at the Little Drop of Poison.

This makes a total of 12 bars in Eltham – see the map on our website. I think that there was only one bar a decade ago when I moved to Eltham. Read what you want into this 1,200% increase since my arrival!

To repeat an offer that I made some time ago: if you would like to work with me to map the various eateries in your suburb, drop me a line.

Some recent articles from Sustainable Gardening Australia

Vicki Jordan has written in to suggest that you might like to read the following articles from Sustainable Gardening Australia’s (SGA’s) recent newsletter:

Another new article from Angelo Eliades

Chilli growing guide.

Read more of Angelo’s articles about food growing.

Got any tools that need sharpening?

Fay Loveland has written in to say that the Greensborough Repair Cafe has someone who is good at sharpening tools, including secateurs, spades and scissors. Their next cafe is on Saturday, 16th November, 12.30-2.30pm at Greensborough Christian Book Centre, 14 Church St, Greensborough Victoria 3088. Book your place.

Greensborough is one of at least 12 repair cafes in North East Melbourne – see the map on our web site.

Critter of the week from my garden – earthworm

The photo (from Choy Lai’s garden) is of an unknown species of earthworm. We (or, at least, I) tend to assume that all earthworms are basically the same but there are actually around 6,000 different species of earthworm worldwide, of which around 1,000 are native to Australia.

As shown in the photo, Choy’s earthworm is a whopping 18cms long. Depending on species, earthworms can range from around 1 cm long to over 1 metre (or much longer in the case of the Gippsland giant worm).

Most earthworms are scavengers that feed on dead organic matter. They feed by passing soil through the gut, from which nourishment is extracted, or by eating organic debris, including leaves accumulated on the surface of the soil. These methods of feeding do not require highly developed sense organs (e.g. eyes) or food-catching structures. Hence their simple shape.

All earthworms are hermaphrodites (that is, a single individual can produce both male and female gametes, the eggs and sperm). During mating, both earthworms become pregnant. They both lay eggs, which then hatch into baby earthworms.

Charles Darwin spent many years studying earthworms and, in terms of their impact on our planet, considered them to be one of the three most important groups of animals (the other two being corals and humans).

Thanks to Choy for sending in this week’s photo. If you have any interesting photos of critters in your garden, email them to me.

Read about our previous insects (or other 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 Angelo’s coriander growing guide.

The most popular event link in the last newsletter was the upcoming Fairfield Community Garden open day on 10th November.

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

You are the coffee to my expresso. And I love you latte. (submitted by Lee Hirsh)

Read more food-related jokes on our website.

 

Regular activities over the coming week

Farmers’ and other food markets

North East Region Permaculture (NERP) will have a stall at Sunday’s Eltham Farmers’ Market where they will be holding a plant, seedling and seed swap.

Food swaps
Community gardens

Not food-related but interesting

Over the weekend of 16-17 November, 10am-5pm, 23 professionally designed home gardens around Melbourne are having open days as part of something called Garden designfest. Of these 23 gardens, 11 are in North East Melbourne, namely:

Book your tickets for individual gardens. Alternatively, buy a weekend pass to all the gardens ($70) or book your place on a bus tour to some of the gardens ($245-$280).

Upcoming face-to-face events – not cooking

Growing food in small spaces; Saturday, 9th November, 11am-1pm; $25 ($13 per hour); Coburg.

Learn how to maximise your growing area and produce fresh, healthy food right at home. You will cover: benefits of growing your own food; the challenges and solutions for small space gardening; choosing the right containers for different plants; soil mixes and drainage considerations; vertical gardening (e.g. trellises, wall planters); selecting plants suitable for vertical growth; and companion planting and succession planting. Facilitator: Angelo Eliades. Organised by Reynard Street Neighbourhood House.

Kevin Heinze GROW Coburg site and program tour; on Saturday, 16th November, at 10.15-10.45am and again at 11.15-11.45; free; Coburg.

Kevin Heinze GROW is opening its new Coburg nursery. You will be guided through a variety of spaces and how they are used in their programs. The spaces and programs to be explored include: their core Grow Program; their therapeutic program offerings (including occupational therapy and speech therapy); the nursery space; and the therapeutic horticulture space. The tour is recommended for people interested in attending any of the programs, support coordinators and potential volunteers, as well as other community members.

FINBAR garden party; Monday, 18th November, 10.30am-3pm; free; Richmond.

Celebrate the opening of their refurbished food recycling depot. Learn how it works, what you need to do when you deposit your scraps and find out how you can get compost to take home for your garden. Kath Jones will be holding a workshop from 1-3pm on ‘why grow organic?’ Learn about the soil food web, and how you can feed the soil that feeds us. Tour their community garden. Click here to read about the garden. Organised by Richmond Neighbourhood Centre.

Organic pest and disease management; Saturday, 23rd November, 1-2pm; free; Fitzroy North.

Learn how to minimise pests and disease in your garden by making some simple changes that are completely organic. Learn how using chemical fertilisers and insecticides can actually cause more pests. Learn how to increase the health and resilience of your plants and soil to reduce the occurrence of pest and diseases in your garden. Presenter: Bridget Kuch, from Cultivating Community. Organised by My Smart Garden.

Dalmore Whisky masterclass; Wednesday, 27th November, 6-10pm; $60 ($15 per hour); Croydon.

John Raphael will provide a guided tasting of 6 Dalmore Whisky whiskies, paired with cheese and charcuterie. You will receive a cocktail on arrival.

In November
In December
Regular events

There is a new regular coffee brewing event: Brewing coffee, various; Saturdays, 12.30-1pm (free) and Sundays, 1-4pm ($150); Brunswick East.

Upcoming face-to-face events – cooking

Induction cooking demonstration; Tuesday, 12th November, 6.30-8pm; free; Ivanhoe.

Join Open Table for a cooking demonstration of how to reduce food waste and cook meals on induction.

Healthy cooking class (2 sessions); Wednesday, 13th November and Thursday, 14th November, both 10am-1pm; free; Kilsyth.

Make cupcakes and learn about alternative ingredient choices. Organised by Japara Living & Learning Centre

Kimchi M.O.B.; Thursday, 14th November, 6.30-8.30pm; $65 ($33 per hour); Fitzroy North.

Make your our kimchi under the guidance of Sharon Flynn and take it home to finish fermenting. M.O.B. stands for ‘mingling over bacteria’.

Sake x fermented food pairing; 2 occurrences on Sunday, 24th November, at midday-1.30pm and again at 2-3.30pm; $107 ($71 per hour); Fitzroy North.

Discover how different types of sake enhance the flavours of various fermented dishes. There will be 3 kinds of fermented food paired with 3 types of sake. Presenters: Kana Aoyama, Rieko Hayashi and Sharon Flynn.

St John’s Christmas gingerbread house making event; Friday, 29th November, 7-9pm; $45 ($23 per hour); Diamond Creek.

Create a gingerbread house complete with an abundance of lollies, gingerbread people and snow. Tickets are for two people, sharing one gingerbread house. Then partake in a light supper with cold drinks, followed by a short Christmas talk from a guest speaker. Organised by St John’s Anglican Church.

A flavourful night with Nana Africa and ReWine; 2 occurrences on Saturday, 30th November, at 1-3pm and again at 4-6pm; $65 ($33 per hour); Brunswick East.

Nana Africa will showcase the versatility of her spice rubs. There will be two courses: pizza topped with Nana Africa’s Ghana stew; and fettucine & ravioli with a bolognese sauce, including Nana’s spice rubs. Both will be paired with a wine from ReWine.

Festive cooking with Natalie; Wednesday, 4th December, 6-8pm; $48 ($24 per hour); Forest Hill.

Learn how to prepare healthy and fresh Middle Eastern salads and dips. Presenter: Natalie. Organised by Strathdon House.

In November
In December
Regular classes

There is a new regular cooking activity: The art of French crepe making class; Wednesdays 10am-1pm and Saturdays, 3-6pm; $120 ($40 per hour); Thornbury.