LFC News October 16

Oct 152024
 

Thanks to the people who have contributed to this week’s newsletter: Connie Cao, Julie Merlet, Melissa la Porte and Pam Jenkins.

Davidson plum (Davidsonia genus) by Julie Merlet

[The material below is a shortened version of material from the NATIF website which was written by newsletter reader Julie Merlet. 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 davidson plum powder and davidson plum and rivermint tea).]

The three trees in the Davidsonia genus are all called davidson plums and all have edible fruit. They grow in tropical north-east Queensland and northern NSW.

The fruit is dark blue/purple on the outside and reddish-pink flesh on the inside. It has a sour taste with an aroma that, depending on species, has been likened to either beetroot (Davidsonia jerseyana) or stewed rhubarb (Davidsonia pruriens) .

The sourness can be balanced out when mixed with your favourite juice, smoothie or dessert. And, because it is low in sugar, it can be used in jams or sauces.

The fruit is a good source of antioxidants, including vitamin E, anthocyanin and lutein. It also has high levels of zinc, calcium and potassium. It has low levels of sugar.

Your Asian veggie patch

Connie Cao’s new book, Your Asian veggie patch, was launched at Bulleen Art & Garden (BAAG) nursery last week. There were book signings (you chose the colour of pen for Connie to use and I chose green), a Q&A session, free food (my favourite was kuih dada, which was a rolled crepe filled with grated coconut and flavoured with various juices) and some competitions (my wife won some snake bean seeds).

  

You can buy the book online from (as they say) all good retailers.

Chilli (by Connie Cao)

[To celebrate her new book, Your Asian veggie patch, Connie has been providing some material for this newsletter about some of her favourite Asian veggies that you can grow during the summer. This week’s subject is chilli and is the last in the series for the time being. You can read her previous veggie contributions on our website.]

Chilli is a prominent ingredient in many Asian cuisines. Places such as Southeast Asia, Korea and Sichuan and Hunan provinces in China (just to name a few) love to add a bit of heat to their dishes.

The plants are compact and happily grow in pots, so are highly suited to small spaces. I grow all my chillies in pots so I can save my garden space for other plants. A 30-40cm wide pot is best. I like to grow my chillies with a western aspect, as they thrive in the heat. My best container grown chillies have given me more than 100 fruits per season!

Watch this video on Instagram, where I make two additional points:

  • Grow chillies in full sun.
  • Be patient – chillies sit green on the plant for ages and usually don’t ripen until near the end of summer.

[Editor: although most people grow chilli plants as annuals, they are actually short lived perennials if not killed by frost. If you grow your chilli plants in pots, you can move them during winter to somewhere protected from the frost, such as a greenhouse or indoors, and they will come back to life the following spring.]

Naturli’ Organic Spreadable is back!

It is certainly not the purpose of this newsletter to try and influence what foods you should buy but occasionally, very occasionally, I come across a food that is so good that I feel that I should tell as many people as possible about it. This is such a rare event that it has actually only ever happened to me once, namely today!

After a long hiatus, Naturli’ Organic Spreadable is back in Australia! It is a vegan alternative to butter and is made from rapeseed, coconut oil, shea butter and almond butter. It tastes really yum, without the yuckiness that an excess of butter can sometimes have. It spreads really well, even straight out of the fridge. And it lasts forever if stored in the fridge. If you have ever had it, then you already know all this but if you have never had it, then go get it and treat yourself!

I buy my Naturli’ Organic Spreadable from Organic Fix in Eltham. Apples and Sage Organic Wholefoods in Balwyn also sell it. And their website says that it is available at selected IGA stores.

Some more new articles from Angelo Eliades

Garden cress growing guide.

The essential guide to chill hours for growing currants and gooseberries.

Read more of Angelo’s articles about food growing.

Do you know?

Michelle asks: “I have garlic planted at the base of my orange tree and it’s growing nicely, will be ready in summer. How can I fertilise the orange tree for Spring without affecting my garlic?” Email me with your thoughts.

10 years of the Now and Not Yet Cafe

The Now and Not Yet Cafe in Warrandyte has a unique ambience. To celebrate its 10th birthday, the Warrandyte Diary recently interviewed its owner, Derek Bradshaw.

Critter of the week from my garden – caper white butterfly

The two photos are of a caper white butterfly (Belenois java in family Pieridae) in the garden of Pam Jenkins. As you can see from Pam’s photos, the upper (dorsal) and lower (ventral) surfaces of the wings are differently coloured, with the upper surface being white with a black border (see left hand photo) and the lower surface being patches of white, yellow and black (see right hand photo). Pam says that the butterfly was attracted to the blue flowers of her coastal rosemary (Westringia fruticosa).

  

The caterpillars feed exclusively on caper bushes (genus Capparis), hence the common name. They are presumably viewed by caper growers in the same way that we brassica growers regard the cabbage white butterflies.

The butterfly mainly lives in inland southern Queensland and northern NSW but is migratory. They can sometimes be blown off course during their migration and end up as far south as Melbourne, hence its presence in Pam’s garden.

According to the Australian Museum website, this species regularly migrates to areas where there are no food plants for its caterpillars. “It is not understood why this behaviour has evolved.”

On the subject of butterflies whose upper and lower surfaces are different, here are some photos of an orange oakleaf butterfly (Kallima inachus) that once landed on my hand. Its upper surface was relatively normal, albeit a bright mixture of blue and orange, but its lower surface (which I could see whenever it closed its wings) looked just like a dry leaf!

  

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

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

The Melbourne ‘Local Food Connections’ community radio show

On next Sunday’s show (20th October, 10-10.30am) on 3CR (855 AM), Ann and Amy will continue to interview permie elders John and Mal. 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
Jessica from Breadline on anti-glyphosate campaigning.

Which link was clicked most times in the last newsletter?

The most popular link in the last newsletter was EML ART Cookies’ online shop.

The most popular event link in the last newsletter was the upcoming veggie seedling propagation workshop by Caring Farms Coop in St Helena on 14th November.

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

I’m in a pickle and I don’t know how to dill with it.

Read more food-related jokes on our website.

 

Regular activities over the coming week

Farmers’ and other food markets
Food swaps
Community gardens

Not (quite) local but interesting

Mulberry Community Garden Spring Festival; Sunday, 27th October, 10am-2pm; free; Glenroy.

The festival will include food & other market stalls, live music, guest speakers and plant sales. At Mulberry Community Garden, 120 Glenroy Road, Glenroy.

Neither food-related nor local but interesting

CSSA spring show and cactus and succulent sale; Saturday, 26th October, 10am-4pm and Sunday, 27th October, 9am-3pm; $7; Skye.

Enjoy a large array of cacti and succulent plants, displays, the Cactus and Succulent Society of Australia (CSSA) members’ specimen competition and Victoria’s largest gathering of sellers and growers. At KCC Park (State Dog Centre), 655 Western Port Highway, Skye.

Upcoming face-to-face events – not cooking

Sake master class; Sunday, 3rd November, midday-2pm; $73 ($37 per hour); Brunswick East.

Kana Aoyama will guide you through the history, production and tasting of this traditional Japanese beverage. She will teach you all the basics, let you try 5 different styles, and show you how to pair sake with cheese, cured meats and chocolate.

FareShare kitchen garden open day; Saturday, 23rd November, 10am-3pm; small donation requested; Abbotsford.

Get a guided tour of their farm. They grow around 6,000Kg of herbs and vegetables each year at the Abbotsford farm to support meal production in their nearby kitchen. Read about FareShare.

In October
In November
In December
Regular events

Upcoming face-to-face events – cooking

Koji, amazake and doburoku workshop; Saturday, 19th October, 4-6.30pm; $150 ($60 per hour); Fitzroy North.

Make a home-brew of sake, a traditional drink using koji, which they will also show in its stages. Take home a jar ready to mash into doburoku, koji to make some amazake, and koji spores to make your own koji at home.

Halloween tea blending workshop; Thursday, 31st October, 6-7.30pm; $65 ($44 per hour); Brunswick East.

You will be given a quick history of tea and a tea tasting of some of the most unique teas from around the world. Learn about the intricacies of creating balanced tea blends from various types of teas, herbs, flowers and spices. You will then make a personalised tea blend to take home. Presenter: Amy Freund, from Crafternoon Tea.

Sourdough bread workshop; Saturday, 23rd November, 10am-1pm; $55 ($18 per hour); Panton Hill.

Learn about starters and sourdough. Make a pizza base, cook a pizza with homemade toppings and eat together in class. Make a bread dough to take home to bake the next day. Take an apron, tea towel and large sealable container. Presenter: John. Organised by Living & Learning Nillumbik.

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

Make Christmas cookies, cutting them into various shapes and decorating them with homemade coloured icing and coloured sugar sprinkles. Take an apron and container to take the food home in. Organised by Strathdon House.

Cupcake decorating workshop; Saturday, 7th December, 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.

Vegan desserts; Sunday, 8th December, 10am-3pm; $150 ($30 per hour); CERES.

You will learn a variety of vegan sweet treats from different backgrounds and different techniques. The menu will include: baked cheese cake; raw fruit tart; fruit pierogi; Portuguese tarts; coconut jelly; and tiramisu. Presenter: Nase Supplitt.

In October
In November
In December
Regular classes

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