Calendar of once-off events

Learn ways to work with varieties of grains, legumes and flours that you might not even know exist. Learn about 10 spices and ways to use them. Discover time saving, easy and quick recipes. You will also learn eco-friendly methods of cooking that will help you to reduce your gas/electricity usage.

Learn how to create healthy, practical, everyday vegan dishes that look as good as they taste. It will include such dishes as plant-based milks, creamy lemon dream porridge, waffles, pancakes, scrambled tofu, chia puddings and smoothie bowls.

On Tuesdays from 23rd April to 25th June (10 weeks), 10am-12.30pm.

Facilitator: Catherine Donnelley. Learn cooking skills in this hands on and demonstration class. Using fresh seasonal ingredients and garden produce, learn planning, preparation and presentation skills. This class is supported by program staff as well as an experienced cook.

Book by phone (9480 1364).

For children aged 5-13.

Learn about the life of plants, animals, and their interactions with the environment, cultivating wonder and wisdom from nature play. The activities will vary with the seasons, incorporating seed saving, planting, weeding, transplanting, herbal remedies, paint making, puppet making, finding grubs, climbing trees, making shelters, tying knots, spotlighting, bird watching, sensory play, singing and fire-side story telling. Led by Sofia Sabbagh.

Pay at the event.

Book by phone (9703 5288).

Facilitated by the Maroondah Council Waste Education Team. By starting one of these organic recycling systems at home, you could reduce the amount of waste in your household garbage bin by 50%. This workshop will provide you with all the information you need to set up and maintain each of these systems at home.

All participants will receive a free home kitchen caddy to help with collecting kitchen food waste.

A monthly (last Wednesday of the month) gathering of like-minded people who enjoy chatting about all things garden, in particular productive gardening. Set in the Heide I kitchen garden, join them for a chat and a light morning tea, including a Heide produce tasting. Facilitated by Heide gardener, Katie Grace.

Learn ways to work with varieties of grains, legumes and flours that you might not even know exist. Learn about 10 spices and ways to use them. Discover time saving, easy and quick recipes. You will also learn eco-friendly methods of cooking that will help you to reduce your gas/electricity usage.

Learn how to create healthy, practical, everyday vegan dishes that look as good as they taste. It will include such dishes as plant-based milks, creamy lemon dream porridge, waffles, pancakes, scrambled tofu, chia puddings and smoothie bowls.

A behind-the-scenes tour of the 10 step chocolate making process at Ratio Cocoa Roasters. Followed by a guided chocolate tasting.

Tasting plate can be adapted to non dairy / vegan, please advise on arrival.

Menu (vegan savoury): onion bhaji and chick peas pancake + chutney.

Cook Indian by the creek came into existence with the idea of breaking the myth that Indian cooking is complex and difficult to nail. In each session, they will share their traditional recipes and go through the step by step cooking process. The classes are held in a private kitchen.

Book by email.

This walk will take place twice on the day, at 11am and at 2pm.

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 fascinating walk on the wild side, foraging for edible weeds.

What you will learn:

• Taste your way through hop-driven beers from The 3 Ravens under the expert guidance of one of their brewery team.
• See behind the scenes of a fully functioning craft brewery.
• Learn The 3 Ravens approach to hop-driven beers.

What you will get:

• Brewery tour.
• Sharing style feast.
• A guided tasting of hoppy beers.

This walk will take place twice on the day, at 11am and at 2pm.

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 fascinating walk on the wild side, foraging for edible weeds.

This will be an interactive hands on look at how to enjoy baked goods if you are gluten, grain and wheat free. They will be doing 6 dishes, all of which you will be able to sample.

No need to book – just turn up.

You will prepare and bottle a jar of pears to take home, jar and all.

Learn ways to work with varieties of grains, legumes and flours that you might not even know exist. Learn about 10 spices and ways to use them. Discover time saving, easy and quick recipes. You will also learn eco-friendly methods of cooking that will help you to reduce your gas/electricity usage.

Sample the seasonal flavours of the heritage apple collection at an apple tasting afternoon at 5pm. Around 15 varieties will be available for tasting. An orchard tour is included.

All funds received go toward the maintenance and expansion of the collection.

Tour a supermarket and learn how to accurately read and understand food labels and choose healthy foods that are suitable for the whole family. You will also receive a healthy shopping guide booklet. The tours are led by healthAbility’s qualified dietitian and are open to anyone interested in healthy eating.

Bookings by phone (9430 9100).

Interested in bees and beekeeping but don’t know where to start? Learn about this intriguing hobby from an experienced beekeeper.

On Tuesdays from 30th April to 18th June (8 weeks), 1.30-3.30pm.

Facilitator: Catherine Donnelley. Experience and enjoy demonstration and hands-on cooking, sharing recipes and using seasonal produce. This class is for participants living with or recovering from a mental health illness, have a mild disability or a long term condition. Family carers looking for a social connection are also encouraged to attend.

HACC-PYP and CHSP supported.

Book by phone (9480 1364).

For children aged 5-13.

Learn about the life of plants, animals, and their interactions with the environment, cultivating wonder and wisdom from nature play. The activities will vary with the seasons, incorporating seed saving, planting, weeding, transplanting, herbal remedies, paint making, puppet making, finding grubs, climbing trees, making shelters, tying knots, spotlighting, bird watching, sensory play, singing and fire-side story telling. Led by Sofia Sabbagh.

Pay at the event.

Participants will be invited to consider their current garden space and household setup, and start planning for increases in sustainability, productivity and resilience. You will use the ideas in David Holmgren’s book RetroSuburbia: the downshifter’s guide to a resilient future to examine the potential for household-scale food production and the introduction of permaculture food growing strategies. By the end of the workshop, you will have a starting point for designing your garden – and lifestyle – to become bountiful and sustainable.

Karen Sutherland, co-author of Tomato – know, sow, grow, feast, will discuss ways to improve next year’s tomato harvest by learning from this year. She will talk about common pest and disease problems and solutions, as well as some simple preserving ideas.

Registration essential.

Learn ways to work with varieties of grains, legumes and flours that you might not even know exist. Learn about 10 spices and ways to use them. Discover time saving, easy and quick recipes. You will also learn eco-friendly methods of cooking that will help you to reduce your gas/electricity usage.

The food trucks offering vegan food who sometimes attend include: Bomba Wood Fired Pizza; Curry Up Now; Lady Rawsome; Paper Plains Food Truck; Pierogi Pierogi; Super Taco;Taitas Falafels; The Real Jerk Food Truck; Vegilicious; Von’s Vegan Bake House; Woking Amazing; and YAY foods. See their Facebook page for the specific list of trucks on a particular day.

Karen Sutherland, from Edible Eden Design, will focus on maximising yield through disease management, pruning techniques and cultivar selection to get the most out of apples, pears, grapes, fig, mulberry, persimmon, kiwi and berries.

You will learn:

• How to make a love heart cookie cake.
• How to make the perfect sugar cookie that won’t shrink.
• About fondant: how to colour it, roll and cut it out to perfectly fit your cookie.
• How to make your own stencils and cut out a large cookie cake.
• How to decorate and fill a large cookie cake.

Urban Pear will show you various types of food preserving, including jams, chutneys, relishes and fermented products.

A behind-the-scenes tour of the 10 step chocolate making process at Ratio Cocoa Roasters. Followed by a guided chocolate tasting.

Tasting plate can be adapted to non dairy / vegan, please advise on arrival.

Menu: malai kofta.

Cook Indian by the creek came into existence with the idea of breaking the myth that Indian cooking is complex and difficult to nail. In each session, they will share their traditional recipes and go through the step by step cooking process. The classes are held in a private kitchen.

Book by email.

Every Saturday for 9 weeks. Book by phone (9433 3744).

This 9-week hands-on course is ideal for people considering a career in horticulture. No prior experience is necessary.

Working as a team with fellow participants, you will gain a broad overview and practical, hands-on experience such topics as:

• Introduction to plant recognition.
• Propagation.
• Planting.
• Soil properties.
• Environmentally sustainable work practices.
• Career pathways/further study in the horticulture industry.

You will spend a lot of time outdoors (getting your hands dirty!), along with some time in the classroom learning basic theory and exploring study pathways.

The course will be run by Justin Calverley, a horticultural expert with twenty years’ experience. Inter alia, Justin is a lead trainer in adult education at CERES.

This workshop will help you to reduce food waste at home. You will cook a vegetarian lunch together and learn to save money, get creative with veggies, be more adaptable in the kitchen, and learn about the wonders of compost.

If you are not able to attend the workshop in the morning, you are welcome to share a free lunch with them afterwards at 1pm.

Nearly half of the waste in our bins consists of food and organics that could easily be composted and turned into nutrient-rich fertiliser for your garden. In this workshop, Maria Ciavarella, from My Green Garden, will talk you through how to set up your own low cost worm farm using recycled materials. Learn about outdoor composting, benchtop (Bokashi) composting and worm farming, as well as how to safely compost pet poo.

Tutor Jenna Farrington-Sear. This workshop will cover basic theory as well as the tactile pleasure of all the steps of making bread from milled flour. Suitable for both novices and those who want to expand their bread making repertoire.

Topics to be covered:

• The essential ingredients and tools of the trade.
• The principal steps of bread making.
• Baker’s percentage and hydration.
• Mixing, kneading and folding dough.
• Shaping loaves, scoring and baking.
• Maintaining a starter.

You will take home:

• A piece of dough which can be baked at home.
• A sourdough starter.

Please bring your own apron, cutting mat, tea towel and storage container/s for any leftovers. Recipes, tips, hints and food leftovers will be taken home by participants. Also, bring a medium sized bowl (eg. Pyrex 2L or 3L) and a small container or jar with a lid to store sourdough starter and take home.

Want to grow some fresh fruit, vegetables or herbs for your kitchen but feel like you don’t have the space? Poppy Turbiak will cover the tips and tricks to make your space more productive – even if all you have is a small courtyard or balcony. She will talk about growing food in containers, plants that thrive in different light conditions, and the best plant choices to get you going now.

Ana and Gaby are Mexican Aussies with a wealth of skills, knowledge and experience in cooking Mexican dishes. Immerse yourself in Mexican cooking techniques and culture. This workshop will cover: red rice; fijoles (traditional Mexican beans); and tortilla soup.

Scrumpy cider, live bands and lots of food is what the Kellybrook Cider Festival is all about. Set in the historic gardens and vineyards at Kellybrook’s Wonga Park property, the weekend will feature Kellybrook’s scrumpy and other ciders, beers and wines. There will also be tastings at the cellar door. Bring your picnic rug, invite your friends and celebrate the end of apple harvest.

The DIVRS garden is a vegetable and fruit garden that specialises in growing fresh food for DIVRS’ emergency food relief efforts. Their volunteers will guide you through a hands on workshop on composting and worm farms, propagating seedlings, good soil management and planting techniques. You will also learn about the new DIVRS ‘Veg Squad’ program that supports local school kitchen gardens, community gardens and Darebin householders to grow food for both themselves and for Darebin residents experiencing food insecurity. All participants will take home a complimentary punnet of seedlings.

This event is part of the Darebin Backyard Harvest Festival.

Learn how composting, worm farming and the use of particular plants can naturally improve your soil. Discover how to compost and worm farm effectively for the best results. Understand how recycling your household and garden organic waste (including dog poo!) can benefit the life within your soil. Facilitator: Dianne Gordon.

Savour the abundant chestnuts, gourmet food, Devonshire tea, coffee, artisan beer and mulled wine. Explore the diverse range of stalls showcasing locally-made handcrafts and produce. Children can enjoy the fun rides and adventure play space. The activities will include: roasted chestnuts; poffertjes; Devonshire tea and homemade cakes; sausage sizzle; local restaurant food stalls; artisan beer (including chestnut beer!) and mulled wine; coffee, tea and chai; bungy jump trampolines; train rides’ flying swings; petting zoos; old-fashioned kids games; raffles; local handmade crafts; local produce; and live music and performances.

What you will learn:

• How to make and maintain their own beeswax wraps.
• Learn skills that are transferable to the home environment.
• Bundling techniques.

What you will get:

• Take home your beeswax wraps.

Presenter: Emma Grace. You will learn how to make and maintain their own beeswax wraps for keeping food fresh and hygienic without the use of single-use plastics such as cling-wrap. This is a hands-on workshop where participants will make their own washable and re-usable ready-to-use beeswax wraps.

In this workshop, ABC Organic Gardener writer Jessamy Miller will focus on keeping chooks in a suburban environment as well as introduce you to her own flock. You will learn how to build an ideal home for chooks to protect them from weather and potential predators and what to feed your chooks to keep them healthy and productive. Lastly, Jessamy will cover chicken first aid and how to ensure you meet local council requirements with your flock.

This event is part of the Darebin Backyard Harvest Festival.