Calendar of once-off events
View calendars for specific types of event:
All events All once-off events (Cooking, Everything else, Free) Community gardens Food swaps Free meals Markets Farmers’ markets Garden clubs
The Moreland Turkish Women’s Group invite you to come along to this free Turkish cooking demonstration and to join them for lunch at the conclusion. You will learn to make lentil soup, kisir salad, borek rolled pastry with cheese, and halva.
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.
Learn how to make ricotta, mozzarella, mascarpone and bocconcini. Stretch mozzarella. Taste vegan haloumi. Sauerkraut tips and tastings. Includes a $43 cheese making kit so that you can get started as soon as you are home.
Book by phone (9424 1861) or by person at Organic Fix.
Join Katherine Barling to learn how to make kombucha tea. Enjoy a demonstration of how to prepare, build and harvest the finished kombucha drink and (perhaps) enjoy some samples.
What you will learn:
- How to temper chocolate to create a shine and crispy snap.
- How to create ganache.
- Let your creativity shine through as you decorate your truffles.
What you will get:
- A box of truffles that you have handcrafted.
- A starter pack – apron, dipping tool, chocolate, recipes.
Once you know how to temper and how to work with chocolate, your imagination will be your only limitation. They will make a ganache for the filling, revealing the small tricks that ensure a smooth outcome.
Enjoy 3 tasting size courses cooked by chef Bek McMillan, from Gourmet Living, who will demonstrate step by step. All recipes are included.
Menu: tomato bruschetta; simple chicken cacciatore; and pear & raspberry tart.
Join Arzu Yilmaz for a Turkish cooking and cultural experience. Hear about her experiences as a young girl living in Istanbul whilst cooking four traditional dishes. With influences from both the Mediterranean and
Middle East, Turkish food is unique in taste and texture. Bring some takeaway containers as there’s sure to be more food than can be eaten at the event.
Book by phone (0403 046680).
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): aloo gobi and aubergine masala. Cauliflower with potatoes and aubergine baked with spices and cooked with tomatoes. Gluten free.
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.
What you will learn:
- How to get started with keeping chickens in a suburban backyard.
- How to house and protect chooks from predators.
- How chooks can be used to improve your garden and soil.
Presented by Sarah Hardgrove. Keeping a few chooks in the backyard used to be a staple of Australian suburban life, and their eggs made up a healthy part of our diet. But even though our house blocks might be shrinking, a smaller backyard doesn’t necessarily mean an end to raising or enjoying them. In this class, you will find out just how easy it is to keep a few hens as pets and as the ultimate garden recyclers, as well as everything you need to know about housing, protecting and feeding them, and lots of practical ideas on how to live harmoniously with them in your garden. Suitable for those who have never kept chooks before.
Facilitated by Troy Dawes of Jeltro Cottage Permaculture. Learn all about heritage fruit tree grafting including how to start an orchard on a budget, grafting multiple varieties to the one tree, grafting techniques, tools, and choosing the all-important root stock. Combine grafting and espalier techniques and you can have all the fruit you’ll ever need in the smallest of yards! Learn about summer pruning techniques versus winter pruning and wound healing.
Book by phone (9870 2602).
Time to broaden your culinary expertise and meet pasta’s famous pillowy brother: gnocchi! They will show you how to make gnocchi at home through simple ingredients. From traditional potato to creamy ricotta and spinach, learn every nook and cranny that makes this classic Italian dish a favourite.
Learn how to make quick and easy puff pastry that you can recreate at home. Also learn how to transform your basic laminated dough into buttery and delicious twists, turnovers, tarts, and more.
The Wurundjeri Council and Joe’s Market Garden will be planting out 100s of murnong as part of their Wurundjeri Bushfood Growing Project to grow and sell high quality bushfood, help create meaningful employment for Aboriginal people, and grow climate-appropriate crops. The day will include a smoking ceremony.
They will show you how to make pasta dough by hand and turn it into a variety of pasta types. They may even throw in sauce-making secrets for good measure.
From lining the right pie dish to blind baking to making a lattice top, learn the skills you need to bake a perfectly cooked pie every time.
What you will learn:
- Taste your way through dark 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 dark beers.
What you will get:
- Brewery tour.
- Sharing style feast from CookShop Rotisserie.
- A guided tasting of dark beers.
What you will learn:
- How to make a Danish dark rye wholegrain loaf of bread.
- Understand the timeline and stages to create the bread with minimal effort.
- How to make and care for an authentic Danish style sourdough starter cult.
What you will get:
- Recipe and workshop notes.
- Sourdough culture to care for.
- Dough for two loaves of bread.
- A discount on a professional quality bread tin.
Facilitator: Ninna Katrine. This workshop will teach you the secret to caring for your sourdough starter and walk you through the process of baking your own wholegrain dark rye loaf. This popular Northern European style bread is difficult to source in Melbourne, so why not bake your own.
Participants will be limited to 8 to maintain an informal interactive format.
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.
Winter is the best time to prune most fruit trees. Join Justin Calverley and learn how to best care for your fruit trees for health and to maximise your yield for next season. Bring your gardening gloves, a hat and a pair of secateurs.
What you will learn:
- The importance of compost for soil health.
- How to fix common composting problems.
- Setting up and looking after a worm farm.
Presented by Diana Cotter. Learn how to make great compost, the essential ingredient for a thriving and healthy garden. Look at worm farms and Bokashi as other options. They will also show you how to make a DIY worm farm using recycled products.
What you will learn:
- How to identify and harvest bush foods.
- How to grow and maintain bush foods in the home garden.
- How to incorporate bush foods into everyday recipes.
What you will get:
- Handouts and recipes.
- Lunch and afternoon tea.
Presenter: Belinda Kennedy. Tour the CERES bush food gardens, learn how to identify, grow and maintain a variety of local bush foods, gain knowledge of bush foods from further afar – tropical delights from the north, peppery spices form the south. During the workshop, you will learn how to incorporate bush foods into simple, tasty and nutritious meals, desserts and snacks. The group will make a bush food inspired lunch and afternoon tea – all food prepared on the day will be vegetarian and vegan friendly.
Take advantage of the spices and herbs found in your local grocery store and warm up your food with natural flavours. You will be shown how to use spices in simple ways, alongside a variety of grains, legumes and flours that you might not even know exist but are actually available in your local store. You will also learn eco-friendly methods of cooking that will help you to reduce your gas/electricity usage.
Sasha, from Mad Millie, will show you how to make halloumi and ricotta while teaching you how you can incorporate homemade cheeses into everyday cooking. Take home your own Mad Millie fresh cheese making kit valued at $65.
What you will learn:
- How to coagulate milk using acid and rennet.
- How to stretch and shape mozzarella.
- How to make whole milk ricotta.
What you will get:
- Recipes and the essential techniques of cheesemaking.
- A tasting of the cheeses made.
- Notes about the major steps of cheesemaking and resources for quality milk and supplies.
- A 20% discount on cheesemaking kits and equipment purchased in conjunction with the workshop.
Join Jacqueline Bender as she demystifies the art of making two of Italy’s most beloved cheeses. You will make mozzarella and ricotta from bio-dynamic milk (or organic if unavailable) to be eaten at the conclusion of the class. Ricotta will be made from whole milk (paneer style), which you will roll in home-made dukkah (chopped nuts and spices).
Participants will be limited to 8 to maintain an informal interactive format.
Learn to use homemade cheese to create a combination of mozzarella stuffed with creamy mascarpone as well as other delectable cheesy delights. Take home your own Mad Millie Italian cheese making kit valued at $40.
Family-friendly get together. Go along and socialise the afternoon with neighbours. Toasted marshmallows, hot chocolate, and afternoon tea.
Click here to read about the garden.
Go along and help choose a new recipe for each class. Teach or be taught how to cook the food you’ve always wanted to know how to cook.
Call to confirm attendance (9462 4611).
Join Peter Jeffery from La Grue Olives for a talk about growing and harvesting olives in the Yarra Valley. Learn about the process involved in creating high quality cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. Tastings and olive oil will be available for purchase on the day.
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.
Fruit trees require seasonal care to keep them healthy and productive. This talk will cover pruning techniques, seasonal fertilising, pests to watch out for, and how to get the most out of your backyard fruit trees.
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.
Enjoy 3 tasting size courses cooked by chef Bek McMillan, from Gourmet Living, who will demonstrate step by step. All recipes are included.
Menu: zucchini & bacon soup; dukkah beef; and chocolate caramel rice pudding.
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.
What you will learn:
- Ways to create and look after your own Sourdough starter culture, flour to use for the best nutrition and results.
- Ways to knead sticky high hydration dough for a more authentic sourdough loaf, equipment needed to produce a great looking and tasting sourdough tin loaf at home.
- Ways to bake sourdough bread using a bread tin in a home oven, bread dough looks and feels like at its various stages of preparation and development.
What you will get:
- Comprehensive workshop notes.
- Sourdough starter culture.
- A discount on a professional quality bread tin.
Join Rick of The Life We Want as he demonstrates this age old process and introduces you to the equipment and skills required to get started baking at home.
Participants will be limited to 8 to maintain an informal interactive format.
You’ll gain an introduction to fermentation theory and lacto-fermented vegetables, learn simple sauerkraut & kimchi recipes, and sample fermented vegetables & condiments.
They will show you food preservation, canning, and brine making. Save on food costs while adding new layers of flavour to your dishes with tips and tricks from this workshop.
Learn how to prepare and perfect the flavours of a variety of Spanish tapas, from the traditional to the modern.
Learn to develop Spanish paella using traditional ingredients and equipment straight from the experts at this workshop. Get to know the history of Spain’s most iconic dish and its place in Spanish culture while you indulge your senses in its flavours and aroma.
Learn the fundamental canning techniques you need to master to make homemade jams, pastes, and jellies you can enjoy year-round.
What you will learn:
- How to cultivate, feed and keep your ferments for long and short term use.
- How to assess pH, sugar and alcohol levels.
- Relevant food safety and sanitisation for fermenting.
What you will get:
- Comprehensive workshop notes and references/further reading.
- Your own vegetables ferments to take home.
- A sampling of fermented food.
Lacto-fermentation is a healthful, safe, low energy method of food preservation. Molly Bryson will show you how to make kimchi and kombucha.
Participants will be limited to 8 to maintain an informal interactive format.
Join them in celebrating SEEDs Communal Garden at their annual ‘winter soup’ fundraiser – with live music and performers, food prepared using SEEDs-grown produce, chai, coffee and mulled kombucha, locally brewed craft beer, communal weaving, sewing with boomerang bags, children’s activities and a mini market.
Click here to read about the garden.