Calendar of once-off events

This is a hands-on cooking experience teaching you how to make dumplings from scratch. Sit and eat together at the end with a glass of sparkling wine. The ingredients for the various dumplings will include a wide range of spices, seasonings, vegetables, meats and seafood.

Join Anna, the Urban Nanna, for an educational session about wild mushrooms: when, where & how to find them, what to look for and how to use them. The 4 hours will be split up into 4 sessions: education; group exploring; consolidation of learning; and picnic lunch.

You will find and identify a range of wild, edible mushrooms. You will learn the basic principles and protocols of foraging, and then move on to mushroom specifics. You will examine examples of the types of mushrooms to look for on the day, and be shown the physical features you can use to correctly identify them. There will also be information on how to safely prepare and enjoy eating the mushrooms you find.

Overall, there will be around 1-2km of walking over grassy terrain involved.

The two sessions are on Sunday, 4th June, 10am-2pm at Bundoora Park Farm and Friday, 16th June, 10am-4pm at Yarra Valley ECOSS.

For aspiring farmers.

The first day will equip you with the skills to assess soil conditions. Learn how to engage an agronomist effectively, interpret soil test results, and conduct practical field tests to assess soil qualities.

The second day will be a field trip to explore the impact of soil type and context on site management. Discover how different soil conditions require tailored approaches and refine your skills in developing effective soil management plans.

Facilitator: Agronomist Ian Mott. Organised by Farmer Incubator.

Italian food. See Rosa’s website for the menus.

Nina Trinquet and J?enny Cameron will discuss the role of nutrition in balancing hormones. They will discuss women’s common health conditions, including PCOS, heavy painful periods, endometriosis and menopause.

Agronomist Ian Mott will discuss: how to assess soil conditions; resources for conducting soil tests, what to test for (e.g. contamination, identifying hazards, fertility, suitability to particular crops) and where to do so; how to interpret and improve or amend soil conditions; and tools and resources for planning, management and further learning.

Organised by Farmer Incubator.

What you will learn:

• How to create, mix and match different types of pasta and sauces.
• How to incorporate Australian ingredients into classic Italian dishes.

What you will get:

• A three-course meal with a complementary glass of wine, plus finger food before the meal.
• A full set of recipes for all dishes.

14 sessions over a period of a 14 weeks.

Presenter: Justin Calverley. The topics to be covered will include: permaculture; fruit production; soil preparation; beekeeping; composting, worm farming and fertilisers; vegetable growing; propagation; seed collection; pest & disease management; bushfoods & berries; chooks; and community gardens.

15 minutes before each event (i.e. at 6.15pm), there is a food and seed swap.

2023 events

This is a two-session workshop, with the two sessions being on Wednesdays, 7th and 14th June, both 6.30-8.30pm.

The food of South India features the use of tamarind, shredded coconut, coconut oil, coconut milk, mustard seeds, kari leave and dried red chillies. Dishes include plenty of rice and lentils often powdered and cooked by steam.

Tutor Taariq Hassan.

Kelly Burns will discuss herbalism and medicinal herbal infusions. You will make two types of shrub which you will then take home.

A shrub is essentially a herb- or fruit-steeped sweet vinegar that you can enjoy drizzled like a dressing or added to sparkling or flat water, as you would a cordial. Sweet and tangy shrubs are also a great way to host a herb or to intensify a desired flavour. Herbal shrubs can be made and imbibed as medicinal tonics and many traditional shrubs are based on herbs, roots, barks and specific plant concoctions and were sipped with the purpose of healing. You can make a shrub by cold infusion or by cooking, depending on the ingredients and state of the fruit or how difficult you feel the flavours will be to pull out.

Learn how to grow vegetables all year round, without harmful chemicals, in whatever space you have. Learn how to select a location for a veggie garden, prepare and improve the soil, work out what to plant when, grow produce from seedlings and seeds, care for your growing plants and protect them from pests, as well as how to grow vegetables in pots and containers.

This is a hands-on cooking experience teaching you how to make dumplings from scratch. Sit and eat together at the end with a glass of sparkling wine. The ingredients for the various dumplings will include a wide range of spices, seasonings, vegetables, meats and seafood.

Choose between a red or white cabbage as your base and flavour with the plethora of herbs, spices and vegetables that they will provide. You will take home a jar of kraut plus all the accoutrements you need to make more.

M.O.B. stands for ‘mingling over bacteria’.

Italian food. See Rosa’s website for the menus.

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.

This is a hands-on cooking experience teaching you how to make dumplings from scratch. Sit and eat together at the end with a glass of sparkling wine. The ingredients for the various dumplings will include a wide range of spices, seasonings, vegetables, meats and seafood.

What you will learn: how to identify edible weeds; and how do use them in your everyday life.

What you will get: detailed handouts; and samples in class of prepared edible weeds.

Presenter: Lauren. Learn about seasonal edible weeds that thrive in Melbourne inner north, and gain knowledge about the plants’ culinary, medicinal and ecological uses.

Join Anna, the Urban Nanna, for an educational session about wild mushrooms: when, where & how to find them, what to look for and how to use them. The 4 hours will be split up into 4 sessions: education; group exploring; consolidation of learning; and picnic lunch.

You will find and identify a range of wild, edible mushrooms. You will learn the basic principles and protocols of foraging, and then move on to mushroom specifics. You will examine examples of the types of mushrooms to look for on the day, and be shown the physical features you can use to correctly identify them. There will also be information on how to safely prepare and enjoy eating the mushrooms you find.

Overall, there will be around 1-2km of walking over grassy terrain involved.

Italian food. See Rosa’s website for the menus.

Nina Trinquet will discuss whether or not reversing diabetes is possible.

Learn how to make ricotta, feta and halloumi cheese. You will make enough to take some home and also to taste test at lunch.

Take along an apron, a glass jar and several plastic containers to take your cheese home.

Learn about all matters related to growing food, food waste, composting and the circular economy.

Just turn up.

Learn how to prune nectarines, peaches, plums, apples and quince trees and how to maintain these trees so that you will get disease-free fruit and healthy leaves in the summer. If you have sharp secateurs or loppers please bring them but, if not, you can use what they have in the tool library.

This is a hands-on cooking experience with an expert cooking instructor. Learn about Indian cuisine, watch some cooking demonstrations, then enjoy eating the food with a complementary drink.

The menu: chicken tikka masala; naan, mint raita; and palak paneer (cottage cheese and spinach curry).

This is a hands-on cooking experience with an expert cooking instructor. Learn about Japanese cuisine, watch some cooking demonstrations, then enjoy eating the food with a complementary drink.

The menu in odd numbered months: sushi rolls; miso soup; tempura (mixed fried vegetables, prawn and soba noodles); and seaweed salad).

The menu in even numbered months: fish with citrus soy sauce; ramen (noodles); seafood stock; fried chicken; and fried and marinated eggplant.

Learn how to shop for healthy and proper ingredients. Explore the importance of understanding hidden preservatives in food, the impact of excessive sugar and salt consumption, and how to identify additives on food labels. Start by walking through some shops and then convening for a more in-depth discussion. Finally, learn some techniques specific to Aegean longevity cuisine.

This is a hands-on cooking experience with an expert cooking instructor. Learn about Sri Lankan cuisine, watch some cooking demonstrations, then enjoy eating the food with a complementary drink.

The menu: fried pea cakes with chutney; chicken curry; dhal lentil vegetarian curry; coconut sambol; and flavoured rice.

Italian food. See Rosa’s website for the menus.

This is a hands-on cooking experience with an expert cooking instructor. Prepare and cook a varied menu, utilising a wide range of techniques along the way. Finish the class by tasting all of your creations with a glass of sparkling wine or beer. Depending on the month, the menu will include street food from Thailand, Vietnam, China or Japan.

Arzu will teach you how to make gozleme and baklava from scratch. Turkish coffee will be served. Includes ingredients. BYO some containers (you will be going home with what you cook, usually about 1.2 kg of baklava and 3-4 gozlemes), apron and oven tray.

Learn about flours and how they interact with other ingredients. Learn a variety of techniques and textures to create many different types of biscuits from shortbreads, to fancy petit fours, wedged with ganache and dipped in chocolate. They will cover shelf life, storage, freezing and nutritional input. They will include gluten free, dairy free and nut free recipes. You will take home 1kg of assorted biscuits made in the class plus their recipes.

This event is for dads (or father figures/guardian) and their children (at least 10 years old) to learn how they can cook easy and yummy meals together at home.

Facilitator: Joel Feren.

Taj Scicluna, The Perma Pixie, will share some herbalism insights. For example, probiotics need to be nurtured, and ingesting a variety of phytochemical can help with this. Herbs are high in phytochemical compounds that can assist the transofrmation and stabilisation of gut health.

Learn how to make the most of the food you already have in your fridge and pantry, making the most of your leftovers and food scraps by turning them into meals. The session will cover: menu planning tips to avoid wasting food; how to maximise leftovers; know the difference between ‘use-by’ and ‘best before’ dates; using commonly left over ingredients to make quick meals; how to make vegetable stocks with food scraps; and how to make vinegar with waste or second quality fruit.

Facilitator: Kirsty Bishop-Fox, from Sustainable Pathways.

Learn how to make spring rolls.

What you will learn:

• How to prepare authentic authentic Roman dishes.
• How to adapt Australian ingredients to Italian dishes.

What you will get:

• A three-course meal with a complimentary glass of wine, plus finger food before the meal.
• A full set of recipes for all dishes.

This is a hands-on cooking experience teaching you how to make dumplings from scratch. Sit and eat together at the end with a glass of sparkling wine. The ingredients for the various dumplings will include a wide range of spices, seasonings, vegetables, meats and seafood.

Make gnocchi from scratch the Italian way using basic pantry ingredients coupled with two sauces. Enjoy tasting the dishes with the other participants. You will take home your freshly made gnocchi. Take a container and an apron.

Organised by Living And Learning @ Ajani

Chika will show you how to make savoury Japanese pancakes. You will also get to enjoy them for lunch.

Learn how to create handmade chocolates from start to finish using your creative influences to make unique flavours and shapes. They will cover flavour combinations, ganache based flavours, nut pralines, enrobing methods and finishes. You will take home all you make in the workshop along with the recipes and an instruction booklet.