Thanks to the people who have contributed to this week’s newsletter: Alexander Zurawski, Almari van der Merwe, Anna Sanders, Belinda Lock, Bruno Tigani, Chris Kent, Clare Harvey, Doris Glier, Dorothy Kwak, Ellen Easton, Emma Hemsley, Jennie Ramage, Jo Buckle, Julie French, Julie Merlet, Karen Olsen, Leon O’Connell, Maria Ciavarella, Mark Connell, Merri Cheyne, Pam Jenkins, Penny Smith, Shea Vaughan, Spencer Nash, Susan Palmer, Teresa Day and Virginia Solomon.
Elana Berton (re uplifting a green space) and Rosemary Snowden (re her vegetable drum) have both written in to thank those newsletter readers who wrote to them with suggestions for resolving their issues.
Wattleseeds (Acacia 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 wattleseed and wattleseed damper mix).]
Wattleseeds are the edible seeds from any of around 100 species of wattle (i.e. plants in the genus Acacia). As there are around 1,000 species of wattle, most are not edible. The most commonly eaten wattle seed is that from Acacia victoriae, with others including Acacia longifolia, Acacia murrayana, Acacia provincialis and Acacia pycnantha.
The hard, raw seeds have to be processed before being eaten. One option is to roast them whole and then grind them into a powder. Other options include soaking, boiling or pan frying (so that they pop like popcorn) .
Depending on the species, the powder has an aroma of coffee, chocolate, nuts or other earthy notes and the flavour is of roasted coffee, chicory, chocolate, nuts or slightly bitter notes. Soak in hot water and then add to either sweet or savoury dishes as a spice. Or use to make damper/bread, as a flavour enhancer for drinks or as a thickener for soups. It can also be used as a coffee substitute without the caffeine.
Wattleseed is rich in both protein and fibre and also contains a variety of trace elements. It has a low glycaemic index and is therefore suitable for incorporation into diabetic foods.
Read about other bush foods on our website.
The Yuka phone app
Dorothy Kwak has written in to tell you about a phone app that you might be interested in: “The Yuka phone app is a free app which allows you to scan the barcodes of the food you will potentially put into your body as well as those of the things you put onto your body (like cosmetics and personal care products). It then gives you an overall rating between good and bad together with a numerical score out of 100 . In the case of a poor rating, it will also offer you alternative product options with their ratings [editor’s note: it also lists the precise reasons for any poor rating]. I like knowing about what I’m purchasing and suspect that, if enough people were making informed decisions about what they were purchasing, it could make manufacturers a bit more careful about what they put in their products.”
Yuka’s stated mission is to help consumers make better choices for their health. In so doing, it aims to drive manufacturers to offer better products. It states that its scores and recommendations are obtained independently, with no influence from outside brands or manufacturers. It does not process or sell user data and all user data remains strictly confidential.
I (Guy) also use this app. It is interesting partly because it is so specific in its results and partly because it tells you exactly why it’s ratings are what they are. For example, vegemite is rated as ‘poor’, with a score of 27 out of 100. The main reason for this poor rating is the presence of the food colouring 150c ammonia caramel, which Yuka considers to be high risk partly because it can be contaminated by a substance called 4-Methylimidazole which, in turn, is classified as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” by the International Agency For Research on Cancer. Stimulated by this, I went to the relevant Wikipedia page, where I found that there are legal limits to the amount of 4-Methylimidazole allowed in 150c ammonia caramel and that, according to something called the Food Chemicals Codex, “carcinogenic doses of 4-Methylimidazole exceed estimates of exposure from the consumption of caramel colouring by several thousand-fold” (in other words, don’t be worried about the health risks of vegemite!). Clearly, deciding whether or not something should be classified as ‘high risk’ is a matter of judgement/opinion rather than of fact but, equally clearly, Yuka’s judgements are informed rather than random. In my case, my judgement about Yuka’s vegemite judgement doesn’t matter as I don’t like the taste of it(!) but I do actually feel much better informed.
Another reason that I find the Yuka app interesting is that its results are often unexpected but behaviour changing. For example, I used to use two different deodorants. Then I discovered that Yuka rated one highly and the other one poorly. So I now use only the highly rated one. After all, why not?
Another impressive aspect of the Yuka app is the breadth of the Australian barcodes that it covers, including the vast majority of non-perishable foods. This is despite it originating in France.
A final word of caution: whilst the interpretation of ingredients into scores and ratings is done by humans employed by Yuka, the ingredients in the products themselves are apparently often crowdsourced. This can obviously lead to errors if there are typos in the data input, such as decimal points being in the wrong place (as I found in one case which was rated badly because of high salt levels when it was actually low salt).
Get the Yuka app, which is totally free.
The great tomato survey – the results are in!
We had 20 or 21 responses, depending on how you count “I planted some tomatoes but I have no idea what they were“. That’s a response rate of ½%. Not bad!
Between them, the 21 people were growing 68 different varieties, with people on average growing around 5 varieties. That’s a large number of different varieties to choose from, although my impression is that most of the respondents have now settled on the varieties that they grow, which they repeat each year.
The most popular varieties being grown (by 6 people) were Black Cherry and Tommy Toe, so one cherry tomato and one standard sized.
The next most popular (3 or 4 people) were Cherokee Purple, Green Zebra, Jaune Flamme, Money Maker, Roma, San Marzano, Tigerella and Tiny Tim, so two saucing tomatoes, one cherry, one beefsteak, one standard sized and two unusual colour (green, orange).
The final varieties being grown (1 or 2 people) were Adelaide Festival, Ananas Noire, Angora Super Sweet, Aunty Rubys German Green, Azoychka, Banana Legs, Barry’s Crazy Cherry, Beam’s Yellow Pear, Beauty King, Big Pear, Black Russian, Blueberry, Burnley Surecrop, Casa d’Apulia, Casady’s Folly, Cheery Cherry, Cherokee Purple, Costoluto Genovese, Dancing With Smurfs, Debaroa, Deko Ox Heart, Dwarf Fred’s Tie Die, Dwarf Geranium Kiss, Eltham Champion, Evergreen Indi, Green Grape, Hungarian Heart, Indigo Rose, Jaune Flamme, Kumato, Lemon Drop, Marbonne, Marnero, Mary’s Cherry, Mortgage Buster, Mortgage Lifter, Orange Banana, Orange Cherry, Orange Plum, Petra Roma, Pink Passion, Principe Borghese, Principe Borghese, Purple Heart, Red and Black, Red Plum, Roima Cherry, Rouge de Marmande, Santorini, Saucy Mary, Siberian, Sneaky Sauce, Stupide, Sugar Lump, Tigerella, Uluru Ochre, Velvet Night, Violet Jasper, Wapsipinicon Peach, Yellow Cherry and Yellow Pear Drop.
Not surprisingly, most people thought that the varieties that they were growing were tasty, with Black Cherry, Black Russian and Green Zebra getting particular praise. Less obviously, some people were growing varieties because of their interesting colour or shape, with Dancing With Smurfs, Dwarf Fred’s Tie Die, Dwarf Geranium Kiss and Indigo Rose getting particular mentions (I would add Tigerella). A few people said that their choice was because the variety is prolific, including Money Maker and Tommy Toe.
Several people mentioned that tomato growing seems to be getting more problematic because of pests; for example “Fruit fly and rats have made growing tomatoes challenging in recent years.” (Jennie Ramage). Maximising the chances of success can also influence choice of variety; for example “I’m growing more small-fruited varieties as they seem to be less susceptible to fruit fly.” (Merri Cheyne) and “Green Zebra ripens green so birds are not such a problem.” (Leon O’Connell). Also, as I presume everyone knows, tomatoes are climacteric and therefore continue to ripen after they have been picked so you can pick them as soon as they start to develop a little colour and leave them on your kitchen bench to ripen, thus lessening the chances of other animals getting to them first.
Finally, “The Siberian tomato variety works especially well in a garden with limited direct sunlight and longer periods of shade because it is an early cropping variety.” (Doris Glier).
Anna Sanders’ tomatoes.
Top row: Dwarf Fred’s Tie Die.
Bottom row: Dwarf Geranium Kiss, Beam’s Yellow Pear, Black Cherry and Eltham Champion. |
 |
Bruno Tigani’s tomatoes.
Top row: Marbonne, Marnero, another Marbonne and Deko Ox Heart.
Bottom row: Petra Roma, Red Plum and Orange Plum. |
 |
Pam Jenkins’ tomatoes.
Top row: Black Russian, San Manzano, Money Maker and Jaune Flamme.
Bottom row: unknown, San Manzano and Cheery Cherry. |
 |
How to save tomato seeds according to Anna Sanders
- Squeeze the seeds from one of your favourite ripe tomatoes into a small glass of water.
- Label the glass with the date and name of the tomato.
- Put the glass on a warm windowsill for 3 days – give it a swirl every day if you remember.
- On the third day, a fine white mould will appear on the surface of the water. This indicates that the coating of the seeds has fermented off making them easier to germinate.
- Tip the seeds and water into a sieve and rinse.
- Spread the seeds onto kitchen paper and leave for a week to dry.
- Remove the seeds from the kitchen paper and store in an envelope ready to plant next year.
Another new article from Angelo Eliades
Understanding the scoville scale: a guide to chilli pepper heat levels.
Read more of Angelo’s food-related articles.
Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens)
The left hand photo (from Spencer Nash’s garden) is of black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens in family Stratiomyidae) and the right hand one (from the Internet) is of an adult of the same species.

Whilst the adults mostly don’t eat at all (and can only consume liquids such as flower nectar), the larvae eat large amounts of (just about any) organic waste. As such, they are attracted to household compost bins and worm farms, where they are generally considered to be beneficial. This is for several reasons: 1. The larvae’s large size relative to those of other flies helps to deter the latter because they get eaten; 2. Because the adults don’t eat, they don’t carry pathogens or diseases; 3. They are not attracted to human habitation or foods; 4. The adults do not fly around very much and are easy to catch and re-locate; and 5. They quickly reduce the volume and weight of waste.
The larvae start at around 1mm in length but, over a period of up to a month, reach around 25mm before pupating.
If you have any interesting photos of critters from your garden, email them to me.
Read about our previous critters of the week on our website..
The Melbourne ‘Local Food Connections’ community radio show
On next Sunday’s show (9th February, 10-10.30am) on 3CR (855 AM), Amy and Ann will interview Robin Koster-Carlyon and Peter Carlyon about their farm in Fingal – Transition Farm. 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 Angelo Eliades on guerilla gardening (12th January).
Which link was clicked most times in the last newsletter?
The most popular link in the last newsletter was the Peels website, which aims to replace the now defunct Sharewaste website.
The most popular event link in the last newsletter was Connie Cao’s upcoming presentation on growing Asian vegetables in Doncaster on 26th March.
Regular activities over the coming week
Farmers’ and other food markets
North East Region Permaculture (NERP) will have a stall at the Eltham Farmers’ Market where their theme will be preserving the harvest. There will be some tastings of some summer preserves and pickles. If you have any relevant recipes, they would love to share them on their website.
Food swaps
Community gardens
- Thursday: Buna (Heidelberg West), Edible Hub (Hurstbridge), SEEDs (Brunswick) and Whittlesea.
- Friday: Panton Hill and West Brunswick.
- Saturday: Glen Park Oaks (Bayswater North), Links (Lalor), Macleod, Northcote Community, Radicle Roots (Coburg), Reynard Street (Coburg), Tables (Heathmont) and Thrive (Diamond Creek).
- Sunday: Fawkner Food Bowls, Regent (Reservoir) and West Brunswick.
- Monday: SEEDs (Brunswick) and Whittlesea.
- Tuesday: Bedford Park (Ringwood), Diamond Valley Library (Greensborough) and Watsonia.
- Next Wednesday: Eltham Neighbourhood House, Macleod, Newton Street (Reservoir), Span (Thornbury) and Sylvester Hive (Preston).
Not local but interesting
Wine & Cheese Fest; Saturday, 1st March, midday-7.30pm; $64; Port Melbourne.
Your ticket includes unlimited tastings, a wine glass, a tote bag and some masterclasses. There will be around 10 cheese stalls, 30 wine stalls and 30 other food & drink stalls. There will also be a grape stomp competition. Gouda see it to brie-lieve it.
Not food-related but interesting
Lantern Festival; Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd, March, each 5-10pm; free; Heidelberg West.
Walk around the Malahang Reserve as it is transformed into a colourful, illuminated dreamland featuring a canopy of glowing multi-coloured trees. Wander between large-scale roving puppets and around 50 suspended and ground lanterns featuring a wide range of animals. At 9pm, watch and listen to a celebration of Kulin Nations dance and songs. On the corner of Southern and Oriel roads. No need to book – just turn up.
Not face-to-face but interesting – Sustainable Gardening Australia
Sustainable Gardening Australia (SGA) have organised a series of one hour, online classes during February with the overall theme of summer gardening skills. You can book individual sessions for $30 each (see the details below).
Upcoming face-to-face events – for pets
Unless someone notifies us of some events that are not pub crawls for dogs, we are probably going to drop this section!
Oodles puppy pub crawl; Sunday, 30th March, 3-6.30pm; $40; Abbotsford
Three pubs/bars will be visited. The dog treats will include treats made by the Puppy Pub Crawl crew, sugarless cakes and doggie cocktails.
Upcoming face-to-face events – not cooking
This is a 1-hour gardening workshop followed by a 1-hour cooking class. The gardening: blackberry harvesting and herbal infusions. The cooking: British delights, including scones, and herbal tea. Organised by Cultivating Community.
Cheese and riesling workshop; Saturday, 8th February, 2-3.30pm; $110 ($73 per hour); Brunswick.
6 cheeses will be matched with 6 rieslings. Presenters: Matt Steele from Cornelius Cheesemongers and Carl Wiesner from Weinköpfe Grape Escapes.
Veggie Empire farm tour; Thursday, 13th February, 11am-midday; $5; St Helena.
Take a tour of The Veggie Empire’s urban farm. Then, if you wish, buy a bunch of seasonal flowers and foliage. Organised by Greenhills Neighbourhood House.
This is a 1-hour gardening workshop followed by a 1-hour cooking class. The gardening: a guided tour of Highett Community Garden and seed saving. The cooking: fresh pasta with rooftop garden sauces. Organised by Cultivating Community.
Cheddar masterclass; Saturday, 15th February, 2-3.30pm; $60 ($40 per hour); Brunswick.
Learn all about what is a cheddar, cheddered, chedder style, and crumbly. Five chedders, and cheddar imitators, will be matched with four booze options. Presenter: Matt Steele from Cornelius Cheesemongers.
This is a 1-hour gardening workshop followed by a 1-hour cooking class. The gardening: soil health/testing and garden structures. The cooking: French niçoise salad. Organised by Cultivating Community.
Bio Gro is the facility which recycles Manningham’s food and garden waste (FOGO) into compost. See first-hand how your food and garden waste is processed and ask any questions along the way. The tour will include bus transport to and from the Bio Gro organics facility in Dandenong South. Adults only.
Learn how to recycle your food scraps, manage waste like meat and dairy, and even create your own DIY composting systems using materials you already have. Discuss everything from basic composting methods to more advanced techniques like worm farming and Bokashi fermentation. Plus, discover how community gardens and other platforms can help you connect with others to compost and reduce landfill waste together. Jointly organised by Fawkner Food Bowls, Compost Community and Merri-bek Council.
Lunar New Year flavours; Friday, 28th February, 11am-1pm; free; Richmond.
This is a 1-hour gardening workshop followed by a 1-hour cooking class. The gardening: herbs for Asian dishes and upcycled planters. The cooking: rice paper rolls and a Lunar New Year dish. Organised by Cultivating Community.
Fawkner Farm School (6 sessions); on Saturdays, starting 1st March, 9am-midday; $210 ($12 per hour); Fawkner.
Elevate your skills in growing cool-season produce. The topics will include: bed preparation; propagation, sowing & planting; irrigation basics; soil & plant health; and harvesting & feasting. Organised by Growing Farmers.
As they navigate each household room, they will talk about ways you can make simple changes to day to day items to not only reduce your waste, but also bring down those costs or get more for your money. You will also make some beeswax wraps to take home. Organised by Watsonia Neighbourhood House.
Learn about the principles and techniques of permaculture plus and ways to live ecologically in frugal abundance. Participate in some hands-on gardening activities, composting, tending the soil, planting seeds & seedlings and foraging edible & medicinal weeds. Presenters: David Arnold, Leila Alexandra, Grace Arnold and Andreas Alexandra.
Small space gardening; Sunday, 30th March, 10am-3pm; $149 ($30 per hour); CERES.
You will learn: how to maximise your small space to create an abundant oasis of food, herbs and ornamentals; and container gardening techniques and principles. Presenter: Donna Livermore.
Ricotta festival; Sunday, 30th March, 10am-4pm; $20; Thomastown.
There will be around 30 ready-to-eat food, drinks and other food vendors plus live music and children activities. There will also be a series of cooking demonstrations. Organised by That’s Amore Cheese.
Edible weeds; Sunday, 30th March, 10.30am-12.30pm; $76 ($38 per hour); CERES.
Learn about the seasonal edible weeds that thrive in Melbourne’s inner north and gain knowledge about the plants’ culinary, medicinal and ecological uses. There will be a CERES site tour to identify local weeds as well as a demonstration and sampling of prepared edible weeds. Presenter: Lauren Mueller.
In February
- Jam-packed British delights; Wednesday, 5th February, 2-4pm; free; Richmond.
- Whiskey and gin experience with Imbue Distillery; Friday, 7th February, 5.30-8.30pm; $139 ($46 per hour); South Morang.
- Permaculture Design Course (100 hours); starting Saturday, 8th February, 9.30am-4.30pm; $2,470 ($25 per hour); CERES.
- Cheese and riesling workshop; Saturday, 8th February, 2-3.30pm; $110 ($73 per hour); Brunswick.
- Therapeutic horticulture garden tour; Wednesday, 12th February, 3.30-4.30pm; $30 ($30 per hour); Doncaster.
- What’s the environmental impact of our food?; Wednesday, 12th February, 7-8.30pm; free; Fitzroy North.
- Complete urban farmer (12 sessions); weekly starting Thursday, 13th February, 9am-3pm; $1,250 ($17 per hour); CERES.
- Veggie Empire farm tour; Thursday, 13th February, 11am-midday; $5; St Helena.
- Highett harvest and Italian alfresco; Friday, 14th February, 11am-1pm; free; Richmond.
- Summer fruit tree pruning; Saturday, 15th February, 9am-1pm; $65 ($16 per hour); Edendale.
- Permaculture garden design group (8 sessions); on consecutive Saturdays, starting 15th February, 9.30am-12.30pm; $120 ($5 per hour); Coburg.
- Soils and composting; Saturday, 15th February, 10am-3pm; $149 ($30 per hour); CERES.
- Urban wine walk (Collingwood); Saturday, 15th February, midday-4pm; $82; Collingwood.
- Cheddar masterclass; Saturday, 15th February, 2-3.30pm; $60 ($40 per hour); Brunswick.
- Italian cheese and wine masterclass; Saturday, 15th February, 2-5pm; $135 ($45 per hour); Thomastown.
- Connie Cao – your Asian veggie patch; Wednesday, 19th February, 10.30-11.30am; free; Nunawading.
- Garden structures and French feasts; Wednesday, 19th February, 2-4pm; free; Richmond.
- Gardening for beginners; Wednesday, 19th February, 6-8pm; free; Doncaster.
- Grow your own mushrooms; Wednesday, 19th February, 6.30-9.30pm; $160 ($53 per hour); Collingwood.
- Unwrapped – food and beverage quick bites; Thursday, 20th February, 7.45-9.30am; free; Epping.
- Bio Gro organics facility tour; Thursday, 20th February, 9am-1pm; free; Doncaster.
- Edible weeds; Thursday, 20th February, 6-8pm; $76 ($38 per hour); CERES.
- The importance of fibre; Saturday, 22nd February, 11am-midday; free; Thomastown.
- The Prosecco Festival; Saturday, 22nd February, 11am-10.30pm; $64; Abbotsford.
- Composting for beginners workshop; Sunday, 23rd February, 10am-midday; free; Fawkner.
- In-depth mushroom cultivation workshop; Sunday, 23rd February, 10am-4pm; $161 ($27 per hour); Alphington.
- Crop rotation and companion planting; Thursday, 27th February, 10am-midday; free; Whittlesea.
- Introduction to horticulture and permaculture (15 sessions); 15 sessions over 17 weeks, starting Thursday, 27th February, 10am-3pm; $1250 ($17 per hour); CERES.
- Starting your low-waste journey; Thursday, 27th February, 7-8.30pm; free; Doncaster.
- Lunar New Year flavours; Friday, 28th February, 11am-1pm; free; Richmond.
In March
- Fawkner Farm School (6 sessions); on Saturdays, starting 1st March, 9am-midday; $210 ($12 per hour); Fawkner.
- Create your own worm farm; Saturday, 1st March, 10am-midday; $10; Lower Templestowe.
- Composting and mini market; Saturday, 1st March, 10.30am-12.30pm; free; Montrose.
- The herbal apprentice (8 sessions); over a 10 week period, starting Friday, 7th March, 10am-3pm; $995 ($21 per hour); CERES.
- Introduction to beekeeping (2 sessions); on Saturday, 8th March, 9.30am-4.30pm and Saturday, 15th March, 10.30am-12.30pm; $225 ($24 per hour); Blackburn North.
- The Herb and Chilli Festival; Saturday, 15th March, 10am-5pm; $28; Wandin.
- The Herb and Chilli Festival; Sunday, 16th March, 10am-5pm; $28; Wandin.
- Organic vegetable growing; Sunday, 16th March, 10am-3pm; $149 ($30 per hour); CERES.
- Beginners backyard beekeeping; Sunday, 16th March, 10am-3pm; $220 ($44 per hour); CERES.
- Complete urban farmer (12 sessions); weekly starting Monday, 17th March, 9am-3pm; $1,250 ($17 per hour); CERES.
- Every ingredient has a story to tell; Friday, 21st March, 6.30-11pm; $136 ($30 per hour); Abbotsford.
- The Autumn productive garden with Jaclyn Crupi; Saturday, 22nd March, 10.30-11.30am; free; Abbotsford.
- Every ingredient has a story to tell; Saturday, 22nd March, 16.30-11pm; $136 ($30 per hour); Abbotsford.
- Mushrooms growing; Sunday, 23rd March, 10am-4pm; $195 ($33 per hour); CERES.
- Traditional wooden spoon carving; Sunday, 23rd March, 10am-4pm; $179 ($30 per hour); CERES.
- Bee-ing sustainable and spending less; Wednesday, 26th March, 5-7pm; free; Watsonia.
- Growing Asian vegetables; Wednesday, 26th March, 6.30-8pm; free; Doncaster.
Regular events
During 2025, there will be a monthly Box Hill food tour, usually on the 3rd or 4th Friday of each month, 10.30am-1.30pm. Each month will have a different theme but will cover dishes from China, Korea, Japan and Thailand. $29 ($10 per hour).
- Beekeeping (Bee Sustainable); roughly once a month on Saturdays, 1-4pm; $95 ($32 per hour); Brunswick East.
- Brewing coffee, various (Padre Coffee); Saturdays, 12.30-1pm (free) and Sundays, 1-4pm ($150); Brunswick East.
- Box Hill food tour (Whitehorse Council); mostly on the 3rd or 4th Friday of each month, 10.30am-1.30pm; $29 ($10 per hour); Box Hill.
- Chocolate factory tour (Ratio Cocoa Roasters); various Fridays and Saturdays; $20 ($20 per hour); Brunswick.
- Cocktail making (Brogan’s Way Distillery); various dates and prices; Richmond.
- Melbourne’s ‘insiders’ brunch tour (Flavourhood Tours); 2nd Saturday of the month, 10am-midday; $69 ($35 per hour); Coburg.
- Food forest tour (Edible Forest); Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 10am-midday and 1-3pm; $28 ($14 per hour); Dixons Creek.
- Gin making (Puss and Mew); various Saturdays and Sundays; $175 ($58 per hour); Nunawading.
- Gin making or tasting (Naught Distilling); Saturdays, midday-1pm; $80 ($80 per hour); Eltham.
- Knife making and sharpening (Existing Kitchen Knives); various dates and prices; Coburg North.
- Plant to harvest (Sustainable Macleod); last Saturday of the month, midday-1pm; $60 for 4 sessions; Macleod.
- Wine tasting (FoodSocial); various Thursdays, 6-7.30pm; $33 ($22 per hour); Carlton.
- Wine tasting (Good Booze. Blind); various Saturdays and Sundays; $130 ($65 per hour); Fitzroy.
- Wine tasting (Northside Wines); various dates and prices; Northcote.
Upcoming face-to-face events – cooking
Hetty McKinnon – Neighbourhood; Tuesday, 18th February, 6.30-9.30pm; $127 ($42 per hour); Richmond.
The February cook book is Neighbourhood by Hetty McKinnon, which provides salad and sweet recipes from around the world. They will chat about the book and cook three courses of dishes from the book for you to enjoy over supper.
Curry cook-up; Wednesday, 19th February, 1-2pm; free; Greensborough.
Enjoy a free curry workshop demonstration and shared hot curry to follow. Presenter: Nellie. Organised by Greenhills Neighbourhood House.
Passata making workshop; Saturday, 1st March, 9.30am-2.30pm; $195 ($35 per hour); Donvale.
Put your apron on and start coring boxes of tomatoes until the sauce is bottled. Then enjoy a shared lunch of pasta and antipasto. Finally, boil the bottles and clean the equipment. You will take home at least 12 bottles of passata. Organised by Maria Ciavarella from My Green Garden.
Cook Indian by the creek; Friday, 14th March, 6-8pm; $69 ($35 per hour); Diamond Creek.
Menu: palak chicken (chicken cooked in spinach sauce) – veg option available – and flatbread paneer.
Pasta making demonstration; Monday, 17th March, 11am-12.30pm; free; Thomastown.
Olio e aglio (garlic and olive oil) is an Italian dish that is quick, straightforward and full of flavour. Made with fresh pasta, it is appealing to those wanting to learn classic Italian cooking methods. Presenters: Hilda and Laurie Inglese.
Mexican cooking; Saturday, 29th March, 10.30am-12.30pm; $65 ($33 per hour); Bayswater North.
Learn how to make a variety of quesadillas and a flavourful one-pot chicken and rice dish. Take an apron, knife, chopping board and container to take home leftovers. Presenter: Oddie. Organised by Arrabri Community House.
Learn the art of Sicilian sausage; Saturday, 29th March, 10.30am-2.30pm; $220 ($55 per hour); Brunswick East.
Alfredo La Spina will teach you the traditional art of Sicilian sausage making, curing, and cooking. The session will end with a sit down 3 course lunch where you will eat the sausages made on the day, paired with Sicilian wines.
Learn how to make gnocchi from scratch using traditional Italian techniques, shaping your own gnocchi under guidance. Then eat gnocchi Napoli paired with a glass of Italian wine. Finally, take home your handmade gnocchi along with a goodie bag.
In February
- Community cooking class – Lebanese; Thursday, 6th February, 10am-1pm; $6; Epping.
- Introduction to cake decorating (5 sessions); on consecutive Tuesdays, starting 6th February, 10am-2.30pm; $80 ($8 per hour); Eltham.
- Sourdough for beginners; Saturday, 8th February, 10am-1pm; $63 ($21 per hour); Brunswick.
- Classic Vietnamese salads; Saturday, 8th February, 10am-2pm; $180 ($45 per hour); Panton Hill.
- Gnocchi masterclass with Chef Dario D’Agostino; Saturday, 8th February, 11am-2pm; $153 ($51 per hour); Brunswick.
- No waste cooking with Open Table; Saturday, 8th February, 2.30-4pm; free; Fitzroy North.
- Make daifuku mochi; Saturday, 8th February, 4-5.30pm; $40 ($26 per hour); Camberwell.
- Vegan cheese making; Sunday, 9th February, 10am-3pm; $154 ($31 per hour); CERES.
- Winter Shelter community cooking (9 sessions); fortnightly from Monday, 10th February until Monday, 30th June, each 11am-2pm; free; Croydon Hills.
- Fermented sodas; Wednesday, 12th February, 6-8.30pm; $110 ($44 per hour); CERES.
- Catering for community (18 sessions); on various Thursdays throughout 2025, starting 13th February, 9-11am; free; Whittlesea.
- Cooking for one (5 sessions); on 5 consecutive Thursdays, starting 13th February, 11am-1pm; $50 ($5 per hour); Lilydale.
- Blokes in the kitchen (2 sessions); on Fridays, 14th February and 14th March, each 9am-midday; $92 ($15 per hour); Surrey Hills.
- Valentines Day tea blending workshop; Friday, 14th February, 6-7.30pm; $65 ($44 per hour); Brunswick East.
- Youth ramen noodle cooking workshop; Saturday, 15th February, 11am-midday; free; Fairfield.
- Soup and sides – miso magic; Saturday, 15th February, 1-3pm; $70 ($35 per hour); Kilsyth.
- Make daifuku mochi; Saturday, 15th February, 4-5.30pm; $40 ($26 per hour); Camberwell.
- Sourdough bread baking; Sunday, 16th February, 9am-5pm; $220 ($28 per hour); CERES.
- Cooking with ancient grains – quinoa; Sunday, 16th February, 10am-midday; $60 ($30 per hour); Forest Hill.
- A trio of Asian delights; Sunday, 16th February, 10am-1pm; $85 ($28 per hour); Fawkner.
- Beginner cooking and meal planning (6 sessions); starting Monday, 17th February, 11am-2pm; $151 ($8 per hour); Preston.
- Hetty McKinnon – Neighbourhood; Tuesday, 18th February, 6.30-9.30pm; $127 ($42 per hour); Richmond.
- Curry cook-up; Wednesday, 19th February, 1-2pm; free; Greensborough.
- Home baking (6 sessions); on Wednesdays, starting 19th February, 6.30-8.30pm; $234 ($20 per hour); Brunswick.
- Intro to kombucha; Friday, 21st February, midday-1.30pm;$25 ($16 per hour); Greensborough.
- Gnocchi making; Friday, 21st February, 5-7pm; $50 ($25 per hour); Kinglake.
- Preserving summer fruits; Saturday, 22nd February, 10am-12.30pm; free; Whittlesea.
- Sushi rolls – a world of flavours; Saturday, 22nd February, 1-3pm; $70 ($35 per hour); Kilsyth.
In March
- Passata making workshop; Saturday, 1st March, 9.30am-2.30pm; $195 ($35 per hour); Donvale.
- Food for mind and gut; Saturday, 1st March, 10am-2.30pm; $154 ($31 per hour); CERES.
- Japanese mains and desserts; Saturday, 1st March, 1-3pm; $70 ($35 per hour); Kilsyth.
- Indian cooking; Sunday, 2nd March, 10am-2pm; $154 ($39 per hour); CERES.
- Lacto-fermentation 101; Sunday, 2nd March, 10.30am-2.30pm; $140 ($35 per hour); Collingwood.
- Indian cooking – Punjabi (2 sessions); on Wednesdays, 5th and 12th March, both 6.30-8.30pm; $118 ($30 per hour); Hurstbridge.
- Vegan pierogi; Thursday, 6th March, 6-8.30pm; $110 ($44 per hour); CERES.
- Indian cooking demonstration; Friday, 7th March, 5.30-7.30pm; $25 ($13 per hour); Blackburn North.
- Cook Indian by the creek; Friday, 14th March, 6-8pm; $69 ($35 per hour); Diamond Creek.
- A trio of vegan curries; Saturday, 15th March, 10am-1pm; $85 ($28 per hour); Fawkner.
- An Asian breakfast; Sunday, 16th March, 9am-1pm; $170 ($43 per hour); Panton Hill.
- Sourdough bread workshop; Sunday, 16th March, 10am-1pm; $140 ($35 per hour); Panton Hill.
- Vegan desserts; Sunday, 16th March, 10am-3pm; $154 ($31 per hour); CERES.
- Pasta making demonstration; Monday, 17th March, 11am-12.30pm; free; Thomastown.
- Fermenting at home; Saturday, 22nd March, 10am-1pm; $124 ($41 per hour); CERES.
- Pizza masterclass with Antonio; Sunday, 23rd March, 11.30am-2pm; $107 ($43 per hour); Brunswick.
Regular classes
The list of regular events, almost by definition, remains similar from week to week and, for space reasons, we don’t include the list in every newsletter. You can find the latest list in our 22nd January newsletter.