LFC News August 24 2022

Aug 242022
 

Thanks to the people who have contributed to this week’s newsletter: Bev Middleton, Bryce Clayton, Carol Woolcock, Chantelle Ladouceur, Deb Smith, Jaimie Sweetman, Peta Christensen.

Chinese star anise (Illicium verum) by Jaimie Sweetman

[Jaimie Sweetman is Head Gardener of the Edible Forest located on the Yarra Valley Estate in Dixons Creek. Tours of the Edible Forest, often led by Jaimie, take place on Fridays and Saturdays – read more and book your place on a future tour.]

[Editor: Chinese star anise is a spice is used in Indian, Chinese and other Asian cuisines. It is also used in the French recipe of mulled wine and in the liqueur Galliano. It contains anethole, the same compound that gives the unrelated anise its flavour, and can be used as a less expensive substitute for anise in baking. Star anise oil is a highly fragrant oil used in some perfumery, soaps, toothpastes, mouthwashes and skin creams.]

In our hunt for unusual plants, we recently found a Chinese star anise plant and have been looking after it in the nursery over winter. Now it’s time to find a spot in the garden as we move into Spring. It is a frost tender, sub-tropical plant, so we will probably put it into temperate rainforest section of our edible forest, where it will get more water and is more sheltered from both the wind and the full afternoon sun.

Originating from China down to Vietnam, you have probably used or seen the star-like seed pods of the Chinese star anise. It has an anise perfume and taste but it is the star-like seed pods that are most often used. It can take up to 7 years for them to start producing pods.

The tree can get up to 6 metres high and 3 meters wide in optimal conditions. It can also be hedged back to form a scented hedge.

Bev’s soil fun fact of the week

[Bev Middleton lives in Macleod and is from Soil Week Australia.]

A 1% increase in soil organic carbon increases the capacity of soil to hold water by about 2%. This can equate to hundreds of thousands of litres per hectare, and can make a big difference to farmers’ yields and their ability to survive during extreme drought.

A new gin maker – Puss & Mew

Puss & Mew is a boutique gin distillery, based in Nunawading, making small batch craft gin. Their various gins are created using a combination of three methods: steeping (boiling botanicals in the pot), vapour infusion (placing botanicals in the vapour path during distillation) and compounding (botanicals soaked in the spirit post distillation). This allows them to extract the richest flavours from their ingredients. You can buy their gin online, at their cellar door (Thursdays to Sundays), or at Blackburn Cellars, Dan Murphy’s Marketplace, Eltham Farmers’ Market, Nunawading Market or Warrandyte Riverside Market.

They are also a bar and restaurant, open Thursdays to Sundays.

They also run gin masterclasses most Saturdays, where you are guided through the process of making your own gin.

Welcome Debra, Brett and Bryce!

There are now 4 gin makers in our Local Food and Drink Directory.

A new food swap in Collingwood

The Collingwood Yards Food Swap will be on the last Sunday of each month, 10am-midday, with the first swap being next Sunday, 28th August. At Collingwood Yards, 35 Johnston Street, Collingwood. The organiser is Peta Christensen from Cultivating Community who can be contacted by either email (peta@cultivatingcommunity.org.au) or phone (0411 899618).

On the 28th August, they will also be launching a seed library and planting out some communal herb beds.

Want a job?

Chief Executive Officer of Collingwood Children’s Farm

0.8 FTE. Collingwood Children’s Farm is an urban farm based in Abbotsford. You will need to have “a passion for the environment and agriculture and want to use your management skills to promote a connection to nature for the community.” Read more and potentially apply.

General Manager at The Community Grocer

0.6 FTE. $35-37 per hour plus salary packaging. Closing date: 28th August. The Community Grocer runs fresh produce markets in Fitzroy and Pakenham. Read more and potentially apply.

Food Systems Projects and Events Officer at Sustain

0.6 FTE. Be involved in the planning, implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation and delivery of Sustain’s projects, initiatives and events. Read more and potentially apply.

Too amazing not to share

Chantelle Ladouceur: “this is just too amazing not to share.” [Editor: oriental poppy (Papaver orientale)?]

Are you a young person living in Whittlesea or Darebin?

Sustain and the Just Food Collective are partnering to deliver a food justice, education and gardening program with young people living in Whittlesea and Darebin. The participants will attend 6 workshops (located in either Preston or Epping, depending on which group you join) and will participate in garden maintenance, cooking sessions and material creation (zine + film). Closing date for applications: 31st August. Read more and potentially apply.

More on Dan Palmer

As we reported last week, Dan Palmer of Permablitz and VEG fame has died.

Carol Woolcock has now written in: “I was so sorry to learn of the death of Dan Palmer. VEG designed our backyard and managed the huge permablitz that was held to implement the design. Even though 40+(!) enthusiastic people turned up, they didn’t get everything finished so 10 turned up the next week to complete the plan. Dan was a lovely man who was keen to share his vision and knowledge.”

Here is a Facebook page entitled ‘Dan Palmer – Memories and Tributes’.

Podcast of the week

The Producers is an Australian(?) food podcast telling the stories of producers, farmers, growers and makers. A recent example is their 33 minute podcast on truffles.

Newsletter reader website of the week – Deb Smith

Deb is a music educator and music literacy expert who provides support and resources for teaching musicianship and aural training in secondary schools. In her spare time, she is a passionate vegetable gardener.

See Deb’s website.

Go to her online shop.

Do you have a website that might be of interest to some of our readership? If so, send me an email and I will include you in a future newsletter.

Which link was clicked most times in the last newsletter?

The most popular link in the last newsletter was the obituary of Dan Palmer by Ceres Fair Food.

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

What did one slice of bread say to the other slice of bread when he saw some butter and jam on the table? “We’re toast!”

Read more jokes.

 

Not food-related but interesting

Tour of Council’s Organics Recovery Facility; Tuesday, 11th October and Wednesday, 12th October, both 9am-1pm; free; Nunawading.

Find out what happens to your garden and organic waste once it is collected by going along for an education tour of Bio Gro’s state of the art organics recovery facility. These tours are only for people who live in the City of Whitehorse.

Regular activities over the coming week

Farmers’ markets
Food swaps
Community gardens

Upcoming face-to-face events – not cooking

Winter fruit tree pruning with Chris England; Saturday, 27th August, 10am-1pm; $70 ($23 per hour); Richmond.

Presenter Chris England. Learn how to prune different types of fruit trees – apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, plums and citrus. Learn how to keep trees healthy and to a workable height and to recognise the different types of growth, and prune for maximum fruit. BYO secateurs.

Using your weeds for food and fertiliser; Saturday, 27th August, 10.30am-12.30pm; $10; Macleod.

Marina Bistrin harvests and uses her weeds as: high nutrient food for humans and animals; nutrient additions to compost; weed tea fertiliser; green manure; clay breakers; groundcover; and in herbal teas and medicines. In this session, she will share her ideas and knowledge with you. Feel free to bring a small plate to share.

Build a bathtub worm farm; Sunday, 28th August, 11am-midday; free; Ringwood.

Local worm specialist Suez Worms will tell you everything you need to know about building and caring for a worm farm.

Tomato planting workshop; Monday, 29th August, 7-8pm; free; Watsonia.

Go and plant your own tomato seeds in time for spring.

Wild Fire Wines & Arquiteka cider tasting @ Underwood; Thursday, 1st September, 6.30-8pm; $45 ($30 per hour); Fitzroy North.

Geoff Shenfield from Wild Fire Wines will guide you through 5 tastings from the range whilst Steve Ostrom will educate you on how his Arquiteka cider is made. All whilst enjoying a grazing board of local produce.

Composting and worm farm workshop; Saturday, 10th September, 1-3pm; free; Preston.

Find out about the different types of composting from direct dig to Bokashi and the do’s and don’ts of composting. Then learn how to set up your own worm farm, how worm farms work, what to feed your worms and things to avoid.

Getting ready for the Queensland fruit fly season; Wednesday, 14th September, 8-10pm; free; Doncaster East.

Learn what damage Queensland fruit fly can cause and how you can be prepared for the upcoming Queensland fruit fly season.

Cow milking and butter making; Wednesday, 21st September, 2-2.45pm; free; Watsonia.

For children accompanied by their parents. Milk a cow. Learn some cow facts, experiment with different methods to make cream then butter, and (finally) taste test.

Cow milking and butter making; Wednesday, 21st September, 2.45-3.30pm; free; Watsonia.

For children accompanied by their parents. Milk a cow. Learn some cow facts, experiment with different methods to make cream then butter, and (finally) taste test.

Practical food gardening; Thursday, 13th October, 10am-12.30pm; free; Forest Hill.

Find out how to: save seeds and grow your own seedlings; look after your gardening tools; grow fruit and vegetables organically and use companion planting; use crop rotation to reduce soil disease build up; attract wildlife that will protect your garden from pests; and make the best compost in a simple and easy way.

Growing great tomatoes; Saturday, 15th October, 10am-3pm; $115 ($23 per hour); CERES.

What you will learn: choosing varieties; garden set-up; and common problems. Presenter: Carol Henderson. Topics to be covered include: how to choose which tomato varieties to grow; whether to grow from seed or seedling, in pots, raised beds or directly into soil; when and how to plant and tips for success; training growth with stakes, cages or string vs free range; pros and cons of pruning and how to do it; preventing common problems; feeding; and crop rotation.

Home composting for beginners; Saturday, 15th October, 2-3.30pm; free; Edendale.

What you will learn: how to compost at home; simple to follow composting steps; and common problems and solutions.

Growing mushrooms at home; Saturday, 15th October, 10am-12.30pm; $95 ($38 per hour); Alphington.

Presenter: Julia Laidlaw from Sporadical City Mushrooms. This hands-on, beginners workshop will cover basic oyster mushroom growing. It will be a skill sharing ‘tips and tricks’ lesson from an experienced commercial mushroom grower who started growing very basically at home in a small space with no technical equipment in the inner city. You will take home your own mushroom growing kit that you prepared during the workshop, plus the materials and instructions needed to prepare a kit at home (re-purposed plastic bucket & lid, oyster mushroom grain spawn, enough straw for a grow kit, bag for pasteurising straw, small bottle of isopropyl alcohol for sterilisation).

Indigenous food, fiber and medicine; Wednesday, 19th October, 6.30-8.30pm; free; Macleod.

Before white settlement, the Australian bush provided our First Nations people with all the food, fiber and medicine needed to thrive in this unique country. This workshop will introduce you to some of the plants used by indigenous Australians and hopefully inspire you to grow them in your garden.

In August
In September
In October
Regular events
Beginning beekeeping course; Various Saturdays, 9.30am-4pm; $260 ($40 per hour); Edendale.

What you will learn: getting started with backyard beekeeping; how to maintain a healthy hive, the wonders of swarms and how to keep them in check; and the wonders of pure raw honey and an understanding of honey extraction. Weather permitting, they will open a hive and have a hands-on demonstration working with hives. Take a packed lunch. Presenter: Benedict Hughes.

Upcoming face-to-face events – cooking

Prepare and share – dishes from around the globe; Thursday, 13th October, 6-8pm; $16 ($8 per hour); Forest Hill

Learn how to cook and then taste a mystery dish.

Blokes in the kitchen (3 sessions); on Fridays, 14th October, 11th November and 9th December, each 9am-midday; $120 ($13 per hour); Surrey Hills.

Learn to prepare simple meals with other blokes under Shawn’s guidance. Enjoy a shared meal and conversation to finish the session.

Cultural cooking – Indian condiments; Saturday, 15th October, 11am-1pm; $50 ($25 per hour); Alphington.

Manu will show you how to make Indian condiments.

Triple cream brie cheese; Sunday, 16th October, 10am-4pm; $170 ($28 per hour); CERES.

What you will learn: how to make your own triple cream brie and gourmet feta cheeses; how to make ricotta cheese; and about different cheeses. Presenters: Janet Clayton and Charlene Angus from Cheeselinks.

In August
In September
In October
Regular classes
Artisan bread making; Various Sundays, 8am-2pm; $220 ($37 per hour); Abbotsford.

What you will learn: experimenting with bread; the bread baking process with each step explained; and how to replicate the process at home. What you will get: 1 kilo of organic flour to take home; savoury calzone for lunch, which you make, eat and take home; and an embroidered apron made from 100% Fairtrade cotton. The focus will be on ciabatta and turkish breads.

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