LFC News August 9 2023

Aug 082023
 

Thanks to the people who have contributed to this week’s newsletter: Celesta Van der Paal, Erica Hoggett, Fay Loveland, Jo Townsend, Judith Cooke and Reşat Sürücü.

Worm farming (by Celesta Van der Paal)

I have been inspired by Jian Lui’s enthusiasm for worm farms.

The photo right shows four trays of compost made in only 10 weeks, and that’s during the coldest months of the year. I’ve recycled all my soft food scraps over that time and the only food that has not decomposed are pumpkin seeds.

I had used a Tumbleweed worm factory many years ago, but it was so slow. It worked, but it took six months to make one tray of vermicompost. I have a lot of food scraps and a large garden so I need a constant supply of the good stuff. I had a re-think. I collected more information and took onboard tips from Felicity Gordon and Hannah Maloney’s composting guide in her book The good life, how to grow a better world.

Now I have three worm farms with happy worms that churn through all my soft food scraps every two weeks, creating several trays of sweet fluffy compost every two months.

Here’s what I do.

I prioritise warmth because I want to speed up metabolism. The boxes are placed facing a north easterly aspect, with complete protection from the westerly sun from early afternoon onwards.

I have two green waste bins in my kitchen, one for soft fruit and veggie scraps, and one for tough or solid scraps (e.g. avocado stones, citrus peel, corn cobs). The tough food scraps go in the green bin. The soft scraps get processed for the worm farms. As I consume or prepare food, I chop the soft scraps into small pieces about the size of a 20 cent coin and store them in a small bin. When I have enough scraps to fill a pasta pot, I chuck it in the pot, fill with water and bring to the boil. Immediately I turn off the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. I then spread a layer of soft scraps in each worm farm tray and pour in some of the cooking water. The boiling process softens the scraps just enough to speed up the decomposition process in the trays, and the worms love it. I always add a hand spade of gritty soil with each layer of food. Chopping your food into smaller pieces takes less than a minute to do but it makes a huge difference in accelerating the time that it takes to produce vermicompost.

I always use coconut coir for the tray bedding and I top up with coir as I go.

Some community pantry guidelines

As you will know from previous newsletters, there are lots of ‘community pantries’ dotted around North East Melbourne, where these pantries are cupboards full of food which are open to whoever needs food, accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week and require no appointments. There is usually a voluntary organisation which provides much of the food but the typical philosophy is give what you can, take what you need, with people able to donate to the pantry as well. Our website has the details about 17 of these pantries.

One such pantry is the Albert Street Community Cupboard, which is at 331 Albert Street, Brunswick and is managed by SEEDs Communal Garden. They have produced a useful set of guidelines about what donations they will accept, namely:

  • Non-perishable foods that are:
    • Labelled in original packaging (including ingredients/allergens).
    • Unused and unopened.
    • Within use by date and within 6 months of best before date.
  • Fresh produce that is:
    • Whole/not cut.
    • Not mouldy or rotting.
    • Does not need refrigerating.

Incidentally, another service provided by the SEEDs Communal Garden.is a community compost hub which provides 24 hour community access for people to drop off their food waste. They also offer a pickup service for local businesses looking for a solution for bigger amounts of food waste. They process the contributed food waste through a variety of systems, including hot composting, worm farms and an industrial
food waste dehydrator. This reduces the amount of food waste going to landfill as well as feeding the communal garden.

Another local repair cafe

The Whitehorse repair cafe will be on the 2nd Saturday of each month, 10am-midday, at Strathdon House, 449-465 Springvale Road, Forest Hill. Just turn up – no need to book. Have a look at their website. Email them.

That makes a total of 12 local repair cafes that are discussed on our website.

Do you know?

Judith Cooke asks: “We have black aphids attacking our garlic and spring onions in our community garden in West Brunswick. We have hosed and sprayed with white oil to no avail. Any organic suggestions?” Email your replies to me (Guy).

The Melbourne ‘Local Food Connections’ community radio show

An audio recording of last week’s episode (Chelsea McNab on ECOSS and food security in the Yarra Valley) is available on their website.

The next few episodes will feature: Erin Goedhart on backyard food growing (13th August); Olwyn Smiley on insects in the garden (20th August); and Dan Milne on water in living systems (27th August). Listen on 3CR (855 AM) on Sunday morning, 10-10.30am, by tuning into either the station (855 AM) or its livestream.

Another video from Thanh Truong

Melbourne-based fruiterer Thanh Truong’s videos are always worth watching. His latest video is about how to choose, store and eat broccoli.

Garlic dip (by Reşat Sürücü)

This recipe is by Reşat Sürücü, who lives in Coburg. It was first published in the August edition of Whittlesea Council’s Living Green newsletter. Read the Living Green newsletters and/or sign up to receive them.

Ingredients

6 medium carrots / around 500g-ish, grated
olive oil
200-300g Greek-style yoghurt
1 garlic clove, crushed (or more if you like things garlic-y)
pinch of salt

Method

In a frying pan, cook the carrots in ½ tablespoon of olive oil, until just softened.

Turn off the heat and add the crushed garlic, stir through and leave to cool.

Once cool, add the yoghurt slowly, tasting to get the balance of flavours and consistency to your liking.

Add salt to taste.

Which link was clicked most times in the last newsletter?

The most popular link in the last newsletter was Chloe Thomson’s YouTube channel.

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

“Make me one with everything,” said the Buddhist to the tofu hot dog vendor. Then, after getting his tofu hot dog, the Buddhist hands the vendor a $20 bill. The vendor takes the money and begins helping the next customer.

The Buddhist looks puzzled and asks the vendor, “Where is my change?”

The vendor replies, “Change comes from within.”

Read more jokes.

 

Regular activities over the coming week

Farmers’ and other food markets

North East Region Permaculture (NERP) will be at Eltham Farmers’ Market, where their topics of the month will be a) Queensland Fruit Fly and b) re-use and re-purposing (so take along your paper coffee cups so that they can be re-purposed as pots).

Food swaps
Community gardens

Not local but interesting

Various free workshops at Burwood Brickworks Rooftop Farm

Thursday, 17th August, 2-3pm – seasonal planting. Thursday, 24th August, 2-3pm – constructions and support making for climbing plants. Thursday, 7th September, 2-3pm – edible flowers. Thursday, 14th September, 2-3pm – growing from seed. At 70 Middleborough Road, Burwood East. Just turn up.

Not food-related but interesting

A concert of songs and stories of friendship; Sunday, 13th August, starting 3.30pm; $20 ($8 per hour); Preston.

All of Us (who used to be called Sophie’s Choir) are a choir who regular perform at Eltham Farmers’ Market. At this concert, the music will include: an ode to earthly pleasure by King Henry VIII; an offering from Nick Cave; Missy Higgins’s stirring story of her love for her sister; the fiery passion of a Monteverdi madrigal; and songs inspired by Tolkien’s sagas and Tiffany Eckhardt’s dog.

The everlasting gardener (4 sessions); 4 consecutive Wednesdays, starting 23rd August, 7.30-9pm; $145 ($24 per hour); Edendale.

This workshop will introduce you to some simple ways of reminding your body to move easily and safely in your garden. Explore the movements involved in gardening tasks like; weeding, shoveling, pruning, lifting, digging, pushing a wheelbarrow or mower and relieving residual stress. Discover the ‘less pain, more gain’ approach. Presenter and Feldenkrais practitioner: Jenni Evans.

Upcoming face-to-face events – not cooking

Fruit tree pruning workshop; Thursday, 10th August, 4-5pm; free; Heidelberg West.

Yuki Cameron will take you through the ins and outs of pruning both young and mature fruit trees so that you can maintain, shape, minimise disease and maximise fruit production on your deciduous fruit trees. Organised by Buna Reserve Community Garden.

Mooroolbark Community Garden grand opening weekend; Saturday, 2nd September, 10am-4pm; free; Mooroolbark.

There will be a sausage sizzle, raffles and an opportunity to meet the people who made it all possible.

Spring/Poorneet pruning workshop; Sunday, 17th September, 10am-12.30pm; $21 ($8 per hour); Preston.

You will learn how to: carry out formative pruning to shape young trees; maintenance prune to maintain the size of established trees; and renovation prune to tidy up overgrown trees and reduce their size. Presenter: Angelo Eliades. Organised by Oakhill Food Justice Farm.

Kids composting workshop; Tuesday, 26th September, 10-11am; free; Doncaster.

Aimed at primary and secondary school aged children. Go along and learn how to compost, worm farm and bokashi to help reduce food waste. Learn some of the science behind composting, fun facts about worms and become an expert at indoor composting. Meet some real live worms and learn some tips to boost their breeding and appetite.

Growing mushrooms at home; Saturday, 30th September, 10.30am-1pm; $135 ($54 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).

Growing nutrient dense food; Sunday, 1st October, 10am-3pm; $120 ($24 per hour); CERES.

This workshop will introduce you to growing better quality, nutrient rich produce at home even if you only have a tiny growing space. It will include: selecting your crops; transforming your soil by focusing on the soil food web; an introduction to soil minerals and going beyond NPK; creating nutrient rich composts; fertilising your plants for maximum nutrition; and harvesting and preparing produce to maintain nutrients. Presenter: Donna Livermore.

Urban foraging 101; Saturday, 7th October, 10am-midday; free; South Morang.

Anna, the Urban Nanna, will discuss the basics of urban foraging, including: ID notes on a range of common edible flowers, fruits & leafy greens; the ins and outs of being an ethical forager; a checklist of commonly found plants in Victoria; a taste-test of a few foraged-food snacks; and suggestions on areas you may like to try out your new knowledge.

Marketing your product; Saturday, 7th October, 10am-2pm; $125 ($31 per hour); Northcote.

This workshop is part of Farmer Incubator’s Pop Up Garlic Farmer course. You will receive an introduction to food marketing and an exploration of the many ways to sell your food product, including how to have an effective farmers’ market stall, the experience of a small farm selling direct to retailers & restaurants and the benefits of value-adding. This workshop will take place in a restaurant and you can purchase your own food on the day. Organised by Farmer Incubator.

Edible weeds walk; two occurrences on Saturday, 7th October at 10.30am-12.30pm and again at 1.30-3.30pm; $30 ($15 per hour); Coburg.

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 walk foraging for edible weeds.

Growing food at home (10 sessions); Consecutive Thursdays from 12th October, 9.30am-1pm; $93 ($3 per hour); Heidelberg West.

With a focus on small urban spaces, participants will gain the knowledge and skills to plan and maintain an abundant year-round productive garden. The course will cover such topics as: site assessment and design considerations; growing in pots, containers, raised and in-ground garden beds; soil types, testing and amendments; building and sustaining soil health; cultivating plants and maintaining the garden; seasonal planning and crop rotation; companion planting and beneficial insects; organic and natural methods to manage pests and weeds; various methods to recycle waste and make compost, including worm farming; propagating plants from seeds and cuttings; and collecting, saving and storing seeds. Organised by Olympic Neighbourhood House.

Growing great tomatoes; Saturday, 14th October, 10am-3pm; $120 ($24 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.

Edible weeds walk; two occurrences on Saturday, 14th October at 10.30am-12.30pm and again at 1.30-3.30pm; $30 ($15 per hour); Coburg.

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 walk foraging for edible weeds.

Composting, worm farming and Bokashi; Saturday, 14th October, 1.30-2.30pm; free; Ringwood.

Learn about three home composting systems: traditional compost, worm farm and bokashi. Discover which system best suits your household, learn the basics of setting up each system, as well as some dos and don’ts for each one.

Composting, worm farming and Bokashi workshop; Tuesday, 17th October, 10.30am-midday; free; Bayswater North.

Cultivating Community will discuss: the differences between ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ composting; how to set up a compost bin, worm farm system and Bokashi bin; and the differences between these three systems & how they can each benefit your garden.

In August
In September
Regular events

Upcoming face-to-face events – cooking

Kombucha workshop; Tuesday, 22nd August, 6-7.30pm; $35 ($24 per hour); Hawthorn.

Jennifer will take you through the process of making fermented tea with your SCOBY and have samples of different flavour combinations for you to try. You will learn about first and second ferments and will take home your own SCOBY to get you first brew going at home. Organised by Hawthorn Community House.

Inner peas – cooking program (4 sessions); on consecutive Thursdays, starting 31st August, each 4.30-6pm.; free; Hawthorn.

Inner Peas is a social cooking program for people aged 16-25. The program aims to help you make easy, healthy and affordable recipes as well as make new friends and learn strategies to take care of your mental health. Each week you will make and then share a meal. Week 1: Mexican. Week 2: Indian. Week 3: Italian. Week 4: Korean.

Fermenting vegetables for beginners with Jen Willis; Thursday, 5th October, 7.30-9.30pm; free; Macleod.

Jen Willis will discuss the basics of fermenting vegetables and the difference between pickling, canning and fermenting vegetables to preserve them. You will take home a jar of fermented vegetables.

Sourdough; Saturday, 7th October, 10.30am-1.30pm; $130 ($43 per hour); Kinglake.

The Fermented Mumma will break down this traditional bread making method into simple easy-to-follow steps. You will take home a ready-to-bake sourdough as well as instructions, a jar of bubbly starter (natural yeast), a proving basket and ongoing online support. Organised by Kinglake Ranges Neighbourhood House.

Handmade sobagaki workshop with Rieko Hayashi; Saturday, 7th October, 11am-1pm; $75 ($38 per hour); Fitzroy North.

Sobagaki is a form of soba, with the same ingredients as soba noodles – similar in some ways to gnocchi in a way but made with buckwheat flour. Watch Rieko Hayashi make soba noodles, and then make the dough and shape your own sobagaki. Rieko will also teach you how to eat this meal.

Sri Lankan cooking class; Monday, 9th October, 6-8.30pm; $95 ($38 per hour); Surrey Hills.

Experience the tastes, smells and sounds of Sri Lankan cooking. You will learn how to make a chicken curry dish, dhal with spinach and brinjal moju (eggplant) alongside Sri Lankan special yellow rice. Afterwards, you’ll sit down and enjoy a Sri Lankan feast. Organised by Balwyn Community Centre.

Food storage workshop with Open Table; Saturday, 14th October, 2-4pm; free; Carlton.

Learn how best to store your food to make it last longer. Presenters: Open Table.

Soft fresh cheese making including goats cheese; Sunday, 15th October, 10am-3pm; $240 ($48 per hour); CERES.

You will learn how to make: fresh curd, chevre, quark, ashed chevre and fig/vine leaf wrapped fresh cheese. You will take home what you make. Presenter: Kristen Allan.

In August
In September
Regular classes

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