Jan 112023
 

Yes, the weekly newsletters are back after their seasonal break.

Welcome to new joiners Anne, Anthony, Chris, Christine, Deb, Diana, Helen, Helene, Jason, Jo, John, John, Julie, Kam, Karen, Karu, Lorraine, Lou, Lynda, Manroop, Martin, Maureen, Maureen, Miriam, Morgan, Pam, Peter, Ravneet, Rebecca, Richard, Stephen, Steve, Sue, Tammy, Tom, Vanessa and Wendy.

Happy New Year to everyone.

Thanks to the people who have contributed to this week’s newsletter: Colleen Duggan and Tania Rostan.

The more people who contribute material, the better this newsletter. If you have any interesting news, tips, photos or questions, email them to me (Guy). If you want to discuss possible articles or contributions, give me a ring (0411 520850).

Normally, this newsletter provides details for all newly announced events for the following two months. However, for size reasons, this is not possible for this start of year newsletter (because all events are ‘newly announced’). So, this newsletter is restricted to events up until mid February. Over the next few newsletters, we will gradually work our way up to the usual two month time horizon. In the meantime, you can still find all the details for all the upcoming events during February and March on our website, in either the cooking or everything else sections.

The new Bellfield community garden is now open

As some of you will know, Bellfield community garden had to move location in 2022. The new garden, at Bellfield Community Hub in Perkins Avenue, is now open. As they say on their website, the new garden has: “more community plots; upgraded sheds; a meeting room; kids play area; lawn space; a hand built pizza oven.”

As listed on their events page, their monthly working bees (on the 3rd Saturday or 3rd Sunday of each month) have re-started. In addition, they have started a ‘garden club’ which will meet on Sunday and Wednesday mornings. As they say: “This is a social event themed around gardening. Stay for a little while or for the whole time. Talk with gardeners – experienced and not-so-experienced. Learn from each other and from the long-time gardeners who run the club.

Want a job?

Span Community House in Thornbury, is looking for a community garden coordinator to maintain and further develop its community garden. The role will be: to lead, supervise and support people within a community garden setting; create learning opportunities; manage the community compost program; and engage and support a diverse range of community members and volunteers of all abilities. Part time (8 hours per fortnight) . Closing date: 15th January. Read more. For more information, contact the manager, Colleen, by phone (9480 1364). Email your application to manager@spanhouse.org.

Have you harvested any of your peas yet?

In November, we gave away snap pea and snow pea seedlings to around 50 newsletter readers. Have any of you had a successful harvest yet? Email me.

As shown by the picture right, Tania Rostan was able to start harvesting in late December.

Another video from Simone Boyd

The best way to store your seeds for next season.

Pip magazine’s 10 most read articles in 2022

Of Pip’s 10 most read articles, 5 concerned food, namely:

Every newsletter needs a good image

The image right is a ‘copy’ of Picasso’s Woman with hat made out of vegetables and toast by someone called Caroline Barnes. Like other creations by Caroline, it was created during one of the pandemic lockdowns. See some of Caroline’s other food-related art. As she says, “At the beginning of lockdown and with my monthly visits to the National Gallery on hold, I thought I’d try to transfer the art I was missing to toast.” Also, “Of all the toast art I’ve made, my favourite to eat was Picasso’s Woman with hat as it’s the closest to what I’d normally eat for lunch.

Which link was clicked most times in the last newsletter?

The most popular link in the last newsletter was Eltham Primary School’s advert for a part-time gardener (link no longer available.)

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

Submitted by Olaf Falafel: I have to watch Goldeneye before heating a microwave meal because the packaging says “Pierce film before cooking“.

Read more jokes.

 

Regular activities over the coming week

Farmers’ markets

There will apparently not be any Carlton or Abbotsford farmers’ markets during January.

Food swaps

Note that not all the food swaps below may be happening as some swaps take the month of January off.

Community gardens

Note that not all the community garden events below may be happening as some gardens take the month of January off.

Upcoming face-to-face events – not cooking

Composting at home 101; 3 occurrences on Wednesday, 11th January, Thursday, 12th January and Friday, 13th January, each 10am-midday; $68 ($34 per hour); Abbotsford.

This workshop is for either complete compost beginners or those with some experience who are wanting to troubleshoot. It will include discussion on the ‘why’ of composting, how to get started and maintain a successful compost at home, common problems and how to tackle them, and a demonstration of setting up a compost pile.

Harvesting, sowing and storing seeds; Friday, 20th January, 2-3.30pm; free; Thomastown.

Learn how to grow your own food with Kathleen Tants. Kathleen will teach you how to harvest seeds from your own crops, how to prepare and store these seeds and how to sow them again for the following year’s crop.

Whittlesea Show; Saturday, 21st January and Sunday, 22nd January, both 9am-5pm; $28; Whittlesea.

This is one of Victoria’s largest agricultural shows. Its purpose is to educate, inform and entertain – bringing agriculture, farming and rural knowledge to the wider public, and showcasing changing farming practices through machinery, animals and ways of life. There will be lots of free activities and entertainment throughout the weekend, including: food expo, historical machinery, animal nursery, working sheep dogs, show jumping, chook racing, reptile display and grand parade.

Urban foraging; 5 occurrences on Saturday 21st January, Sunday 29th January, Saturday 11th February, Sunday 12th February and Saturday, 18th February, all 10am-12.30pm; $85 ($34 per hour); Forest Hill.

Anna, the Urban Nanna, will help you find and identify a range of edible fruits, greens and flowers found in ‘wild’ urban spaces across Victoria. You will learn about the basic principles and protocols of foraging, and then move on to plant specifics. You will observe and interact with many types of fruit trees, edible green weeds and useful flowers. You will examine examples of trees bearing late summer fruit, and also be shown the physical features you can use to correctly identify useful trees even when they’re not fruiting. You will discuss the types of locations where you can hunt for wild edibles in the future, and finally how to safely prepare and enjoy eating many of the foods we find. Overall, there will be around 1-2km of walking over grassy terrain involved.

Botanical beverages; Wednesday, 25th January, 6-8pm; $118 ($59 per hour); Coburg.

You will make and drink cocktails, mocktails and sodas using herbal brews. The bitter, aromatic and antioxidant principles that we often miss in our diets can be incorporated into drinks with ease. You will learn how to make bitter cocktails, antioxidant mocktails and aromatic elixirs. You will receive your own botanical beverage kit to use in the workshop and take home (includes forest bitters tincture, hibiscus & burnt orange extract, peppermint hydrosol and seasonal elixir).

Foraging course (5 sessions); On 5 consecutive Wednesdays from 25th January, each 6-7.30pm; $339 ($45 per hour); Coburg.

You will learn about: the importance of wild foods; medicine as food; the difference between cultivated foods and wild food; sustainable wildcrafting; safe foraging; identification, nutrition and properties of several plants; and recipes for each of the plants.

Mushroom growing 101; Wednesday, 1st February, 6.30-9.30pm; $160 ($53 per hour); Collingwood.

You will learn the practical skills to grow a never-ending supply of mushrooms yourself, gaining the knowledge to create a self-sufficient, closed-loop ecosystem. You will also learn the 4 step lifecycle of mushroom cultivation, tips for harvesting and alternative applications for different growing mediums and species. Tutor: Eric Fenessy from Uncle Steezy’s Hot Sauce.

Design sustainable food systems (10 sessions); consecutive Thursdays, starting 2nd February, 5-8pm; $120 ($4 per hour); Coburg.

Get practical skills and knowledge needed for emerging resource challenges within our food systems. Learn how to navigate employment and education pathways in the sustainable food industry.

Rosé blending workshop; Thursday, 2nd February, 6-8pm; $49 ($25 per hour); Brunswick East.

Learn about the different methods of rosé-making as you taste your way through some wines, snack on some cheeseboards and make a bottle of your own custom blend to take home.

Growing plants in small spaces (9 sessions); on 9 consecutive Fridays, starting 3rd February, 9.30am-1.30pm; free; Fawkner.

Free subject to ACFE eligibility. If you have a balcony, a courtyard or a patio, there are ways you can maximise space to create your own little oasis. In this course, you will learn about how to grow food in pots or containers, what plants to grow and when.

Summer fruit tree pruning; Saturday, 4th February, 9am-1pm; $65 ($19 per hour); Edendale.

Many of us focus on winter as the best time to prune our fruit trees but some fruit trees benefit much more from summer pruning (e.g. stone fruit). Learn how to best care for your fruit trees for health and to maximise your yield for next season. What you will learn: winter versus summer pruning; and how to shape and improve fruiting with summer pruning. Facilitated by Justin Calverley. Bring your gardening gloves, a hat and a pair of secateurs.

Edible weeds; Sunday, 5th February, 10am-midday; $60 ($30 per hour); Brunswick East.

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.

Permaculture Design Course (100 hours); starting Saturday, 11th February, 9.30am-4.30pm; $2,100 ($21 per hour); Brunswick East.

The course will comprise a combination of Wednesday evenings (6.30-9.30pm) and weekend days (9.30am-4.30pm). It is a classroom-based, theoretical course with site visits, not a gardening course. Participants will develop: an appreciation of the fundamentals of permaculture and the historical context in which it was developed; an ability to incorporate ecological and energy literacy/understanding in the design process; an ability to read patterns in landscapes and understand how they influence design choices; an understanding of the design processes and the conceptual design tools used in permaculture, as background for later application topics; an ability to design food production and other agricultural systems in appropriate landscapes; an understanding of how communities function and how permaculture concepts can be used to build functional communities; an understanding of how trading functions and how permaculture concepts can be used to build more equitable economic systems; an understanding of how settlements can be designed to meet human needs on a sustainable basis; an understanding of how buildings can be designed to meet human needs on a sustainable basis; an appreciation of the technologies that are available to assist in building sustainable lifestyles – renewable energies and conservation of non-renewable resources; and a confidence in one’s ability to make a difference at the individual level. Trainers: Beck Lowe, Ian Lillington, Joel Meadows, Kat Lavers, Monique Miller and Taj Scicluna.

Urban permaculture garden tour; Saturday, 11th February, 10-11am; $15; Ringwood.

Visit a local urban permaculture garden and see a grey water demonstration.

Forage harvest walk; Saturday, 11th February, 10am-1pm;$36 ($12 per hour); Coburg.

Learn how to identify edible weeds and wild medicines with Taj Scicluna (aka The Perma Pixie).

Urban wine walk; Saturday, 11th February, midday-4pm; $80; Richmond.

This is a self-guided wine tasting experience, where you choose the order in which you visit the various venues. The ticket includes 30 complementary tastings, a $10 food voucher, a $25 voucher for wine orders and a tasting glass. The participating venues and winemakers: Attria Wine Bar with Hither & Yon; The Blacksmith with Innocent Bystander; Corner Hotel with MoBo Vino; Klae with Pizzini Wines; Richmond Club Hotel with Rob Dolan Wines; South of the Wall with Quiet Mutiny; The Precinct Hotel with Zonzo Estate; Ugly Duckling with Vinteloper ; Waygood with Valentine Wines; and Maeve Fox with TBC.

Upcoming face-to-face events – cooking

Nocino; Wednesday, 11th January, 6.30-8.30pm; $280 ($140 per hour); Fitzroy North.

Nocino is an Italian liquor made of fresh green walnuts. They will supply all the ingredients for you (including the base potato alcohol) to make 1.5 litres. Sit with them, chat, hang out, chop and fill your 2 litre jar. Take it home to watch it change from green to brown.

The vegan lunchbox; Thursday, 12th January, 6.30-7.30pm; free; Doncaster East.

Cookbook author Betty Chetcuti will share her experience of cooking meals for her family and how she adapts them for summer days – including watermelon salad, fruit smoothies, falafel wraps with hummus and crispy salads.

Pizza masterclass with Antonio; Sunday, 15th January, midday-3pm; $75 ($25 per hour); Eltham.

You will learn: how to make dough by hand; stretching techniques; how to use a pizza paddle; and pizza classico (classic style pizza in the oven) & pizze fritte (fried pizza). You will make both savoury and sweet pizzas, and you will get to cook and eat the pizzas.

Make show-winning jam and preserves; Wednesday, 18th January, 10-11am; free; Whittlesea.

Marie Vassallo, from Rie’s kitchen, will demonstrate how to make jams and fruit straps.

Lunar New Year dumplings; Wednesday, 18th January, 6.30-7.30pm; free; Box Hill.

Learn how to make homemade dumplings from scratch with Cristina. You will learn how to make the filling, form the dumplings and mix your own sauce.

Pickle M.O.B.; Friday, 20th January, 6.30-8.30pm; $95 ($48 per hour); Fitzroy North.

They will pile the table high with pickles, make the brine, set out the spices and have 3 litre jars ready. Go along and talk about lacto-fermented pickles – versus heat and vinegar – eat a pickle and take home your own 3 litre stash. M.O.B. stands for ‘mingling over bacteria’.

Learn to make kim chi; Saturday, 21st January, 11am-12.30pm; free; Greensborough.

Take your own medium jar and make your own kim chi at this session.

Preserving summer stone fruits; Saturday, 21st January, 11am-12.30pm; free; Watsonia.

Marie Vasallo will demonstrate how to make apricot jam, fruit straps, and how to bottle your stone fruit.

Gnocchi making and lunch with Antonio; Sunday, 22nd January, midday-2pm; $75 ($38 per hour); Eltham.

You will learn: how to make gnocchi dough by hand; rolling, cutting and shaping; and how to introduce flavours into the gnocchi. You will be shown how to make ricotta gnocchi, pumpkin gnocchi and spinach gnocchi. You will then eat what Antonio has made in his demonstration whilst also taking home the three types of gnocchi that you made.

Sourdough basics; Tuesday, 24th January, 6.30-8.30pm; $120 ($60 per hour); Collingwood.

The Fermented Mumma will discuss ingredient selection, starter care, and the processes of sourdough fermentation and baking. At the end, you will take your fermenting dough home to bake in the morning.

Kids kitchen cooking workshop; Wednesday, 25th January, 10.30am-12.30pm; $25 ($13 per hour); Balwyn North.

Suitable for kids aged 8-12. This class will teach easy and exciting recipes. On the menu will be Middle-Eastern beef pies, chicken & veggie salad and a Middle-Eastern sweet treat. There will be a light Lunch to enjoy together at the end of the session.

Making berry and stone fruit jams; Saturday, 28th January, 11am-12.30pm; free; Rosanna.

Marie Vassallo will show you how to make berry and stone fruit jams using two different techniques and semidry figs.

FFS … ferment four staples; Saturday, 28th January, 1-5pm; $365 ($91 per hour); Fitzroy North.

This is a fermenting ‘101’ class, where you will learn about salt, different preserving techniques, two of the most popular cabbage recipes (kraut and kimchi), a drink (kvass) and all about SCOBYs, with a focus on milk kefir. You will take home everything you make during the course: a jar of kimchi, sauerkraut, milk kefir with SCOBY and a jar of kvass – including jars and airlocks for fermenting at home.

Grow and ferment – botanical sodas and mead; Saturday, 29th January, 11am-1pm; $125 ($63 per hour); Fitzroy North.

With Jac Semmler of Super Bloom and Sharon of The Fermentary. Revel in wild drinks and blooming botanicals – calendula, dianthus and old-world pelargoniums. Learn how to propagate pelargoniums. Then brew these flowering botanicals in wild drinks, soda and mead. You will take home pelargonium cuttings, a pelargonium in a terracotta pot, and two jars of wild brews to continue fermenting at home.

Cooking on a budget (10 sessions); consecutive Thursdays, starting 2nd February, 1.30-4.30pm; $100 ($3 per hour); Coburg.

Learn to cook well-balanced, nutritional food on a budget. Get essential tips on wasting less food and using more garden produce.

Hot sauce M.O.B.; Friday, 3rd February, 6.30-8.30pm; $75 ($38 per hour); Fitzroy North.

They will supply a variety of chillies, the brine, fruit and spices and guide you along the way. You will go home with a jar full to the brim to ferment, watch and wait with. M.O.B. stands for ‘mingling over bacteria’.

Sourdough bread baking; Saturday, 4th February, 9am-5pm; $190 ($24 per hour); Brunswick East.

What you will learn: how to make your own bread; how to make your own handmade pizzas; and more about sourdough. What you will get: handmade pizzas for lunch; your own bread to take home and some leaven; and recipes. Presenter: Ken Hercott.

Gnocchi making class; Saturday, 4th February, 10am-1pm; $140 ($47 per hour); Thomastown.

What you will learn: how to make fluffy potato gnocchi with a four cheese sauce; and how to make easy ricotta gnocchi with a cavolo nero pesto. What you will get: Italian style lunch and drinks; and a That’s Amore apron to take home. Host: Pia Gava.

Milk kefir magic; Wednesday, 8th February, 6.30-8.30pm; $120 ($60 per hour); Fitzroy North.

They will show you how to easily incorporate this little SCOBY into your daily routine. You will make some milk kefir and then move onto flavouring, making butter, labneh, catching the whey and then making a naturally fizzy and gut-loving soda. You’ll go home with: a milk kefir SCOBY in a jar and ready to feed when you get home; a whey soda flavoured with fresh fruit of your choice to finish fermenting at home; milk kefir cultured butter; and an illustrated recipe card.

Sourdough basics; Thursday, 9th February, 6.30-8.30pm; $120 ($60 per hour); Collingwood.

The Fermented Mumma will discuss ingredient selection, starter care, and the processes of sourdough fermentation and baking. At the end, you will take your fermenting dough home to bake in the morning.

Sourdough bread; Saturday, 11th February, 10am-12.30pm; $75 ($30 per hour); Park Orchards.

Nadine will demonstrate the technique of sourdough bread making and baking. Take a container to take home your dough to bake at home. This class is best suited to those who have some experience with bread making, however it is not essential.

A Palestinian feast with Aheda; Sunday, 12th February, 3-7pm; $5; Coburg.

Join Aheda in the kitchen to learn how to make Palestinian dishes. Afterwards, sit down and share what you have prepared together over dinner.

Regular classes

Otao Kitchen have announced their full range of classes for 2023. As well as their usual Australian, Chinese, Greek, Indian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mexican, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese classes, they have now added Latin American, Malaysian and Sri Lankan.

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