LFC News January 31 2018

Jan 312018
 

Judy Vizzari interviews Duang Tengtrirat and Rob Reid Smith

Many of you will know Duang from her catering business, from her involvement in the Home Harvest FEASTivals, or from her workshops on waste-free cooking. Judy Vizzari has now interviewed Duang, and her husband Rob about all these matters, as well as about their experiences as home growers. Here is how Judy introduces her write up: “Duang Tengtrirat and her husband, Rob Reid Smith, live in the back blocks of Research. I’m visiting them to find out about their long list of accomplishments which, I’ve heard, include innovative gardening techniques, abundant food production, waste-free cooking and largescale catering. I also want to hear about their contributions to the learning and health of our community. Their fame has preceded them but I am keen to learn more.” Read the full interview.

One thing that I would like to highlight from the interview is that Duang won the ABC PocketDoc Short Story Competition in 2015. Her story, My Silent Day, was about blueberry picking and racism. Listen to the story. As part of the launch of 2016 competition, Duang recorded a follow up story. The setting is one year later and Duang is again collecting blueberries. But this time her meeting is much more pleasant and heart warming. Listen to Duang’s follow up story.

Mac’s tip of the week

Blossom-end rot looks like a discoloured/black, watery, sunken spot at the blossom end of the fruit. The spot will start out small but grow larger and darker as the fruit continues to grow.

Often a problem with tomatoes, capsicum, cucumber, eggplant and zucchini, blossom-end rot is an environmental problem (not fungal) most often caused by either extremes in soil moisture levels (either too dry or too wet) or by calcium deficiency. Even if you have spread lime etc, uneven watering can interfere with the uptake of calcium. Too much nitrogen fertiliser and rapid growth can also make things worse. Mulch helps, but 40 degree days don’t.

The good news is that blossom-end rot will not spread from plant to plant, and will not necessarily affect future fruit. As a stop gap measure, try spraying plants with a calcium or kelp solution but recognise that consistent water supply is the key.

Some varieties are more resistant than others. For example, I know of one gardener that has a mixed planting of Roma and San Marzano tomatoes. All the San Marzano have blossom-end rot, while the Roma show no sign of it. For tomatoes at least, larger fruit are more susceptible than smaller.

Read all of Mac’s tips.

Guy’s tip of the week

It looked like Mac’s tip wouldn’t arrive in time so I wrote a tip of my own.

My tip is: consider planting sugar snap peas in the summer. Our veggie patch is strictly based on a crop rotation system which means that we always have two spots available for legumes. In winter, we make the obvious choice of broad beans and peas. In summer, beans are always planted but that leaves a second spot up for grabs. Peanuts are one possibility and soybeans are another but we had difficulty sourcing either this year so we decided to consult our local nursery. They said that their experience was that sugar snap peas (but not standard garden peas) could be grown all year round. So, we planted some seedlings in December and this week, less than two months later, we have just harvested a bountiful crop.

Maria’s tip of the week

I thought that this recent post by Maria of My Green Garden was interesting.

Sugar is used in jam for 2 reasons (or maybe 3, if you include taste).

First, sugar acts as the preserving agent for the fruit. It acts to prevent bacteria and other food spoilants from taking hold. The ratio needed for this is at least 75% of the weight of the fruit has to be added as sugar.

Second, the sugar acts to help ‘gel’ the fruit. This happens with the combination of the fruit with its natural pectin, the sugar and acid (from the fruit or added as lemon juice).

So, without enough sugar, the jam might go mouldy and won’t gel, staying very runny.

This is true to an extent but it can be overcome.

To overcome the preserving issue, after making the jam I make sure that I heat-preserve the filled jars. This makes a great vacuum seal on the jars, which means there is no air in the jar. No air = no bacteria.

To make up for lack of a firm set, I cook it a little longer than I normally would with a full sugar jam; and then accept that it will be easier to spread on my breakfast toast than a commercial jam, whose sugar content may be even higher than the 1:1 ratio. So it might be called ‘spreadable fruit’ rather than a true jam.

I have also tried adding a minute amount of Xantham gum powder (available in the health food section of my local supermarket) right at the end of the cooking process, This does firm up the jam, so that it is still spreadable. But don’t overdo it as you might end up with rock hard jam.

What seeds to plant in February

Here is a list (see the planting guide for more detail):

Beans
Beetroot
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Carrot		 Cauliflower
Chives
Fennel
Leeks
Lettuce		 Mustard greens
Onion
Oregano
Parsley
Radish		 Shallot
Silverbeet
Sweetcorn

Compared with January, the most important additions are some of the brassicas: broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower.

Pip pip

The winner of last week’s random draw for the free annual subscription of the PIP magazine was Joe Selvaretnam.

Thanks to those of you who sent in various ‘oink oink’ comments(!). However, the reference in last week’s newsletter was to ‘pip pip onk onk!’, not ‘pip pip oink oink!’, and is baby talk rather than anything to do with pigs.

55 people entered the draw, up from 45 in the previous week. Given the continuing level of interest, another year’s free subscription will be offered this week (and then we’ll probably stop). It will work as before: if you have previously entered, you are automatically entered for this week; if you haven’t previously entered and want to enter this week, simply email me some time today (Wednesday) with the word ‘PIP’ or equivalent. Note that anyone who includes the word ‘oink’ in their email will be automatically excluded!

News about local food producers

Backyard Honey, from Surrey Hills, have written in to say that budding beekeepers may like to know that they sell healthy re-queened, foulbrood-test honey bee colonies. You can ring Peter (0425 873555) to chat about honey bee colony purchases and other apiary services, including on-site advice, winter bee-hive pack-down, honey extraction and education services.

You can now buy Warrandyte-based PoppySmack’s Asian sauces in 16 different suburbs: Blackburn (Max & Leo’s Foodstore Cafe), Clifton Hill (McCoppins), Croydon (Jefferies Family Supermarket), Doncaster East (Fish Pier and Rump Butchery), Eltham (Bolton Street Deli & Liquor), Forest Hill (Fish Pier), Heidelberg (Leo’s Fine Food & Wine), Kew (Leo’s Fine Food & Wine), Northcote (IGA); Nunawading (Whitehorse Farmers’ Market), Preston (Local Pantry Co and Saltylicious Himalayan Salt), Ringwood (Fish Pier); Ringwood East (Paul’s SUPA IGA), Ringwood North (Made Locally) and Templestowe (Gourmet Living) and Warrandyte (The Riverside Market, Aumanns and Quintons SUPA IGA).

For Elthamites only: Nongkhai Thai Restaurant now deliver as well as doing takeaway. See the full list.

Permablitz ‘hero of the month’

Every month, newsletter reader Adrian O’Hagen, discusses a ‘hero of the month’ on the Permablitz website. Most are growing guides for particular fruit or veggies, some common and others less common. This month’s hero is midyim berries. There is now a page on our website with links to each of these guides (currently 9 fruit, 18 veggies and 2 weeds).

Which link was clicked most times in the last newsletter?

FareShare Garden Manual.

Proverb of the month

As cool as a cucumber. Meaning: calm and unruffled. First recorded in 1732 in a poem by John Gay. In this simile, cool means imperturbable rather than having a low temperature. However, the simile comes about because, in hot weather, the insides of a cucumber apparently remain cooler than the air because of their high water content and thus cucumbers are cool to the touch.

Question: what is cool and hot at the same time? Answer: Barack Obama (or, indeed, Michelle Obama).

Read all the proverbs.

Gardening quote of the month

The best place to find God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. By George Bernard Shaw.

Read all the quotes.

Joke of the week

How do chickens bake a cake? From scratch!

Read all the jokes.

New events

Miso paste making

What: Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and koji (the fungus Aspergillus oryzae). You will make your own miso paste using all Australian organic ingredients and following traditional Japanese methods. It will be a fun, hands-on workshop which even kids can enjoy. You will take home around 1kg of miso to ferment.
When: 6 occurrences: Saturday, 3rd February, Tuesday, 20th February and Saturday, 3rd March, each both 10am-12.30pm and 2-4.30pm.
Where: Preston.
Cost: $80.
Bookings: by email.
Further information: LFC calendar entry.

Shio koji making and cooking

What: Shio koji is a Japanese fermented seasoning made with rice koji (cooked rice that has been inoculated with the fungus Aspergillus oryzae). It is called ‘miracle seasoning’. You will make your own shio koji and also prepare some more to ferment at home. You will also cook some dishes using shio koji.
When: 6 occurrences: Tuesday, 6th February, Saturday, 10th February and Tuesday, 6th March, each both 10am-12.30pm and 2-4.30pm.
Where: Preston.
Cost: $80.
Bookings: by email.
Further information: LFC calendar entry.

The pickle process

What: Learn how to make great bread and butter pickles and enjoy a tempting taster.
When: Wednesday, 7th February, 2-3.30pm.
Where: Brunswick Library.
Cost: free.
Bookings: Eventbrite.
Further information: LFC calendar entry.

Pasta making

What: Marie, from Rie’s Kitchen, will demonstrate how to make your own pasta at home.
When: Wednesday, 7th February, 7-8pm.
Where: Mill Park Library.
Cost: free.
Bookings: their website.
Further information: LFC calendar entry.

Cooking master class

What: Enjoy 3 tasting size courses cooked by chef Bek McMillan, from Gourmet Living, who will demonstrate step by step. All recipes are included. Menu: Moroccan couscous salad; gnocchi ‘old tarts’; and strawberry jam & apple tart.
When: Thursday, 8th February, 7-9pm.
Where: Templestowe.
Cost: $42.
Bookings: Eventbrite.
Further information: LFC calendar entry.

Spices masterclass

What: Local chef, Mellissa Strachan, will discuss a number of common spices including cinnamon, turmeric, garlic, chilli, cardamom and rosemary. She will explain some of the health benefits and how to use them. She will also introduce some less common spices.
When: Thursday, 8th February, 8.30-9.30pm.
Where: Ringwood.
Cost: $16.
Bookings: Eventbrite.
Further information: LFC calendar entry.

A conversation with Michael Ableman

What: Together with Milkwood Permaculture, Cultivating Community are delighted to present a conversation with urban farming pioneer, author, educator and advocate for sustainable agriculture, Michael Ableman. Michael will share stories of his many travels exploring the complex and profound relationships of growing food with culture and identity. He will also share insights from his latest book Street Farm, an inspirational account of residents in the notorious Low Track in Vancouver, British Columbia – one of the worst urban slums in North America – who joined together to create an urban farm as a means of addressing the chronic problems in their neighbourhood. It is a story of recovery, of land and food, of people, and of the power of farming and nourishing others as a way to heal our world and ourselves. Following Michael’s presentation, you will venture across the road for a garden tour at one of Cultivating Community’s community gardens on the Richmond Public Housing Estate where gardeners from East Timor, Vietnam, China, Turkey, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Burundi, Greece and Australia grow many unusual species of edible and medicinal plants as well as connect with each other around their love of gardening and growing food.
When: Saturday, 10th February, 10-11.30am.
Where: Richmond.
Cost: pay what you feel.
Bookings: TryBooking.
Further information: LFC calendar entry.

Nuka duke – rice bran pickling

What: Nuka duke is a famous Japanese fermented pickling using rice bran. In this workshop, you will make your own Nuka bedding so that you can keep pickling at home (for years and years!) and share the knowledge how to maintain it.
When: 8 occurrences: Tuesday, 13th February, Saturday, 17th February, Saturday, 17th March and Tuesday, 20th March, each both 10am-midday and 2-4pm.
Where: Preston.
Cost: $80.
Bookings: by email.
Further information: LFC calendar entry.

Cooking master class

What: Enjoy 3 tasting size courses cooked by chef Bek McMillan, from Gourmet Living, who will demonstrate step by step. All recipes are included. Menu: pesto bruschetta; baked eggs & beans; and chocolate mousse.
When: Thursday, 15th February, 7-9pm.
Where: Templestowe.
Cost: $42.
Bookings: Eventbrite.
Further information: LFC calendar entry.

Ancient grains masterclass

What: Local chef, Mellissa Strachan, will discuss a number of ancient grains including chia seed, quinoa, freekah, wild rice and Israel large couscous. She will explain why we should use these products rather than white rice or commercial pasta. She will also give advice on how to cook it and some ideas on what to put with them.
When: Thursday, 22nd February, 8.30-9.30pm.
Where: Ringwood.
Cost: $16.
Bookings: Eventbrite.
Further information: LFC calendar entry.

Cooking master class

What: Enjoy 3 tasting size courses cooked by chef Bek McMillan, from Gourmet Living, who will demonstrate step by step. All recipes are included. Menu: roast pumpkin salad; lamb wellington; and ‘chai walli’ pannacotta.
When: Friday, 23rd February, 7-9pm.
Where: Templestowe.
Cost: $42.
Bookings: Eventbrite.
Further information: LFC calendar entry.

Miso cooking

What: Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and koji (the fungus Aspergillus oryzae). This is a class for people who have no idea what to do with miso. You will make several miso dishes together as well as learning the benefits of having miso daily.
When: 4 occurrences: Saturday, 24th February and Tuesday, 27th March, each both 10am-12.30pm and 2-4.30pm.
Where: Preston.
Cost: $80.
Bookings: by email.
Further information: LFC calendar entry.

Food forest gardening

What: Facilitated by Ian Culbard, Nillumbik’s Sustainability Officer, this workshop will teach you how to grow some of your own food in a low maintenance food forest garden. Get tips and ideas that will help you develop a food forest garden and some simple ways reduce the need for maintenance yet is productive throughout the year. If you like the idea of having your own beautiful, colourful, diverse food where there’s always something to eat then this workshop should help inspire action. Timed to allow months of preparation and planting before the spring flush.
When: Friday, 2nd March, 10.30-11.30am.
Where: Edendale.
Cost: free.
Bookings: by phone (9433 3316).
Further information: LFC calendar entry.

Yoghurt masterclass

What: Local chef, Mellissa Strachan, will discuss some of the benefits of traditional yoghurt. She will explain how Indians and Nepalese make yoghurt without a yoghurt maker or powdered yoghurt mix. She will also give advice on what other products you can make with this method of cooking and discuss non-dairy alternatives.
When: Thursday, 8th March, 8.30-9.30pm.
Where: Ringwood.
Cost: $16.
Bookings: Eventbrite.
Further information: LFC calendar entry.

Fermentations and preserves masterclass

What: Local chef, Mellissa Strachan, will discuss some traditional ferments including kimchi, sauerkraut and kombucha. She will explain how and why you can ferment vegetables and some of their health benefits. She will also give advice on the dos and don’ts of vegetable fermentation.
When: Thursday, 22nd March, 8.30-9.30pm.
Where: Ringwood.
Cost: $16.
Bookings: Eventbrite.
Further information: LFC calendar entry.

Summary of upcoming events

Over the next week
Over the next month

View the complete calendar of upcoming events.

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