LFC News January 6 2021

Jan 062021
 

Welcome to new joiners Alison, Ananya, Ann, Anna, Anne, Archna, Belinda, Carol, Catherine, Charlie, Charmaine, Cheryl, Chrissie, Damian, David, Deirdre, Delldint, Des, Emma, Erik, Georgia, Holly, Jo, Jo-Anne, Joel, John, Kate, Kate, Kathryn, Klara, Kristie, Kul, Lucy, Lyn, Lyn, Michelle, Mike, Mike, Nick, Nisha, Paul, Paula, Pauline, Per, Richard, Robert, Rosina, Sue, Toni and Vicky.

Now up to 3,100 subscribers! Yay!

My very best wishes to everyone in 2021.

I thought that I would start this newsletter by saying a few words about its envisaged shape in 2021. In summary, my hope and plan is that it combines the strengths of the 2019 (i.e. pre-pandemic) version with those of the 2020 (i.e. ‘peri-pandemic’) version.

The core of the 2019 (and earlier) newsletters was a calendar of upcoming, local food-related events, both once-off events (e.g. workshops) and regular events (e.g. food swaps). With face-to-face events now starting to happen again, the calendar will again become a key component of the newsletters.

When the local face-to-face events ceased in 2020, and were only partially replaced by online events, it looked like there would be insufficient material for the newsletters to remain weekly. But then the readership came to the rescue, asking/answering questions about food-related matters, offering tips, sending in photos and providing recipes. I would really like these levels of interactivity to continue into 2021 and I know that many of you would too. But this, dear readers, will depend on you. So, if you ever have anything that you would like to say or ask in future newsletters, email me.

So, the hope and plan for 2021 is to re-institute the calendar of events from 2019, whilst retaining the levels of interactivity achieved during 2020. And, as always, this will supplemented by regular food-growing articles (e.g. by Robin Gale-Baker and Angelo Eliades), garden visit writeups (e.g. by Judy Vizzari and Ann Stanley) and any local food-related news that I am aware of.

The newsletter will continue to be closely linked to the Local Food Connect website. All material from every newsletter will also be on the website, but organised by topic rather than chronologically. And whenever something is added to one of the website’s databases (local food producers, community gardens, food swaps, food is free organisations, etc), this will be highlighted in the newsletter.

If you have any thoughts about what you would like to read about in future newsletters, email me. If you would like to contribute, either as a once off or potentially more regularly, email me. If you know of any local food-related news or events, email me. Or if you would be willing for your garden to be visited by one of our roving reporters, email me.

Finally, here is my favourite food-related joke from 2020:
I recently visited a monastery and, as I walked past the kitchen, I saw a man frying chips.
I asked him “Are you the friar?”
He replied “No, I’m the chip monk.”

Thanks to the people who have contributed to this week’s newsletter: Angelo Eliades, Cecilia Macaulay, Delldint Megan Fleming, Joan Denison, Judy Vizzari, Jules Jay and Robin Gale-Baker.

Re-opening news

Most (but not all) markets have now re-opened. Ditto food swaps. Around half of the community gardens appear to have re-opened and the other half not. I have therefore reverted to the pre-pandemic format for these newsletters, whereby these events are listed in the right hand sidebar. Note that I haven’t been able to confirm all of the envisaged events so you might want to check before actually going.

Many face-to-face events have also started happening again, as listed later in this newsletter. Some events are continuing online but their numbers are dwindling.

Food is Free Blackburn

Food is Free Blackburn started during the pandemic. Like other food is free initiatives, it comprises a cupboard which is periodically stocked with fruit, vegetables, bread and other food which is made freely available for members of the public to take. Corner of Hill Street and Main Street. Organised by Delldint Megan Fleming. Read the Food is Free Blackburn page in our Local Food Directory. Join the Food is Free Blackburn Facebook group. Welcome Delldint!

That brings the total up to 5 food is free initiatives in North East Melbourne.

A new food swap in Hurstbridge

The 2nd Saturday of each month, 10-11am, so the first swap is on this coming Saturday, 9th January. At Edible Hub Hurstbridge, Hurstbridge Community Hub, 50 Graysharps Road. Contact person: Jules Jay (julie@rebuspress.com.au). Join their Facebook group. Congratulations to Jules and also Lucinda (Flynn) for resurrecting this swap.

That brings the total up to 35 regular food swaps across North East Melbourne.

A possible new community garden in Oakhill Village, Preston

Darebin Council is currently seeking expressions of interest for a dedicated group of local gardeners to take over the establishment and maintenance of the garden. There are some Council funds available to contribute to the establishment of the garden plus some in in-kind support and other resources. For more information about how to register your interest, contact Natalie Nigol, Darebin Sustainable Food Officer by email (natalie.nigol@darebin.vic.gov.au).

Judy visits the garden of Jules Jay and Robin Longworth in Hurstbridge

If you have ever come across either North East Region Permaculture Group (NERP) or the Edible Hub Hurstbridge community garden, then you have probably also come across Jules Jay, who is active in both organisations. Less well known is that Jules and partner Robin live on an 18-acre property near Hurstbridge where they lead a permaculture lifestyle. Judy Vizzari recently visited them and has written up the results.

As Judy discusses, Jules and Robin have 270,000 litres of water storage, a massive netted orchard, a perennial food garden and a large veggie patch. They also have chickens, roosters, muscovy ducks, geese and two cows. In terms of their self-sufficient philosophy, Judy says “we talked about the eggs and their uses (Jules recommends chicken eggs for eating and duck eggs for cooking). She told me that the birds are the farm’s main focus, then described the work involved in breeding and caring for them, including sessions of humane slaughtering and highly organised plucking and cleaning. Jules and Robin are ‘nose to tail’ eaters and utilise all parts of the bird – they’re either cooked and consumed (meat and offal), or used to make soup and stock, whilst fats are rendered for lard and feathers are consigned to compost.”

Read the full visit writeup.

Want to become a garlic farmer?

Most of the details of Farmer Incubator’s 2021 Pop up garlic farmer program have now been finalised. The course starts on Saturday, 20th February and registrations close on 7th February. Read more and potentially register.

Does your group want a webinar on decluttering?

Newsletter reader Cecilia Macaulay presents webinars on decluttering as her job. For example, Declutter your body, create a garden of food in your fridge on Sunday, 10th January, 2-3.30pm. If your group is potentially interested in hosting one of Cecilia’s webinars, email her to discuss.

What seeds to plant in January

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

Warm season veggies

Beans
Sweetcorn

Leafy greens

Lettuce
Mustard greens
Parsley
Silverbeet

Roots

Beetroot
Carrot
Potato
Radish

Perennials

Chives

 
January is not a good planting month: too late for all summer veggies except beans and sweetcorn and, although you can plant leafy greens such as lettuce and mustard greens, they are likely to go to seed pretty quickly.

Newsletter reader growing tip: pruning herbs over summer

From Robin Gale-Baker: “To save water over the summer, I’m cutting back my herb border. Pruning off the long stems saves water as these take up a lot during hot weather. There is plenty of soft new growth under the long stems which, if required, I can protect with shade cloth for a week or two so that they don’t burn. I will also water every second day for the next couple of weeks but then not much after that.”

Did you see Poppysmack on the TV over the holidays?

Local food producer PoppySmack, who make a variety of Asian sauces, recently featured on a TV advert by the insurer AAMI. Lucky, they’re with AAMI. It (Poppysmack, not AAMI) is a two-person operation, namely sisters Tran (who lives in Blackburn) and Hanh (who lives in Warrandyte), both of whom feature in the advert.

Angelo’s latest article – fruit tree problems

Angelo Eliades, who lives in Preston, has written an article entitled fruit tree problems – new leaves tightly curled and turning yellow on cherries and plums.

Read more of Angelo’s food-related articles.

The ‘ISO chooks’ in Eltham and surrounds

As many of you will know, Joan Denison’s ‘ISO chooks’ have been sweeping across Eltham and surrounding suburbs and now number around 3,000(!). Some of them have reached Incredible Edible Eltham’s railway station planter boxes.

Permablitz Melbourne’s food hero of the month – grapes

“Summer and grapes go together like hot weather and a chilled glass of wine, for those who like a tipple, or frozen grapes for the kids (and even us ‘big’ kids). Learn why grapes are so great for the garden.” Read more.

Read more Permablitz’s food heroes of the month.

Which link was clicked most times in the last newsletter?

The most popular link was Robin Gale-Baker’s video on how to grow mint.

Proverb (or phrase) of the month

Take the cake This is a phrase with several different meanings, including opposites. Let’s start with the meaning which relates to the original derivation: carry off the honours. Per Wikipedia, the cakewalk was a type of competitive dance held in the mid-19th century, generally at get-togethers on black slave plantations before and after emancipation in the Southern United States. The winners were said to have ‘taken the cake’, which was often the prize.

Nowadays, take the cake can be used to mean either ‘to be especially good’ or (sarcastically) the opposite, ‘to be especially bad’. Or it can have a less judgemental meaning, namely ‘to be the most extreme instance’. The British take the biscuit has a similar set of alternative possible meanings.

For no obvious reason, the related phrase cakewalk means ‘very easy’, perhaps because someone got confused between take the cake and the unrelated piece of cake, where the latter also means ‘very easy’.

Phrases that can be their own opposites, like take the cake, are sometimes referred to as ‘Janus phrases’ after the two-headed god that looked both ways simultaneously. Common ‘Janus words’ include ‘fast’ (which means both to move quickly and to stay put), ‘sanction’ (which means both to give approval to and to penalise), ‘screen’ (which means both to display and to conceal from view), ‘dust’ (which means both to make free of fine particles and to sprinkle with fine particles), left (which means both to leave and to remain) and ‘oversight’ (which means both a watchful care and an inadvertent omission).

Read more proverbs.

Gardening quote of the month

“Until we can comprehend the beguiling beauty of a single flower, we are woefully unable to grasp the meaning and potential of life itself.” by Virginia Woolf.

Read more gardening quotes.

Joke (or pun) of the week

A hangover is the wrath of grapes.

Read more jokes.

Upcoming events – introduction

As has become traditional, the list of events below covers the next two months and is divided between non-cooking and cooking events. Clicking the name of any event will take you to the corresponding page on our website where you can read more detail (including the event description) and/or register/book your place. This format is similar to the pre-pandemic format but a bit shorter.

The events listed are restricted to face-to-face events and do not include online events. Obviously, they are also restricted to those that I am aware of. If you know of any local, food-related events that are not listed then please email me. If someone emails me about their event then, because I believe in rewarding effort, I will highlight it in the next newsletter.

For example, Cecilia Macaulay has written in to make me aware of her next webinar. Declutter your body, create a garden of food in your fridge: Sunday, 10th January, 2-3.30pm; $donation; organised by Cecilia Macaulay. Read more and book on EventBrite.

You can also look at the various calendars on the website, including:

The website calendars have a number of features which allow you to filter or re-format the list of events to suit your purposes. These include:

  • Filtering by suburb or Council area (click the green button top left called ‘locations’).
  • Alternating between a list format and a calendar format (click the button top right called ‘agenda’).
  • Registering/booking your place for a particular event (click the button on the right of the event called ‘tickets’).
  • Reading the event description for a particular event (click the button on the right of the event called ‘+’).

There are also website calendars for all the recurring events including community garden get togethers, food swaps, free meals and markets.

Finally, there are separate website calendars for each of the Council areas in North East Melbourne.

Upcoming events – not cooking

January
February

Upcoming events – cooking

January
February

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