Jul 172019
 

Community gardening news

16(!) community gardens around North East Melbourne recently received grants to improve their composting facilities. The monies were provided by Australian Ethical Super, who apparently want to reduce food waste in landfill, and administered by 3000acres. Morgan Koegel, from 3000acres, says “the funds were put towards everything from raw materials for new compost bays, through workshops for the public on composting, to demonstration worm farms to show people how they could bring their food scrap management home.” A worthy initiative made all the more worthy by the lack of self-spruiking!

Here is the list of the 16 community garden recipients: Brunswick Neighbourhood House; East Reservoir; Fawkner Food Bowls; Kevin Heinze GROW, Doncaster; Newton Street, Reservoir; North Carlton Railway Neighbourhood House; Northcote; Pentridge, Coburg; Reynard Street, Coburg; Rushall, Fitzroy North; SEEDs, Brunswick; Sunnyfields, Northcote; Thrive, Diamond Creek; West Brunswick; Whittlesea; and Your Community Health, Reservoir.

Food swap news

There is a new food swap at Collingwood Children’s Farm. 3rd Saturday of every month, 10.30-11.30am. So, the next swap is on Saturday. Welcome Jimena!

Local food producer news

Imbue Distillery, from Eltham, and Kings of Kangaroo Ground, from Kangaroo Ground, will both be stallholders at the Eltham Design Market on Saturday, 27th July, 10am-3pm at the Eltham Conference and Reception Centre.

Fun facts: jabuticaba/jaboticaba/jabotica

The most surprising aspect of the jabuticaba fruit tree is shown in the picture (and in this video published by Daleys Fruit Tree Nursery): the fruit grows directly on the main trunks. Jabuticabas are one of the most popular fruits in their native Brazil but you probably won’t have tasted them because they are highly perishable and can’t survive the journey to Australia. You can, however, grow them in Australia if you give them some frost protection and they are discussed by Louis Glowinski in this book The Complete Book of Fruit Growing in Australia.

Read more fun facts.

Local food producers in the news

Take Me Home, who have opened a shop in Coburg selling pasta and gnocchi, featured on the Delicious website.

Deb Graham, from North Warrandyte-based Blue Pear Pantry, featured in both last week’s Leader newspaper and this month’s Warrandyte Diary.

  

Every newsletter needs a good picture

Sabine Timm makes cartoonish bread faces and other wheaty characters out of sandwich bread.

Some articles

Ian Culbard has written in to suggest that people read this article in The Guardian about the ancient art of silvopasture – combining livestock with productive trees. Ok, so you now know what silvopasture is but how about dehesa?

Permablitz’s hero of the month is murnong (aka yam daisy). "The murnong has a flower shaped like a dandelion, and beneath its innocuous, grass-like leaves lies a delicious, sweet yam." Read the article.

Newsletter Angelo Eliades is churning out the articles at the moment. His latest is entitled Know and identify your chilli species.

Some self-spruiking

In the last week I have received three of the nicest appreciations of the newsletter:

  • I love reading your newsletter. It is so informative and it inspires me to go out and get engaged in gardening and related activities. Thank you for all that you do to promote community activities and inspiring gardening articles.
  • I think this newsletter is pretty fantastic. It is so full of information and links to incredibly worthwhile and interesting events and workshops. I really appreciate your efforts, it’s pretty extraordinary.
  • Fantastic newsletter, Guy, always full of interesting and relevant things. A great resource for knowing what’s happening around the local area – who knew there was so much food-and-garden related stuff going on? I also love the update on what was the most clicked link on the previous newsletter – a window into the minds of other locals.

They join the other 240 people who have written to me at one time or another with their appreciations.

Which link was clicked most times in the last newsletter?

Marina’s article about how to make charcoal toothpaste.

Joke of the week

Let’s get this party started … lettuce turnip the beet.

Read more jokes.

New events – not cooking

Learn how to make gin: Saturday, 20th July, 3-4pm; Macleod Organic Community Garden.

What: Every distillery has its secret mix of botanicals. Most gins contain juniper berry and citrus botanicals such as lemon and bitter orange peel, anise, angelica root and seed, orris root, liquorice root, cinnamon, cubeb, savoury, lime peel, grapefruit peel, dragon eye, saffron, baobab, frankincense, coriander, nutmeg and cassia bark. In this workshop, you will explore making ‘bath house gin’ with a mix of botanicals selected from the community garden, plus a few pantry staples.
Cost: $15.
Bookings: just turn up.

5 steps to amazing gut health (4 sessions): 6 consecutive Tuesdays, starting 23rd July, 7.30-9pm; Wonga Park.

What: Tutor: Amanda Wright. Week 1: how to stop acid reflux, heartburn and indigestion in 3 simple steps. Week 2: 5 best ways to prevent depression, anxiety, brain fog, parkinson’s, dementia, fibromyalgia, crohn’s disease and diabetes. Week 3: the hidden link between prescription medications and the impact on gut health. Week 4: how to get better quality
sleep, have more energy & vitality and promote healthy ageing.
Cost: $97.
Bookings: by phone (9722 1944) or email (wpcc@bigpond.com.au).

2040, Join the Regeneration (film): Thursday, 1st August, 6.30-8pm; Mill Park.

What: In 2040, director Damon Gameau (That Sugar Film) embarks on journey to explore what the future could look like by the year 2040 if we simply embraced the best solutions already available to us to improve our planet and shifted them rapidly into the mainstream. Structured as a visual letter to his 4-year-old daughter, Damon blends traditional documentary with dramatised sequences and high-end visual effects to create a vision board of how these solutions could regenerate the world for future generations.
Cost: $23.
Bookings: their website.

2040, Join the Regeneration (film): Wednesday, 14th August, 7-8.30pm; Greensborough.

What: See description above.
Cost: $22.
Bookings: their website.

2040, Join the Regeneration (film): Monday, 19th August, 7-8.30pm; Northcote.

What: See description above.
Cost: $25.
Bookings: their website.

Beeswax wraps and candlemaking workshop: Thursday, 29th August, 10am-midday; Wonga Park.

What: Tutor: Holly from Holly’s Backyard Bees. Learn how to use beeswax to make your own food wraps and candles. Holly will teach you the skills to be able to make these items at home in any shape or size you like. You will take home a beeswax wrap and a beeswax candle.
Cost: $50.
Bookings: by phone (9722 1944) or email (wpcc@bigpond.com.au).

New events – cooking

Vegan Mediterranean cooking: Friday, 2nd August, 10am-midday; Wonga Park.

What: Tutor: Arzu Yilmaz. Mediterranean diet is one of the best as there is olive oil, garlic, lemon and lots of herbs. You will see how easy it is to make great dishes.
Cost: $59.
Bookings: by phone (9722 1944) or email (wpcc@bigpond.com.au).

Cook Indian by the creek: Friday, 2nd August, 6.30-8pm; Diamond Creek.

What: Menu (vegan): butter chicken. Cook Indian by the creek came into existence with the idea of breaking the myth that Indian cooking is complex and difficult to nail. In each session, they will share their traditional recipes and go through the step by step cooking process. The classes are held in a private kitchen.
Cost: $45.
Bookings: by email (cookindianbythecreek@gmail.com)..

Homestyle Japanese with Chef James Cornwall and Mr Global: Saturday, 3rd August, midday-1.30pm; Kitchen Warehouse, Preston.

What: From preparation to presentation, let Chef James Cornwall, Head Chef at Iki-jime, share his take on Japan’s favourite seafood dishes including seared kingfish with dashi broth and spanner crab okonomiyaki. Plus, learn how to sharpen your knives using a whetstone with Mino Tsuchida.
Cost: $5.
Bookings: their website.

Cook Indian by the creek: Friday, 9th August, 6.30-8.30pm; Diamond Creek.

What: Menu: a few varieties of bhajis and chutney.
Cost: $60.
Bookings: by email (cookindianbythecreek@gmail.com)..

Cook Indian by the creek: Friday, 16th August, 6.30-8pm; Diamond Creek.

What: Menu: chicken saagwala / palak paneer.
Cost: $45.
Bookings: by email (cookindianbythecreek@gmail.com)..

Men in the kitchen: Saturday, 17th August, 11am-1pm; Wonga Park.

What: Tutor: Arzu Yilmaz. For men only – who want to improve their knowledge in the kitchen or learn healthy dishes for their partners, as well as enjoy cooking in a short time. 4 dishes in 2 hours. BYO apron and 4 containers.
Cost: $59.
Bookings: by phone (9722 1944) or email (wpcc@bigpond.com.au).

Cooking master class – ‘lamb lovers’: Friday, 23rd August, 7-9pm; Gourmet Living, Templestowe.

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: pumpkin and brie tart; harissa leg of lamb; and French toast bites.
Cost: $42.
Bookings: EventBrite.

Cooking master class – ‘meat lovers’: Thursday, 29th August, 7-9pm; Gourmet Living, Templestowe.

What: Menu: chilli sesame chicken; smokey bourbon pork; and pineapple, coconut & rum tart.
Cost: $42.
Bookings: EventBrite.

Cook Indian by the creek: Friday, 30th August, 6.30-8pm; Diamond Creek.

What: Menu: chicken vindaloo.
Cost: $45.
Bookings: by email (cookindianbythecreek@gmail.com).

Cooking master class – ‘meat lovers’: Friday, 30th August, 7-9pm; Gourmet Living, Templestowe.

What: Menu: chilli sesame chicken; smokey bourbon pork; and pineapple, coconut & rum tart.
Cost: $42.
Bookings: EventBrite.

Cooking master class – ‘Spring salads’: Thursday, 5th September, 7-9pm; Gourmet Living, Templestowe.

What: Menu: smoked chicken caesar; Mediterranean lamb salad; and strawberry ice cream tart.
Cost: $42.
Bookings: EventBrite.

Cooking master class – ‘Spring salads’: Friday, 6th September, 7-9pm; Gourmet Living, Templestowe.

What: Menu: smoked chicken caesar; Mediterranean lamb salad; and strawberry ice cream tart.
Cost: $42.
Bookings: EventBrite.

Summary of upcoming events – not cooking

Over the next week
Over the next month

Summary of upcoming events – cooking

Over the next week
Over the next month

View the complete calendar of upcoming events.

 Leave a Reply

(required)

(required)