LFC News July 27 2022

Jul 302022
 

Thanks to the people who have contributed to this week’s newsletter: Angelo Eliades, Bev Middleton, Carol Woolcock, Frances Gibson, Georgie Nathan, Jaimie Sweetman, Jill Brailsford, Lynn-eva Bottomley, Maria Callipari, Megan Goodman, Pam Jenkins, Pauline Webb, Roger Warr.

If you are Gmail user and didn’t successfully receive our newsletter last week, read this short guide on how to stop Google’s blocking of our future newsletters.

The more people who contribute material, the better this newsletter. If you have any interesting news, tips, photos or questions, email them to us.

The white ginger lily (Hedychium coronarium) by Jaimie Sweetman

[Jaimie Sweetman is Head Gardener of the Edible Forest located on the Yarra Valley Estate in Dixons Creek. Tours of the Edible Forest, often led by Jaimie, take place on Fridays and Saturdays – read more and book your place on a future tour.]

After spending today cutting back the ginger lilies in the garden, I thought about how beautiful it looked. And it is also edible.

The white flowers have a strong floral fragrance and taste floral as well. They can be used to top salads, desserts or as a garnish for an elegant look.

The white ginger lily originates from Asia and can be a weed in more tropical areas. Here in Melbourne it does quite well though and adds a tropical theme to your garden. Usually an under-story plant, it does best in a more protected spot under a canopy or among other plants.

Placed in a border near a pathway, the flowers smell lovely walking past and the ginger stems add an architectural element to the garden.

Definitely one of the more beautiful ornamental ginger lilies to grow and it is edible too.

Pam Jenkins on eating Brussels sprout leaves

With the increase in the cost of fruit and vegetables, I (Pam) have started thinking about the amount of food that we waste because, traditionally, some parts of the vegetable crops just aren’t eaten.

Take Brussels sprouts, for example. When they are harvested, the leaves below the sprouts being harvested are torn off and generally discarded. These leaves feel at least as tender as kale which set me wondering why we dispose of them with such gay abandon. Time to consult Chef Google. There are many recipe options. Here is the link to one I tried. The verdict: the Brussels sprout leaves were quite tender and not at all fibrous. The recipe was very tasty as a side dish. I think that the leaves could also be cooked in any sort of kale recipe once you remove the larger veins.

Moving on, why do we dispose of so many outer cabbage leaves? The very outer ones may be tough and fibrous but some a little further in may be a bit ragged or just not the heart. I’ll try them out when my cabbages mature.

Bev’s soil fun fact of the week

[Bev Middleton lives in Macleod and is from Soil Week Australia.]

Most of the antibiotics that we use to fight illness originated from soil microbes, which employ them as weapons in the competition for resources and survival. Penicillin, the first successful antibiotic, came from the soil fungus Penicillium.

Yes you did know (sort of)!

Last week, Jeremy Mather asked what was eating the rind of the lemons on his tree and what could he do about it. A number of you responded, but with differing views.

Angelo Eliades: Possums. Cockatoos don’t eat the peel, but the seeds inside. Rats wouldn’t have eaten that much peel. Protect the fruit with nets, either netting bags (2mm mesh drawstring bags that go around the fruit) or just net the tree.

Carol Woolcock: Snails. They hide under the leaves during the day and come out at night to feast. The best remedy is to inspect the tree and remove the snails on a daily basis until the problem is resolved.

Pauline Webb: Maybe possums but I would suspect rats. My lemons are similar and they then fall to the ground when a bite is taken from the skinless fruit. By contrast, my mandarins are eaten out (fruit only) leaving withering skins on the tree.

Roger Warr: Maybe rats or mice. We have them and they do similar damage, although ours also eat the flesh.

FWIIW, I agree with Angelo: the most likely culprit when the citrus rind has been eaten but not the insides is possums.

Want some truffle?

Eltham residents, Frances and Greg Gibson, from Howqua Truffles, are currently harvesting their truffles in the High Country town of Mansfield beside the Howqua River. If you are interested in purchasing some of this delicacy, contact them by phone (0409 414 325) or email (howquatruffles@gmail.com). Pick up in Eltham.

As someone who has never tasted truffles, I have just bought some from Frances and Greg and will report back in a future newsletter.

Are you an agriculture business in Nillumbik?

On Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd October, Nillumbik Council will be hosting an Open Farm Day program at Edendale Farm. There will be a business-to-business oriented program on the Saturday and a ‘meet the farmer’ program for the public on the Sunday. If you are a Nillumbik-based agricultural businesses that would potentially like to be involved in the Sunday program where you can undertake demonstrations, sell and promote your produce and offer educational workshops, complete their brief expression of interest form.

Not (quite) local but interesting

Community gardening is clearly vibrant in the municipality of Hume. As per their calendar of events in Winter and Spring 2022, there are 4 community gardens (in Craigieburn, Roxburgh Park, Sunbury and Westmeadows) and there are multiple upcoming events in each garden. Bookings are required for all events, most via Hume Council’s Eventbrite page. Also, read Hume Council’s page on community gardens.

Thanks for all the info, Maria Callipari!

The bird-dropping spider

Lynn-eva Bottomley has sent in the left photo which is apparently of the egg sacs of a bird-dropping spider (Celaenia excavata), which Lynn-eva found whilst pruning her plum tree. The Australian Museum has a page about this spider, which includes the following facts:

  • Each egg sac contains around 200 eggs, with up to 13 sacs silked together in a group.
  • The spider is called the bird-dropping spider because it (the spider, not the egg sac) looks like a bird dropping (see right photo).
  • The males are minute (2.5mm in length compared to 12mm for the females).
  • The spider’s diet consists almost exclusively of male moths, which it hunts at night by mimicking the scent of female moths to attract them.

Newsletter reader of the week – Jill Brailsford

Jill Brailsford is an artist who sells a wide range of her art online, including original paintings, art prints, greeting cards and painted stained glass. “I have many cards and prints with Australian native plants and animals which your newsletter readers might be interested in.”

See Jill’s website.

It has become clear to me that what we want for this section is newsletter readers who have websites that might be of interest to (some of) the rest of us. Those websites certainly don’t have to be food-related, just a bit interesting. Jill’s website is a good example. Do you have a website that might be of interest? If so, send me an email and I will include you in a future newsletter.

The photo competition

The results of last week’s competition

Four people sent in photos and the winner is Jo Douglas’ photo of her dried grasses.

Gina Wilson”

I planted native grasses in my frontyard about 20 years ago. Some have thrived, some are sparse, and I can’t remember the names of any of them – sorry!“
Jo Douglas
 
THE WINNER

“This bunch of grasses were picked on a late summer walk in Hurstbridge last year. They remind me strongly of the wide blue late afternoon summer sky contrasting with the blonde grasses flowering at my feet. It includes, roughly left to right, Themeda, Danthonia, Sweet vernal, Yorkshire fog, Briza maxima and minor and Stipa.“
Lee Hirsh

“I created the arrangement from some grasses that I gathered from the Mornington Beach.“
Rowena Scott
Poa sp.
(tussock-grass)”
 
Frosted poa in a Gardens for Wildlife (G4W) planting beside frozen kidney weed.“
This week’s competition

The theme of this week’s competition is plants that are native to Australia but not native to Victoria and the prize is Australian native plants by John Wrigley and Murray Fagg, which weighs in at a hefty 500 A4 pages..

To enter the competition, email your photos of any plants that are native to Australia but not native to Victoria, including identification, by end of play Monday, 1st August. Our judging panel will then cogitate on Tuesday and the various entries will be included in the newsletter on Wednesday. Pick up the prize from my house in Eltham.

This is the last of the photo competitions to give away Stuart Rodda’s books.

Meg’s garden this month

My (Meg’s) wattle is out and provides a spot of cheery yellow colour that wards off the cold. The frosty weather has limited my time in the garden this month and everything from the worms to the pets seem to want to be tucked under blankets. Instead, I’ve spent the day looking through old recipes written in copperplate on discoloured scraps of paper. They are treasured and need to be transposed so not lost. Here is one of the recipes.

Grandma’s chocolate ginger slice

155g chopped dates
125g butter
½ cup sugar
60g crystalised ginger, very finely chopped
3½ cups of cornflakes
300g chocolate, to melt

Stir the dates, chopped butter, sugar and ginger over low heat in a large pan until the dates are soft.

Remove from the heat and add the cornflakes, mixing well.

Press into a lined square brownie or slice tin and refrigerate to set.

Once set, melt the chocolate, and spread over the top. Refrigerate again to set.

Cut into small squares and serve.

Note: Grandma would use 1 cup of drinking chocolate with 125g melted copha to replace the more expensive chocolate.

Read more of Megan Goodman’s recipes on our website.

Some of our articles you might have missed over the last month

Which link was clicked most times in the last newsletter?

The most popular link in the last newsletter was Angelo’s article on how long different fruit trees live.

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

An ox walks into a bar. The bartender says, “off the wagon again?”

Read more jokes.

 

Regular activities over the coming week

Farmers’ markets
Food swaps
Community gardens

Upcoming face-to-face events – not cooking

The art of espalier; Saturday, 3rd September, 9.30am-12.30pm; $55 ($18 per hour); Bulleen Art and Garden Nursery.

What you will learn: growing espaliered fruit trees; different techniques to make the most of all available space for espalier; and improve your general gardening skills. Topics will include suitable fruit trees, pruning and training techniques. Presenter: Diana Cotter.

Setting up a worm farm; Saturday, 3rd September, 2-3.30pm; free; Edendale.

This workshop will cover both the theory and practice of worm farming in a household setting. It will be useful for those wishing to recycle household food waste in order to produce worm products for use in the improvement of soil in gardens and pot plants.

Permaculture Design Course (80 hours); on Thursdays from 8th September to 8th December; $595; Kinglake.

The subjects to be covered will include: permaculture ethics and design principles; water systems; building healthy soils; passive solar building and retrofitting existing buildings; building greater personal and community resilience; growing nutrient dense food; and emerging opportunities in the new economy.

Produce in pots; Saturday, 10th September, 9.30am-12.30pm; $55 ($18 per hour); Bulleen Art and Garden Nursery.

What you will learn: why edibles fail and how to improve their chances of success; how to choose the right pots, potting mix, additives and mulches; the best fruit and vegetables options for pots; and the best sustainable and organic maintenance techniques, including watering and feeding. Presented by Diana Cotter.

Introduction to beekeeping; Thursday, 15th September, 11am-midday; free; Greensborough.

Bob’s Beekeeping staff will discuss what is involved in keeping your own hive of bees.

Growing mushrooms at home; Saturday, 17th September, 10am-12.30pm; $95 ($38 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, 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).

An intro to beekeeping; Sunday, 18th September, 9.30am-12.30pm; $55 ($18 per hour); Bulleen Art and Garden Nursery.

What you will learn: a foundational knowledge of keeping bees; the set up and tools of a hive; and the financial, time inputs and responsibilities. You will see a working hive and taste some honey. Presented by Sarah Buchanan.

In July
In August
In September
Regular events

Upcoming face-to-face events – cooking

Lovely lemons; Wednesday, 7th September, 1.30-3pm; $5; Greensborough.

Make lemon butter. All equipment, materials and ingredients will be provided.

Cheese making with Tina van Kooten; Wednesday, 14th September, 10am-3pm; $90 ($18 per hour); Yarra Glen.

Tina van Kooten will make quick and easy feta plus microwave mozzarella. A light lunch will be provided with some homemade cheeses, and you will take your cheeses home to enjoy. BYO apron, rubber gloves and container with draining mat.

Middle Eastern cooking; Thursday, 15th September, 10.30am-1.30pm; $80 ($27 per hour); Park Orchards.

Learn about the flavours of Middle Eastern cooking. Try out recipes and cooking methods while preparing a three course menu. Stay and share your freshly prepared dinner with the group.

Sourdough bread workshop; Saturday, 17th September, 9-11.30am; $185 ($74 per hour); Brunswick East.

What you will learn: ways to create and look after your own sourdough starter culture; the flour to use for the best nutrition and results; ways to knead sticky high hydration dough for a more authentic sourdough loaf; the equipment needed to produce a great looking and tasting sourdough tin loaf at home; and ways to bake sourdough bread using a bread tin in a home oven. What you will get: comprehensive workshop notes; sourdough starter culture; and a discount on a professional quality bread tin. Tutor: Rick Lavender of The Life We Want.

Soft goat cheese curd and goat camembert cheese; Sunday, 18th September, 10am-4pm; $170 ($28 per hour); CERES.

What you will learn: how to make your own goats cheese; how to make ricotta cheese; and about different cheeses. Presenters: Janet Clayton and Charlene Angus from Cheeselinks.

In July
In August
In September
Regular classes

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