LFC News March 23 2022

Mar 232022
 

Thanks to the people who have contributed to this week’s newsletter: Felicity Gordon, John Wright, Margaret Marshall and Tatiana Coluccio.

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.

A community garden is being established in Panton Hill

A small community garden is being established at the Living & Learning Centre in Panton Hill. Some raised beds have been built and the first plantings happened on Saturday (as demonstrated by the action picture right).

Want some straw bales?

John Wright has a hay and straw supply business in Lilydale called Complete Hay Supplies. 850 bales of his straw were used for a skateboard race last week and he is now trying to find new homes for these bales. As he says, “great for mulch, etc.” Anyone interested? There will be a cost, but this can be negotiated depending on how many bales you might want. If interested, email John (sales@completehaysupplies.com.au).

Want a job?

Old Evropa, the bakers in Eltham Village, have a position for a mature, experienced, artisan baker to help them take their business to the next level. If interested, send a current CV and cover letter to oldevropa@bigpond.com.

Do you know your Asian greens?

This 4 minute video by Thanh Truong (aka the Fruit Nerd) discusses many of the major Asian greens, including bok choy and pak choy, gai lan (Chinese broccoli), choy sum, water spinach (kang kong), gai choy (small mustard green), wombok (Chinese cabbage) and Chinese chives.

Our guide to local wine makers – updated

As discussed in our updated guide to local wine makers, how many wineries you think there are in North East Melbourne large depends on how far east you think that Melbourne extends. If you include the western part of the Yarra Valley (Coldstream, Dixons Creek and Yarra Glen) then the number is around 65 but this reduces to around 20 if you exclude that area.

Most of the wineries have a cellar door and many also have a cafe or restaurant.

Around 6 are South West of the Yarra Valley and 12 are located in Nillumbik.

The 6 to the South West of Yarra Valley are: Kellybrook Winery in Wonga Park; Rob Dolan Wines in Warrandyte South; and Billanook Estate, Cosmo Wines, Vue on Halcyon and Yarra Edge in Chirnside Park.

Most of the 12 in Nillumbik participate in something called Open Cellars whereby, on one weekend in each of June and October, all the wineries open their doors so that visitors can follow a trail from winery to winery; on these weekends, all of the wineries offer food and many have live music. During the rest of the year, most of them have a cellar door, typically open on Saturdays and Sundays, where they offer (free) wine tastings, some also offer food, and most have great vistas so you can make an afternoon of it. The table below summarises.
 

Name Base Online   Cellar door   Open Cellars
Buttermans Track St Andrews yes   yes
Easthill Estate Kangaroo Ground   yes yes yes
Hildebrand Ridge Organic Vineyard   Cottles Bridge   yes yes
Kings of Kangaroo Ground Kangaroo Ground yes yes yes
Nillumbik Estate Smiths Gully yes yes yes
Panton Hill Vineyard & Winery Panton Hill   yes yes
Punch St Andrews yes yes yes
Shaws Road Winery Arthurs Creek yes yes yes
Swipers Gully Vineyard Kangaroo Ground yes   yes
Watson's Creek Wines Kangaroo Ground     yes
Wedgetail Estate Cottles Bridge yes yes yes
Yarrambat Estate Vineyard Yarrambat yes   yes

Read our updated guide to local wine makers.
 

Every newsletter deserves a good picture

So the question about the picture on the right is: how is your child going to react when you tell him/her to eat it?

Not food but interesting

The first ever Banyule Open Studios is happening over the weekend of 2nd and 3rd April. 25 artist studios will be opening their doors to the public on both the Saturday and the Sunday. No need to book – just rock up.

In addition, there is a free opening reception on the Friday evening and a free evening of performance art on the Saturday.

 

Messy play day is on Saturday, 2nd April, 9.30-11am at Hohnes Road Playhouse, 1 Hohnes Road, Eltham. Not only digging for Easter eggs, face painting and a painting wall but also creepy crawlies in rainbow spaghetti, water world and cars in foam! I want to participate! Why are they limiting the maximum age to 6 years?

Not local but interesting

East Keilor Community Garden is holding an open day on Sunday, 3rd April, 10am-3pm. There will be seedlings & plants for sale, vegetables, a BBQ and Devonshire tea. 10A Tuppal Place, East Keilor. Free entry.

The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival will be taking place on 25th March to 6th April at various locations in the CBD.

The Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show will be taking place on 30th March to 3rd April, 9am-5pm each day, at the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens.

Which link was clicked most times in the last newsletter?

The most popular link in the last newsletter was Bruno’s short video on how to plant leek seedlings.

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

I just baked a synonym bun … just like the ones that grammar used to bake.

Read more jokes.

Regular activities over the coming week

Farmers’ markets
Food swaps
Community gardens

Upcoming face-to-face events – not cooking

Carlton aperitvio food tour; various Fridays, 5-7pm; $89 ($45 per hour); Carlton.

You will indulge in the Italian ‘Aperitivo’ tradition. What exactly is Aperitivo, what can you expect to eat and drink, how did it begin, how did it make its way to Melbourne? You will learn all this and more while sipping on Italian cocktails, prosecco and wines and tasting arancini, cicchetti, pizza, pasta, gelato, salumi and cheese. Walking along Lygon Street, you will visit some foodie venues, meeting the people behind the food. 5 food & drink stops, 11 food tastings and 2.5 standard drinks.

Masterclass: out of the barrel; Saturday, 26th March, 1-3pm; $80 ($40 per hour); Thornbury.

This masterclass will cover barrel aged, wild fermentation and skin contact beer. You will get to sample 5 different beers. Organised by 3 Ravens Brewery.

An intro to beekeeping; Sunday, 10th April, 9.30am-12.30pm; $55 ($28 per hour); Bulleen Art & Garden (BAAG).

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.

The fungus amongst us; Sunday, 10th April, 10am-12.30pm; $55 ($22 per hour); Alphington.

Explore the Darebin park lands through a fungal lens. Participants will be guided to see and get close to the local world of fungi. The park adventure will be led by local ecologist Dr Sapphire McMullan-Fisher. Founder of Sporadical City Mushrooms, Julia Laidlaw, will then share the world of zero waste mushroom farming at her farm on the edge of the park land.

Farmer for a day!; 3 occurrences on Tuesday 19th April, Thursday 21st April and Friday 22nd April, each 8.30am-4pm; $125 ($17 per hour) ; Abbotsford.

For children aged 8-14. At Collingwood Children’s Farm. The day includes a farm tour, woodworking workshop, planting workshop, farm work and barn activities.

Kalorama Chestnut Festival; Sunday, 1st May, 10am-4pm; free; Kalorama.

Savour the abundant chestnuts, gourmet food, Devonshire tea, coffee, artisan beer and mulled wine. Explore the diverse range of stalls, including: roasted chestnuts; poffertjes; homemade cakes; sausage sizzle; local restaurants; mulled wine; coffee, tea and chai; local handmade crafts; and local produce.

Tomato: know, sow, grow, feast with Karen Sutherland; Friday, 13th May, 10.30-11.30am; free; Doncaster.

Karen Sutherland, co-author of Tomato: know, sow, grow, feast  will share her tips and tricks to taste this food. She will do so in conversation with Claire Halliday. Organised by Doncaster Library.

Native edibles for companion planting; Saturday, 14th May, 6.30-9pm; $50 ($20 per hour); Bulleen Art and Garden (BAAG).

What you will learn: a range of edible natives that are easy to grow in Melbourne; basics of companion planting; and which plants to choose in your garden planning, and how to grow and care for them. You will learn how to incorporate some easily grown edible native plants into your garden so that they work in harmony with your existing plants, as well as a variety of ways to use these plants in your kitchen. Presented by Karen Sutherland, of Edible Eden Design.

Gardening in small spaces; Sunday, 15th May, 10am-3pm; $115 ($23 per hour); CERES.

You will learn how to maximise your small space to create an oasis of food, herbs and ornamentals. In particular, you will learn: gardening skills; how to maximise small spaces and grow your own food; and how to transform your balcony. Presenter: Clare.

Compost, worm farm and Bokashi workshop; Tuesday, 17th May, 9.30-11.30am; free; Ringwood.

Discover how to reduce your food waste using a compost bin, worm farm or Bokashi bin. Participants will learn how to set up and maintain a variety of home composting systems and will be provided with troubleshooting tips. Organised by Central Ringwood Community Centre.

Biodiversity and sustainable food systems; Wednesday, 18th May, 10am-4pm; $120 ($20 per hour); CERES.

What you will learn: what is biodiversity and why preserve it; how to measure habitat quality; and nature connection activities. Presenter: Lorna Pettifer. The topics to be covered include: understanding of global and Australian biodiversity; measuring biodiversity; biodiversity organisations; ways of making a difference in your backyard; and sustainable food systems.

In March
In April
In May
Regular events

Upcoming face-to-face events – cooking

Mozzarella making class; Saturday, 14th May, 10am-midday; $120 ($60 per hour); Thomastown.

What you will learn: the process behind producing curd; how to make hand-stretched fresh mozzarella; and how to shape mozzarella into bocconcini and trecce. What you will get: guided cheese tasting with a glass of wine; and freshly made mozzarella to take home. Organised by That’s Amore Cheese.

Cultural cooking – Indian breads; Saturday, 14th May, 11am-1pm; $40 ($20 per hour); Alphington.

Manu will show you how to make roti, stuffed roti, paratha and poori. Organised by Alphington Community Centre.

Preserving; Sunday, 15th May, 9-10am; $70 ($14 per hour); Kinglake.

It is always the right time to make preserves! A homemade jam, jelly, chutney or relish enhances any table. Everyone takes home a sweet and a savoury preserve along with a folder of beginner’s recipes and tips. Organised by Kinglake Ranges Neighbourhood House.

Pizza making masterclass; Sunday, 15th May, 11am-1.30pm; $106 ($30 per hour); Northcote.

Edoardo Nicita, from Shop 225, will demonstrate how to create pizza dough from scratch and you will then make margherita and truffle mushroom pizzas. At the end, you will eat the creations with your new found foodie friends!

In March
In April
In May
Regular classes

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