Local food-related events
Local Food Act talk – change of date
Unfortunately our speaker Nick Rose cannot make it on Wednesday May 7. We have changed the meeting to Thursday May 8, 6.45pm for 7pm at Nillumbik Health, 917 Main Road, Eltham. I will also inform of the change on our Facebook page.
Nick has been talking with the Department of Agriculture so will have information to share. He will talk about a proposed series of reforms covering the areas of planning; producer profitability; food security; health, well-being and education; urban agriculture, training and employment; and local economic development, so come along and have your say too!
Please register for the evening so that we can pass on some information sent by Nick and have adequate nibbles to share! RSVP Robyn at info@localfoodconnect.org.au or Guy, LFC phone, 0416 203067.
Yandell Kindergarten Fair
Saturday May 3rd, 10am-4pm, Community Drive, Greensborough. Yandell Kindergarten is a beautiful community focused Steiner kinder promoting sustainable living. The fair is an annual fundraiser event for the kinder. On Saturday there will be stalls with hand crafted items, home made and organic food, live music and many native plants for sale, plus much more.
LFC conversations at the Eltham Farmers’ Market
We hope to engage many of you at the EFM by chatting at the LFC tent! At the first market, we posed the question “Why do you or would you grow food?”. The answers:
- Because I can eat it fresh, it tastes better and I know what goes into growing them (no nasty pesticides).
- To make better use of the land I own.
- So I can have strawberries and raspberries from my garden for brekkie for 2 months of the year.
- I want to have lots of veggies.
- Because they are healthy for you.
- I like plants because they’re so beautiful. And my favourite fruit is strawberries.
- The taste!
- Fresh and local.
- I love to try to grow because of the experience of growing.
- I think you should have a garden for no money wasted.
- Homegrown – organic, freshest, available without running to the shops.
- Because it is nice to have a garden.
- Stress relief!
- Nothing compares to homegrown!
At the next food swap (May 24), where surplus will be one of the focuses, we will ask for tips to grow enough veggies for the family! Do you have other suggested conversation starters? Please let us know. Many market goers have been interested in the community garden we have set up at the market in the form of wicking boxes.
Hurstbridge Farmers’ Market
…is on this Sunday May 4.
Mushroom growing
Ron McIntyre will talk about how to grow mushrooms at the monthly meeting of the Hurstbridge Sow and Grow Club. Visitors are welcome to attend for a small fee. The meeting begins at 7:15pm, May 6, at the Hurstbridge Bowls Club (venue will change when the Community Hall is built). Anyone interested could contact Cheryl on 9438 1563 or Sandra on 9714 8031.
Vegetable seedsaving workshop
Learn the basics of saving vegetable seeds – it’s easier than you might think and you can help preserve old fashioned / heirloom seed varieties. Saturday May 10, 2-4 pm, $25, at Edendale. Bookings on 9433 3711.
Wicking bed workshop
Kat Irwin will explain the benefits of building and using wicking garden beds to the Diamond Valley Library Garden group on Tuesday 20 May, 11.30am-12.30pm. Come & learn the concepts of building a wicking bed as we install one into our community garden. All welcome. Bookings via the website or by phone 9434 3809.
Other food activities/information
Autumn plant sale
…at Kevin Heinz Garden Centre, 39 Wetherby Road, Doncaster this Saturday, May 3, 9am-3pm. Includes veggie seedlings.
Sourdough Workshop Alphington
The Sustainable Alphington Project launches this Sunday with a yummy Sourdough Bread-making workshop from 10- 12pm. Come learn sourdough basics and take some handmade dough home to bake in your oven. Cost $10. Call 9499 7227 to register or email Bryony at projects@alphingtoncommunitycentre.org.au. Also see their Facebook page.
Fair Food Week
This is in October, but you may wish to learn more here. Group leaders may wish to plan awareness-raising and community building around issues of fairness, sustainability and resilience in the food system, as well as to highlight and celebrate actions that are being taken locally.
Disappearing bees
This is a well told story, 15 min TED talk.
Thank you to the many readers who send information to the LFC News for sharing!