May 032023
 

Thanks to the people who have contributed to this week’s newsletter: Bev Middleton, Celesta van der Paal, Claire Smith, James Petty, Janet King, Leila Alexandra, Olwyn Smiley, Paul Gale-Baker and Virginia Solomon.

The Veggie Empire will be featuring on Gardening Australia

The Veggie Empire, which is a small regenerative urban farm in Greensborough, were recently visited by Gardening Australia. The rumour on the grapevine is that they will be featured in this Friday’s episode (5th May) .

Yes, you do know!

Last week, Claire Stronge asked about sourcing wood suitable for large garden structures/wigwams to grow sweet peas and climbers. There were a variety of replies. Thanks, everyone!

  • Janet King: bamboo canes. “Claire can have some from my black bamboo clump.
  • Olwyn Smiley: bamboo canes. “I use bamboo canes cut from the rampant running bamboo that has strayed under neighbours’ back fences into the ‘right of way’ adjoining the bike track behind my house.
  • James Petty: fig branches. “A winter prune of a mature fig tree should give you plenty. They are not flexible like hazel but they are sturdy. Note that the branches may root at the cut end if submerged in soil.
  • Virginia Solomon: hazel canes. “I have hazelnut trees and would love to trade know-how for canes. I have 4 trees – they probably need a good thinning but I don’t know how to split and prepare them. I never get any nuts because they are all the same variety, but I too would love to use my own hazel canes instead of shop bought bamboo.
  • Paul Gale-Baker: mulberry branches. “If you know someone with a mulberry tree which throws up tall vertical branches – watershoots – ask them for some after they’ve pruned. They are frequently very long and with enough flexibility to be used for structures – and there are usually plenty of them. I have them in profusion after fruiting on my mulberry.
  • Claire Smith: “Join your local Buy Nothing group and ask if anyone is giving away garden stakes or is growing bamboo and is happy to have some canes cut down. Your local community Facebook pages could also be a source of garden stakes and the like.

More on cucumber pickles (by Celesta van der Paal)

I (Celesta) was pleased to see Anna Matilda’s recipe for bread and butter pickles in a recent newsletter. It is a similar recipe to that which I have used for several years. Just make sure you properly sterilise your jars.  So easy and satisfying to see a dozen jars of pickles in the fridge.  Half a jar of bread and butter cucumber pickles placed in a fresh and fluffy white bread roll for lunch – yum!

I (Celesta) began making my own cucumber pickles when I realised that the products I had been purchasing were imported.  I had been buying a salad vegetable that was grown who knows where and processed in a factory on the other side of the world.  Here are the results of my recent quick survey of cucumber pickle products on the supermarket shelves at the moment. 

  • Aldi: Deli Originals Dill Cucumbers (product of India); Fehlberg Dill Cucumbers (India).
  • Coles: Coles Bread & Butter Pickles (product of India); Coles Special Burger Pickles (India); Fehlbergs Burger Pickles (India); Fehlbergs Sandwich Stackers (India); McClures Pickles (India); Sandhurst Sandwich Stackers (India); Wicked Pickles (India).
  • Woolworths: Always Fresh Bread & Butter Cucumbers (product of India); Byrne Co Burger Pickles (India); Fehlbergs Burger Pickle (India); Fehlbergs Pickle Chips (India); Fehlbergs Sandwich Stackers (India); McClures Pickles (India); Sandhurst Sandwich Stackers (India); Macro Certified Organic Burger Pickles (Poland); Three Sisters Pickles (Australia); Westmont Pickles (Australia).

At Coles, the pickled cucumber products took up nearly two metres of space by two shelves, with 100% being imported!

Another newsletter reader’s website – Leila Alexandra

Leila (aka The Barefoot Elder), has started an edible gardening guidance business called Barefoot Food Gardens. She offers consultations, workshops, storytelling and tours of her rental garden. She specialises in low-work, no-dig, permaculture and forage approaches to growing food at home.

See Leila’s website. Also, see her Facebook page and her Instagram page.

Read about other newsletter readers’ websites on our website.

If you have a website, tell us (guy@localfoodconnect.org.au) and we’ll include it in a future newsletter. It doesn’t have to be about food.

Another video about Egyptian walking onions from Simone

Simone’s new video is about how to plant Egyptian walking onions.. Her three main tips are:

  • Don’t separate out the bulblets.
  • Orient the bunch of bulblets such that the maximum number of pointy ends are upwards.
  • Plant around 20cm apart.

This is by no means Simone’s first video about Egyptian walking onions. Her previous videos include how she uses them,
checking on progress and red onions.

Like Simone, I am a fan of Egyptian walking onions. They are unique because, as well as growing normal shallot-like onions underground, they also grow miniature onions at the tops of their stalks (see photo)! As these miniature onions, called bulblets, grow, the stalk bends under their weight until the bulblets touch the ground some distance from the parent plant. They then (with a bit of luck) take root and create new plants. Or you can cut them off and plant them yourself. They average, say, 4 bulblets per stalk, so the number of plants can quickly multiply. They are both fun and easy to grow.

It is pretty obvious why these onions are called walking, but why Egyptian?

You don’t know? Ok, here is another question for you: what was The Bangles’ greatest hit?

Wonderful worms

Soil Week Australia are running another soils competition in 2023, with the topic of wonderful worms. The competition is open to all primary school, secondary school and homeschool students. Entries can be in any digital format, including video, making a magazine, drawing a picture, recording a speech, writing a play, painting a mural, designing a video game or writing a book review. There will be a number of cash prizes. Closing date: 15th September. Read more and potentially enter.

Not quite local but interesting

The Pascoe Vale Food Collective is a community-run initiative where local residents can purchase ethically produced pantry wholefoods and cleaning products, package-free. The Collective is open for distribution to both members and visitors on the 2nd Saturday of each month, 9.30-11.30am. At Pascoe Vale Senior Citizens Centre, James Reserve, 33A Prospect Street, Pascoe Vale. Take your own containers for filling if possible.

The collective is currently looking for some volunteers to help out on distribution days with setting up for the day, filling orders, organising pantry goods, as well as assisting with tidying and front-of-house duties. If you would potentially be willing to volunteer, contact Penny by email (pascoevalefoodcollective@gmail.com).

Which link was clicked most times in the last newsletter?

The most popular link in the last newsletter was Helen Simpson’s guide to growing garlic.

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

Last night, I dreamed I was swimming in an ocean of orange soda. But it was just a Fanta sea.

Read more jokes.

 

Regular activities over the coming week

Farmers’ and other food markets
Food swaps
Community gardens

Upcoming face-to-face events – not cooking

Composting at home 101; Wednesday, 10th May, 6.30-8pm; free; Lalor.

Learn all the basics of composting from where to start, how to set up and how to maintain.

Mushroom foraging; 5 occurrences on Saturday 13th May, Sunday 21st May, Saturday 27th May, Sunday 4th June and Saturday 10th June, each 10am-3pm; $128 ($32 per hour); Forest Hill.

Join Anna, the Urban Nanna, for an educational session about wild mushrooms: when, where & how to find them, what to look for and how to use them. The 4 hours will be split up into 4 sessions: education; group exploring; consolidation of learning; and picnic lunch. You will find and identify a range of wild, edible mushrooms. You will learn the basic principles and protocols of foraging, and then move on to mushroom specifics. You will examine examples of the types of mushrooms to look for on the day, and be shown the physical features you can use to correctly identify them. There will also be information on how to safely prepare and enjoy eating the mushrooms you find. Overall, there will be around 1-2km of walking over grassy terrain involved.

Vegepod demonstration; Tuesday, 23rd May, 10.30-11.30am; free; Balwyn.

Planning a vegetable garden in a small space or an apartment? Vegepod will present a range of solutions.

Introduction to horticultural permaculture (4 sessions); every Monday for 4 weeks starting 29th May, 10am-2.30pm; $60 for all 4 sessions; Eltham.

This practical, hands-on course will give you an understanding of what permaculture is and how it can be applied in both a home garden setting and a commercial setting. The course will be run by Justin Calverley.

Home composting for beginners; Saturday, 17th June, 2-3.30pm; free; Edendale.

What you will learn: how to compost at home; simple to follow composting steps; and common problems and solutions.

Growing berries; Saturday, 24th June, 10am-3pm; $120 ($24 per hour); CERES.

What you will learn: the wide range of berry fruits that can be grown in Victorian gardens; how to cultivate the plants for great yields and great flavour; berry selection; planting and fertilising; and how to prune and trellis a range of different berry fruits. Presenter: Poppy Turbiak.

Fermenting for justice – with Dolly Kikon; Sunday, 25th June, 1-3pm; $45 ($23 per hour); Fitzroy North.

This workshop will include a presentation on Naga ferments and tasting a few dishes. Dolly will share Naga fermented food cultures and the importance of recognising indigenous knowledge and tradition for a sustainable shared future.

In May

Note that 7th May to 13th May is International Compost Awareness Week, which explains the numerous composting workshops in that week listed below.

In June
Regular events

Upcoming face-to-face events – cooking

Simply scrumptious cooking workshop; Saturday, 6th May, 3-5pm; free; Kilsyth.

Chef Nicky will show you basic knife skills before making a simple menu of dishes. Organised by Japara Living & Learning Centre.

Modern Asian fusion cooking workshop; 3 occurrences on Thursday 11th May, Thursday 18th May and Thursday, 25th May, each 1-3pm; free; Kilsyth.

Joyce will show you modern ways of presenting Asian cuisine. Organised by Japara Living & Learning Centre.

Learn to cook Mauritian samoussa and achard; Wednesday, 24th May, 6-8pm; $20 ($10 per hour); Forest Hill.

Learn how to make Mauritian-style samoussas (little fried triangles of pastry filled with curried veggies) and achard (a pickle of Indian origin). Finish with tasting and sharing the dishes together.

Taiwanese banquet cooking class; Saturday, 17th June, 5-7.30pm; $126 ($50 per hour); Brunswick.

Cristina Chang will cover the fundamentals of Taiwanese cuisine, ingredients and flavours whilst you learn how to make a range of Taiwanese dishes. Sample menu: spring onion pancakes, smashed cucumber salad, Taiwanese beef noodles and glutinous rice balls.

Colombian cooking workshop; Saturday, 24th June, 10am-1pm; $65 ($33 per hour); Balwyn North.

Join Verena Puello, head chef at Donde Mama, as she shows you how Colombians make empanadas using corn flour and a variety of fillings. You’ll also get to make a dessert. Organised by Trentwood at the Hub.

French patisserie – croquembouche; Saturday, 24th June, 1.30-4.30pm; $105 ($35 per hour); Lower Templestowe.

Tish will teach you the art of making croquembouche, starting with how to make the choux pastry and the creme patisserie and then how to cook toffee and build the croquembouche. Organised by Living And Learning @ Ajani.

Introduction to fermenting at home; Sunday, 25th June, 10am-1pm; $80 ($27 per hour); CERES.

What you will learn: the basics to successfully start fermenting vegetables at home; ideas about creating your own fermented condiments; and how to use fermented products in day to day life. What you will get: vegetables that you will prepare in class and take home to ferment; samples of fermented products to taste in class; and notes and recipes. Presenter: Lauren Mueller.

The art of baking sourdough with Fei; Sunday, 25th June, 1-4pm; $165 ($55 per hour); Mount Evelyn.

You will learn how to make sourdough bread from start to finish, from mixing and kneading the dough to proofing, shaping and baking. You will also cover how to maintain a sourdough starter. You will take home starter culture and a loaf of freshly baked bread. Presenter: Fei from Munchen Bakery. Organised by The Food School Yarra Valley.

In May
In June
Regular classes

 Leave a Reply

(required)

(required)