Local food and drink directory

 
J.B. Shackleton’s
Products:
Marmalade, jellies, jams and luxury condiments
Local outlets:
Balgownie Estate, Yarra Glen
Bee Sustainable, Brunswick
East Ivanhoe Grocers - Foodworks
Foodworks Wonga Park
Metropolitan Foods, Templestowe
The Post Office, Wonga Park
Township/suburb:
Wonga Park
Municipality:
Manningham
Notes (in their own words):

J.B. Shackleton's make traditional homemade marmalade, jellies, jams and spreads using recipes handed down through their family for more than five generations. Specific products include marmalade (orange, tangelo, cumquat, lime, lemon, grapefruit), jellies (quince), jams (raspberry, boysenberry, blackberry), various honeys and panforte. Everything is made by hand, in small batches, using natural ingredients, and with all the fruit from Australia. Because they use fresh fruits, availability depends on what is in season.

J.B. Shackleton's have won a host of international awards, including Gold medals in the World’s Original Marmalade Competition in the UK in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2020.

The company is one of the earliest to have made and sold marmalade in Melbourne, with the original shop being at 3 Elgin Street, Carlton in the 1880s. The business, however, began much earlier in the UK around 1780, probably making them one of the earliest ever makers of marmalade.

In December 2019, Judy Vizzari interviewed Lachlan Shackleton-Fergus from J.B. Shackleton's. Read her writeup of the interview.

Joe’s Market Garden
Category:
Products:
A wide range of vegetables
Local outlets:
Farmgate - Saturdays, 8.30am-1pm
Township/suburb:
Coburg
Municipality:
Merri-Bek
Notes (in their own words):

Joe's Market Garden is a 2½ acre Certified Organic farm located next to the Merri Creek. They grow mostly leafy greens, herbs and and fruiting vegetables. Their produce can be found in the CERES Fair Food veggie boxes.

It is Melbourne’s last surviving inner city market garden, having been farmed continuously by Chinese and Italian gardeners for over 150 years. CERES began farming here in 2003 under the guidance of Joe Garita.

Irrigation water is taken from the mains supply and a 100,000 litre underground water tank which collects rainwater from neighbouring townhouses.

Jolimont Community Garden
Township/suburb:
Forest Hill
Municipality:
Whitehorse
Notes (in their own words):

This garden is allotment-based, for people who reside in, or pay rates to, the City of Whitehorse.

The garden was first established in 1977 and was the first community garden in Australia.

It comprises around 120 individual plots plus a few communal areas for herbs and perennials. Each plot is around 35 square metres (e.g. 9 metres by 4 metres) and the total size of the garden is almost 2 acres. Most of the plots are in-ground, with a few raised beds.

Collectively, the plot holders are culturally diverse, with the vegetables being grown therefore also being diverse.

There is some communal equipment, such as a lawn mower, wheelbarrows, spades tools and a trailer.

Watch this video.

The garden is one of two overseen by Nunawading Community Gardens, the other being Slater Community Garden in Blackburn North. The Nunawading Community Gardens committee is responsible for both setting overall policies (e.g. no pesticides or herbicides) and for maintenance of the communal areas (e.g. some of the pathways).

They have a number of get togethers each year, to which plot holders from both of the gardens are invited. They order various products in bulk for members to buy, including seed potatoes. They also hold regular working bees to maintain the communal areas.

All plots are currently allocated and there is a waiting list. Read more about joining the waiting list and potentially apply. As of 2024, the cost of a plot is $30 pa and the cost of being on the waiting list is $5 pa.

Juanita’s Kitchen
Products:
Mexican and West African sauces. Also, selected beverages.
Local outlets:
Own shop
Casa Iberica Deli, Alphington
Casa Iberica Deli, Fitzroy
Leo's Fine Food & Wine, Heidelberg
Leo's Fine Food & Wine, Kew
Township/suburb:
Preston
Municipality:
Darebin
Notes (in their own words):

All of Juanita's products are vegan, with no preservatives, dairy, gluten or sugar. They include a range of Mexican sauces & salsas, West African sauces & marinades, and beverages (chai, hibiscus tea and a smoothie mix). Her aim is to share flavours and ingredient combinations that she has discovered, stumbled accross and loved over the years, producing products that are as close to home cooking as they can be.

Juanita also operates a cafe, the menu of which is designed around, and uses, the Juanita's Kitchen products.

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