Acoustic soup launch at ANU Co-op

This is exciting - the launch of Acoustic Soup for 2011!! 


I've met a couple of the organisers of Acoustic Soup and they are an inspiring group of young people who are committed to sustainability and volunteer on organic farms. Working on organic farms is something I would like to get into to encourage rural links with our local community and take our children onto these farms to meet growers and help out too. I met some of these amazing young people at a talk by Joel Salatin in Canberra last year on organic farming as a viable business model.


Joel Salatin says we need to make farming sexy to young people and also provide young people with white-collar equivalent wages. Incredibly Salatin has achieved both in his home state in the US despite constant harassment by federal regulators.


 My husband had already seen Food Inc and implored me never to buy factory produced meat again. I will never forget the sight of meat products being treated with disinfectant in an industrial processing plant destined for hamburger filler. What horrified me even more was the legal action by the chemical giants against the seed saving man featured in Food Inc who had been conducting his legitimate business for years. I have to say meeting some of the amazing people connected with the event below and hearing Joel Salatin speak and watching Food Inc was a catalyst for me and part of the reason I decided to start this blog.



www.polyfacefarms.com/

Acoustic Soup - the blurb!

Acoustic Soup is held from 6.30 - 9.30 at the ANU Food Co-Op every third Wednesday of the month, starting on Wednesay 16 March!  The Co-op is located on Childers St, between The Street Theatre and UniLodge, behind the Conservation Council.  

The ANU Food Co-op is a fantastic place to shop for local, fresh, organic, sustainable, natural, Fair Trade, ethical, bulk and affordable products. Check the website out at: www.foodco-opshop.com.au

Acoustic Soup will be co-ordinated this year by Real Food Canberra (www.realfoodcanberra.org). This event is a fundraiser for the fantastic ANU Food Co-op, but more than that, it is a chance to eat delicious (cheap!) organic/local food that supports regional farmers and local musicians!  (That's right, the sweet tunes will be pumping again this year with local musicians!)

We look forward to seeing you at the Co-op on Wednesday the 16th March at 6.30pm!! 

If you plan to come, please RSVP to acousticsoupnight@gmail.com. Mark your subject line as “RSVP”. This will really help us with catering!!  (But don't stress, you can still just turn up on the night too!) 

Oohs and aahs at Harvest Hall

Harvest Hall tableau Royal Canberra Show

I made it to the Harvest Hall just at the end of the Royal Canberra Show to check out the horticultural produce. The show schedule intrigued me and I particularly wanted to see what people did with lavender which did not disappoint.

Let me set the scene. At the back of the Harvest Hall was a sweeping tableau next to the wool classing section. An array of perfectly positioned fruit and vegetables created a harvest pattern at the centrepiece of which was the opening stanza of Dorothea McKellar's most famous poem. The harvest tableau was flanked by the dahlias in all their gaudy glory.  The Floral Art Society had some way out arrangements but I wanted to get down to business and check out the chutney, vegies, kids' sculptures and so on. I also had a secondary mission, to view the junior cookery so that Imogen can enter iced cupcakes next year (without paper).

I looked up and noticed about 20 vases of naked ladies arranged on top of the display cabinets - I have never seen so many of these old-fashioned beauties gathered together at once. The produce was wonderful and the kids' sculptures delightful in their interpretation and whimsy too. The lavender was gorgeous and I particularly loved the pot pourri. Not sad, bitsy and dusty like our grandma's tired versions but pink, purple and vivacious with hunks of bright orange peel and rose petals. Lavender vinegars, lemon butters, jams, cakes, biscuits and slices showed off the untapped potential of this flower as a flavouring.

Here is a slideshow of some of the entries.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dharmic_dove/sets/72157626165230406/show/


Dave the horticultural demon dropped around with some of his bountiful harvest for us and gave me a few top tips:

Collar rot and blossom rot can be prevented by using dolomite and gypsum dug into our clay soils.
Vegie seedlings need lots of water to establish good tap roots and will be more robust later on.
Fungal diseases are prevalent at the moment and need a good low toxin treatment if crops are to survive.

Dave's eggplant

After the stewards check the correct class against the produce schedule each class of garden produce at the show is judged on:

• Quality such as ripeness
• Commercial comparison such as what a shopper would like to buy
• Lack of blemishes.
• Uniformity in size
• Depending on variety (like Dave's eggplant here) size - bigger may not be best.

If you want to enter visit the show website www.rncas.org.au or phone the show office (6241 2478) around December to request a horticulture/produce schedule be sent to you.

Honey honey

The apiarists have a honey and beeswax competition too with displays of beehives, honey and beeswax products. Beeswax candles, are in my opinion, one of the most beautiful objects in existence. I'm not into wildly irrational unscientific claims but I do genuinely believe a beeswax candle has the power to purify the air when in burns. The smell of a beeswax candle is nothing more than glorious.

Wednesday morning (2 March) from 7.30am the beekeepers are holding a breakfast on the front lawn of Parliament House for everyone who is interested in the future of food in Australia. It's a free honey breakfast to highlight some of the issues around honey and beekeepers.

www.securefoodsavebees.com

Stranger than fiction

Forget Agatha Christie - seeing the beekeepers reminded me that Australian Story featured the most bizarre murder mystery last year. It was very sad about a lovely man who lived by himself and kept bees and had done a lot to highlight bee quarantine issues such as imported pests like the varroa mite. He lived in Qld where this terrible crime occurred and was knocked off in a cruel and brutal way by a competitor who was stealing other people's honey stockpiles.
A sting in the tale

2011 Royal Canberra Show

News flash.

Ainslie home grown horticulturalist Dave Joyce won first prize at the Royal Canberra Show for his eggplants yesterday.

In a narrow decision and agonising deliberation he came second and missed the champion's ribbon for his vegie collection.

The judges marked his chutney down because they needed 1cm more in the jar. However apparently the chutney was offered around and sampled with gusto. I may be able to get the recipe from Dave just for you but then again it could be a secret.

The categories for horticulture produce are:
cookery
garden produce
horticulture
jams, spreads and preserves
apiculture
lavender
olives

The sponsors include the lavender growers' association who promote the use of lavender as a herb or spice.

Entries need to be in around the first week of February (for 2012 future reference).

If you like the idea of culinary lavender, kids can enter the following sections:

Your favourite cake with lavender iced or un-iced
chocolate brownies with lavender iced or un-iced
Fancy biscuit or slice with lavender
Muffin with lavender


In the School student section for horticultural produce you can enter:

Collection of any vegetables of four kinds
three zucchini not more than 200mm
3 button squash not more than 75mm
3 potatoes
3 carrots
3 tomatoes
3 cobs of sweet corn (not to be husked)
1 pumpkin
any other vegetable not mentioned
six plums
Any other fruit not mentioned
1 dozen hen eggs
Novelty vegetables or fruit.

There are also categories for fruit or vegetable sculptures for 10 years and under.

I'm very impressed with everyone we know who entered the show produce section - well done! Can't wait to see the entries.

Lemons; my grandmother's copper and how to make yoghurt cake

A friend (hi Libby!) asked me for this recipe so I thought I'd share it.

You could use your passionfruit or lemons from the garden for this one. I have cooked various versions of these yoghurt cakes for years. Reason being...you throw it all into the bowl without having to cream butter and sugar etc. Quick and easy and moist. In fact one of my mothers' group friends collects recipes where you don't even need a mixmaster or beaters to make things super quick and easy. The women in my mothers' group are the best cake makers I've ever come across and put me to shame with their baking but this yoghurt cake is always a success for me. I removed references to sifting flour etc - who has time for that? Throw it in and mix it up I say!

Ingredients

150g butter, softened
1 cup (220g) caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup (280g) thick Greek-style natural yoghurt
2 cups self raising flour

Passionfruit or lemon syrup

1 cup passionfruit pulp or 1 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees Celcius. To make the syrup place passionfruit pulp/lemon juice, water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and cook for 10-15 minutes until syrupy.

Place the butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until creamy. Add the eggs and yoghurt and beat until well combined. Fold through flour. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased
 24 cm Bundt tin and bake for 35 minutes or until cooked when tested with skewer. Remove from tin and place on a serving plate. Spike all over with a thin skewer, drizzle cake with syrup and serve while still warm. Serves 8.

A bundt tin, by the way, is a round fluted cake tin with a hole in the centre.

Credit to Donna Hay's book Seasons - the best of donna hay magazine - I can recommend this for beautiful seasonal recipes replete with 'eye candy for gardeners' art direction.

Exquisitely scented Meyer lemon flower

My new lemon tree has lots of flowers on it in a late flush of summer growth. I bought the Meyer lemon (best for Canberra) with some trepidation. I think many people in Canberra know how I feel...after losing lots of plants in the drought we are battle scarred and make a commitment to new green 'babies' with sadness for the ones who were lost in the five years of bushfire, dust storms and water scarcity. Even the so-called drought hardy plants did not always live. The lush growth we are experiencing now is a temporary paradise but we all know what could lie ahead post El Nina.


Making a commitment to a Meyer lemon


There are lots of heritage lemons trees around Ainslie that are big, bushy and gorgeous but it's one of those plants that really isn't suited to local conditions and needs TLC. Once established, however, they must cope okay because there are heaps of great specimens around here that are thriving and surviving and that I eye off jealously.

I should explain that my garden has been somewhat neglected for many years due to time constraints, kikuyu grass, ravaging pet dogs, babies and toddlers needing constant supervision and, a house that was difficult to live in. We have now moved back into our beautifully renovated home which enables us to interact with the glorious garden block in which our house is situated. There is a pergola and lots of inside and outside living space and shade from the harsh elements.

 In the same way as I'm finally able to write again (I used to be a journalist) I have rediscovered the absolute joy of gardening helped by others who have inspired and helped me including the wonderful Tony T. the gentleman farmer of Crookwell who showed me how to use a mattock for weed control a la Edna Walling. With my mattock I can do anything! I have a big job ahead of me but I also have lots of existing garden infrastructure. Weeds have moved in while we were living out of our house and the place is lush and overgrown but I know through the year I will tackle everything and I'm looking forward to the transformation that will take place.

Verdigris 'the green of Greece' on my grandmother's copper.

I have planted my Meyer in a plastic tub which sits inside my late grandmother's old laundry copper which has aged to a stunning verdigris. I plan to write a post on the plants and objects we have in our gardens which are handed down through the generations like my cast iron plant and most recently a classic red geranium struck for me by my grandmother's sister.

I added worm castings and rich compost to the tub with some blood and bone and mulched it with pea straw.  I buy Seasol in bulk and feed my plants whenever I can with this liquid goodness. I'm suspicious of potting mix I have to say after seeing it dry out often enough and not really hold enough organic goodness, in my opinion. The horticulturalist at the nursery told me only to use potting mix but I ignored his advice on that one for the lemon which needs a rich rich organic medium. I did however heed his advice to give the lemon LOTS of water - the bigger the lemon, the more water it consumes he said. My compost heap contains humus-enriched soil. I feel as if I have riches more precious than gold with this beautiful earthy goodness that I have been able to use to revitalise my pot plants and start my little courtyard salad and herb garden. Six bags of sheep pellets are sitting in my front yard waiting to be added to my composting systems and future ornamental vegie gardens (check the Saturday classifieds for deliveries) and I have some pea straw on order that was advertised in the local paper for delivery.

Something useful to know - I no longer plant direct to terracotta pots but recycle plastic ones and place them inside the decorative container. Otherwise the terracotta can be too porous and crack eventually. It can also help with drainage in the case of my verdigris copper.

Seeds and sprouts

Keeping the jiffy pots moist with a plastic spray bottle.

New life sprouts in a jiffy!

I tried propagating seeds many years ago without success. I even bought one of those heat controlled kits. I just never had any luck - maybe it was lack of patience or the wrong equipment. Like most domestic activities since I've had children I now go for maximum impact and minimum investment as I don't really have much time. I have boosted my production by buying pots of herbs and salad vegetables - I'm no purist and it's great to have instant greens that aren't throwaway - kind of like edible potted colour. Why not? Nature's fast food. But...I can see the value in raising your own seeds from a heritage seed saving perspective and being able to stagger crops.

Snow peas just starting to sprout

The Digger's Club recommends the jiffy pots. I have finally worked out a winning combination - jiffy pots kept moist with a spray bottle. Imogen, with my help, has sprouted these seedlings and specifically requested red onion. I'm impressed as I had given up on ever propagating seeds until my friend Kate (owner of majestic Duck the rat catcher) gave us a whole stash of leftover seeds. Success! It's given me a confidence boost and it's great to know there's an easy way to do it.

We're also trying another form of propagation - the good old sprout. Positive food for kids by Dr Jenny O'Dea has some great ideas to get kids gardening and interested in the growing process as part of a healthy approach to nutrition. Imogen and Astrid have started changing the water every day on their sprouts. We put them overnight in a cupboard for the first night as instructed then put them in the light in our dining room during the day where they remain. You're supposed to use an old stocking over the glass jar but I used some muslin tied with fabric. I look forward to posting the mature sprouts. An oldie...but a goodie. We forget these tried and tested things so I'm aiming to bring a few things back for you. Sometimes they can have a new twist too.

Possum harmony

Shannon Lush and Jennifer Fleming:

Keep possums from attacking your veggie patch by mixing 1 teaspoon of chilli powder to one cup of olive oil. Wipe around edges of patch. Or use vicks vaporub.


Let me know how you go Mel! Love the idea of a bit of Vicks.

Jemima

Duck (the cat), herbal salad and religious passionfruit

 I've decided to 'blog' you with my thoughts on gardening to share delights and surprises. Feel free to ignore or share randomly too whenever the fancy takes you.
I have such little spare time that this is my way of building my knowledge and sharing my joy with like minded individuals and let you know that you are in my gardener's heart. 

I will upload some photos soon at Imogen's request - Kate she asked me to photograph our dinner plates so you could see it. Isn't that wonderful?
We have expanded our little herb and salad garden in the new courtyard so that we now have: 

sage, basil, lemon verbena, lemon thyme, coloured spinach, baby spinach, lettuce, rocket, both types of parsley, marjoram, rosemary, a HUGE tommy toe bush, chives, chillies and our lonely  mini-beetroot is surviving. With delight I read that planting brightly coloured flowers will attract good predators so we have nasturtiums, marigold seeds (thanks Kate) for nematodes and a collection of blue perennials the girls will love.

Plus I'm propagating white geraniums...can't wait.

Back to the salad garden - I have been shocked and amazed by Imogen's positive response to the salad garden and being able to gather herbs for our dinner. On Sunday night she gathered greenstuff for a herbal salad and wolfed it down. Last night she made the best salad I have ever tasted - the lemon verbena and other herbals contrasted beautifully with some red onion, tomato and sliced carrot. It was so delicious and refreshing. She dressed it with lemon juice and zest and just a tad of mayonnaise on the side. It was truly divine.

I'm stunned at how responsive they both are to the idea of growing their own food and gathering it. Imogen has red onion seeds propagating in jiffy pots as they are her favourite vegetable and we will be ready to transplant in Autumn.

Religious passion not romantic passion
The passionfruit represents Christ's passion I note with interest despite the deliciousness of the ripe fruit and the beauty of the flower.

Wikipedia:

The passion fruit has had a religious association as reflected by the name "passion" given to it by Catholic missionaries who thought that certain parts of the fruit bore some religious connections.[citation needed] These missionaries (who were joined by the Spanish Conquistadors in South America), saw a way of illustrating the Crucifixion:[citation needed]

• The three stigmas were to reflect the three nails in Jesus's hands and feet.
• The threads of the passion flower were believed to be a symbol of the Crown of Thorns.
• The vine's tendrils were likened to the whips.
• The five anthers represented the five wounds.
• The ten petals and sepals regarded to resemble the Apostles (excluding Judas and Peter). 
  

My passionfruit vine is under attack. In researching organic treatments I found out that the ants are probably not what is stripping it. The ants converge on the passionfuit to chase whatever sapsucker is invisible to my eye but exuding a honeydew enjoyed by the ants. Apparently I can try soap spray and maybe a biological agent as a last resort.

The other pest we have is the millipede which I'm impressed to know comes from Portugal and loves the lights in our house. The rain brings them out. They are harmless but like strawberries and exude a yellow gunge when startled which irritates human skin. Water traps....with olive oil, a spray with Pyrethroid...I'm considering what approach to take.

The rats have gone - I heard my neighbour's have ratsack in the backyard so I will decline the offer of Duck. But love the idea of that beautiful silky cat being useful and strong!

When I see you next I'll tell you about the apple farm at Pialligo where we picked our own - Imogen wants to live on an orchard.

Here is the chook house I am getting - the design has undergone some refinement. We visited a home in Watson at the weekend. They are marvellous.
www.canberrachooks.com.au

Coming up next - we are heading to the Canberra Show this weekend to check out Ainslie local legend (in my mind) Dave Joyce's produce competition entries, what you can do with lavender and the kids novelty cakes section. Friday afternoon we are aiming to go and find out what it takes to enter these competitions. Libby's boys are in the milk arrowroot competition but I missed the cut-off so we are going to start early preparing for next year.

Melissa, Craig is going to consult Dr Doug our batologist friend and seasoned observer of the native possum how you might co-exist. Stay tuned.

Jemima xx