Posts Tagged ‘food’

• The Community Produce Market

  Date: 2010.01.30 | Category: home, just general stuff | Response: 3

  Today was our community produce market. It was a beautiful day for it, lovely and cool with a hint of possible rain.

  Set on the grounds of our beautifully restored hall, the market is always very popular with locals and tourists alike. There is always something yummy to taste, with local chefs giving delicious cooking demonstrations. You can always pick up some new recipes to try and sample lots of different treats. The local community cook a great country style bbq breakfast of bacon and egg rolls and sausages. Divine plunger style coffee and the most tantalising cakes are also on offer. Dont eat breakfast before you go!

  I like to peruse the produce stalls. Most people are selling food they have produced on their own property, whether it be eggs, meat, fruit, vegetables, chutneys, pickles and even oysters.

  Pass me the fresh lemons and pepper please.

  I bought myself some great looking Sebago potatoes. In fact, they are cooking in the oven right now.

   Check out the eyes on that potato sign on the back of the ute. Scary….

  There are also a few people selling plants. Succulents are very popular and with most of us here in the grip of drought, they are a great garden choice. Not only do they look absoluetly stunning with their different colours and texture but they are also very ‘waterwise’ plants.

  Lot of people were drawn to the stalls selling stonefruit. We are in the middle of Summer and enjoying sweet, locally grown peaches, plums, nectarines and apricots.

  I was very excited to see the local seed exchange up and running. What a brilliant concept and so well done. Sharing seeds, conserving seeds and traditional / heirloom vegie cultivars is a topic close to my own heart. I will be looking forward to perusing the seed packets at the next market.

  

  It was a great morning, with many friendly faces, lots of smiles and happy people. Set in such a stunning location, surrounded by so much fresh food how could one not be happy? I tried passionfruit cordial, tomato relish, juicy plums and pretty little heart shaped cookies. All of this was enjoyed by the magical sound of our local harpist.

• It’s My Birthday!!

  Date: 2009.04.19 | Category: family, home | Response: 1

  Yesterday I turned 40!! Woot!

  

  Well 40 is a big one..there was a need to celebrate it and enjoy the day. Unfortunately my husband is currently working the night shift so had to sleep the day and was then gone the evening so we weren’t able to share a bottle of champagne. That will have to wait until next week when we might have a dinner party…possibly with a 70′s theme, coz I kinda love retro

  Anyway what my DH did give me was a fabulous gift of a brand new Canon digital SLR camera! Talk about stoked and I can’t wait to show you all the fabulous pics I have been taking and just wait till I get my macro lens. I am very keen to get some fantastic shots around the garden of the flowers, leaves, seed pods, etc. I have taken quite a few shots already and will post some up soon. He also gave me this too cute for words birthday card which I just adore and will put in a frame for on my dressing table.

  

  I was very spoilt on my special day and I do feel very lucky and thankful Among my gifts was a beautiful red Le crueset casserole dish and a Pandora bracelet with three charms from my parents! I also received a stunning red glass lamp in the shape of a Lotus flower from my sister and brother in law. I will have to take a pic of this one to show you, it is absolutely amazing! I also received little leaf earrings from my children (so cute) and a very funky Crumpler camera bag from my bro in law! My brother and his partner gave me a brand new fishing rod and a very nice Daiwa reel so cant wait to go fishing, he he

  We had a luscious family dinner last night of home baked lasagna made lovingly by my mother AND these very cool and delectable canapes, devoured with champagne.

  

  To top the whole dinner off we had a very, very yummy and oh so rich chocolate tiramisu birthday cake.

  What a way to celebrate 40 years!

• Fighting Poverty with Community Gardening

  Date: 2008.10.15 | Category: Horticulture, poverty | Response: 1

  There is a lot of stuff packaged into just one little seed. There is a ton of genetic material and there is also the potential to feed a whole family. Just one little bean seed can produce a beautiful plant with a bountiful crop of food. Giving people the knowledge and skills to grow their own food, is giving them empowerment and food security. Food security is a basic human right.

  

  Community gardens are a wonderful way for people to learn these skills and share information, swap seeds and food crops. Through my own experience in community gardening I have found that they bring all people together who share a common goal. Community gardens are popular the world over, from large scale acreages to rooftop gardens and small urban high density housing areas. Community gardens are a helping hand and often a listening ear to many marginalised people struggling with hunger and poverty.

  Another benefit of growing your own food is the ability to be able to sell it at a profit. This is certainly the case in many communities where we are now seeing more and more ‘Farmers Markets’.

  

  The local community garden near where I live has a community lunch every week. People from the area pitch in on the day to help beautify the gardens by weeding, raking, digging or planting. The food that is harvested on the day is cooked up for a special communal meal that is shared amongst everyone.

  There are so many community gardens that I am sure if you were to look you would most probably find one in your area. It may be at the local school where students from all economic backgrounds can share in and enjoy the bounty! If you find that there isn’t one then maybe that’s your cue…approach your local council or lands authority and help to create food security in your own backyard.