Posts Tagged ‘local food’
Veggie Growers Competition
Posted in Events by EcoCentre on January 25th, 2012
| 11 February , 2012 | ||
| 11:00 am | to | 2:00 pm |
Port Phillip Urban Food Network – PPUFFN – is hosting its first ever veggie growers competition
We’re searching for the best offerings from edible gardens right across Port Phillip. As well be as well as local food growing entrants, we need spectators to help us decide the winners! There are 5 entry categories, including best-tasting tomato variety, monster veg & most unusual edible plant. Plus an honorary award for the most weird and wonderful looking contribution!
$450 prize pool / winners by popular choice / swap tips with other food gardeners.
So, get ready for some horticultural muscle flexing and join us on the day!
Full competition entry details
Saturday 11 February, 11am
St Kilda Youth Service Training Site, Cnr Pickles & Richardson St, Port Melbourne
(only 5 mins from Bay St shopping st)
Enquiries: paula – 0417 501 383 / gardeners@ecocentre.com
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Local Harvest Australia: Connecting and supporting local consumers & producers
Posted in Movements, Seeking by Kate Archdeacon on December 14th, 2011
Local Harvest is a new national initiative aiming to help people find local sources of food and grow their own.
A directory of sustainable food in Australia
A national directory for finding food co-ops, swap meets, community gardens, farmers markets, box systems, organic retailers and more by simply entering your postcode.
Helping you to produce your own
DIY alternatives for food production and meeting essential needs, including resources for growing and making your own.
Local Harvest Challenge
Take up the Local Harvest Challenge, where for one week you attempt to reduce the ‘degrees of separation’ from your food. Based on the Household Action Challenge run in previous years.
There is a fantastic similar resource existing for the USA found at www.localharvest.org on which this project has been based.
Local Harvest will launch in February 2012, and is currently has a funding call-out on Pozible. Check out the website to find out more.
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South Melbourne Commons: Official Opening
Posted in Events by Kate Archdeacon on December 7th, 2011
| 10 December , 2011 | ||
| 10:00 am | to | 4:00 pm |
http://commons.org.au/
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Growing Food in Pots: SGA article
Posted in Models, Research by Kate Archdeacon on November 11th, 2011
Source: cuttings, the Sustainable Gardening Australia(SGA) newsletter
Photo by David_Turner via flickr CC
From “Produce in Pots” by Helen Tuton:
Plants in pots… it’s hardly a new or revolutionary concept… I mean, we are all well acquainted with the potted Maidenhair fern in the bathroom, a dusty ‘Parlour Palm’ struggling for life in the corner of the office, or the ubiquitous ‘Peace Lily’ given as a gift when we can’t think of anything better. But what about productive plants in pots? Imagine a ‘movable feast’ in your inner city courtyard, providing a fair whack of the food you love to eat? A bounty of beautiful herbs out by the BBQ, or tonnes of tumbling tomatoes at your townhouse? Just about anyone has room for a few pots at their place, and we reckon you will be amazed by just how much produce you can grow in just about any space!
Gone to Pot – Getting Started
Planting a productive potted plot is no different to getting going in a garden – it’s all about planning, position, potting mix, patience and productivity. [...]
Read the full article by Helen Tuton for the SGA.
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St Kilda Community Kitchen: Renovated and Reopened
Posted in Movements by Kate Archdeacon on November 2nd, 2011
Via Port Philip Urban Fresh Food Network (PPUFFN)
“The kitchen is back in operation after recent renovations and the room looks fantastic. It’s great to see delicious dishes, aromas, and laughter filling the kitchen once more.” PPUFFN October Newsletter
The St Kilda Community Kitchen is a community-run weekly activity that is based on the idea that we all get stuck on cooking the same recipes day in, day out. But, while those recipes might be tired and boring to one person, they’re completely new and exciting to others! Each week people from backgrounds come together to have fun socialising and cooking, all the while expanding their cooking repertoire. So if you’ve ever wanted to learn a few more cooking skills, this is a great and engaging way to do it!
With everybody pitching in their ideas and skills in this way, you don’t need to be an expert to join in the fun, since it’s really about enjoying the experience of cooking in a relaxed and friendly group setting. In this way, a fantastic group cohesion is created that strengthens the local St Kilda community on the journey to preparing a delicious feast!
WHEN: Every Monday from 6:30pm ’til around 8:30pm. Come and stay for as much or as little as you like!
WHERE: Corner of 114 Inkerman St & Bath St, St Kilda. Enter off Bath St and look for the signs pointing to the Community Room.
COST: FREE!! All you’ll need to prepare a delicious feast is provided, just be sure to bring your appetite!
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The St Kilda Community Kitchen uses food that is kindly provided by SecondBite. SecondBite is an innovate organisation dedicated to the redistribution of surplus fresh food from local food donors directly to local community groups. This sustainable and award winning program was created in 2009 to further SecondBite’s mission of making a positive difference to people by identifying sources of surplus fresh food that might otherwise go to waste. SecondBite is always looking to engage more volunteers. For more information on how you can be involved, go to secondbite.org.
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Mornington Peninsula Food Swaps
Posted in Events, Movements by Kate Archdeacon on September 29th, 2011
| 4 October , 2011 | ||
| 3:00 pm | to | 4:00 pm |
Sprout Community Market: Reopening for Spring & Summer
Posted in Events by Zanni on August 9th, 2011
| 1 September , 2011 | ||
| 3:00 pm | to | 7:00 pm |
Sprout holds a diverse and vibrant local Community Market on the first Thursday of each month (except winter & Jan/Feb) at Sprout Community Gardens – corner of Clapham and Watt Sts, Thornbury (Mel ref 30 F4) from 3pm-7pm. Sprout Market has a variety of stalls (organically grown produce, dried herbs and plants; food & drink; kids activities/ workshops; local crafts, arts and designs), as well as great local music. We sell produce that has been produced on site as well as offering stalls to vendors from the wider community, encouraging local community strength, connection and community enterprise with a focus on sustainability.
Sprout Open Gate – Each non-market Thursday from 1-4pm Sprout Opens the Gate for people to buy organically grown seedlings, dried and fresh herbs, plants, fresh produce from the site and other items produced on site or just to have a look around.
If you are interested in having a stall, volunteering or looking to sell local surplus produce, or just want general information about Open Gate or the Market, please contact us on 9484-5565, or 0424 029 180 or email zwaldstein@mindaustralia.org.au
Markets for the rest of 2011 are: Sept 1st, Oct 6th, Nov 3rd, Dec 1st and 15th
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Local Harvest Website for Melbourne: Seeking Input
Posted in Models, Movements, Seeking by Kate Archdeacon on August 4th, 2011
Source: Ethical Consumer Group
Image: This Is A Wake Up Call via flickr CC
There is a growing need for easy-to-use information for sourcing food locally.
Local Harvest will be a website resource focusing on food relocalisation and the promotion of alternatives for food production in an urban setting. This includes a national directory for finding food co-ops, food swap meets, community gardens, farmers markets, box systems, ‘pick your own’ farms, farm-gate products, organic retailers, seed saver networks, free-range meats, and more. Users can find alternative local food sources based on their own locality by placing in a postcode.
A second component will be the promotion and exploration of do-it-yourself alternatives for food production and meeting essential needs, including resources for growing your own food, making your own produce, storing and preserving, low energy living.
We will largely be drawing from the many existing resources, and collating them into one place. This idea is based on the one existing for the USA found at www.localharvest.org.
- Core objectives of the project are to help people move away from dependence on the supermarket and industrial food system, and support local producers, reduce transport distance and associated energy and carbon impact, and build up connections between urban consumers and rural producers.
- The target audience is initially city dwellers who are looking to minimise their impact regarding food choices. Ultimately however, it will be a useful resource for everyone who eats and is concerned about making a difference with their everyday purchasing choices.
- Additional components such as a forum and blog by producers and/ or users may be included to enhance the ‘community’ and resource sharing aspect. A companion to the website resource will be an iPhone and smart-phone app using the same data.
- Local Harvest will be comprehensive and user-friendly, and an effective tool in encouraging behaviour change in food choices.
Involvement
Let us know if you’d like to be involved in this project. Here’s some ideas.
- be part of the organising team
- help with funding
- tidying up the content
- contributing content (resources you know of in your area)
www.ethical.org.au/local_harvest
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Victorian Oranges for Healthy Fundraisers
Posted in Movements, Seeking by Kate Archdeacon on June 21st, 2011
Source: Melbourne Community Farmers’ Markets
Want to raise funds for your community or school? Want to support the Australian Citrus Industry? Want to promote rural education? Move over crap chocolate, Nangiloc Primary School has a great idea! In a nutshell, during the Navel orange season (July – Oct) you place an order for 3kg bags of fresh oranges for $5. Local fruit, packed at a local packing house will be processed by the children from Nangiloc Primary School as part of an enterprise learning program. Then, for every bag your school or organisation sells, you will earn one dollar whilst supporting Victorian citrus growers, seasonal fruit and Nangiloc Primary School. Find out more by phoning (03) 5029 1483 or email Nangiloc Primary School
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Preston Homemade Wine and Beer Festival 2011
Posted in Events by Kate Archdeacon on May 10th, 2011
| 28 May , 2011 | ||
| 1:00 pm | to | 4:00 pm |
Source: Sustainability News, Darebin City Council
Image: itts rollo via flickr CC
Since 2005 the Homemade Wine and Beer Festival has been a celebration of tradition. People from all over the globe have come to live in Darebin and have brought with them wonderful food traditions and skills which have enriched our community. The Homemade Wine and Beer Festival features wine and beer tasting, cooking demonstrations, seminars and great music. Entries are sought in red wine, white wine, beer and Preston Market Tomato Passata categories. Enties close Thursday 19 May 2011. Information about What’s Changed and Application Forms are available from the Darebin City Council website.
Saturday 28 May 2011 1pm – 4pm
Preston City Hall, 284 Gower Street, Preston
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