Hills and Plains Seedsavers

SEMAPHORE... A CONFIDENT, COMFORTABLE, VISIONARY COMMUNITY

2009-11-26T23:05:00.001+10:30

The other day Hugh and I were getting some things from the local garden shop here at Semaphore and on the way back to the car I noticed the cafe next door. The word "sustainable" caught my eye and, knowing nothing else about it, I said to Hugh "Let's go there for dinner on Thursday". Now, I rarely go out to dinner, finding it very hard to ever get food as good as that from my own garden. So this impromptu suggestion took Hugh and I both by surprise! And tonight we went there for dinner..... Sarah's Sisters' Sustainable Cafe.

The setting is quite wonderful..... the tables all look out from a curved, semi-enclosed verandah-style room onto the water garden of the garden shop next door and behind! What a clever combination of businesses.... owned by different people, but complimenting each other so well. Past the water garden's trickling nymphs were pots of the agastache that Maggie tells me is so good for attracting bees, benches of herbs and rows of vegetable seedlings etc..... I was bound to enjoy this meal !

Ordering was quite unusual.... the lovely woman had not much idea what was going to be served except that it had soup, 2 entrees plus salad and 2 desserts..... for 2 people. It was called chef's choice and one of the sustainable things is that they try not to waste food, using up ingredients and introducing new things as required. The people at the table next to us ordered first and we looked with interest at what they were getting, expecting ours to be the same..... but no! We were given something different, all of it outstanding. The coffee was good but not great and Hugh reckons that the best coffee in Semaphore is to be had at The Corner Store, where Abbie's dedication to quality puts her far above the rest.

Anyway..... I have not enjoyed a meal at a restaurant this much for a long time. And as we called around the corner of the kitchen to compliment the chef, out he came, very interested in what we thought, who we were, why we were there and so, as Pattie would say, we started to chat about this and that.

His name is Stuart and he is helping set up a Semaphore group to promote the kind of lifestyle that most people reading this blog know a lot about already.... low impact, low input, organic, healthy living where sharing is the norm and a simpler, greener, community-oriented life the goal. They have a location in mind on Semaphore Road, down near the beach front, and want to invite genuine, community-minded people to be involved in getting it off the ground before Christmas.

I have fallen on my feet here.... having only been back from France for less than a month I have already managed to meet several local, green shop owners and given them dozens of my "The Wise Cook's Garden" brochures, have promised them samples of my herb and salad pots as well as my cooking and now being invited to join some of these grass-root discussions about my favourite topics! It is amazing how a passion leads you to sharing it .

Hugh is equally keen to be involved and has offered his skills as a fabulous young chef, enthusiastic food gardener and ability to inspire others. It is all very well for us old farts to harp on about what everyone should be doing but if we are to ever have the next generation follow our lead, we need people like Hugh out there demonstrating the fun and taking a leading role. I sincerely hope that Stuart and others can see the importance of accepting Hugh's offer to give to his local community in such a wonderful way.

This Sunday, November 29th, from about 11am there will be the Semaphore Street Fair..... not a strictly sustainable day but promoting co-operation between developers, traders and residents. Stuart says it will be something unique in this way and be the start of a Semaphore community spirit that will aim to maintain the culture and history of the past, meld it with its unconstrained present and ensure that the Semaphore of the future is unique, green and a comfortable and welcoming place to be.

The following Sunday, Dec 6th, and every subsequent first Sunday of the month, is the Semaphore Community Market at St Bede's, 200 Military Road..... come along and have a look.... I will be there and will write about it afterwards!

Rain, glorious rain.

2009-11-25T21:37:00.001+10:30

Beautiful rain is falling over the Adelaide Plains.

Recently we had record breaking heat wave conditions this November.

Now I am standing at the door looking out on very welcome rain.

Most of us seedsavers started to plant out our seedlings last weekend after the over 40 degree days disappeared.

So there are some pretty happy tomato, zucchini and chilli plants in our gardens tonight.

One of the greatest gifts to man is rain.

ENJOY!

Food Gardeners Forum

2009-11-19T18:43:00.002+10:30

Growing your own food? Needing some inspiration??
Come along to the Summer FOOD GARDENER’S FORUM
at
FERN AVE COMMUNITY GARDEN Fullarton
Wednesday 2nd December 2009
10am to 12.30pm
Inspiring guest speakers to discuss the vital importance of food gardening…

Dr David (rare-fruitie) Harrison

Dr Pam White – a passionate food gardening GP

This Forum is part of the Cancer Care Centre Inc community health program
Cost: $10
The morning forum will be held under the elm tree at
Fern Ave Community Garden – please bring a chair
No bookings required
Enquiries : 8379 5086

Keep cool everyone
Maggie

Beauty and the Beast

2009-11-18T22:14:00.001+10:30

Here in Adelaide we are in the midst of an unbelievable heat wave. I remember November as being mostly pleasant days in the mid 20's (no, not my age, silly..... the temperature, in centigrade!) This November has been 2 weeks of temperatures from 37 - tomorrow's 43C!

I had an email from Maggie saying Bob and I are thinking date palms, saltbush and goats for next summer!!!! Being lateral thinkers with not much in the way of traditions, we Australians think nothing of mixing together all of history and geography and coming up with something to suit our situation!

My reply said....I might take up camel riding and take tours of the Semaphore sand dunes.... stopping at oases filled with date palms and pomegranates.... looking for mirages, mermaids and naked nymphs.... and finish by visiting unshaven Arabs in beach tents, drinking strong Farmers Union Iced coffee!

I am staying with son Hugh at Largs Bay.... obviously this is near the sea.... and most evenings I wander down to the beach before or after dinner, for a swim or a walk or both.

Tonight on the beach it was so so beautiful; a light cool breeze coming across the sea, sailing boats dotted about, families and dogs walking and paddling and a few swimming. Everyone smiling and relaxed; lots of tails wagging. The sky was wild with clouds; some high. some lower, some dark, some white, some fluffy, some streaky and then, ever so slowly, the sun slid down and down towards a gap near the horizon and just before I left, the sun broke through. The whole world turned to liquid gold. The people with fishing lines on the jetty were a silhouette, painted onto a golden sea.

Nature truly excelled herself, as if to say.... here I am putting on a show for you tonight so don't be angry tomorrow, when I rage with fire and wind and turn into a hellish furnace of furious heat.

It is no wonder Adelaide has been one place, on this busy and crowded earth, where people have revelled in a relaxed and care free lifestyle, not caring much for showiness or greed. What more could you need than an evening walk on the beach and a BBQ out the back in the garden? Stretched out along more than 50kms of coastline, none of the million or so people are very far from the sea or a sea view. For most of the year life is very much an outside affair.

But you cannot walk on the beach when the sand burns your feet, the sun blisters your skin, the glare blinds your eyes and the air is too hot and dry even to talk.

What is going to happen to good old Adelaide if the shocking temperatures we keep having even so early in summer keep killing our food gardens, drying up our water supplies, destroying businesses and agriculture, making tempers fray and turning our city of green spaces into a city of dust and destruction?

Planning for next summer in Adelaide.

2009-11-18T12:31:00.001+10:30

I reckon we might grow saltbush, parsley, cactus, date palms, purslane and maybe keep a goat next summer.

Would all that work for an edible summer garden?

What changes will you make re summer gardening in this hot dry state?

39 degrees Celsius today, too hot for gardening, so join me for a wander around Waite Arboretum and look at the wonderful trees with this virtual tour.

Thank you to the Friends of Waite House and Arboretum for all the hard work you do to maintain these gardens for all Adelaide residents to enjoy. Check out the Waite website here, they are always looking for volunteers and new members. They have monthly guided tours for $5 but you can wander through the grounds at any time.

Keep cool!

Ethical Feast i am what i eat ... i am the change i want to see.

2009-11-16T07:33:00.001+10:30

Welcome! Feast starts 17 Nov!

Check out Ethical Feast which everyone is invited to participate in.

Online Offerings

Here's a sampling of the Symposium offerings. When you Create a Plate (above), the information will show up in this list:

Title
Type of Contribution
Teaser
Guest

Second Lives and the Fractal Determinism of "You are what you eat"
Presentation

Subtitle: The Terrible Elegance of Square Chickens for Square Bellies

Who would have thought that the best diet for tomorrow's urban dwellers is completely manufactured foods? In this presentation I will explore the implications of fulltime living in Second Life (the online world) and the inevitability of a fundamental fork in the species.

ethical-sysop

Dante's Feast
Presentation

Dante's Feast is an Allegory by Craig San Roque.

Craig has studied many forms of knowing and being, including the formalisms of Jungian psychology where he is a repected practitioner.

Currently residing in Alice Springs with his equally amazing life partner Jude.

Craig Sanroque

Traditional Feasts for Community strength
Presentation

Traditional feasts have always been used in Melanesia in time of trouble such as tsunami, cyclones and hard times such as drought.
This is a an ancient melanesian way to share food to feed the less lucky this time around but also a way to spead plant material to many farmers around the islands.
We would love to have you at our Powerpoint presentation. It will be happen either around our laptop, via a projector or more simply as a story.

Jude Fanton

sharing with people in Austin/ Texas

I will be working at the time of the feast, but would like to share on face book with friends opening a wellness center. Do you have a facebook link? Can we watch the entirety of it after the event?
I also have friends in india on face book that are interested.
Thanks Willow
( didn't quite know where to post this)

wildwindsdancer

Wisdom of Water
Performance

THE WISDOM OF WATER

What is Water? Water is a conscious entity that thinks and feels. A stream is a baby, a river an adult, the ocean is the Great All-powerful One. The Earth is water's creation. The water within and around us came from somewhere out there in the Universe for some reason known only to itself. This same water has been circulating through the earth ever since – through every bird, animal, tree and rock. It has been everywhere, seen everything. The same stream of life that runs through our veins night and day runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures, connecting us to all living things past and present.

Willem Brugman

Starter Plates

Here are some ideas that guests have already suggested...

pottery for peace
intensive cooking classes
dancing tutorials
voice lessons
carriage and tent making
incense-making
historical tours
activist volunteering
gypsy arts
open schooling
water treatment technologies
indigenous permaculture
healthy food systems for cities Gandhian philosophy
Pushkar Camel Fair

FRESH the Movie Thursday 12th November.

2009-11-11T19:18:00.001+10:30

Hi everyone, Kate from the Western A Price Foundation Group from Adelaide has asked me to forward this information to you.
Transition Adelaide West

presents…

A movie celebrating farmers, thinkers and business people who are re-inventing our food system.

www.freshthemovie.com

12^Th November 2009

6pm for 6.30 screening

Odeon Theatre,

Semaphore Road

Join us at this significant community event, embracing sustainable lifestyle through the screening of ‘Fresh’ and the launch of a local initiative relocalising our community and supporting it in reducing energy usage;

Guest speakers include:

Graham Brookman – The Food Forest

Jason Fulston – Cloverland Organics

Stuart Gifford – Sarah’s Sisters Café

As well as post movie Exhibitors & Tastings

Tickets are $10 per person

Book through transitionadelaidewest@yahoo.com

or contact Kate Netschitowsky – 0404 515 685 or 8341 5470

The Hills Garden & Environmental Expo

2009-11-05T12:13:00.001+10:30

SUNDAY, 15TH NOVEMBER 2009 - URAIDLA SHOWGROUNDS 10am to 4pm

HILLS GARDEN AND ENVIRONMENTAL EXPO

Adult entry: $5
Concession $3
Free Entry for children accompanied by an adult

For 2009 we have secured the following speakers and demonstrators:

Peter Goers: From ABC Radio 891 will open the event

Sophie Thompson: ‘Sustainable, climate compatible gardening’

Lolo Houbein: ‘One Magic Square: Grow your own food on one square metre’

Liddy Dolman: ‘A Basic Guide to Sustainable Living’

Gary Rule: A cooking demonstration from the Head Chef at the Stirling Hotel

The 2009 event will also include various activities & entertainment:

Live bands “West Coast Trio”
Wine & Gourmet Platters
Gourmet BBQ & refreshments
Devonshire Tea
Rock Climbing Wall
Craft Activities
Face Painting & Crazy Hair Stalls
Free Parking

PLEASE NOTE: The Expo is a “dog-free” event.

Hills Sustainable Living Day Sunday 8th November 12:45pm

2009-11-04T07:08:00.001+10:30

Where? Bridgewater Hall (just opposite Coles on the Bridgewater/Carey Gully Road)

Speakers, plants, stalls, organic wine and olive oil, afternoon tea and talks and home and garden tours.

Information Talks

1pm N Mullard Building with mud brick and stone

1:40 Peter Harwood Building with reclaimed timber

2:15 Lola Houbein Author of “ One Magic Square” Easy organic veggie gardening

2:50 Tim Marshall Author of “Compost the Ultimate organic guide to recycling your garden”

Visit 3 sustainable & environmentally friendly homes and gardens and talk to the owners.

I picked up the leaflet for this at the Stirling organic market, there is no contact number but it says “arranged by the Mayo Branch of the Australian Greens”.

Loquats, lemons, parsley, coriander, garlic and chilli.

2009-11-03T14:56:00.001+10:30

All these ingredients are in season at the moment so I thought I would post this very easy salad recipe for you.

We shall call it “Doc’s Lemon and Loquat Salad Delight” ( ask Andrew what that means!)

Mix together equal quantities of cooked chickpeas and cooked brown rice.

Add sliced, deseeded loquats and some fresh diced tomatoes if you have some.

Make a salad dressing with olive oil, lemon juice, a little grated lemon zest, a little peeled chopped lemon, some crushed garlic, a spoonful of paprika, some chopped red chilli, a handful each of chopped coriander and parsley and a pinch of salt.

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy!

The picture of the loquats comes from Plant Answers.com

If you click on this link you will find more delicious recipes and info about loquats. There is even a recipe for loquat wine.

Lemon rain…

2009-11-02T20:19:00.001+10:30

The chooks that live under our lemon tree have it all figured out – as soon as they hear the rustling in the leaves overhead that signals another lemon bomb about to land in their midst, they scatter to the winds…

I wish I could scatter to the winds! Every day I go outside, another bucket load of lemons has fallen to the ground, awaiting our attention.

We use about one lemon per day in salads, but we get two crops per year with around 50 kg of lemons just off this one tree.

So, lemon recipes anyone? Ones without sugar? And yes, we do freeze the juice for the lean months, but it never tastes quite the same…

We met a nice Chinese couple recently who’d never seen a lemon tree before. Lucky them!

So here’s a typical scene in the kitchen; lemon tyranny!

On the plus side, Spring sunsets over the lemon tree are rather picturesque…

Kitchen Gardeners International Challenge ends 6th November.

2009-10-28T07:59:00.001+10:30

CRUSH HUNGER Challenge

Please read about this challenge, support it and post it on your blog or share it with friends.

If KGI won this challenge it would be able to help many gardening projects around the world.

Last year KGI managed to get a veggie garden at the White House, help them win this challenge.

27 October 2009

Dear Kitchen Gardener,

KGI is a 501c3 nonprofit community of over 18,000 people from 100 countries who are growing some of their own food and helping others to do the same. We have a rare opportunity to expand the number of people we are reaching and the number of gardening groups we are helping by winning America's Giving Challenge, a fundraising competition whose grand prize is $50,000. The prize winners are those nonprofits that generate the highest number of donations (not total dollar value) between now and November 6th, so even $10 is a big help.

We are currently in 30th place out of over 1800 nonprofits (not bad for a little nonprofit with one staff member!), but here's the really exciting news: all we need is for for 10% of our community to make a donation of $10 and we can zoom into second place! As I mentioned before, this is the one and only fundraising drive we're making this year so I hope you'll choose to get off the garden fence and make a secure online donation here and now.

To rouse you into action, I've just posted a fun, 2-minute video to YouTube called "Gardeners have the Power." The message of the video is the same as the message of this exceptional funding opportunity: we can do anything we set our mind to...when we work together. So, let's do just that and win this contest for the global gardening cause.

With over 1 billion people hungry in the world and global climate change screaming out for action, there's no time for us gardeners to waste.

Many thanks for being the change you want to see in the world,

Roger Doiron

Founding Director, KGI

PS: If you really want to help KGI, but do not wish to donate online you may fill out this form and send us a check. The donation will not be counted in the contest totals (because it doesn't pass through the contest counter), but will help support our work. Thanks.

PPS: We'll soon go back to our regularly scheduled kitchen gardening programming, so hang in there!

---

Here's a link and a logo for new dedicated website I set up for our contest entry. Feel free to poke around there and see some of the types of projects KGI has helped in the past to get a feel for the work we're trying to do more of in the future.

(All the donation links and buttons at CrushHunger.org take you to our contest donations page)

FOOD CONNECT ADELAIDE --- RSVP by 28/10/09

2009-10-26T18:10:00.004+10:30

WANT TO BE PART OF A

SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEM ?

Come and learn about

Food Connect Adelaide –

a new more sustainable food system which aims to support local growers.

Where : Main Hall, Clarence Park Community Centre,

72-74 East Ave, Black Forest, Adelaide

When : Sunday November 1,

1.30pm for 1.45pm start. Finish 5.45pm
Afternoon tea will be provided.

Robert Pekin, founder of Food Connect (Brisbane) will be facilitating a workshop with growers and customers.
Come and find out more about this innovative food system, how it works and help to establish it here in Adelaide.

RSVP and more info :
Sally Fisher info@foodconnectadelaide.com.au by 28/10/09

www.foodconnectadelaide.com.au

A Seedsaver’s Garden

2009-10-25T19:02:00.002+10:30

For all us new & experienced gardeners it was a wonderful afternoon visit to Claudia & Andrew’s amazing backyard “farm”. Where once the garden was surrounded by Italian & Greek backyard vegetable gardens, today this garden is surrounded by paved “Tuscan’ villas. It is so refreshing & encouraging to see what healthy herbs, fruits & vegetables can be grown for you family in a suburban backyard.

As Seedsavers it is important, as Andrew said today, to save the seeds from you favourite plants and vegetables so you are able to provide this healthy food for your family & friends.

Backyard gardening, although enjoyable does take time & effort & patience. Plants are grown, the seeds saved & then each season the seeds are returned to the soil, the plant grows & the cycle continues.

Claudia & Andrew have worked hard to save all the water coming onto their property so that through the long dry Adelaide summer their garden is watered with pure rainwater, which creates a healthy environment for their plants, their chickens & themselves.

For more photographs use this link: A Seedsavers Garden

A great big thank you to Claudia & Andrew for their great hospitality & for sharing their wonderful backyard farm with us today.

We have some more plans to visit other seedsavers vegetable gardens soon.

The Seed Savers Network

2009-10-24T21:09:00.001+10:30

The Hills and Plains Seedsavers group is part of the Seed Savers Network started many years ago by Michel and Jude Fanton.

Seed Savers Handbook Online

This is a complete reference for growing, preparing and conserving 117 traditional varieties of food plants. Written especially for Australian and New Zealand conditions in 1993 by Michel and Jude Fanton, founders of The Seed Savers' Network.

Browse the Seed Savers Handbook online

“This is the online version of our enduring classic work. Please feel free to browse here, and remember that there are translations for the work, and you can always purchase a print version for your bookshelf or as a gift to a dear friend.”
Check out the Seed Savers web site for other resources for starting a seed saving group or starting school gardens for children.

FRESH the movie

2009-10-22T22:12:00.001+10:30

Transition Adelaide West

presents…

A movie celebrating farmers, thinkers and business people who are re-inventing our food system.

www.freshthemovie.com

12^Th November 2009

6pm for 6.30 screening

Odeon Theatre,

Semaphore Road

Guest speakers include:

Graham Brookman – The Food Forest

Jason Fulston – Cloverland Organics

Stuart Gifford – Sarah’s Sisters Café

As well as post movie Exhibitors & Tastings

Tickets are $10 per person

Book through transitionadelaidewest@yahoo.com

or contact Kate – 0404 515 685

HAPPY DIWALI 2009

2009-10-17T09:44:00.005+10:30

Many people around the world will celebrate the Festival of Lights today, check out this link to learn more of this celebration of life , Diwali

16th October WORLD FOOD DAY by Roger Doiron

2009-10-16T09:30:00.001+10:30

Published on Thursday, October 15, 2009 by CommonDreams.org

On World Food Day: Crunching the Numbers

by Roger Doiron

Tomorrow is World Food Day and since I can't invite you all over for dinner, I thought I'd serve up a smorgasbord of facts and figures about the way the US and the world eat or don't eat, as the case may be.

The menu isn't all bad, but I'll warn you that too much of it could lead to mental and emotional indigestion. The good news is that if you live in the developed world and you don't like what you're served, another option is only a few steps away or, in the case of online food-for-thought, mouse-clicks away. That said, I'd urge you to finish your plate and consider sharing a bite with others.

If I sound like a parent, it's because I am which is one of the reasons I feel compelled to mix these eclectic issues together in one big pot. If we can all start seeing the connections between food, health, and the environment and teaching our children to do the same, perhaps we can serve up a more palatable offering of food statistics in their lifetime.

So, let's dig in:

1: number of new kitchen gardens planted at the White House this year AP
1943: the last time food was grown at the White House White House
20 million: the number of new gardens planted in 1943 LA Times
40%: percentage of nation's produce coming from gardens in 1943 LA Times
7 million: estimated number of new food gardens planted in the US in 2009 NGA
$2000: amount of savings possible per year from a 40' x 40' garden KGI
90%: percentage of fruit/vegetable varieties lost in the US the last 100 years CNN
3500: number of vegetable varieties owned by Monsanto Monsanto
18,467: number of new small farms counted in the last agricultural census USDA
4,685: number of farmers markets nationwide USDA
4,100: number of Wal-mart stores and clubs in the US Wal-mart
187,000 ft² : average area of a Wal-mart superstore Wal-mart
60,112 ft²: average area of a farmers' market USDA
9.5 million: number of imported food shipments arriving in the US each year Huffington Post
226,377: number of establishments registered to export food to the US Huffington Post
200: number of on-site inspections of these establishments conducted by the FDA last year Huffington Post
76 million: number of people who fall ill each year due to food poisoning CDC
50 gallons: volume of sugared beverages consumed per person in the US each year LA Times
22,727: number of Olympic-sized swimming pools those beverages would fill Answers.com
$15 billion: annual estimated revenue of a penny-per-ounce tax on soda LA Times
$20.5 billion: Coca-Cola's gross profit in 2008 Coca-Cola
72 million: number of American adults considered obese CDC
33%: percentage of US children likely to develop obesity or Type 2 diabetes CDC
10-15 years: average number of years their lives will be shortened as a result CDC
57 years: average age of the American farmer USDA
25 days: average shelf-life of a Twinkie Snopes
350 parts per million: sustainable level of CO² in atmosphere 350.org
390 parts per million: current level of CO² in the atmosphere NOAA
31%: percentage of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions attributable to food and agriculture IPCC
2020: year by which many geologists feel the world will have reached "peak oil" production UK Research Centre
10 calories: average amount of fossil fuel energy required to produce 1 calorie of food energy in industrialized food systems Cornell
29,100 calories: estimated fossil fuel calories required to produce one order of Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries Men's Health
1 billion: number of hungry people in the world in 2009 FAO
9.1 billion: projected world population in the year 2050 US Census
70%: percentage increase in global food production required to feed that projected population FAO
70%: percentage of world's fresh water used for agricultural purposes UNESCO
1.8 billion: number of people expected to experience "water scarcity" in the year 2025 UNEP
0: number of new, oil-rich, water-rich, fertile and inhabitable planets we are likely to discover in the next 40 years
1: number of people needed to make a positive difference in any of the above: you!

Roger Doiron is Founding Director of Kitchen Gardeners International, an IATP Food and Society Fellow, and, if you believe the folks at Huffington Post, one of the top Green Game Changers of 2009.

Summer and Winter Garden Harvest Recipe Plan

2009-10-13T19:14:00.003+10:30

This year I am going to start a folder with recipes I would like to try using produce from the garden or bought locally.

Nothing is more frustrating than having a table full of produce that you want to eat raw, cook or preserve and not have recipes and ingredients ready, so you can get cooking straight away.

I usually head for the computer do a Goggle search and end up with all sorts of ideas and no time or energy left to do anything.

So this year the Google searches will be done in advance and the recipes will be clearly arranged with the spices, vinegars or honey and empty jars already in the cupboard. There will be a plan!

Last year Cath had given me her peach chutney recipe which I adapted as different fruits appeared in the kitchen.

There are some great gardening, cooking, preserving bloggers around the globe who have great recipe blogs.

One of my favourite cooks is Laura from Mas Du Diable Cevenol Kitchen who has loads of great recipes including an Indian section with all sorts of pickles, chutney’s and preserves.

Tamra from Eat Seasonally has some great seasonal recipes as part of her gardening blog. As soon as the purslane appears in the garden I am going to make her “weed Tacos”. Read the story that goes with the recipe about her teenagers’ text messaging their friends when told they are having weed tacos for dinner.

Olives and artichokes have a wonderful Mediterranean recipe section as part of their blog. It show wonderful ideas for what they do with daily produce from their garden.

There are many different groups that form part of Kitchen Gardens International. My favourite groups are the Pickling and Preserving, the Harvest group and the Kimchi group. I have enjoyed reading the members pickling and harvest adventures through out our winter. Gillian a KGI friend from Queensland posted a great tomato & chilli sauce recipe, I have bottles already for that recipe.

Please join KGI and share your ideas and gardening experiences with people from all over the world.

Because we have a small garden we tend to harvest everything and then prepare the soil for our next batch of seedlings.

This week we pulled up all the celeriac and fennel.

When trimmed back the celeriac was roasted and some sliced and eaten raw. The tops went in the compost. We may not grow celeriac again, it was in the ground for a long time, I think the leaves may have been trimmed back more. We had huge leaves and smallish bulbs. Have you grown celeriac, is there a secret?

I remembered a recipe on our Recipes Gardeners Gastronomy section, which Kate recommended and which I cooked last year. It is absolutely delicious. Fennel bulbs and beetroot chunks are roasted, covered with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It is quick and delicious, lovely eaten hot and even better kept in the fridge and eaten as a salad.

Organic gardening is fun, watching seeds germinate and grow is exciting, planting and then harvesting veggies is a great experience, cooking and eating those delicious veggies is a heavenly experience. I hope your new seasons veggie patch is exciting and delicious.

Creating a beautiful home from a concrete water storage tank!

2009-10-04T13:06:00.004+10:30

If you are thinking of converting a concrete water tank into a home this is the place to look at.

Tickle Tank is the home of talented artist Irene Pearce .
"You will visit an intimate and adventurous multi-level garden which surrounds a house made from a converted water storage tank. The garden is filled with garden art, mosaics and sculptures made from recycled materials which add humour among the colourful array of spring bulbs, hardy natives and cottage plants. An inspiring garden, brimming with artistic ideas."
See the video at the ABC website: Tickle video (scroll down to the Tickletank video).

October and November Gardening or Community Events

2009-10-01T19:22:00.001+09:30

There is a lot of gardening or cultural events happening in Adelaide at the moment.

The Moon Lantern festival opens the OZ Asia Festival on the 3rd October from 3 to 8pm.

The ABC Car Park Caper is on Saturday the 10th of October at Collingswood.

The native flower and plant display and plant sale is on the 10th and 11th October at the Stirling Angus Hall Adelaide Showgrounds.

The Adelaide Botanical Gardens have some great talks, check out their online brochure for details.

Herb Day at Fullarton Community Centre is the 1st Sunday in November.

Australia’s Open Garden Scheme has some wonderful gardens open to the public.

The Hills Garden & Environmental Expo is on Sunday, 15th November 2009 - Uraidla Showgrounds. Check their website.

ORGANIC GARDENING COURSE

2009-10-01T13:10:00.001+09:30

Taught by DAVID CORKILL at Fern Avenue Community Garden

Commencing the TUESDAY 13th October 2009

9 weekly sessions from 9:30am to noon

The course includes the topics

soil, water, botany, compost, mulching, propagation, companion planting, weed and pest control.

The cost for the entire course is $70 or $60 concession or $45 pensioner

Enquiries and enrolments phone 8379 8941

This is a FERN AVENUE COMMUNITY GARDEN PROJECT

Diana’s Garden Party

2009-09-30T19:17:00.001+09:30

We met today at Fern Avenue Community Garden to celebrate the wonderful world of organic vegetable gardening, friendships, sharing, swapping, good food and comradeship, together in the world of organic veggie growing.

We planned to meet again at Fern Avenue on Sunday the 25th of October at 1pm to share and chat about our summer kitchen gardens.

Why do we kitchen garden?, we want to eat delicious, nutritious, home grown food.

We want to share this food with our family, friends and neighbours, we want to eat the healthiest food that we can.

Here is a collage of all the delicious food we shared today.

Thank you everyone for sharing your gardening experiences and your delicious recipes.

Welcome to Purple in our Spring Garden

2009-09-28T10:43:00.001+09:30

Purple sprouting broccoli, flame mustard greens, society garlic chives, purple tatsoi, lettuce, violas, pepino blossom & lemon blossom.

4th Saturday and 4th Sunday of the Month

2009-09-25T19:36:00.001+09:30

I love the 4th Saturday and the 4th Sunday of the Month!

Why?, well on these day there are local food Markets.

Fullarton Park Community Centre has many local food stalls.

Heather Welsh who sells and knows almost everything about Herbs now has a stall with many unusual herbs on sale.

There is a lady from Meadows who sells eggs, rhubarb, flowers, jams and lovely plants.

I always buy homemade egg sponges and blackberry pies for my Mum cooked by a lady from Uraidla.

I buy olives from a family from the southern suburbs.

Sunday the market is at Stirling. I think you all know the charm of this special market.

Diana and Jen are usually selling their organic seedlings and the next best stall at the markets is a young couple who make and sell all sorts of organic pies.

Local food, friendly growers, good produce, people to chat too and a totally good place to shop.